About Founder Reality

Real talk from a technical founder building AI-powered businesses.

I'm tired of the founder content circus. You know what I mean - the LinkedIn posts about crushing it, the Twitter threads that sound like fortune cookies, the podcasts where everyone's always winning and learning 'valuable lessons.'

Here's what actually happened the week I launched this podcast: I lost a major partnership, pivoted our entire strategy overnight, and questioned whether I knew what I was doing. That's founder reality.

Who I Am

George Pu - I'm a 27-year-old technical founder running two companies simultaneously:

SimpleDirect: We build embedded financing infrastructure that helps contractors convert more quotes to sales. Think Stripe for home improvement - seamless buy-now-pay-later solutions that actually work.

ANC: My AI venture studio where we build and invest in AI-first businesses. We don't just talk about AI - we ship products that solve real problems for real customers.

I have a Computer Science + Business background, spent years working remotely before becoming an office advocate, and I bootstrap everything. No VC drama, no board politics - just building profitable companies the hard way.

Why This Podcast Exists

The Problem: Most founder advice comes from people who've never actually founded anything. VCs who've never run companies teaching startup strategy. Consultants who've never taken real risk giving entrepreneurship advice.

My Solution: Share what's actually happening as I build these companies. The real decisions, the actual mistakes, the unfiltered consequences. No startup theatre, just substance.

What You'll Get:

  • Behind-the-scenes stories from building SimpleDirect and ANC
  • Controversial takes on startup orthodoxy (co-founders, remote work, AI hype)
  • Technical founder perspectives on AI implementation vs. AI theater
  • Bootstrap strategies that actually work
  • Real numbers, real outcomes, real lessons

What Makes This Different

I'm Actually Building: While others talk about startups, I'm shipping AI features, managing distributed teams, and making payroll. Every insight comes from current, real experience.

Technical + Business: I code the products and run the companies. Most founder content comes from people who do one or the other, not both.

Contrarian but Defensible: I challenge conventional wisdom with real experience. When I say co-founders are overrated or remote work is killing startups, it's because I've lived both sides.

Global Perspective: Building from Toronto with teams in India, serving clients across North America. International founder insights you won't find elsewhere.

My Track Record

  • 6+ years building and scaling technology companies
  • 2 companies running simultaneously with a team of 5
  • 25K+ engaged followers on Twitter who trust my founder insights
  • Multiple pivots survived, including near-bankruptcy and complete strategy overhauls
  • Bootstrap approach - profitable, sustainable growth without venture capital

I've made every founder mistake in the book. Now I share what I learned so you don't have to.

What You Won't Find Here

  • Motivational fluff - "You got this!" content belongs elsewhere
  • Productivity porn - No 4am morning routines or optimization hacks
  • Fake perfectionism - I'll share the wins and losses honestly
  • Theoretical advice - Everything comes from actual implementation experience
  • Startup theater - No performing for social media, just real insights

The Format

3 episodes per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 9 AM EST):

Monday Mindset (12-18 minutes): Weekend reflections, decision-making frameworks, founder psychology

Founder Reality (18-25 minutes): Deep-dive stories from building my companies, real problems and solutions

Tech Takes (15-22 minutes): Industry observations, AI implementation insights, tool reviews that matter

Connect & Contribute

Have a founder story or question? Email me at george@founderreality.com - I read everything and often feature listener questions in episodes.

Daily insights: Follow me @TheGeorgePu on Twitter for real-time founder thoughts and behind-the-scenes updates.

Newsletter: Subscribe below to get new episodes plus exclusive frameworks and insights that don't make it into the show.

Listen Everywhere

Started in 2025 in Toronto, recorded between building features and managing teams. Sometimes I'm right, sometimes I'm wrong, but it's always real.