Verticals Podcast — Start Here
How to watch + top 5 episodes
How to Watch & Listen to Verticals
Every week, we go deep on what it actually takes to build and scale vertical software and AI companies. No scripts. No softballs. Just first-principles strategy debates with the founders and investors who’ve done it — from $1B+ exits to first customers.
Every episode gets a companion essay right here on The Verticalist — a strategy write-up that distills the key frameworks, playbooks, and takeaways from our conversations. But the essays are the appetizer.
To get full episodes every week, subscribe to Verticals here:
YouTube (recommended)
YouTube is where we post full episodes, shorts, and clips first. It’s the only platform where you get the full experience — so if you subscribe to one, make it this.
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
Amazon Music
Verticals is brought to you by Parafin — the embedded capital platform powering financial products for platforms like DoorDash, Amazon, and Worldpay. Parafin lets you offer capital to your customers, without building the infrastructure yourself. Big thanks to them for supporting the show… it wouldn’t be possible without them. Learn more about Parafin here.
Where to Start
If you’re new, here are five episodes we’d point you to first:
Ilir Sela, Founder & CEO of Slice (EP 1)
Our very first guest framed the thesis for the entire show. Ilir built Slice into a billion-dollar platform for independent pizzerias by running the reverse franchise playbook. The conversation on AI voice ordering pragmatism — 90% AI completion vs. 98% human, and why that gap is existential for low-margin operators — is one founders still reference.
Michael Saltzman, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of EvolutionIQ (EP 15)
The inside story of one of the first true Vertical AI exits: $750M to CCC. Michael walks through how they spent their first year with a single design partner generating ~$50K in revenue — then hit 8-figure ARR once the enterprise workflow clicked. Required listening for anyone selling AI into large organizations.
Chris Hladczuk, Founder & CEO of Hanover Park (EP 21)
Chris makes the case that the spreadsheet — not legacy SaaS — is the real incumbent in most verticals. A sharp episode on where AI-native tools can displace workflows that enterprise software never could.
Alex Niehenke, Partner at Scale Venture Partners (EP 26)
Alex brings the growth-stage investor lens to the “AI vs. the Giants” debate: can vertical AI startups win against incumbents with distribution advantages? A great counterweight to the founder episodes.
Daniel Friedman, Co-Founder of Moxie / Boulton & Watt (EP 10)
Daniel’s incubation model at Boulton & Watt is unlike anything else in vertical — spinning up multiple vertical businesses simultaneously with a shared operational backbone. The episode on picking what not to do early is one of the most tactical we’ve done.
The Verticalist + Verticals
Think of it this way: The Verticalist (right here on Substack) is where we write. Verticals (on YouTube, Spotify, and everywhere else) is where we talk. Every episode gets a breakdown here. But for the full 45-minute conversation — join us for the show.
Subscribe on YouTube and we’ll see you there, every week.
Thanks for watching!