Most founders think you need to code to build a billion-dollar company.

Turns out, some of the biggest tech giants were built by people who never wrote a single line of code.

In this episode, Sophia Matveeva unpacks the journeys of four non-technical founders who rewrote the rules of business. You’ll hear how Steve Jobs turned calligraphy classes into Apple’s design edge, why Jack Ma went from failing college exams and KFC rejections to building China’s e-commerce empire, how Brian Chesky turned a busted rent payment into Airbnb’s $80 billion hospitality revolution, and the way Katrina Lake used customer obsession to take Stitch Fix public and become one of the youngest female CEOs to lead an IPO.

Each story reveals a different path, but the same lesson: you don’t need to code to succeed in tech. You need vision, resilience, and the courage to solve problems in your own way. These founders show how creativity, design instincts, storytelling, and customer insight can be just as powerful as engineering.

In this episode, you will hear:

• How Steve Jobs proved that design instincts can beat coding skills
• Why Jack Ma’s 30 job rejections became his unfair advantage in building Alibaba
• The broke rent payment that sparked Airbnb’s $80B global empire
• What Katrina Lake’s Stitch Fix IPO teaches about trusting customers over investors

Resources from this Episode

https://www.techfornontechies.co/blog/how-companies-really-use-ai

FREE Course: 5 Tech Concepts Every Business Leader Needs To Know https://www.techfornontechies.co/freecourse

Growth Through Innovation

If your organisation wants to drive revenue through innovation, book a call with us here.

Our workshops and innovation strategies have helped Constellation Brands, the Royal Bank of Canada and Oxford University.

Follow and Review:

We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

For the full transcript, go to https://www.techfornontechies.co/blog/269-4-non-technical-founders-who-built-billion-dollar-tech-empires

Most founders think securing investors will solve all their problems.

But fundraising often creates a new set of challenges—misaligned expectations, endless reporting requests, and pressure that pulls focus from building the business.

The truth is, raising capital isn’t just about money.

It’s about relationships, trust, and knowing when to push back.

In this episode, you’ll learn from Jeffrey Fidelman, founder and managing director of Fidelman & Company, which is on Inc.’s list of America’s fastest-growing companies.

Jeffrey has worked at Morgan Stanley, been a partner at a venture fund, and now advises early and mid-stage companies on growth and fundraising strategy.

He shares what founders should realistically expect from investors, how to set boundaries without burning bridges, and why today’s tools—like AI and no-code—make it possible to show traction before raising a single dollar

In this episode, you will hear:

• Why some investors secretly derail startups — and how to spot them early
• The hidden risk of over-delivering for your investors (and how to say no)
• How no-code and AI tools can replace your first $250K in funding
• The newsletter strategy smart founders use to turn interest into investment

Resources from this Episode

Free class: Build a startup without learning to code https://www.techfornontechies.co/freeclass

Fidelman & Co https://fidelmanco.com/

Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection https://amzn.to/3HPMHRG

Financial Times: Being an angel investor is tougher than it looks
https://on.ft.com/4oDoQFD

Growth Through Innovation

If your organisation wants to drive revenue through innovation, book a call with us here.

Our workshops and innovation strategies have helped Constellation Brands, the Royal Bank of Canada and Oxford University.

Follow and Review:

We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

For the full transcript, go to https://www.techfornontechies.co/blog/268-how-to-align-founders-and-investors-before-things-go-wrong

Most non-technical founders dream of building a game-changing tech product—without learning to code.

But bridging the gap between vision and execution? That takes more than just a good idea.

In this episode, Sophia Matveeva breaks down 7 essential lessons from the rise and fall of BlackBerry, a tech company that revolutionized communication, then lost it all.

You’ll learn why great engineers aren’t enough, how clueless sales pitches kill trust, and why falling in love with your invention might be your biggest risk.

Whether you’re planning your first app or scaling your second startup, this episode is packed with real talk and timeless wisdom, straight from a founder who’s been there.

In this episode, you will hear:

• How BlackBerry went from world-domination to irrelevance — and what every non-technical founder can learn from its rise and fall
• Why mutual respect and tech fluency between business leaders and engineers is non-negotiable
• How poor communication between sales and technical teams can sink even the best products
• The hidden risk of falling in love with your invention — and how to avoid it

Build a Startup WITHOUT Learning to Code

https://www.techfornontechies.co/freeclass

Follow and Review:

We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

For the full transcript, go to https://www.techfornontechies.co/blog/267-7-startup-lessons-from-blackberry-s-rise-and-fall