Founder Stories

The real stories
behind the build.

Five-act journeys from founders worth listening to. Problem, journey, struggles, breakthrough, lessons — editor-curated, never pay-to-post.

Stories

140

Industries

Weekly

Curation

Browse stories Pitch your story

Ryan Petersen: Flexport, Founder Mode, and the Return of the Founder-CEO

Ryan Petersen founded Flexport in 2013. He stepped back in 2022. He returned in 2023 to steer the company through the freight downturn. Along the way, Paul Graham's Founder Mode essay used his story as the anchor.

Ryan Petersen

Flexport

All Stories

Every story, unfiltered.

42 stories — curated, never paid placement. Filter by what you’re building.

How we sold AI underwriting to a 200-year-old insurance carrier

Fast Trackinsurtech

7 min read·AI

How we sold AI underwriting to a 200-year-old insurance carrier

Most insurtech startups die selling to MGAs. We bet the company on selling directly to a 200-year-old carrier. It worked, barely.

Priscilla OkonkwoQuorum Risk

Read →

Submit your story

Built something worth telling?

Editor-curated, never pay-to-post. We work with you to shape the real arc — five acts, no fluff. You hold final approval.

Pitch your story

The real storiesbehind the build.

Ryan Petersen: Flexport, Founder Mode, and the Return of the Founder-CEO

Every story, unfiltered.

How we sold AI underwriting to a 200-year-old insurance carrier

Built something worth telling?

The real stories
behind the build.