‘How a startup becomes a superstar’: Finotta launches real-time podcast as KU freshman gets inside the mind of its founder

Most business podcasts tell the stories of those who have reached massive success, Garrett Amundsen said, but Finotta’s premier podcast is set to flip the switch — sharing the fintech startup’s journey as it unfolds.

“When people listen to our podcast, they’re going to be able to track the success and growth of the company in real time. This is going to be a live look at the creation and growth of a startup,” said Amundsen, the producer and host of Finotta’s “Once Upon a Startup: A Podcast Telling the Story of a Startup through the Eyes of Those Creating it.”

Garrett Amundsen, “Once Upon A Startup”

The first episode of “Once Upon a Startup” is set to be released April 11 with new episodes coming out each Monday for the following six weeks. 

“Season 1 will explain how we got from an idea three, four years ago, to where we are today,” explained Amundsen, a freshman business student at the University of Kansas, noting the podcast is expected to be an ongoing series. “Going forward, we will be diving into how we get to where we’ll be in the future. It’s a constant documentation of how the startup becomes a superstar.”

Click here to listen to the trailer for Finotta’s “Once Upon a Startup” podcast.

“Once Upon a Startup” is not Amundsen’s first experience in podcasting. As a high school senior and an avid podcast consumer, Amundsen taught himself (with the help of YouTube tutorials) how to operate audio equipment, edit and produce, he recalled. Taking his newfound knowledge into the professional world, he launched the “Inside the Minds” podcast to connect with entrepreneurs he admired.

“I’m young, but I wanted to start meeting really cool people and having these conversations that other people on podcasts were having,” Amundsen shared. “So, rather than just listening to podcasts, I started my own. It gave me an opportunity to sit down in front of people who I usually wouldn’t be able to talk to.

Parker Graham, Finotta

One of the entrepreneurs showcased on “Inside the Minds”: Parker Graham, founder and CEO of Finotta. 

“Asking someone if you can interview them for a podcast is pretty easy,” Graham said. “You just ask, and they say yes or no. But Garrett was so well researched, asked really good questions and produced such a high quality product.”

When it came time for Finotta to produce a podcast, Amundsen was the first person who Graham reached out to. 

“And he’s crushing it again,” Graham said. “When we give people opportunities to be creative, they have a space to thrive. I don’t care how old you are. It’s really incredible what people can do when they have the right resources in place.”

Every company has a story, Graham continued; although Finotta’s is ongoing, Graham felt that they had reached the right moment in time to start sharing it, he said. 

“We’ve hit some milestones that warranted us telling the story to others,” Graham noted. “[The podcast] shares not just who I am as the founder, but more so who we all are as a company and a culture. Right now, especially in the Great Resignation, culture is everything.”

Click here to read about how Finotta closed a $3 million seed funding round after pivoting during the pandemic.

Garrett Amundsen, “Once Upon A Startup”

In addition to the podcast, Finotta is set to send out an email newsletter that corresponds with each episode. The newsletter will include photos related to the episode, financial tips,  supplemental interview content and more, he said.

“We think of [the newsletter] as including some sort of time capsule,” Amundsen said. “For example, if the episode covers Parker leaving the NFL [Graham signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2014.] and starting his business journey, there will be photos and information about his football career and the following transition.

“We also invited experts for each episode, and I had 30- to 45-minute conversations with them,” Amundsen continued. “There’s a lot of information we couldn’t fit into each episode, so that extra content can be found in the email.”

A teaser of guests who will be featured in Season 1 of “Once Upon a Startup” include: Joni Cobb, chair of the Board for the Center of American Entrepreneurship; Sandy Kemper, founder and CEO of C2FO; Trent Bigelow, co-founder and CEO of Abound; Donald Hawkins, founder and CEO of Kinly; and Nicole Bentz, associate with S3 Ventures. 

Click here to sign up for the “Once Upon a Startup” podcast’s supplemental email newsletter.

The duo played the trailer for “Once Upon a Startup” out loud, expressing their excitement in sharing their long-awaited project with the community. 

“Our story’s pretty cool, but people like Garrett make it what it is,” Graham said, “and I’m just really excited for everybody else to hear it.”