The Continued Rise of the New Media: Alex Konrad on being a Podcaster

You may remember I interviewed Alex Konrad, who departed Forbes to found Upstarts Media, covering startups’ journeys from founding to IPO.

We spoke again recently to discuss the launch of his podcast, The Upstarts Podcast, available on Apple, YouTube, and Spotify. We covered what success looks like, growing an audience, and how he evaluates potential guests.

You’ll find the full transcript of our conversation below, but if you’re short on time, don’t miss our “Dialed-in Snapshot” for the can’t-miss highlights. And remember, if you haven’t already, like, review, and subscribe to The Upstarts Podcast. This support matters!

Dialed-In Snapshot:

During our conversation, Alex and I discussed in great detail what he wants to achieve with the podcast and the guests he knows his listeners will want to hear from most.

• Being an Upstart: While the core remains rooted in tech entrepreneurship, the lens is widening to capture the "Upstart moments" across entertainment, sports, the arts, culinary, and other industries.
• Building for Longevity: The strategy prioritizes evergreen value over the 24-hour news cycle, ensuring a conversation recorded today remains a must-listen for builders months down the road.
• Substance Over Valuation: A massive valuation or a household name is no guarantee of a slot. The focus is on leaders who have earned the audience's attention through a compelling, high-stakes narrative.
• The Audition for Authenticity: Every guest is vetted through past performances to ensure the medium matches the message. By avoiding the over-toured guest circuit, the show protects its commitment to fresh, untold perspectives.
  

Love the studio you're using. Is your goal to do most podcasts in person? How has the experience been for you, being in-person and virtual?

I've found that in-studio conversations bring out a much more dynamic and engaging product.

I was lucky to get to talk to Melanie Perkins for my first episode, and she's in Australia. So, remote made sense. I recorded another remote podcast coming out with a CEO based in Jacksonville, Andrew Rush from Star Catcher. So I have to be opportunistic and scrappy, but whenever possible, I prefer to be there in person with the guest. It’s a more naturally flowing conversation.

I’ve also found that my audience wants to feel like they’re there in the room with the guest and me.

To avoid the crashing plates scenario you described in our last interview, what do you define as success for the podcast?

I want to do this for a long time. My current objective is to earn an even bigger season two.

I’m confident that we’ll have a smooth 12-episode arc for the first season. We’ve already recorded over half of the conversations, so I’m not worried about the quality of the guests. Audience building, however, is really important. I need to engage with them so that they come back to the show, not just for the debut or a big name.

We were also lucky enough to have a presenting sponsor for the first season. I hope to excite the community enough that we have no shortage of possible sponsors for the future.

One of the best parts of Upstarts is the ability to say I’m going to do something, and actually do it, without worrying about it being perfect or needing 100 people to sign off on it.

How are you thinking about audience building?

I’m sharing the podcast in a few different places and testing what resonates regarding sharing. Every episode goes into a newsletter that I send out. I also share it on social media, and then I have clips. I've already gotten feedback that people want even more short clips. I have those, but I can get even better at distributing them, and those shorts building their own audience will be a good sign of success.

With the first few episodes, I've noticed you've focused on the founder story. Are you planning to dig into more topical episodes that bring guests on to discuss news of the day?

Your question is very timely, and the answer to it is that it’s a balancing act! The episode I just published experiments with mixing the founder’s Upstart moment and journey with a topical discussion.

For those interested, I spoke with Ryan Petersen, the CEO of Flexport, about their AI tariff rebate calculator. During the conversation, you’ll hear about Ryan’s Upstart moment, but also how he’s trying to bring America’s money back from tariffs.

For Upstarts, I want episodes to be evergreen enough that busy listeners find value going back a month, or even a few weeks, to say: ‘I want to hear about this founder story, of this cool technology.’ I don’t want them to think: ‘it’s been a week, it’s too late.’ At the same time, I need to be mindful of the world and what’s exciting.

It's not an accident that the nuclear energy company, Valar Atomics, which we featured recently, had massive news the week before. They flew a small nuclear reactor to Utah with the U.S. government as part of a larger energy initiative, and we talked about where it all began, raising $150M to build gigasites.

Dream guest outside of someone you've already spoken to at Forbes/Upstarts Media?

The goal of the podcast is to highlight founder stories and Upstart moments across entrepreneurship, even beyond technology.

I can’t give too much away yet, but I’ve been in discussions with great people in the entertainment industry. Interviewing someone from the sports world would be fun as well. I also know there are amazing entrepreneurial stories in the arts and food spaces.

The show’s true north will always be tech entrepreneurs; the goal is definitely to widen the aperture, though.

Someone specific, if he reads this, is Paul Rabil. He and his brother created the Premiere Lacrosse League. Paul is a former lacrosse star, and I met him a few years ago through Forbes. Their whole goal is to bring lacrosse mainstream. That would be another type of person who one day would be fun for the show.

Are you planning to take the show on the road to any conferences this year?

We’re open to it. I have a preferred studio in New York, but I go where my guests need me. I taped an upcoming episode in London, and I will also be at Human X in San Francisco.

From there, when there are live events or exciting moments that make sense for Upstarts, I'll gladly consider it.

What makes a good guest for the podcast?

I’m focused on companies that have earned the listeners' attention, and leaders who have a compelling Upstart narrative. There is an incredible amount of ‘pretty good’ content out there, so my goal is to provide a tactically helpful conversation for builders that fits within a single commute.

I’ve already received a significant number of pitches, but having a large company or a high valuation doesn't automatically make someone a good fit. I’m asking the audience to trust my curation to find a varied narrative arc from our guests. It is ultimately more of an art than a science.

How do you vet potential speakers to ensure the conversation lands well?

I look for past speaking engagements, whether a panel, a podcast, or a keynote, to get a sense of whether this medium suits them. If the format isn't a good fit for the guest, it’s not good for the listener or the show.

I also keep an eye on guest oversaturation. Some leaders have stories that are so widely known that it becomes difficult to find a fresh perspective. I want to ensure we aren't just repeating a narrative that is already everywhere.