StartUp Podcast

Gimlet is starting a new line of business, and it’s a complicated one: Branded content. Branded content is a piece of media (a video, a story, a podcast, etc.) paid for by a company that then has editorial control over the product. Lots of companies have been asking Gimlet to make podcasts for them. But, as we see in this episode, there are some very real anxieties about how to do this right. As part of this episode, we’ve put together Gimlet Media’s Advertising Guidelines. You can find them on our website.Our theme song was written and performed by Mark Phillips.John Kimbrough composed music for this episode.More music written and performed by John Delore along with his band mates, Jordan Scanella, Sam Merrick and Isamu McGregor.

Gimlet is making a big, expensive bet. The kind of bet that could make or break the company. And it’s a bet that comes down to one factor: What is Gimlet’s competitive advantage? As the company launches its fourth new show, “Surprisingly Awesome,” we take a deep dive in to how the show was made. From the kernel of an idea to the final product. And, along the way, we look at what we believe is Gimlet’s secret formula for making podcasts.The Facts:Our theme song was written and performed by Mark Phillips.John Kimbrough composed music for this episode.More music written and performed by John Delore along with his band mates, Jordan Scanella, Sam Merrickand Isamu McGregor.

We return to the offices of Gimlet for the start of a new mini-season. It's been a year since the company launched and things are changing... fast. In this episode, Alex and his wife, Nazanin, wrestle with a huge decision that has implications for both the company and their family.

A Gimlet update and a special announcement

Lessons learned in business and love 

Under pressure, the Dating Ring founders make a big decision

Lauren and Emma visit the CEO Whisperer

A golden opportunity sows seeds of doubt

In online dating, love is not blind

This week, we take a break from our usual programming on Dating Ring to bring you this very special bonus episode, featuring Gimlet's newest show. 

Inside Dating Ring's Matchmaking System

Save The Date (S2 Ep4) by Gimlet

Welcome to fundraising

Inside the Startup School Y Combinator 

First comes love...then comes equity StartUp is a podcast series about what it’s really like to get a business off the ground. In Season 1, Alex Blumberg told the story of launching this business, Gimlet Media, a podcast network. In Season 2, Alex is joined by co-Host Lisa Chow, to follow an entirely new company. The business is Dating Ring, a dating company that combines technology with old-fashioned matchmaking. The founders are women in their 20s, outsiders in the male-dominated world of Silicon Valley. And over the 10 episodes, we'll take you inside that world. Some of the challenges they face are different from Alex’s: founder disagreements, hellish fundraising, and sexism. But just like Gimlet's story, theirs is also a transparent account of something that happens everyday in America, but we rarely get to see firsthand: starting a business.