‘Irrelevance Is Worse Than Death’: How This CEO’s Competitive Drive Resulted in a Global Powerhouse AI Startup

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For The Founder CEO podcast, the author had the chance to sit down with Colin Treseler, co-founder and CEO of Supernormal—a groundbreaking AI-powered tool designed to make meetings more productive and less stressful. Colin’s story is one of grit, curiosity, and an unwavering commitment to solving problems that matter to him — not wasting time! With a background shaped by fierce competition in sports, Colin’s journey offers an inspiring blueprint for those daring to take the entrepreneurial leap.

Colin’s story begins at the top of Heartbreak Hill in Boston, where he grew up as the youngest of four in a spirited, athletic family. His father, an Olympic running coach, often hosted world-class Kenyan athletes at their home, giving Colin an early education in excellence, discipline, and the beauty of different cultures. Dinners at his house were competitive—not just over sports but also over ideas and knowledge, setting the stage for his lifelong love of learning.

After attending Dartmouth and competing as a rower, a back injury forced him to pivot into sailing, where he discovered the power of communication and teamwork. Colin’s professional journey started unconventionally—landing a job through Craigslist at a tiny startup in Boston. That first taste of entrepreneurship lit a fire, leading to roles at high-growth companies like Klarna and Facebook, where he sharpened his expertise in technology and product design.

But Colin’s restless curiosity always pointed him toward bigger challenges. In 2019, after years of watching inefficiencies plague organizations, he and co-founder Fabian Perez set out to build a tool that would reimagine how teams communicate, collaborate, and save time.

Supernormal launched with one bold promise: you should never have to take meeting notes again. It started as a simple idea but quickly resonated with a growing audience, especially as remote work became the norm. Today, Supernormal serves more than 365,000 organizations in 150 countries, providing a seamless way to capture, summarize, and organize meetings automatically.

Colin’s journey from competitive Boston dinners to leading an innovative AI startup is a testament to the power of persistence and adaptability. But it’s also deeply human. As a father, a runner, and a lifelong learner, Colin has built his company around a simple but profound idea: time is our most valuable resource, and we should use it wisely.

Colin’s advice to aspiring entrepreneurs: “Take care of yourself. It’s easy to sacrifice sleep, health, and relationships when u’re building something. But you’ll do your best work when you’re balanced and present.”

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