E55: First Round and YC-Backed Startup 'Eliminating Business Bullshit' | Josh Wymer, CEO of CentralHQ

In this episode, Sasha Orloff talks with Josh Wymer, Co-founder and CEO of Central HQ, about raising $8.6 million from First Round Capital and Y Combinator to build an AI-first back office solution that eliminates business compliance tasks through Slack-based automation, helping startups handle payroll, taxes, and HR without the administrative burden that typically comes with traditional software.

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SPONSORS:

Notion

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Puzzle

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RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE:

⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshwymer/

https://centralhq.com/

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X/SOCIAL:

@jbwyme (Josh)

@CentralHQX (Central HQ)

@sashaorloff (Sasha)

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Preview

(01:03) Intro

(01:46) The unavoidable hassles

(02:20) Meet Josh Wymer: The mission to eliminate business BS

(02:57) Complexity of payroll and compliance

(04:48) Central’s vision: Simplifying the back office

(07:19) Challenges and innovations in payroll solutions

(10:10) Sponsors: Notion | Puzzle

(11:35) Future of AI in business operations

(18:42) Power of LLMs and AI in streamlining tasks

(21:42) Origin of the tagline

(23:41) Investor reactions and brand strategy

(24:36) Challenges in a competitive market

(25:32) Focusing on founders and SMBs

(28:51) Learning and iterating as a startup

(33:21) Misunderstandings and common mistakes

(36:44) Future of startups and SMBs

(38:42) Wrap