#28: From childhood besties to Google acquisition | Joshua Herzig-Marx & Ben Sprecher (Co-founders @ Incentive Targeting)

Welcome to another episode of Supra Insider. This time, Marc and Ben sat down with longtime friends and co-founders, Joshua Herzig-Marx and Ben Sprecher, to explore their journey from childhood friendship to building a company that was acquired by Google. In this candid conversation, Joshua and Ben share their co-founder origin story, the challenges they faced scaling a startup, and how they managed their relationship through the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. They also dive into the crucial lessons learned from hiring a CEO, pivoting their business model, and making tough decisions to ensure a successful exit.

This episode is packed with invaluable insights for anyone thinking about finding a co-founder or navigating the early stages of a startup.

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In this episode, we covered the following topics:

* Josh and Ben’s co-founder origin story, from childhood friends to business partners

* The importance of trust and intellectual respect between co-founders

* Why finding a co-founder with complementary skill sets can save a startup from failure

* The decision to hire a CEO and how it shaped their company’s trajectory

* Navigating the emotional challenges of running a startup and maintaining a strong co-founder relationship

* The pivotal moments that led to their startup being acquired by Google

* Lessons learned from balancing long-term vision with short-term opportunities

* And more!

If you’d like to watch the video of our conversation, you can catch that on YouTube:

Links:

* Joshua Herzig-Marx: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuaherzigmarx/

* Josh’s site: https://joshua.herzig-marx.com/

* Ben Sprecher: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bensprecher/

* Josh’s wife Carla Naumberg’s new book, How to Stop Freaking Out: https://www.carlanaumburg.com/books/how-to-stop-freaking-out/

* Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benerez/

* Marc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbaselga/

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