283: Why successful business owners fail at tech Dec 17, 2025

You’ve built a successful business before. So why does tech feel harder than it should?

Here’s the uncomfortable truth. The instincts that made you successful offline can quietly sabotage you when you build tech or add AI.

In this episode of Tech for Non-Techies, Sophia breaks down the four tra...

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281: Before you bring on a technical co-founder: listen to this Dec 03, 2025

People often think a technical partner will solve their product problems overnight.

Sadly, it rarely works that way.

Before you hand over equity to someone who can write code, you need to know what you’re actually giving up.

In this episode of Tech for Non-Techies, Sophia lays out the five ris...

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279: What to do if you've already spent $100K on developers and have nothing to show for It Nov 19, 2025

Founders assume that if they just hire “good developers,” the product will magically take shape.

Sadly, that’s rarely what happens.

Too many non-technical founders burn through $50K … $80K … even $100K, only to end up with half-baked code and zero users. Not because they’re careless but because th...

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275: 5 Founder lessons from the JP Morgan tech conference Oct 22, 2025

What separates founders who make it from those who stall out?

After spending two days surrounded by billion-dollar CEOs and investors at JP Morgan’s Tech Investor Conference in London, Sophia Matveeva discovered that the conversations happening in those rooms reveal far more than market gossip.

...
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274: The non-technical founder mindset: how to lead when you can't code Oct 15, 2025

Many startups collapse not because the idea fails, but because the pressure gets unbearable.

Sadly, it’s not strategy or funding that takes them out. It’s the grind, the chaos, and the sheer mental weight of building something new.

In this episode, Sophia Matveeva shares three mindset shifts th...

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272: Why this is the best time to be a non-technical founder Oct 01, 2025

For years, non-technical founders were second class citizens in tech. 

Not anymore. 

In this episode, Sophia Matveeva shares five reasons why today is the best time in history to start a tech venture without being a coder — and why, in some cases, non-technical founders actually have the advant...

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271: What big tech taught me about leading without code Sep 24, 2025

 Can you really lead a tech company if you’re not technical yourself?

David Windley has done exactly that.

He’s the former CHRO at Yahoo, held senior HR roles at Microsoft, Intuit, and Activision, scaled a startup from <$1M to $50M as CEO, and now leads HootRecruit — a recruiting tech company. ...

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270: Real people, real startups: lessons from our alumni Sep 17, 2025

Most people think you need to be a Silicon Valley insider — or have millions in funding — to start a tech venture.

That’s just not true.

In this episode, Sophia Matveeva shares the journeys of four Tech for Non-Techies alumni who built products and startups without writing a single line of code...

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269: 4 Non-technical founders who built billion-dollar tech empires Sep 10, 2025

Most founders think you need to be technical to build a billion-dollar company.

But some of the world’s biggest tech giants were started by people who never wrote a single line of code.

In this episode, Sophia Matveeva unpacks the journeys of four non-technical founders who rewrote the rules of...

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268: How to align founders and investors (before things go wrong) Sep 03, 2025

Most founders think securing investors will solve all their problems.

But fundraising often creates a new set of challenges—misaligned expectations, endless reporting requests, and pressure that pulls focus from building the business.

The truth is, raising capital isn’t just about money. 

It’s...

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267: 7 Startup lessons from BlackBerry’s rise and fall Aug 27, 2025

Most non-technical founders dream of building a game-changing tech product—without learning to code.

But bridging the gap between vision and execution? That takes more than just a good idea.

In this episode, Sophia Matveeva breaks down 7 essential lessons from the rise and fall of BlackBerry, a...

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266. Founder-led vs. Product-led growth: how to pick the right path for your startup Aug 20, 2025

Most founders dream of creating a product so good it sells itself.

That’s the promise of product-led growth: customers discover, share, and adopt your product with little to no sales effort.

Sadly that's rarely the reality.

In the early stages, almost every founder has to do the hard, unglamor...

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