Startup Dad Podcast
Hosted by Startup Dad
Interviews with tech executives and founders on the collision of high-stakes careers and fatherhood, often focusing on pivotal family events.
A long-form interview show exploring the intersection of fatherhood and high-pressure careers, particularly in the tech and startup world. Host Adam Fishman talks with founders, executives, and academic experts, moving beyond typical business advice to uncover how personal challenges, like a child's NICU stay or navigating work-life boundaries, shape their perspectives as leaders and parents.
“Unlike general business or parenting podcasts, Startup Dad stands out for its specific focus on the tech/founder niche and its unflinching exploration of personal hardship. The interviews are notable for their emotional depth, often using a guest's traumatic personal event as the central narrative thread to discuss resilience and perspective.”
Who hosts this show
Adam Fishman hosts the Startup Dad podcast, where he interviews entrepreneurs, executives, and other leaders about the juggling act of ambitious careers and family life. With a background in investment banking and finance, Fishman brings a business-oriented perspective to conversations about parenting. He often shares his own experiences as a father to build rapport with guests, exploring the mistakes made and lessons learned in both startups and family.
Credentials & credits
- Managing Partner, Live Oak Merchant Partners
- Chief Operating Officer, Live Oak Acquisition Corp. II
- Former Managing Director, Jefferies LLC
- Former Executive Vice President, FBR & Co
- B.A. in Sociology, Brandeis University
Other ventures
- Live Oak Crestview Climate Acquisition Corp.
- Live Oak Mobility Acquisition Corp.
- Business newsletter on Substack
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United States
- Region
- usa
When new episodes drop
- 01The Founder's Guide to Talking About FatherhoodJun 27, 2026 · 53s
- 02Don't Overthink Having KidsJun 26, 2026 · 58s
- 03
- 04The Parenting Admin Problem That Inspired an AI CompanyJun 25, 2026 · 51s
- 05The Real Reason Dads Don't Take Paternity LeaveJun 20, 2026 · 45s
- 06
- 07
- 08
Notable episodes
- 01Everything Is Trivial After Infant CPR | Ben Norment (Dad of 3, Founder/CEO of Stork Exchange)
A deeply emotional episode where the guest recounts the traumatic experience of his son's NICU stay and having to perform CPR, highlighting the show's theme of gaining perspective through crisis.
- 02The Bar for 'Involved Dads' Is Embarrassingly Low | Richard Petts (Dad of 2, Associate Dean at BSU)
This episode bridges personal experience and academic research, as the guest explains how his own traumatic NICU stay directly inspired his sociological work on modern fatherhood.
- 0340 Kid Emails a Week. So I Built a Bot | David Reich (Dad of 3, Founder/CEO of Fambot)
A classic example of the show's premise: a founder identifies a personal pain point of modern parenting (administrative overload) and builds a tech company to solve it.
What you'll be asked on this show
Adam Fishman's interview style is empathetic and deeply personal, built on a foundation of shared experience. He often opens by establishing a personal connection or referencing how he was introduced to the guest. He then guides the conversation from the guest's professional origin story (e.g., "Why did you start your company?") to a pivotal, often challenging, personal story, such as a child's medical crisis. Fishman builds rapport by sharing his own parallel experiences, creating a safe space for vulnerability. He asks guests to distill complex ideas or advice for the audience (e.g., "What would you tell founders thinking about starting a family?") and uses his research to connect a guest's personal life directly to their professional work.
This is a single-host, guest-interview show with a conversational feel. Adam Fishman begins each episode with a detailed monologue introducing the guest and themes. He frequently relates guest experiences back to his own life, particularly his own child's NICU stay, to create a strong sense of empathy and shared understanding.
Questions Startup Dad keeps coming back to
12 cataloguedIf you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when Startup Dad reaches for it.
origin
2- Q.01
“What was the decision like to start a company and a family around the same time?”
Host asks this to explore the guest's risk tolerance and mindset during a pivotal life moment.
- Q.02
“What is the problem for parents that your company is solving?”
This question connects the guest's professional mission directly to the show's theme of parenting.
personal
1- Q.01
“Tell us the story of your child's chaotic start to life in the NICU.”
Often asked after the host shares his own similar experience, this question frequently becomes the core of the interview.
mindset
3- Q.01
“How did that traumatic experience provide perspective on business challenges?”
A follow-up to a personal crisis story, used to bridge the gap between family life and professional resilience.
- Q.02
“Why do men say they want to be more involved but still embrace the breadwinner role?”
Posed to experts to explore the contradictions between modern ideals and traditional behaviors in fatherhood.
- Q.03
“Did building a company for parents better prepare you for fatherhood?”
This question explores the interplay and potential synergies between the guest's work and personal life.
advice
2- Q.01
“What would you tell founders thinking about starting a family?”
This is a signature advice question, aimed at providing actionable takeaways for the core audience.
- Q.02
“How do you manage expectations with your team about having one foot in both worlds?”
This question seeks practical advice for leaders on communicating family-related boundaries at work.
backstory
1- Q.01
“Where were you and your spouse in your careers when you started a family?”
Used to establish a timeline and understand the professional context surrounding the decision to have children.
craft
1- Q.01
“Can you define the 'new fatherhood ideal' for the listeners?”
When interviewing academic experts, he asks them to make theoretical concepts accessible to a lay audience.
values
1- Q.01
“Why do you believe it's important for kids to be bored?”
A question used to surface a guest's specific, and sometimes counter-intuitive, parenting philosophies.
industry
1- Q.01
“How much of the 'lack of time' barrier is fixable by policy versus individual choice?”
Asks guests to weigh in on the structural versus personal responsibility for work-life challenges.
Signature segments
- · Host refers to audience as 'Startup Dads' and the 'Dad Curious'
- · Host shares his own NICU experience to build rapport
- · Detailed introductory monologue for each guest
- · Host gives a 'big shoutout' to the person who made the guest introduction
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
Guests are typically founders, CEOs, or C-suite executives of tech companies who are also fathers. The show also features academic experts and authors who research topics relevant to modern fatherhood, gender equality, and family dynamics.
- David Reichon 40 Kid Emails a Week. So I Built a Bot | David Reich (Dad of 3, Founder/CEO of Fambot)
- Richard Pettson The Bar for 'Involved Dads' Is Embarrassingly Low | Richard Petts (Dad of 2, Associate Dean at BSU)
- Ben Normenton Everything Is Trivial After Infant CPR | Ben Norment (Dad of 3, Founder/CEO of Stork Exchange)
- Darby Saxbeon Dad Bods, Brains and Testosterone | Darby Saxbe (Mom of 2, Author and Professor at USC)
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The podcast currently features self-promotion for its own YouTube and Spotify channels. The audience of tech leaders, entrepreneurs, and affluent parents would likely be attractive to B2B tech companies, financial services, and brands targeting high-earning families.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
Pitch Startup Dad
People also ask
- What is the Startup Dad podcast about?
- It's a long-form interview podcast where host Adam Fishman talks to entrepreneurs and tech leaders who are also fathers about balancing their careers and family life.
- Is the podcast still active?
- Yes, the podcast releases new episodes frequently, typically on a weekly basis.
- Who is the host, Adam Fishman?
- Adam Fishman is an investment banking and finance executive who has worked for firms like Live Oak Merchant Partners and Jefferies. He uses his business background and his own experiences as a dad to host the show.
- What is the format of the show?
- Each episode is a one-on-one interview with a single guest, usually a founder, executive, or academic expert, focusing on the intersection of their career and their life as a parent.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- The Startup Dad Podcast is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other major podcast platforms.
- How are guests selected for the show?
- Guests are typically founders, executives, and authors in the tech and business world. The host often gives 'shoutouts' to mutual contacts who made an introduction, suggesting a reliance on professional networks.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Adam Fishman Bio - Live Oak Acquisition Corpliveoakacq.com
- [02]Startup Dad - Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.com
- [03]Startup Dad Podcast - YouTube Channelyoutube.com
- [04]Live Oak Merchant Partners Welcomes Adam J. Fishman as Managing Partnerbusinesswire.com
- [05]Adam Fishman: Positions, Relations and Network - MarketScreenermarketscreener.com
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