Cover of Code Story | Startup Podcast for CTOs, CEOs and Technical Founders

Code Story | Startup Podcast for CTOs, CEOs and Technical Founders

Code Story | Startup Podcast for CTOs, CEOs and Technical Founders

By: Noah Labhart | Podcast for Technical Founders & Startups
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Code Story is a startup podcast for technical founders building and scaling software products. Each episode features SaaS founders, engineers, and product leaders sharing how they built their product, found product market fit, and navigated early-stage growth.

We explore:

  • Early engineering decisions and MVP development
  • Landing the first customers
  • Pricing and go-to-market experiments
  • Scaling challenges and infrastructure bottlenecks
  • Hiring the first team
  • Lessons learned from growing a startup


From first commit to first scale, Code Story focuses on the critical transition from building software to building a scalable business. If you’re a founder, engineer, or product leader interested in SaaS, startups, and scaling technology companies, this podcast breaks down how great products are built — and how they grow.


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© 2026 Code Story Career Success Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Politics & Government
Episodes
  • S13 Bonus: From Lab to Market: Scaling High-Growth Tech Startups with Caitlinn McMinn, Programs Director at TechFW

    S13 Bonus: From Lab to Market: Scaling High-Growth Tech Startups with Caitlinn McMinn, Programs Director at TechFW
    8 Oct 2026
    Today, we have a special episode of the Code Story podcast. Joining us today is Caitlinn McMinn, Executive Director at TechFW. TechFW is a nonprofit startup incubator in Fort Worth, TX. The group is here to prove that the next generation of world-changing companies begins right in the heart of Cowtown. In our conversation today, Caitlinn is going to elaborate on the incubators story and model, illuminating how the team supports local entrepreneurs through opportunity and community. Questions: TechFW operates on a 100% equity-free model for founders. In an incubator landscape where equity stakes are standard, why is retaining equity so vital for early-stage tech founders, and how does that alter the relationship between TechFW and its entrepreneurs?TechFW has been fostering innovation in North Texas since 1998. Looking back over more than two decades, how has the Fort Worth startup landscape evolved, and what core principles have allowed TechFW to remain a constant anchor for local founders?People talk about 'entrepreneurial ecosystems' all the time, but what does a thriving ecosystem actually look like on the ground in a city like Fort Worth, and what is its most fragile component?TechFW recently partnered with Texas Woman’s University to launch ThinkLab OnDemand, alongside close ties with local institutions like UNT Health Science Center and Texas A&M Fort Worth. How do university partnerships feed the innovation pipeline, and what advice do you have for regions trying to bridge academia and entrepreneurship?Through Cowtown Angels, TechFW bridges early-stage founders with local angel investors. How do you cultivate an angel investor community that is willing to back early-stage, high-risk tech ventures right here in North Texas?Through ThinkLab, you help founders test viability early. What is the single biggest misconception first-time founders have when transitioning an idea into a validated business model?Startups often move fast and break things, but scaling on top of weak processes can be fatal. In the FastForward program, how do you help founders balance aggressive growth with operational rigor?Founder isolation is real. How does TechFW build peer-to-peer community so founders don't feel like they're navigating the journey entirely alone?Your career spans finance, sales enablement, HR systems, and operations consulting before stepping into the Executive Director role at TechFW. How does having that 360-degree operational background shape how you diagnose what a startup actually needs versus what they think they need?Running an innovation hub requires balancing the needs of founders, community donors, corporate sponsors, and board members. How do you keep 'founder-first' as the North Star while managing those stakeholder dynamics?Fort Worth and the broader DFW metroplex are seeing massive economic growth. What unique advantages does Fort Worth offer tech startups compared to traditional hubs like Silicon Valley or Austin?As technology evolves rapidly—from AI to biotech and manufacturing—how is TechFW expanding access so underrepresented founders and non-traditional entrepreneurs can participate in the tech economy?If an ecosystem builder or civic leader in another mid-sized city was listening today and wanted to spark a tech community from scratch, what is the very first step they should take?Linkshttps://www.techfortworth.org/https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlin-mcminn/ Current Sponsors: Tiger DataProtected HarborRenderFitnexaPerplexityEntelligence Checkout our Stacklist! https://stacks.codestory.co/ Hosted by Noah Labhart | Technical Founder & Startup Mentor. Our Sponsors:* Check out Granola and use my code granola.ai/CODESTORY for a great deal: https://granola.ai* Check out Perplexity and use my code pplx.ai/codestory for a great deal: https://www.perplexity.aiAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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    25 min
  • S13 Bonus: Automating Local Lead Growth: High-Intent Prospecting & AI Verification with David Moore, Founder & CEO of Stalex.ai

    S13 Bonus: Automating Local Lead Growth: High-Intent Prospecting & AI Verification with David Moore, Founder & CEO of Stalex.ai
    7 Oct 2026

    David Moore started day trading when he was 16, along with his brother. By the age of 19, he had a 7 figure portfolio, indicating some solid success. He did some angel investing, and then moved into entrepreneurship, starting a few companies. But eventually, got into a sales role that led to his current venture. Outside of tech, he loves music, and in particular, is really enjoying 15th century classical music. He has a lazy French bulldog, enjoys Italian food, and finds himself either reading Octavian literature, or - his bible.

    David got into a sales job for a friend of his, and in doing so, build some tools using AI to help in the business. When he shared these ideas, and eventually was replaced by an offshore resource, he and his brother took off to build their own thing - a solution to help your business score leads.

    This is the creation story of Stalex.

    Links

    https://stalex.ai/

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/stalexai/



    Current Sponsors:

    • Tiger Data
    • Protected Harbor
    • Render
    • Fitnexa
    • Perplexity
    • Entelligence

    Checkout our Stacklist! https://stacks.codestory.co/

    Hosted by Noah Labhart | Technical Founder & Startup Mentor.



    Our Sponsors:
    * Check out Granola and use my code granola.ai/CODESTORY for a great deal: https://granola.ai
    * Check out Perplexity and use my code pplx.ai/codestory for a great deal: https://www.perplexity.ai


    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
    Show more Show less
    25 min
  • S13 E7: The AI Legal Shift: Giving SME Law Firms BigLaw Leverage with Dave Berner, Co-Founder & CEO of Parachute

    S13 E7: The AI Legal Shift: Giving SME Law Firms BigLaw Leverage with Dave Berner, Co-Founder & CEO of Parachute
    6 Oct 2026

    Back in August of 2025, Dave Berner joined the podcast previously in Season 11, episode 11, as the co-founder and CTO of Kinde. A past musician, he took up web development to make his bands websites and his friend's myspace profiles. Fast forward, he has started multiple startups, been the host of several podcasts, and is married with 3 kids.

    Dave's co-founder Ryan experienced firsthand that legal AI tools were built for massive law forms. SMB's or boutiques were forced to retrofit expensive, enterprise heavy software to their workflows (and of course, budgets). Alongside their third co-founder, Vivienne, they set out to build an AI-powered legal OS designed for firms with 1 to 200 lawyers.

    This is the creation story of Parachute.

    Links

    https://goparachute.ai/

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveberner



    Current Sponsors:

    • Tiger Data
    • Protected Harbor
    • Render
    • Fitnexa
    • Perplexity
    • Entelligence

    Checkout our Stacklist! https://stacks.codestory.co/

    Hosted by Noah Labhart | Technical Founder & Startup Mentor.



    Our Sponsors:
    * Check out Granola and use my code granola.ai/CODESTORY for a great deal: https://granola.ai
    * Check out Perplexity and use my code pplx.ai/codestory for a great deal: https://www.perplexity.ai


    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
    Show more Show less
    20 min
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