Coffee with a Founder Podcast: Scott Clark of Distributional

03- Jun-2025

What actually keeps founders up at night? On this episode of Coffee with a Founder, Beck Bamberger chats with Scott Clark, Co-Founder and CEO of Distributional, a modern platform for enterprise AI testing and evaluation.

Scott opens up about the rollercoaster of startup life: the chaos, the constant need to reprioritize, and the lessons learned from his first venture-backed company to present day. He shares the not-so-glamorous side of “second time founder” life, what happens when you hit walls even harder, why uncomfortable pivots are just part of the job, and admits how his inner procrastinator still shapes his leadership style.

show notes:

01:13 – What is Distributional?

03:13 – How founders manage constant change

05:39 – From optimization to confidence

08:25 – Enterprise clients’ biggest AI fear

13:00 – The realities of being a second-time founder

16:51 – Why fear is a powerful motivator

Read More About The Episode:

01:13 – What is Distributional?
Scott introduces Distributional as an enterprise AI testing platform designed to give teams more confidence in their AI systems. Beck and Scott clarify the mission, which is to help companies understand and trust the outputs of their AI, moving beyond just vague chatter about AI to the practical challenges corporate teams face.

03:13 – How founders manage constant change
Scott explains how his team at Distributional navigates the ever-changing environment of a startup, from adapting to shifting priorities to incorporating transparency and continuous experimentation into the company culture. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining regular and honest communication with the team regarding pivots and new developments.

05:39 – From optimization to confidence
Scott reflects on lessons from his first startup, his academic background, and what drove him to launch Distributional. He realized that, after years of optimizing AI models, the deeper challenge wasn't performance, but building trust in AI outputs, shifting his focus and the company's mission.

08:25 – Enterprise clients’ biggest AI fear
Beck presses Scott to define who Distributional serves and what concerns keep those clients up at night. Scott reveals that major enterprises are eager to harness powerful AI but are held back by fears around consistency, reliability, and reputational risk. Distributional aims to bridge that “AI confidence gap.”

13:00 – The realities of being a second-time founder
Scott discusses how his second founding experience is more intense and accelerated, thanks to greater resources, expectations, and lessons learned. He talks candidly about making “all new mistakes 10 times faster” and the double-edged sword of having more on the line.

16:51 – Why fear is a powerful motivator
In a personal moment, Scott shares that fear, rather than optimism, drives him in his daily work as a founder. He compares running a startup to confronting the constant threat of collapse and how that tension provides clarity and focus to keep the team pushing forward.