The HOW of building iconic companies.
Founders who’ve done it at the highest level on recruiting, culture, intensity, and the inner game of the job. With Nakul Mandan.

latest · ep 14
David Paffenholz. Juicebox.
David Paffenholz, co-founder and CEO of Juicebox, grew the AI-native recruiting platform from $1.5M ARR to an $850M valuation without losing a single employee in two years. He breaks down why search — not workflows — was recruiting's real problem, how Juicebox is building the agent-native alternative to LinkedIn, and the culture formula of independence, visible impact, and real equity behind a 90-person, five-days-in-office team.
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