Today, it might seem like everyone and their mother either has their own podcast or is a self-proclaimed podcast "nerd." Have you heard Serial? What about Startup? Did you catch up on the latest episode of Missing Richard Simmons?
That's not all in your head. In 2016, Pew Research Center reports that 21 percent of people twelve and over listen to podcasts, compared to just 12 percent in 2013. That number goes up when it comes to people who have ever listened to podcasts: In 2016, that statistic was 36 percent, which has doubled since 2008.
Yes, entering the podcast world now is pretty overwhelming, which is why public radio and podcast hosts have been using March to promote sharing podcasts with friend and family members through the social media campaign #TryPod. DC Inno compiled a list of the podcasts DC Tech is in love with to guide you through it:
(In our own biased opinion, we'd recommend starting with DC Inno's podcast, The Beat Podcast, a weekly interview show talking the latest tech, business and startup news in the District.)
Revolution
Tige Savage, co-founder of Revolution and partner on the Revolution Ventures fund, listens to Science Friday, Stuff You Should Know, Note to Self, RadioLab and The Documentary in his free time.
More on the shows from iTunes:
Science Friday — "Covering everything about science and technology—from the outer reaches of space to the tiniest microbes in our bodies—Science Friday is your source for entertaining and educational stories and activities. Each week, host Ira Flatow interviews scientists and inventors like Sylvia Earle, Elon Musk, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and more."
Stuff You Should Know — "How do landfills work? How do mosquitos work? Join Josh and Chuck as they explore the Stuff You Should Know about everything from genes to the Galapagos in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com."
Note to Self — "Is your phone watching you? Can wexting make you smarter? Are your kids real? These and other essential quandaries facing anyone trying to preserve their humanity in the digital age. Join host Manoush Zomorodi for your weekly reminder to question everything."
RadioLab — "Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder."
The Documentary — "The best of BBC World Service documentaries and other factual programmes."
Vinetta Project DC
The three community leads for The Vinetta Project love podcasts. Rebecca Yarbrough, also the president of the Offline Society, listens to Sam Altman's "How to Start a Startup" course at Stanford during long weekend walks, and to "Radio Lab" and its spinoff "More Perfect" to wind down.
Amelia Friedman, also co-founder at Hatch, recommends "How I Built This;" NPR Politics' podcast; Gimlet Media's "Crimetown;" and "Stuff You Missed in History Class."
Anna Mason, director of investments for Rise of the Rest at Revolution, also suggests "How I Built This,""Startup,""Reply All," Startup Grind's podcast and DC Inno's The Beat ("Legit great way to catch up on DC tech. Plus, now I drink beer," Mason said!)
More Perfect— "Radiolab's More Perfect is a series about the Supreme Court. More Perfect explores how cases deliberated inside the rarefied world of the Supreme Court affect our lives far away from the bench."
How I Built This — "How I Built This is a podcast about innovators, entrepreneurs, and idealists, and the stories behind the movements they built. Each episode is a narrative journey marked by triumphs, failures, serendipity and insight — told by the founders of some of the world's best known companies and brands."
NPR Politics Podcast — "The NPR Politics Podcast is where NPR's political reporters talk to you like they talk to each other. With weekly roundups and quick takes on news of the day, you don't have to keep up with politics to know what's happening."
Crimetown — "Welcome to Crimetown, a new series from Gimlet Media and the creators of HBO's The Jinx. Every season, we'll investigate the culture of crime in a different American city. First up: Providence, Rhode Island, where organized crime and corruption infected every aspect of public life."
Stuff You Missed in History Class — "Join Holly and Tracy as they bring you the greatest and strangest Stuff You Missed In History Class in this podcast by HowStuffWorks.com."
Reply All — "A show about the internet. And trained rats, time travel, celebrity dogs, lovelorn phone scammers, angry flower children, workplace iguanas, and more. Hosted by PJ Vogt and Alex Goldman, from Gimlet."
Startup Grind — "Startup Grind is a global community aimed at educating, mentoring, and connecting every entrepreneur in the world, and helping them understand how they can be successful. As part of that goal, we've launched this podcast to give our community another way to access our amazing library of interviews from the world's smartest and most successful entrepreneurs and thought leaders."
NextGen Venture Partners
NextGen Vice President Lisa Cuesta recommends starting with a business and VC-related podcasts. Along with NPR's "How I Built This," here are her favorites:
20VC — "The Twenty Minute VC takes you inside the world of Venture Capital, Startup Funding and The Pitch."
a16z — "The a16z Podcast discusses tech and culture trends, news, and the future -- especially as ‘software eats the world’. It features industry experts, business leaders, and other interesting thinkers and voices from around the world. This podcast is produced by Andreessen Horowitz (aka “a16z”), a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm."
Venture Studio — "Podcast by Venture Studio. New York City Venture Capital (VC) and Angel Investing Interviews with host Dave Lerner."
NotionTheory
While they're not busy building the next big virtual reality product (the latest is a glove that lets you feel in VR), the guys at NotionTheory love their startups. Founder and CEO Kristian Bouw, lead growth engineer Stephen Kae and product engineer David Busch all love Horowitz's a16z podcast and Ken Bye's Voices of VR. Here are their new suggestions:
Voices of VR — "Designing for Virtual Reality."
Recode Decode — "One of tech's most prominent journalists, Kara Swisher is known for her insightful reporting and straight-shooting style. Listen in as she hosts hard-hitting interviews about the week in tech with influential business leaders and outspoken personalities from media, politics and more."
Jocko Podcast — "Retired Navy SEAL, Jocko Willink and Director, Echo Charles discuss discipline and leadership in business, war, relationships and everyday life."
StarTalk — "Science meets comedy and pop culture on StarTalk Radio! Astrophysicist and Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities and scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe."
Duncan Trussell Family Hour — "The Duncan Trussell Family Hour is a weekly audio podcast by comedian and writer Duncan Trussell."
humble ventures
Co-founder Harry Alford has a thing for podcasts. Here's what he recommends:
20VC
Makers of Sport — "A podcast hosting conversations about branding, design, technology, startups and creativity in the sports business. Guests include designers, art directors, marketers, photographers, writers, filmmakers, animators, developers and startup entrepreneurs working on sports-related projects."
The Full Ratchet — "Nick Moran interviews the Venture Capital and Angel Investing experts on successful startup fundraising and investing strategy."
Reboot — "The Reboot podcast showcases the heart and soul, the wins and losses, the ups and downs of startup leadership."
1776
The 1776 office is filled to the brim with podcast listeners—so many, in fact, that we're just going to list all of their recommendations below:
Penny Lee, Chief Strategy Officer:
Recode/Decode
Pod Save America — "Four former aides to President Obama — Jon Favreau, Dan Pfeiffer, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor — are joined by journalists, politicians, comedians, and activists for a freewheeling conversation about politics, the press and the challenges posed by the Trump presidency."
The West Wing Weekly — "An episode-by-episode discussion of The West Wing, one of television’s most beloved shows, co-hosted by one of its stars, Joshua Malina, along with Hrishikesh Hirway of Song Exploder." ("because I’m completely obsessed about the show West Wing and Aaron Sorkin")
Dominique Taylor, Managing Director, Talent & Culture
NPR's Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me – "NPR's weekly current events quiz. Have a laugh and test your news knowledge while figuring out what's real and what we've made up."
Noelle London, Campus Manager, 1776 DC Region
How I Built This — "Zumba is obvi my favorite episode," London said.
Pod Save America
Startup
Hidden Brain — "The Hidden Brain helps curious people understand the world – and themselves. Using science and storytelling, Hidden Brain's host Shankar Vedantam reveals the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, the biases that shape our choices, and the triggers that direct the course of our relationships."
HBR IdeaCast — "A weekly podcast featuring the leading thinkers in business and management from Harvard Business Review."
Shahier Rahman, Business Development Manager, 1776 DC Region
Revisionist History — "Each week, over the course of 10 weeks, Revisionist History will go back and reinterpret something from the past. An event. A person. An idea. Something overlooked. Something misunderstood. Because sometimes the past deserves a second chance."
Startups For The Rest of Us — "If you like Mixergy, Entrepreneur on Fire, Tropical MBA, Rocketship.fm, SaaStr or the Tim Ferriss show, you'll love Startups for the Rest of Us."
TED Radio Hour — "The TED Radio Hour is a journey through fascinating ideas: astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, new ways to think and create. Based on Talks given by riveting speakers on the world-renowned TED stage, each show is centered on a common theme."
Margaret Shepard, Managing Director
Startup
How I Built This
Wall & Broadcast — "Wall and Broadcast invites you inside the untold, little understood stories of Wall Street. With unparalleled access to industry insiders, and hosted by an ex-spy and a former boy band member turned finance experts, we deliver insightful interviews, hilarious asides, intriguing stories, and historical perspective on this seemingly untouchable industry that touches everybody."
Planet Money — "The economy, explained, with stories and surprises. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, "Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy." Now imagine that's actually a fun evening. That's what we're going for at Planet Money. People seem to like it."
and of course, Missing Richard Simmons — "On February 15, 2014, fitness guru Richard Simmons disappeared. He stopped teaching his regular exercise class at Slimmons, cut off his closest friends, and removed himself from the public eye after decades as one of the most accessible celebrities in the world. Nobody has heard from him - and no one knows why he left. Filmmaker Dan Taberski was a Slimmons regular and a friend of Richard’s. Missing Richard Simmons is Dan’s search for Richard - and the deeper he digs, the stranger it gets."
Image used via CC BY 2.0 — credit Casey Fiesler
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