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Seed to Harvest
🎙️ Seed to Harvest | Stories from Technical Storytellers
Welcome to Seed to Harvest, the podcast by Behind Genius Ventures.
We talk to early-stage founders, operators, and investors—people building with code and conviction. Each episode is a chapter in their story: from the messy beginnings to the quiet pivots, from planting ideas to growing companies that matter.
Expect:
🌱 Honest conversations on the earliest chapters of company-building
🧠 Tactical insights from technical minds with narrative soul
✨ Reflections on resilience, rituals, and reinventing what’s possible
This podcast is for the builders who think in frameworks and metaphors. The ones who whiteboard in wild places. The ones writing their own mythologies—one commit, pitch, or poem at a time.
From spark to story.
From seed to harvest. 🌾
Seed to Harvest
James Evans’ Lessons Learned Building a >$50M YC-Backed Business & Selling it to a Public Company | Ep 95
In this episode, James Evans, co-founder of Command AI (acq by Amplitude), shares his entrepreneurial journey- from childhood ambitions to launching a startup in college and scaling it through YC. He talks about turning a side project into a venture-backed company, navigating the startup grind, and eventually getting acquired by Amplitude. James breaks down the realities of startup life, including hiring, sales vs. product-led growth, and the psychological weight of being a founder. He also walks through the acquisition process, post-acquisition integration, and how he’s continuing to grow in a new role. This episode is packed with candid insight into early-stage building, decision-making, and what comes after the “win.”
00:00 Starting a Company: The Myth vs. Reality
00:08 Interview with James Evans: Early Life and Entrepreneurial Aspirations
01:41 College Days: The Birth of Command AI
02:50 From Side Project to Startup
04:31 Entering Private Equity After Graduation
05:34 The YC Experience and Why Speed Matters
13:26 Marketing and Growth: What Actually Works
16:32 Conserving Innovation and Picking the Right Bets
16:54 Remote Work as a Strategic Choice
17:48 Marketing: From Popups to Planes
19:17 Avoiding Overthinking and Moving Fast
20:30 Angel Investing and Operating Insights
22:38 Hiring, Firing, and Early Team Building
26:02 The Amplitude Acquisition: How It Happened
30:14 After the Exit: Integration and Personal Growth
Connect with Paige 🌱💜
Behind Genius Ventures blog | https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/
Personal Blog | https://paigefinndoherty.com/
Twitter | https://x.com/paigefinnn
Links
🔗 James Evans – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesbevans/
🔗 CommandBar – https://www.commandbar.com/
🔗 Y Combinator – https://www.ycombinator.com/
🔗 Amplitude – https://amplitude.com/