Hey there, My name is Pat Killoren. I'm the Creator & Host of LoneStartup. As you might expect, starting a new business requires a lot of networking. And at events, I always get asked the same thing: What inspired you to do this?
Here’s my honest answer.
The idea for a city-specific podcast came to me when I, ironically, wasn’t living in Austin at the time. I was chasing a startup dream in NYC, and I was religiously listening to podcast How I Built This with Guy Raz .
The episodes would always end right as my train approached Columbus Circle and I'd crowd surf off the A-C platform. For a brief hour or so, I'd be riding that motivational high… but it was always fleeting. And I remember thinking,
What if you could build a sense of community around these stories? One that bridged the gap between the episodes I listened to and other people in the same community who were hungry for inspiration.
It was at that moment that I thought of an Austin version of 'How I Built This'.
A hyper-specific, hyper-local podcast.
You could curate events where guests and listeners meet each other IRL and engage in dialogues around major themes specific to a local community.
Did I create a pitch deck immediately? Yep.
Did I forget about it shortly after? Sure did.
Fate played a hand in the timing, as it often does. When I moved back to Austin, started a family, and came to a crossroads of what I wanted to do in my career… I came across that deck. I was tired of coming across old business plan ideas and doing nothing with them. If you know me, you'll know my biggest regret is not creating squeezable sour cream for nachos back in 2007. Still stings every time I think about it.
Convinced to not let another great idea slip by, I did my research on Austin business podcasts. I realized, for the most part, people were getting it wrong. Sure, there are some good ones out there. But 90% of podcasts were attached to other businesses (media companies, incubators, even law firms) without much investment as a stand alone business unit. And, because of that, the production quality was usually low and the storytelling non-existent. I get it, podcasts alone aren't exactly raking in a ton of money outside the top 1%. But, money aside, it seemed like an opportunity to create something unique. Something that I wished existed when I moved back to Austin.
So, I did what Guy Raz had inspired me to do: I jumped in. From the pre-interviews to the conversations to painstakingly teaching myself how to edit… I fell in love with the process from beginning to end, and began to take you (reader, listener) along with me on the journey as I interview founders, and also become one myself.
The backstory...
Pat is the Creator and Host of LoneStartup. With over 15 years of experience as a Go-To-Market leader, he's been in the trenches building companies from scratch. From navigating the craft beer industry to running enterprise sales teams to exploring the wild world of web3, Pat isn't afraid to take risks in uncharted territories.
His boldest move yet? Leaving behind his job to bring LoneStartup to life. What began as a seedling of an idea over 5 years ago has now blossomed into his full-time passion project. Some might say it's his escape from suburban life, a chance to engage face-to-face with people. But above all, it's his platform to showcase the people that are creating things right in his own backyard of Austin.
He lives with his wife and two daughters in SW Austin where they spend a lot of time dancing to Disney songs and playing with an abundance of Bluey toys (iykyk).
Fun Facts:
Favorite Austin Beer: Pinthouse Jellyfish (obviously)
Favorite date-night spot: Suerte
Go-to Take out spot: Tuk Tuk
Hobbies: golf, basketball, reading 25% of a book
Local coffee shop: Radio
Best Taco in town: Mami’s Food Truck
Favorite Quote: “Every single day, ordinary people do extraordinary things” - Jim Valvano
Meet the host
