Outsider Inc.
Podcast Description
Outsider Inc. is dedicated to visionary leaders breaking the mold of tech entrepreneurship. Hosted by Ian Hathaway—co-author of The Startup Community Way: Evolving an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and co-founder of seed-stage venture capital firm FOVC—each episode delivers exclusive interviews and insider insights from exceptional founders building generation-defining companies. Join us for an in-depth exploration into the real-life stories of entrepreneurs from unexpected places and backgrounds who overcame early setbacks, built resilient teams without following the traditional Silicon Valley playbook, and created thriving ecosystems in overlooked markets. Whether you’re a first-time founder, seasoned innovator, or investor, you’ll gain actionable strategies, unconventional wisdom, and practical takeaways to help you navigate your entrepreneurial journey—no matter where you come from. Join our community today by subscribing on your favorite podcast app and dive even deeper on our newsletter at outsiderinc.substack.com.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast centers around themes of entrepreneurship, resilience, and community impact, featuring guests from diverse backgrounds who have built successful companies outside traditional tech hubs. Episodes include discussions on building businesses amid economic challenges, fostering local talent, and creating supportive ecosystems, such as the inaugural episode with Scott Dorsey discussing the founding of ExactTarget and its implications for the Indianapolis tech landscape.
Outsider Inc. is dedicated to visionary leaders breaking the mold of tech entrepreneurship. Hosted by Ian Hathaway—co-author of The Startup Community Way: Evolving an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and co-founder of seed-stage venture capital firm FOVC—each episode delivers exclusive interviews and insider insights from exceptional founders building generation-defining companies. Join us for an in-depth exploration into the real-life stories of entrepreneurs from unexpected places and backgrounds who overcame early setbacks, built resilient teams without following the traditional Silicon Valley playbook, and created thriving ecosystems in overlooked markets. Whether you’re a first-time founder, seasoned innovator, or investor, you’ll gain actionable strategies, unconventional wisdom, and practical takeaways to help you navigate your entrepreneurial journey—no matter where you come from. Join our community today by subscribing on your favorite podcast app and dive even deeper on our newsletter at outsiderinc.substack.com.
In this episode of Outsider Inc., host Ian Hathaway sits down with Chris Schroeder, entrepreneur, investor, Co-Founder of Next Billion Ventures, and author of Startup Rising, to explore what American entrepreneurs and investors miss when they overlook the rest of the world. Chris reflects on a career spanning politics, media, venture-backed startups, and global investing, and shares how a 2010 trip to Dubai reshaped his thinking about entrepreneurship, emerging markets, and the future of innovation. They discuss the power of asking better questions, why humility matters more than certainty, what Silicon Valley often gets wrong about founders in other regions, and how time spent on the ground in places like the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and China reveals patterns most people never see. Chris also shares lessons from building and selling HealthCentral, writing Startup Rising, investing through Next Billion Ventures, and why the best founders stay focused on real problems, not prestige.
Show Notes:
(03:00) Why asking better questions matters more than having all the answers
(05:00) The wonder of being wrong and learning through humility
(09:00) Family history, immigration, and the entrepreneurial mindset
(14:20) Politics, transactional relationships, and the long game of trust
(20:10) Building inside the Washington Post during digital disruption
(27:45) The HealthCentral thesis and why community can save lives
(33:10) The Dubai trip that changed Chris Schroeder’s life
(38:00) Writing Startup Rising and seeing what others missed in the Middle East
(41:30) Why global founders need to be understood on their own terms
(50:45) What Chris learns by getting on the ground in China
(55:20) The questions American entrepreneurs and investors should be asking now
(58:45) The danger of “third cappuccino syndrome” and losing focus on what matters
(1:00:00) Beyond the Bio: Chris Schroeder
✅ Host: Ian Hathway – Co-Founder & Managing Partner, FOVC
✅ Guest: Chris Schroeder, Next Billion Ventures; Author of Startup Rising; former CEO, HealthCentral
Produced by Spellbinder Media. Executive Produced by Bridge Five Ventures. Copyright ©️2026, Bridge Five Ventures, LLC, All rights reserved.
Listen & subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or at outsiderinc.substack.com.
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