Kendrick Nguyen is the Co-Founder & CEO of Republic.During the episode, we break down:The origin story for building Republic and what makes it different from other crowdfunding platformsHow the team thinks about building products for the next wave of Millennial and Gen Z investors The Republic platform product mix including access to private companies, crypto projects, real estate deals, video games and moreRepublic’s autopilot project which acts as a pseudo robo-advisor for private deals on their platformThe biggest trends in the investment space and how VCs, solo capitalists and micro-investors will all have a seat at the table in the futureRepublic’s process for analyzing deals and how they decide which companies are allowed to raise on their platformThe power of crypto and how it enables the democratization of investing across the worldThe token economy and how Republic’s note token will drive their business in the futureLessons learned working as an understudy of Naval RavikantAnd much moreTune in to hear Kendrick’s incredible story!And remember, at the end of the episode, we asked Kendrick to brainstorm other business ideas that he would chase if Republic was gone tomorrow. Our brainstorm covered happiness and building an Equinox type of fitness for improving mental health. Watch this episode on YouTube here.Republic – republic.coFollow Kendrick on TwitterFollow Republic on Twitter / InstagramKendrick’s content and learning recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Twitter // Instagram // Newsletter

Kevin Lee is the Co-Founder of Immi.During the episode, we break down:Immi’s origin storyLaunching the #1 community for product managers (Product Manager HQ) and top 3 keys to community buildingThe massive market opportunity for healthy ramen and other “better for you” Asian American foodUsing a data driven approach to unlock the core product attributes of Immi (low carb, high protein, plant based)Biggest food & beverage trends for the next 5 years“Sleepy” food categories (other than ramen) that are ripe for disruptionKevin’s angel investing criteria and getting into deals like Sweetgreen, The Hustle and SpaceXThe common trait that gives entrepreneurs their edgeAnd much moreTune in to hear Kevins’s incredible story!And remember, at the end of the episode, we asked Kevin to brainstorm other business ideas that he would chase if Immi were gone tomorrow. Our brainstorm highlighted creating a “better for you” conglomerate that owns multiple food brands across different categories.Watch this episode on YouTube here. Immi - immieats.comFollow Kevin on Twitter / InstagramFollow Immi on InstagramKevin’s content and learning recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Twitter // Instagram // Newsletter

Lucie Fink is a lifestyle influencer and Founder of Lucie Fink Media.During the episode, we break down:Her journey to go from neuroscience major to lifestyle influencerHer experience working as the lead on-camera talent for Refinery29How to think about leaving your corporate job and starting on your ownGoing beneath the hood and breaking down the most important revenue streams for a content creatorThe struggles in life as an influencerHow to build a content team that supports brand deals with companies like Adobe, TikTok and moreThe top 5 most important lessons for a content creatorThe playbook for starting out as a content creator todayAnd more!Tune in to hear Lucie’s incredible story!And remember, at the end of the episode, we asked Lucie to brainstorm other businesses that she wished existed. Our brainstorm highlighted next-generation products/services that would make life easier for content creators.Watch this episode on YouTube here. Lucie Fink Media – luciefink.comFollow Lucie on Instagram / Youtube Lucie’s content and learning recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Twitter // Instagram // Newsletter

Oliver Zak and Selom Agbitor are the Co-Founders of Mad Rabbit.What started as a side project during their senior year at Miami University, turned into a DTC juggernaut that’s taking over the tattoo industry. Mad Rabbit does $4M/year in sales and recently inked a deal with Mark Cuban on Shark Tank. During the episode, we break down the playbook to starting a company in college, the power of building community and go behind the curtain of what it’s really like to film an episode of Shark Tank.Tune in to hear Oliver and Selom’s incredible story!If you have tattoos and are interested in the best tattoo aftercare products on the planet, get 20% off by using code Kallaway at checkout.And remember, at the end of the episode, we ask Oliver and Selom to brainstorm other business ideas that they’d explore if Mad Rabbit was gone tomorrow. Our brainstorm included a better model for virtual customer service and building a platform to crowdsource answers from your community  Watch this episode on YouTube here. Mad Rabbit – madrabbittattoo.comFollow Mad Rabbit on InstagramFollow Oliver and Selom on InstagramOliver’s content and learning recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Twitter // Instagram // Newsletter

Robbie Bent is the Co-Founder & CEO of Inward.Inward is a next generation mental health company, combining physical spaces (ice baths + saunas) and the largest library of breathwork content in the world. Prior to Inward, Robbie spent 4 years working on growth at the Ethereum Foundation, a $300 billion cryptocurrency. He also runs a Clubhouse Show on Psychedelic Medicines and loves resilience challenges. You can learn more about him here and follow him on twitter @robbiebent1. Tune in to hear Robbie’s incredible story!And remember, at the end of the episode, we ask Robbie to brainstorm other business ideas that he’d explore if Inward was gone tomorrow. Our brainstorm included solving for loneliness through community, commune living and regenerative farming.Get 25% off your Inward membership today by using KALLAWAY25 at checkout.Watch this episode on YouTube here. Inward – inwardbreathwork.comFollow Inward on Instagram // TwitterFollow Robbie Bent on TwitterRobbie’s content and learning recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Twitter // Instagram // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Anne Mahlum is the Founder & CEO of solidcore.solidcore is an intense, full body workout that combines pilates and strength training. With over 70 corporate-owned studios nationwide, it's one of the biggest winners in the boutique fitness industry. And for good reason! Their workouts live up to their name as they generate a core burn unlike any other.Tune in to hear Anne’s incredible story!And remember, at the end of the episode, we ask Anne to brainstorm other business ideas that she’d explore if  solidcore was gone tomorrow. Our brainstorm included the future of beauty and social justice reform.Watch this episode on YouTube here solidcore– solidcore.coFollow solidcore on Instagram // TwitterFollow Anne Mahlum on InstagramAnne’s content and learning recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Twitter // Instagram // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here.

David Roger is the Co-Founder & CEO of Felix Gray.Felix Gray is the pioneer of mainstream blue light blocking glasses and a dominant player in the digital wellness category. Their lenses are 15x more effective than competitors and 9/10 customers report a significant improvement in digital eye strain when wearing the product consistently.In the digital age, many of us are glued to screens 24/7. One of the best gifts you can give yourself is a pair of blue light blocking glasses to protect your eyes and minimize headaches, dizziness and fatigue throughout the day. Get 10% off Felix Gray glasses with code Kallaway. Tune in to hear David’s story!And remember, at the end of the episode, we ask David to brainstorm other business ideas that he’d explore if Felix Gray was gone tomorrow. Our brainstorm included future of work/living solutions and infrastructure to help influencers create and grow their own brands.Watch this episode on YouTube – here.Felix Gray – shopfelixgray.comFollow Felix Gray on Instagram // TwitterFollow David Roger on Twitter // InstagramDavid’s content and learning recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Twitter // Instagram // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here.

Jeremy Cai is the Founder & CEO of Italic.Italic is positioned to disrupt the traditional retail value chain by giving consumers access to high-end products at cost. That means you only pay what it costs the manufacturer to make and deliver it to you – no markups for branding or retail middlemen. Imagine getting access to products from Burberry, Prada, Alexander Wang, Tumi and All Clad for 80% off the traditional retail price! [Italic has officially entered the chat]How do they do it? Italic built relationships with the same manufacturers that make the raw goods for your favorite luxury brands. Instead of pushing manufacturers to drive prices down, Italic realigns incentives by paying manufacturers more and passing the traditional brand mark-up margin onto customers as savings. Instead of making a large profit on each item, Italic charges an annual membership fee of $120 for members to access all of their products. It's the members only shopping club you've always dreamed of.And because Italic’s founder Jeremy is a friend, he’s offering 30% off your first year of the membership to join the club. Visit italic.com/founder to take advantage of the offer!Tune in to hear Jeremy’s story!Watch this episode on YouTube – here Italic – italic.comFollow Italic on Instagram // TwitterFollow Jeremy Cai on Twitter // InstagramJeremy’s content and learning recommendations  The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Twitter // Instagram // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here 

Leo Wang is the Co-Founder & CEO of Buffy.Buffy is a breath of fresh air in the home goods space, optimizing their products for two things – comfort and sustainability. After iterating and testing various comforter concepts for months, Leo and Co-Founder Shoaib launched with a promise to use earth-friendly fabrics and manufacturing methods to redefine the definition of soft. Today their product suite includes comforters, pillows, bedding and sheets made from eucalyptus, hemp and recycled polyester.Tune in to hear Leo’s story!EPISODE TOPICS  Sections(11:54) – The Origin Story(14:57) – The Build(49:57) – The Brainstorm(55:43) – The FounderTopics(2:23) Leo’s background (7:45) Speech writing for the UK House of Lords(11:54) Assessing the market opportunity(14:57) Buffy’s core values(17:47) The importance of sustainability at Buffy(22:39) Building a culture of innovation(26:50) Product roadmap(29:53) What hasn’t worked in growing Buffy(33:44) Hiring(38:47) Startup Manifesto(49:57) Brainstorm – home goods products designed to deliver comfort while traveling and furniture as fashion(55:43) Advice to younger self(58:54) Leo’s wellness stack(1:01:53) Emerging trendsWatch this episode on YouTube here.Buffy – buffy.coFollow Buffy on InstagramLeo’s content and learning recommendations  The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Twitter // Instagram // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here.

Alex Lieberman is the Co-Founder & CEO of Morning Brew.Alex is a first time entrepreneur and started Morning Brew during his undergrad days at University of Michigan in 2015.Morning Brew is a media company focused on delivering business and tech news to 3M+ subscribers. Alex and Co-Founder Austin grew Morning Brew into a household name on the back of their free daily business email. The team supercharged subscriber growth by building robust ambassador and referral programs and launching several other content products including Emerging Tech Brew, Marketing Brew, Retail Brew, Sidekick and their hit podcast, Business Casual. In October of 2020, Morning Brew sold a majority stake to Business Insider for a reported $75M.Tune in to hear Alex’s story!EPISODE TOPICS Sections  (2:29) – The Origin Story  (6:04) – The Build(47:35) – The Founder(52:24) – The Brainstorm Topics(2:29) Alex’s background(6:04) Growth playbook(8:18) Hub and spoke growth model(11:28) Ambassador and referral Programs(20:42) “We’ve got something” moment(23:39) What hasn’t worked(26:49) Hiring(34:27) Selling to Business Insider(41:06) Alex’s Startup Manifesto(47:35) Starting from scratch building an audience today(52:24) The Brainstorm – Business education and mental health via emotional sherpaWatch this episode on YouTube here Morning Brew – morningbrew.comFollow Morning Brew on Twitter // InstagramFollow Alex on Twitter // InstagramAlex's content and learning recommendations  The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Twitter // Instagram // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Bilal Zaidi is the Founder & CEO of Creator Lab.Bilal is a multi-time entrepreneur and creator, having previously built and scaled a successful ecommerce store as a teen and led partnership teams at Google and charity: water.Creator Lab is a podcast and digital marketing consultancy. On his weekly podcast, Bilal interviews world-class creators and entrepreneurs to break down the tactics behind how they built their businesses. Creator Lab has been listened to in over 100 countries and featured world renowned guests from Cenk Uygur and Gary Vee to Anthony “Pomp” Pompliano and Jack Butcher.Tune in to hear Bilal’s story!EPISODE TOPICS  Sections (14:11) – The Origin Story (22:44) – The Build (1:01:30) – The Founder (1:12:28) – The Brainstorm Topics(1:47) Bilal’s background(3:38) Entrepreneurial switch flipping(7:51) Building a career ark(11:36) First-row seat to YouTube and Android scaling(14:11) Origin story for Creator Lab(22:44) Best tactics from recruiting top podcast guests (31:55) Drivers for show growth(37:10) Starting a podcast from scratch today(42:42) The power of Clubhouse(44:22) Creating with a full-time job vs self-employed(49:32) Defining success for Creator Lab(54:20) Bilal’s Startup Manifesto(1:01:30) Bilal’s Personal Operating System(1:06:13) Bilal’s Wellness Stack(1:12:28) The Brainstorm – Live shark tank where the audience can invest and democratizing access to private marketsWatch this episode on YouTube here.Creator Lab – creatorlab.fmFollow Creator Lab on Twitter // InstagramFollow Bilal on Twitter // InstagramBilal's content and learning recommendations  The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Twitter // Instagram // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Marc Barros is the Co-Founder & CEO of Moment.Marc is a second-time founder, having previously launched Contour, a venture-backed action camera company that challenged GoPro in the early 2000s.Moment is building the largest marketplace for creators. Originally, Marc and his founding team launched the Moment Lens system on Kickstarter, a series of phone cases and external lenses aimed to level up your mobile photography. Since then, Moment has morphed into a marketplace that sells all the gear you need to create as well as lessons & trips from your favorite pros. In addition to their marketplace and branded products, Moment runs an annual mobile film festival (MIFF) and is building a service layer to help creatives monetize their businesses.Use code “Kallaway” to get 10% off all Moment products.Tune in to hear Marc’s story!EPISODE TOPICSSections(3:30) – The Origin Story(8:00) – The Build(35:10) – The Founder(47:45) – The BrainstormTopics(2:10) Marc’s background(3:30) Starting Contour at 20 years old(8:00) How to win markets and differentiate(9:40) Transitioning from 1st to 2nd company (11:45) Unique insights into mobile photography space(13:15) What is Moment?(13:45) Making products vs marketplace  - which should come first?(15:20) Building customer journeys(16:20) Creator economy pain points(17:53) Becoming the service layer for creatives(18:40) Leveraging Kickstarter the right way(21:15) Approach to experimentation/org structure(20:22) What hasn’t worked?(24:09) Hiring(28:35) Improving remote work(32:30) Manifesting the future(33:30) Marc’s Startup Manifesto(35:25) Compensation philosophy(38:25) Fundraising philosophy(41:00) Founder vs CEO(44:35) Best mobile photography trick(45:30) Marc’s wellness stack(47:45) The Brainstorm – Owning peace and quiet, water conservation, future of photography Watch this episode on YouTube here. Moment – shopmoment.com Follow Moment (@moment) on Instagram // TwitterFollow Marc (@marcbarros) on Instagram // TwitterMarc's content and learning recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Twitter // Instagram // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here.

Carly Bigi is the Founder & CEO of Laws of Motion.Carly is a first-time founder who launched Laws of Motion while studying for her MBA at Columbia University.Laws of Motion is flipping the apparel industry on its head by providing access to data-driven custom womenswear. Contrary to the standard sizing offered by most apparel brands, Laws of Motion uses your personalized measurements and a robust dataset of 10,000 other women to create perfect fitting clothes. Today, they go-to-market with 144 micro-sizes to serve every customer shape and size. When Covid hit in early March 2020, Laws of Motion shut down their popular apparel line and repurposed the entire company to make PPE. They donated 1M masks and delivered 2.4M gowns / 2M shoe covers to help frontline healthcare workers fight the pandemic.Get 15% off Laws of Motion with code "Kallaway15"Tune in to hear Carly’s story!EPISODE TOPICSSections(3:20) – The Origin Story(7:13) – The Build(31:17) – The Founder(39:41) – The BrainstormTopics(2:33) Carly’s background(3:20) What is Laws of Motion(4:05) Approach to MBA(6:25) Bootstrapping vs funding(7:013) What was the market opportunity that others missed?(10:23) Biggest doubts/assumptions in the early days(12:13) Where did the name Laws of Motion come from?(12:43) Laws of Motion customer journey(13:44) Avoiding the inventory problem(16:02) Building a custom factory(17:04) What hasn’t worked with Laws of Motion(19:01) The 3 levers of IP for Laws of Motion(20:16) Covid impact and shifting to PPE(23:48) Laws of Motion product line(24:55) 10X growth(26:03) Manifesting the future for Laws of Motion(27:05) Hiring(29:33) Startup Manifesto(31:17) Advice to younger self(32:43) Needle mover habit(37:48) Carly’s wellness stack(35:08) Personal operating system(39:41) The Brainstorm – Improving longevity, designing a new umbrella from the ground up and encouraging more entrepreneurshipWatch this episode on YouTubeLaws of Motion – lawsofmotion.com Follow Laws of Motion on InstagramFollow Carly on Twitter // InstagramCarly's content and learning recommendations  The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Twitter // Instagram // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Rishi Mandal is the Co-Founder & CEO of Future.Rishi is a second-time founder, having previously launched Sosh, a recommendation engine that curated the must-do activities in a given city. Sosh was beloved by millions as a concierge on the cutting edge of culture and sold to Postmates in 2015.Future is revolutionizing fitness by enabling remote 1-on-1 personal training. New members are carefully matched with a world-class trainer who creates personalized workouts each week. While trainers aren't physically with users in person, Future’s app enables continuous dialogue through text and voice notes pre-recorded in workouts. Future’s retention and Net Promoter Scores are off the charts, signaling low churn and high customer loyalty.Future raised a $24M Series B in October 2020 led by Trustbridge Partners. Tune in to hear Rishi’s story!EPISODE TOPICSSections(18:04) – The Origin Story(27:53) – The Build(55:04) – The Founder(1:00:41) – The BrainstormTopics(2:40) Rishi’s background(4:34) The power of working with the smartest people you can find(6:22) Knowing when you’re ready to start a venture(8:42) Analyzing the opportunity for Sosh, the recommendation engine for culture(15:14) Entrepreneur in Residence at Khosla Ventures(18:04) Why was Future compelling enough to chase it?(27:53) Why start with fitness?(31:42) Why is Future more effective than other fitness solutions?(39:20) Biggest bets that haven’t panned out?(47:17) Rishi’s Startup Manifesto(55:04) Words of advice to 18 year old(1:00:41) The Brainstorm – Cameo for business, future of retail, expert vision/AR in sports broadcastingWatch this episode on YouTube Future – future.coFollow Future on Twitter // InstagramFollow Rishi on Twitter // InstagramRishi's content and learning recommendations  The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Twitter // Instagram // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Brian Chen is the Co-Founder & CEO of Room.Brian is a second-time founder, having previously launched Bluesmart, a smart luggage company built to supercharge your suitcase through advanced technology and connectivity solutions. Bluesmart was acquired by Travelpro in 2018.Room is on a mission to change the way offices are designed by creating modular, flexible solutions that transform the workplace. Today, they go to market with their flagship soundproof phone booth as well as newly launched meeting and focus rooms. In the spirit of convenient and adaptive solutions, their phone booth ships flat and assembles on-site with a single tool. Room is poised to take advantage of massive tailwinds in a post-Covid world, equipping offices with the infrastructure needed to optimize for their people.Tune in to hear Brian’s story!EPISODE TOPICS:Sections(17:50) – The Origin Story(28:15) – The Build(55:34) – The Founder(1:04:11) – The BrainstormTopics(2:10) Brian’s background(4:03) Endeavor experience (entrepreneurial non-profit)(6:56) Dropping out of MIT to pursue Bluesmart(10:13) Y Combinator learnings & takeaways(13:01) Bluesmart outcome(15:09) Winding down a startup(17:50) Assessing the Room market opportunity(22:11) Room snapshot(25:14) What had to be true for Room to succeed(28:15) Biggest bets that didn’t pan out(31:40) Hiring framework – the Secretary problem(35:41) Covid business impact(42:21) Manifesting the future (44:41) Calm collaboration(46:31) 10x growth(50:37) Brian’s Startup Manifesto(55:34) What differentiates great and good CEOs(1:01:31) Needle mover habit(1:02:30) Brian’s wellness stack(1:04:11) The Brainstorm – Housing market liquidity, fractional expert networks and subscription jeansWatch this episode on YouTubeRoom – room.comFollow Room on Twitter // InstagramFollow Brian on Twitter // InstagramBrian's content and learning recommendations  The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Twitter // Instagram // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Mike Russell is the Co-Founder & CEO of Monument.Mike is a serial entrepreneur, having previously launched several businesses including VenueTap (positioned as a digital platform for club promoters) and Paintzen (a marketplace for buying paint and choosing paint contractors that was acquired by PPG in 2018). Monument is an online alcohol treatment program designed for users with low to moderate consumption habits. Mike and his team launched Monument to help democratize access to personalized and affordable treatment for those looking to change their relationship with alcohol. Monument's flexible subscription model enables patients of all consumption levels to access a licensed physician, specialized therapist, community and/or prescribed medication.Tune in to hear Mike’s story!EPISODE TOPICS:Sections(2:16) – The Origin Story(14:13) – The Build(43:34) – The Founder(1:02:58) – The BrainstormTopics(2:16) Mike’s background(6:07) What happened with VenueTap(7:21) Monument founding story(11:26) Approach to the monument platform(14:13) Building the business model(17:59) How to size the market opportunity(22:14) What concerns/questions did you have in the beginning(24:20) Critical decisions in the early days(29:18) Hiring(35:10) Fundraising(39:37) Mike’s Startup Manifesto(43:34) Mike’s unique approach to a venture fund(48:02) Battling cancer and shifting mentality(54:27) Words of advice to an 18 year old(57:06) Biggest needle mover tip/tactic(59:02) Mike’s wellness stack(1:02:58) The Brainstorm – Custom building 1990s Land Rover defenders and trading cardsWatch this episode on YouTube – https://youtu.be/_v1PouhYkQ4Monument – joinmonument.comFollow Monument on Instagram // TwitterMike's content and learning recommendations  The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // LinkedIn // Twitter // Newsletter Don't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Jon Shooshani is the Founder & President of JOON.Jon is a first time founder, having previously started Avo, a wellness based consumer spending card that pivoted into JOON in 2019.JOON is a corporate wellness program that makes it easy for companies to offer flexible benefits around wellbeing. Employers get the freedom to choose wellness and lifestyle options that are meaningful to them and the JOON software automates the reimbursement process to eliminate the administrative burden. JOON currently offers spending categories across fitness, food, mental health, family care, education, donations and student loan repayment.Tune in to hear Jon’s story!EPISODE TOPICS:The Origin Story – 2:22The Build – 14:06The Founder – 42:38The Brainstorm – 56:33Watch this episode on YouTube – https://youtu.be/D5i2MIjdY5kJOON – joon.ioFollow JOON on Instagram // TwitterFollow Jon on Instagram // TwitterJonathan's content and learning recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Twitter // Instagram // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here 

Dylan Beynon is the Founder & CEO of Mindbloom.Dylan is a third time founder with previous stints at Voter's Friend (acquired by Democracy.com) and Mighty.Mindbloom is a telemedicine company for clinician-prescribed psychedelic therapy. Their mission is to expand human potential and transform lives today to transform the world tomorrow. Mindbloom's primary offering today is guided ketamine therapy.As a special offer for our listeners, use code "kallaway" for $50 off your next treatment.Tune in to hear Dylan's story!EPISODE TOPICS: (2:00) – Mindbloom Snapshot(3:12) – Dylan’s Background(8:43) – Analyzing the market opportunity for Mindbloom(13:00) – Education(14:57) – Ketamine therapy patient experience(16:20) – Importance of telemedicine(18:36) – Benefits of having a personalized medicine doctor(22:58) – Quantified self(26:03) – Mindfulness & awareness(34:16) – Communal living(40:29) – Growth marketing fundamentals(43:01) – Manifesting the future(45:37) – Hiring(53:14) – Words to 18 year old(55:45) – Emerging trends(59:07) – Unique life habit(1:00:45) – Aspirational founders(1:03:06) – Podcast growth ideas(1:04:43) – Dylan’s Startup ManifestoWatch on YouTube - https://youtu.be/mnzwO5A-9VEMindbloom - mindbloom.coFollow Mindbloom (@mymindbloom) on Instagram // TwitterDylan's content and learning recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Twitter // Instagram // LinkedIn // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here.

Ashley Nickelsen is the Founder & CEO of B.T.R. Bar.Ashley got her start at NYU with a background in biochemistry and public health nutrition. About 5 years ago, both of her parents were diagnosed with rare forms of cancer. As their primary caretaker while juggling a full-time job, she found herself eating dinners out of vending machines and hospital cafeterias more and more often. For someone who dedicated her life to nutrition and food science, she knew that she was letting her own health suffer and began to notice the effects in a big way. She wanted something with a truly clean label that could give her a functional boost throughout her busy days, but realized that even the healthiest bars on the market were full with things like natural flavors, emulsifiers and brown rice syrups. Unfortunately, both her parents passed away a few years later, but she took their life motto – be bold, be tenacious, be resilient – and started her company in their honor. That company is B.T.R. Bar. Today at BTR Bar, Ashley and her team have a simple mission – end mindless snacking. Their protein bars are the first plant based, keto friendly bars with a purpose, meaning that they are filled with specific superfoods and adaptogens to give you energy, help you recharge or relax before bed. And when they say clean, they mean their bars are CLEAN with no gluten, dairy, soy, whey, added sugar, corn, rice, GMOs, flavors or stevia. They’re also incredibly proud to be a female-owned business that empowers others to be bold, tenacious and resilient every single day.Use code "Kallaway" to get 15% off B.T.R. bars today.Tune in to hear Ashley's story!EPISODE TOPICS: (2:51) B.T.R. Bar snapshot (3:45) Superfoods & adaptogens(8:15) Consumer profile(10:24) Ashley’s background(15:54) Analyzing the market(17:55) How do you define success in the early days(19:40) Customer acquisition & growth(22:30) Prioritization(26:42) Distribution(29:43) Outside the box marketing(32:45) Influencer marketing(34:46) Food space trends/learnings(38:02) Healthy vs unhealthy mythbusters(42:15) Manifesting the future(45:12) Hiring (process)(50:09) Fundraising(53:25) Advice to high school self(56:15) Ashley’s wellness stack(1:01:52) Emerging trends(1:07:07) Ashley’s startup manifestoWatch on YouTube - https://youtu.be/Ve3Cpdsq7KcB.T.R. Bar - eatbtrbar.comFollow B.T.R. Bar (@btr.bar) on InstagramAshley's content and learning recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram //  Twitter // LinkedIn // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Taylor Nieman is the Co-Founder & CEO of Toucan.Taylor was born in Los Angeles and spent a lot of her time growing up playing competitive volleyball on a track for the Olympics. She eventually wound up at Cornell for school and after trying her hand in a couple of different fields, identified tech as an area she wanted to spend more time. She went to night school at YouTube University and taught herself how to code so she could bring her own ideas to life. After graduating from Cornell and returning to Los Angeles, she joined Headspace and a number of other tech companies including Pop and Fair, running business development and partnerships at each. Along the way she launched several of her own projects, including Simba, an app to connect dog owners with each other and Lancer, a Glassdoor for freelancers. While those projects didn’t pan out, her latest and most promising is on a roll. That project turned into a rapidly growing company called Toucan.Today at Toucan, Taylor and her team have created a free browser extension to revolutionize the way you learn new languages. Once installed and enabled, you simply pick the language you want to learn (either Spanish, French, German, Italian or Portuguese) and then the magic starts to happens. As you browse Google, scroll through Twitter or interact with other websites, Toucan will change some of the words from English to your desired language. As you continue using Toucan, the words will get harder and harder as you level up your fluency. They’ve also just started rolling out mini games that you can play while in Wikipedia, which provide a more direct way to practice your skills. The coolest part is that language is just the beginning – Toucan was built as a disruptive learning platform that could be applied to lots of other disciplines. Tune in to hear Taylor's story!EPISODE TOPICS: (2:47) Toucan snapshot today(3:43) Taylor’s background(12:18) How Toucan works(15:39) Inception story(17:37) Future market opportunities with Toucan(18:28) How to assess industry landscape(20:03) Competitors or partners – Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, Babbel(22:25) Business model(29:10) Early struggles(31:03) Customer acquisition(33:33) 10X growth (36:05) Career strategy(42:21) Hiring(45:54) Investor lessons learned(48:21) User investing(50:33) Personal drive/motivation(52:43) Taylor’s wellness stack(56:23) Exciting trends(1:00:19) Startup manifestoWatch on YouTube - https://youtu.be/3SFXa7vyQycToucan - jointoucan.comFollow Toucan (@jointoucan) on Instagram // TwitterFollow Taylor (@taylorsimba // @taylor_nieman) on Instagram // TwitterTaylor's content and learning recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // LinkedIn // Twitter // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Sib Mahapatra is the Co-Founder of Branch.Sib got his start studying philosophy at Yale during his undergrad, realizing a love for systems and technology at an early age. After school, he spent time at real estate tech startup Redfin and had a versatile role supporting several functions across the business including developing and launching new products. He quickly realized that he had an affinity for building and knew that for his next project, he wanted to try his hand at making something from scratch, without having a major corporation as a backstop. He spent some time exploring a few different problem spaces before settling on real estate technology, inspired by his time at Redfin. He became an entrepreneur in residence at Notation Capital to begin incubating his ideas where he met his Co-Founder and started Branch. Today at Branch, Sib and his team have created a modern office furniture brand that sells directly to businesses and consumers. What started out as a rapidly growing B2B business for furnishing offices with 25-250 people, Branch and its founding team hit a major roadblock when Covid struck in late February of 2020. A rich pipeline full of corporate clients went to essentially zero when businesses had to shut down their offices. Like any scrappy entrepreneurs, the Branch founders never panicked, and quickly pivoted to make high quality furniture for the home office. Today they’ve supplied furniture to thousands of professionals at home and are poised to scale a hybrid model as we return to normalcy in 2021. Use code “Kallaway” to get 10% off all Branch products.Tune in to hear Sib's story!EPISODE TOPICS: (2:54) Branch snapshot today(3:48) Background and founding story(6:23) Analyzing markets and identifying startup ideas(9:59) Other startup ideas explored(13:03) Competitive analysis(16:40) Starting without expertise(18:57) Co-Founder matching(23:16) Redfin experience(25:31) Sourcing deals in corporate office furniture industry(28:53) Transitioning from B2B -> B2C in Covid(36:01) Office furniture industry outlook (next 3-5 years)(39:56) Hiring(43:46) Lessons to younger self(46:33) What motivates you?(49:20) Sib's wellness stack(51:13) Exciting trends(56:03) Sib's startup manifestoWatch on YouTube - https://youtu.be/8U8WOkbncFYBranch - branchfurniture.comFollow Branch (@branchfurniture // @officebybranch) on Instagram // TwitterFollow Sib (@sib_mahapatra // @sibjeet) on Instagram // TwitterSib's content and learning recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // LinkedIn // Twitter // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Stephen Kuhl is the Co-Founder & CEO of Burrow.Stephen grew up in upstate NY and spent the majority of his time in high school freestyle skiing - getting comfortable doing backflips at an early age. After graduating from Cornell for his undergrad, he bounced around at a few different jobs before landing in private equity and venture investing at Commonfund. He spent 2 years at Commonfund before leaving for business school at Wharton in 2015. When he got to school, he had a terrible experience buying furniture and met his now Co-Founder, Kabeer, who shared similar struggles. They took an entrepreneurship class together and thought it was the perfect place to create something new. That’s how Burrow was born.Today at Burrow, Stephen and his team have created a next generation brand to improve the entire customer experience of owning furniture. After getting their start redesigning the sofa from the ground up in 2017, they’ve seen explosive growth and now go to market with an entire line of home furniture from seating and storage to tables, rugs and accessories. What they figured out that the rest of the industry got wrong was that consumers hated the complex, non-customized buying experience, multi-week delivery times and stress moving their furniture from one home to another. Burrow solves all of these pain points and then some. Customers can easily design their custom furniture online, have them delivered in compact boxes within a week and then assemble them in minutes without tools. Burrow has also redesigned their products to be more comfortable and durable so they can withstand the punishment that everyday life brings.Use code “Kallaway” to get 10% off all Burrow products.Tune in to hear Stephen's story!EPISODE TOPICS: (2:49) Burrow snapshot today (4:40) Background and founding story(6:33) Business school / entrepreneurship(9:16) Analyzing the opportunity & first steps(13:50) Furniture design process(18:35) Y Combinator(21:32) Early struggles(29:47) Building customer loyalty(31:50) Customer acquisition(34:55) Out of the box marketing tactics(38:12) Furniture industry outlook(42:28) Manifesting the future vision(45:40) Scarcity and limited drops(47:46) Fundraising lessons learned(50:35) What drives you?(53:35) Stephen's wellness stack(55:29) Having an executive coach(58:06) Exciting trends(1:00:50) Stephen's startup manifestoBurrow - burrow.comFollow Stephen (@sgkuhl25) on Instagram // TwitterFollow Burrow (@burrow // @hiburrow) on Instagram // TwitterStephen's content and learning recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // LinkedIn // Twitter // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Farryn Weiner is the Founder & CEO of Farrynheight. Farryn spent the last 15 years mastering her craft as a storyteller through a variety of creative fields. After graduating from NYU film school, she spent time at different magazines and tech companies before ultimately landing at jetsetter.com and formally entering the world of marketing. When she worked at Jetsetter, social media was emerging as a game-changing portal for two-way brand communication and she was fascinated by the power it gave brands to own their narrative and talk directly to their customers. She then went on to work in marketing roles at Michael Kors and most recently, Sweetgreen, helping expand their footprint nationwide. Along the way she had countless conversations with founders and VCs and understood a common deprioritization of marketing & branding in the early days of a start-up. She knew from her experience how critical it was to build this foundation and wanted to create a bad ass team of marketers who could fill that gap. That’s how Farrynheight was born.Today at Farrynheight, Farryn runs a brand strategy and marketing SWAT team. Their sweet spot is to work with early stage startups to help them launch or relaunch their brands. The team is unique in that they are incredibly selective about the clients they work with, serving as an extension of the core team and completely replacing the marketing function in some cases. Their mix of all-star women enables them to seamlessly zoom in and zoom out, helping founders understand the high-level strategy behind building a powerful brand as well as the tactical steps needed to execute on that brand vision day to day. To date, they’ve worked with companies like Reformation, Bandier, Highline Wellness, Monument, Scent Bird and more.Tune in to hear Farryn's story!EPISODE TOPICS: (2:43) Farrynheight snapshot today(4:35) Background and founding story(7:36) Building brand strategy - approach(10:45) Building brand strategy - tactics(14:03) Staying a great brand for decades(16:58) Scaling a service business(22:18) People-light businesses(24:03) Marketing strategy - tactics(27:41) Favorite brand campaigns(31:28) Future of DTC(36:11) What hasn't worked well in building Farrynheight?(42:33) Transparency(46:33) Balancing ambition and happiness(51:16) What drives you?(53:15) Farryn's wellness stack(59:37) Farryn's startup manifestoFarrynheight - farrynheight.comFollow Farryn (@jetsetfarryn) on Instagram // TwitterFollow Farrynheight (@farrynheight) on Instagram // TwitterFarryn's content and learning recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // LinkedIn // Twitter // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Kenny Haisfield is the Founder & CEO of Kenny Flowers. Kenny grew up in Florida with the sounds of Jimmy Buffet music ringing through the yard. After studying economics and international relations in college, he ended up working as a customer experience consultant at IBM, traveling across the northeast to serve his clients. One day, after wearing his dad’s vintage Hawaiian shirt for the millionth time, he wondered why no one had modernized it for the current day consumer. He realized that as social media began to grow in popularity and people were taking more and more pictures on the weekends, guys couldn’t get away with having the same old shirt in every photo. When he saw that tropical and floral prints started to regain popularity, he knew that his calling was to reimagine island wear for the modern consumer. That’s when he went all-in to start Kenny Flowers.Today at Kenny Flowers, Kenny and his team are on a mission to help you embrace that feeling of vacation each and every day. What started out as a floral printed short-sleeve button down shirt has quickly turned into a full line of his and hers modern resort wear. Their product line ranges from Hawaiian shirts and swim trunks to women’s swim suits and cover-ups and even matching couple’s sets. And the devil is in the details when it comes to their design - each of their flagship shirts are made in Bali with stitched lay-down collars, coconut buttons and a sunglasses loop in the front pocket to keep your shades secured. Kenny Flowers has been at it for the last 6 years and sees nothing but smooth sailing and high growth ahead.Use code "Founder15" for 15% off all Kenny Flowers products.Tune in to hear Kenny's story!EPISODE TOPICS: (2:53) Kenny Flowers snapshot today(4:53) Background and founding story(11:40) Building customer loyalty(15:04) Ecommerce assumptions vs reality(17:15) Product feedback and iterations(21:52) Going from lifestyle business -> venture scale(25:12) Financial expectations(27:22) 10X growth(29:28) Manifesting the future(32:18) Future of DTC(34:19) Out of the box marketing tactics(41:00) What hasn't worked well(45:05) Hiring and culture(52:07) Kenny's wellness stack(59:50) Exciting trends(1:04:48) Kenny's startup manifesto(1:09:32) Kenny's founder nominationKenny Flowers - kennyflowers.comFollow Kenny (@kennyhaisfield // @khais3) on Instagram // TwitterFollow Kenny Flowers (@kennyflowers_) on Instagram // TwitterKenny's content and learning recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // LinkedIn // Twitter // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Chris Roth is the Founder & CEO of Highline Wellness. Chris grew up in New York and went to Siena College on a lacrosse scholarship. Although sports were his main focus and he wasn’t a huge fan of school growing up, he eventually wound up as intern at an investment bank on Wall Street. He loved it. To him, the culture at the bank felt similar to his time playing sports – competitive, fast-paced and heavily reliant on a strong team. When he started full time on the sales side at the bank after college, he covered e-commerce and specifically the transition of companies from brick and mortar to online. In 2016, his firm produced the first report on the cannabis space and after reading it cover to cover, he realized what a massive opportunity existed. As someone who had always wanted to start his own company, it was at this moment that he had the spark for Highline Wellness.Today at Highline Wellness, Chris and his team are on a mission to change the negative stigma around cannabis. At their core, they strongly believe cannabis is medicine and that it has the potential to improve millions of lives. Today, all of their CBD products have 0% THC, are non-psychoactive and use the highest quality, clean ingredients. In addition to a variety of topicals and oils, they’ve formulated some of their gummies with functional ingredients like caffeine for jitter-free energy or melatonin to enhance your bedtime routine. While Highline is just in its second year of business, the team has already taken a foothold as one of the premiere CBD brands in the country. And they’re not stopping there. They have huge plans to develop products across several verticals focused on total wellness delivered through plant based medicine. Use code "Founder20" for 20% off all Highline Wellness products.Tune in to hear Chris's story!EPISODE TOPICS: (2:55) Highline Wellness snapshot today(4:28) Background and founding story(8:44) E-commerce trends(12:10) CBD 101(16:10) How to prove legitimacy as a brand(19:06) Anxiety in our society(25:30) Customer acquisition & growth(31:05) 10X growth(34:02) Expanding into THC market(35:10) Manifesting the future for Highline Wellness(38:34) What hasn't worked well(43:20) Lessons to younger self(44:44) Chris's wellness stack(50:42) Exciting trends(54:15) Chris's startup manifesto(59:38) Chris's founder nominationHighline Wellness - highlinewellness.comFollow Chris (@chrisroth16) on Instagram // LinkedInFollow Highline Wellness (@highlinewellness) on Instagram // TwitterChris's content and learning recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // LinkedIn // Twitter // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Matteo Franceschetti is the Co-Founder & CEO of Eight Sleep. Matteo has always been an athlete and obsessed with recovery and performance. Growing up in Italy, he spent time as a competitive ski racer, tennis player and race car driver before jumping into the corporate world as a securities lawyer. After launching and exiting a couple of companies in the renewable energy space, his professional focus came full circle as he rediscovered his passion for optimizing performance. He explored the space and realized the massive opportunity for smarter sleep products to support the rapidly growing quantified self movement. It was at this moment that Eight Sleep was born.Today at Eight Sleep, Matteo and his team are the pioneers of sleep fitness. Their tech enabled mattress, the Pod, has taken the industry by storm as it significantly enhances your sleep quality through thermoregulation. Over the course of the night, the Pod detects your changing body temperature via sensors built into the mattress. Then, the Hub, an external water tank connected to the Pod, uses warm and cool water to constantly adjust the temperature of the bed to keep your internal body temperature at the optimal level. This reduces disruptions throughout the night and enables more restful, higher quality sleep. Eight Sleep also has a killer app that you can use to track your vitals, sleep cycles and overall sleep performance overtime. In the last few weeks, they launched their Pod Pro Cover, which adds their patented thermoregulation technology to your existing mattress. While they’ve made incredible strides already, Eight Sleep is still in the early innings of what’s possible in the smart sleep space.Use code "Kallaway" for 15% off all Eight Sleep products.Tune in to hear Matteo's story!EPISODE TOPICS: (2:55) Eight Sleep snapshot today(3:55) Background and founding story(5:58) Learning from previous companies(7:28) Sleep basics and learnings(9:41) Sleep Pod evolution and thermoregulation(15:05) Customer acquisition & growth(20:37) Out-of-the-box marketing tactics(22:57) 10X growth(24:25) Competitive landscape(26:59) Customer data collected(28:52) How to maximize sleep while traveling(31:19) Y Combinator experience(35:40) Hiring(38:06) Investor lessons(41:45) Lessons to younger self(44:15) Matteo's wellness stack(50:50) Exciting trends(51:53) Matteo's startup manifesto(52:31) Matteo's founder nominationEight Sleep - eightsleep.comFollow Matteo (@m_franceschetti // @matteofranceschetti) on Twitter // Instagram // LinkedInFollow Eight Sleep (@eightsleep) on Instagram // TwitterMatteo's content and learning recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // LinkedIn // TwitterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Ray Smith is the Founder & CEO of BeApp. Ray grew up in West Philadelphia and always dreamed about traveling the world. After graduating high school and then USC for college, he found himself in Palo Alto, working in management consulting for the booming startup scene. One of the tech phenomenons at the time was peer-to-peer file sharing, birthing a new world of music discovery across sites like Limewire, Kazaa, and Napster, and opening Pandora’s box for those who had previously been constrained to local radio. Ray discovered a love for dance music and found that listening to European festival sets was a game changer for his runs. He knew that if he couldn’t be at those festivals in person, he wanted a way to see what was happening firsthand. And that’s what led him to start his first company, Be-at.tv. Over the past 13 years, Be-at.tv has been the leading distribution and content channel for music festivals, sporting the highest quality audio and video experience on the internet. When Covid hit in early 2020, and music festivals essentially went to zero, he knew that although the in-person experience was on hold, there was still a need to democratize the artist experience for fans all over the world. This was the kernel of inspiration for BeApp.Today at BeApp, Ray and his team are delivering artist access through a virtual portal on your phone. On the BeApp, a user is able to virtually attend concerts with mainstream artists like Katy Perry, Miguel, Kaskade, DJ Khaled, Gryffin, Steve Aoki and Flosstradamus, as well as local artists performing new music every day. And these concerts aren’t your typical grainy Zoom call – the app supports an extremely high quality audio and video experience that lets fans engage directly with the artist and jump to the virtual front row for everyone to see. And there’s a lot of exciting things on the roadmap. At the end of the conversation, I chat with Ray about where BeApp is going and some incredible features in the works. Tune in to hear Ray's story!EPISODE TOPICS: (2:59) BeApp snapshot today(4:39) Background and founding story(21:23) Future of live events in entertainment/music(32:53) Building community(36:32) How BeApp works(45:01) Business model(49:16) How the music industry works(58:00) Investor pitching lessons learned(1:05:53) Advice to younger self(1:08:49) BeApp new features(1:16:08) Ray's wellness stack(1:29:12) Ray's startup manifesto(1:32:21) Ray's founder nominationBeApp - download hereFollow Ray on LinkedInFollow BeApp (@beapplive) on Instagram // TwitterRay's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // LinkedIn // TwitterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Brian Verne is the Co-Founder & CEO of Wave.tv. Brian grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and has been in and around sports his entire life. After playing baseball throughout college and looking for another opportunity to compete in the professional world, he discovered startups and has be working on various businesses over the past decade, all at the center of sports and media. As he consistently heard the traditional sports media companies talk about decreasing fandom for younger generations, he knew there was an opportunity. What he knew, that they missed, was that fandom has never been stronger - it just shifted to the rapidly emerging social and digital platforms. This was the key insight that inspired Wave.tv. Today at Wave.tv, Brian and his team are building a next generation sports media company. They produce content across 20 brands, including Break Ankles Daily, for basketball lovers, Dingers, for baseball fanatics and Oddballs, for all the sports you didn’t know you needed. Their content is specifically created for those digital and social platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, TikTok, and Youtube because that’s where the next generation of fans are consuming content. Over the last 3 years they’ve gone sport by sport, and fandom by fandom to build their impressive portfolio. It’s a fairly simple playbook, but one that they have executed masterfully as they've seen parabolic growth in 2020.Tune in to hear Brian's story!EPISODE TOPICS: (2:25) Wave.tv snapshot today(9:44) Background and founding story(12:18) First steps to launch Wave.tv(15:14) Intellectual property and partnerships(18:55) Customer acquisition and marketing(20:21) Future of sports media(23:17) Big growth moments(26:00) Hiring(27:40) Investor pitching advice(30:45) Mentor advice(33:38) Advice to younger self(35:15) Biggest challenges(36:10) Brian's wellness stack(39:09) Exciting trends(41:05) Brian's startup manifesto(43:01) Brian's founder nominationWave.tv - wave.tvFollow Brian (@brian_verne // @brianverne) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedInFollow Wave.tv (@wave.tv // @wavetv) on Instagram // TwitterBrian's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // LinkedIn // TwitterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

CJ MacDonald is the Founder & CEO of Step. CJ grew up in Bay area and always had the entrepreneurial itch. Whether it was his paper route or baseball card shop, he was always hustling and realized he loved building things, a characteristic that would serve him well throughout his career. After playing competitive hockey on the east coast during boarding school and college, he was ready to enter the business world and immediately gravitated towards startups. He spent time in the early stages at a couple of startups before founding Gyft, a digital solution for gift cards that he sold to First Data Corporation in 2014. After a few years at First Data and thinking about what could be next, he realized there was a major gap in the market for banking products that were designed for kids and families in the digital age. That was the initial spark for Step.Today at Step, CJ and his team are revolutionizing banking and financial literacy for the next generation. Step was built specifically for teenagers so anyone 13 years and older is eligible to enroll. When a new user signs up (with proper parent approvals), they’ll receive access to a free FDIC insured bank account and Visa spending card. Step’s goal is to become the first step in the financial journey and not only provide easier access to send & receive money, but also educate the next generation on the fundamentals of personal finance. After a closed beta with rave reviews from early users, Step launched publicly a few weeks ago with support and endorsement from TikTok stars Charli D’Amelio, Addison Rae and several others. Safe to say they are off to a fast start.Tune in to hear CJ's story!EPISODE TOPICS: (2:32) Step snapshot today(5:51) Background and founding story(14:26) Gen Z demographic(20:40) Product evolution and features(27:59) Customer acquisition and marketing(41:04) Future of financial services industry(45:06) Hiring(49:44) Investor lessons(53:43) CJ's wellness stack(1:02:32) CJ's startup manifesto(1:05:37) CJ's founder nominationStep - step.comFollow CJ (@cjmacdonald) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedInFollow Step (@stepmobile // @step) on Instagram // TwitterCJ's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // LinkedIn // TwitterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Giorgos Tsetis is the Co-Founder & CEO of Nutrafol. Giorgos is incredibly talented – studying mechanical engineering in the Netherlands but winding up in New York pursuing a career as a fashion model. After getting the opportunity to travel the world on the back of a successful modeling career, he returned to New York eager to start his next venture. Throughout his travels and early career, he always felt a deep calling to help people and wanted to find a way to make the world a better place. After starting to experience some early signs of hair loss himself and realizing he was genetically at risk given his family history, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He spent some time using pharmaceutical solutions, but after experiencing significant negative side effects, decided he needed to find something more natural that would solve the problem while enabling him to live his life. When he couldn't find anything on the market, Nutrafol was born.Today at Nutrafol, Giorgos and his team are blazing the trail for hair wellness, producing superior products and industry leading science to drive transformative results. Nutrafol’s unique in that they take a holistic approach to tackling hair loss and pioneered the hair wellness category by focusing on the root causes for hair growth - things like stress, metabolism and hormones. About a year ago, I personally noticed that my hair started thinning and was looking for solutions. After trying some basic gummy vitamins without significant results and afraid to try the unhealthy pharmaceuticals for fear of the negative side effects, I was fortunate to find Nutrafol. The core product is packed with nutraceuticals, giving me access to clinical strength, medical grade ingredients that are naturally occurring and good for my body. I’ve been on the product for 9 months and couldn’t be happier with the results.To celebrate that effectiveness and as a special offer for our listeners, we’ve teamed up with Giorgos to give you 20% off your subscription. Just use code “Founder” at checkout to take advantage.Tune in to hear Giorgos's story!EPISODE TOPICS: (2:51) Nutrafol snapshot today(6:39) Background and founding story(18:30) Ingredients & nutraceuticals(24:59) 10X growth(33:57) Competition(38:50) Hiring(42:19) Investor lessons(47:20) Giorgos's wellness stack(56:03) Giorgos's startup manifesto(1:03:29) Giorgos's founder nominationNutrafol - nutrafol.comFollow Giorgos (@giorgostsetis) on Instagram // LinkedInFollow Nutrafol (@nutrafol) on Instagram // TwitterGiorgos's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // LinkedIn // Twitter // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Eliza Blank is the Founder & CEO of The Sill. Although Eliza grew up in a Massachusetts household full of plants, it wasn’t until she moved to New York City to go to school at NYU that she realized how important they were to her. After moving into her high rise apartment in the city, she was desperate to find a way to bring nature back into her life and realized it was a big part of her wellbeing. As she took frequent trips to the park to get her nature fix throughout the rest of her time in college, she never forgot how much she missed that connection with plants. After graduating and spending a few years as a brand strategist, moving from apartment to apartment in NYC, she realized that there wasn’t a consumer brand designed to solve the pain point of discovering, buying and taking care of plants. That’s where she got the idea to start The Sill. Today at The Sill, Eliza and her team have built one of the largest community driven-brands for houseplants on the market today. They have a simple yet powerful mission - to enrich people’s lives through a connection with plants. They go-to market both online and through their 5 brick and mortar stores and are creating thousands of new plant parents each month. In addition to a beautiful product and website, they drive an engaged community through their social content and Plant Parent Club, a membership that unlocks discounts and access to online workshops and events.Tune in to hear Eliza's story!As a special offer for our listeners, Eliza is giving you 10% off all of The Sill’s products through the end of October. Use code Founder10 at checkout to add some plants to your life.EPISODE TOPICS: (2:34) The Sill snapshot today(4:12) Background and founding story(9:46) Plant benefits(11:58) Initial platform launch(13:56) Supply chain(16:36) Brick and mortar store experience(20:26) Customer profiles(23:25) Covid impact(24:35) Customer acquisition(26:45) Community and brand(30:09) Competition(32:31) Manifesting the future(34:20) Hiring(38:02) Investor lessons(43:00) Mentor lessons(45:03) Eliza's wellness stack(52:08) Emerging trends(53:26) Eliza's founder nomination (54:01) Eliza's startup manifesto The Sill - thesill.comFollow Eliza (@elizablank) on Instagram // LinkedInFollow The Sill (@thesill) on Instagram // TwitterEliza's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // LinkedIn // Twitter // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Zach Moreno is the Co-Founder & CEO of Squadcast. Zach is a dual-threat, getting his start at art school studying both graphic design and full stack computer engineering. After spending some time on Google’s Chrome team and being exposed to what’s possible on the internet across audio, video and cloud, he spent the next few years sharpening his skills, working for the government and teaching at Cal Berkeley. Ultimately, he found his way back to his creative roots and started a podcast as a side project, but when he tried to record remotely with his brother and best friend, found that the virtual collaboration tools available just weren’t good enough to achieve the quality they expected. And that’s how Squadcast was born.Today at Squadcast, Zach and his team have built the Lamborghini of virtual audio recording. Their mission is to amplify collaboration through technology and they do it by enabling podcasters to capture the highest quality audio from their conversations with guests all over the world. When you use Squadcast, you immediately realize the massive difference between their platform and something like Zoom or Skype. While Zoom and Skype compress the audio before playing it back in your headphones, giving it that crushed ("telephone") type of sound, Squadcast records the audio on both sides locally, saving it as the highest quality possible and then sending it through. Squadcast is building the future of audio collaboration, and with partners like Dolby Labs as well as new features around lossless video recording and the ability to watch your favorite podcasters record their conversation live, there’s a lot to be excited about.Tune in to hear Zach's story!Start using Squadcast today with this link.EPISODE TOPICS: (2:50) Squadcast snapshot today(6:08) Background and founding story(10:07) Being a technical founder(13:52) Squadcast vs Zoom(18:21) Product roadmap(25:39) Podcasting landscape(35:32) Fundraising approach(43:11) Zach's wellness stack(51:33) Zach's startup manifesto (54:31) Zach's founder nomination Squadcast - squadcast.fmFollow Zach (@zach__moreno) on Instagram // LinkedInFollow Squadcast (@squadcastfm) on InstagramZach's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // LinkedIn // Twitter // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Matt Britton is the Founder of Suzy. Matt is a serial entrepreneur and hustler, getting his start at Boston University and becoming somewhat of a legend as a club promoter in the area. After building a reputation, he began to engage with local companies who wanted to advertise at his events and leverage his network of 75 college student promoters to help promote their businesses. That was the foundation for his first marketing agency, The Magma Group. After a couple of twists and turns and the dot com crash in the early 2000s, he ultimately started a second agency called Mr. Youth (which later rebranded to MRY), a full stack marketing agency and one of the first to run social marketing for big brands. As a part of MRY, he built software called CrowdTap to help manage and incentivize a massive network of college reps, not too unlike the network of college promoters he had built in his early days. CrowdTap was the foundation for the business he runs today called Suzy.Today at Suzy, Matt and his team have built a software platform that enables companies, both large and small, to rapidly access and engage consumers in real-time to help drive better business decisions. The Suzy team and business are growing like crazy, launching like a rocketship in 2018 and now supporting over 100 employees and 250 enterprise customers. In a digital-first landscape with rapidly changing consumer sentiment, companies like Suzy are the future of market research.Tune in to hear Matt's story!EPISODE TOPICS: (2:30) Suzy snapshot today(3:37) Background and founding story(12:10) Social marketing in the early days(15:41) Product current/future state(18:29) Millennials(22:07) Startup marketing opportunities(24:00) Future of DTC brands(25:37) Competition(30:40) Hiring(35:21) Investor and mentor advice(37:02) Advice to younger self(38:41) Matt's wellness stack(45:12) Exciting trends(47:33) Matt's startup manifesto (48:46) Matt's founder nomination Suzy - suzy.comFollow Matt (@mattbrittonnyc) on Instagram // LinkedInFollow Suzy (@asksuzybiz) on Instagram // TwitterMatt's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // LinkedIn // Twitter // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Josh Clemente is the Co-Founder of Levels. Josh is a rocket scientist and worked at SpaceX for 6 years, managing the team that designed the life support systems in their space shuttles. Overtime, he started to notice extreme levels of fatigue and experienced volatile spikes and crashes of energy throughout his day. For someone that worked out consistently and followed the guidelines for what he believed to be healthy practices, things didn’t seem to add up. After experimenting with glucose monitoring, he realized that he was pre-diabetic, borderlining on fully-blown diabetic, and that the foods he was eating were having a significant impact on his performance. It was this discovery and struggle to derive actionable insights from his glucose monitoring that led him to start Levels.Today at Levels, Josh and his team are revolutionizing the way people think about their metabolic health. And why is metabolic health so important? Before Levels, an average person had no way of understanding how efficiently or inefficiently their body was producing energy. Levels enables you to access and understand this information in real-time, so you can start making better diet and lifestyle choices to avoid those energy peaks and valleys. When you join their program, you’ll receive two, 14-day continuous glucose monitors that stay on your arm and measure the glucose in your blood. Using the Levels app, you’re able to seamlessly monitor how different foods as well as things like sleep, stress and exercise are impacting your glucose levels and then proactively make adjustments. In the future, Levels will be able to predict and recommend what you should do to optimize your energy, acting almost as a virtual health coach with personalized recommendations based on your specific choices.Tune in to hear Josh's story!As of September 2020, Levels is currently in waitlist only beta-mode. However, as a special offer just for our listeners, go to levels.link/thefounderpod to cut the 31,000 person waitlist and get the product ASAP. EPISODE TOPICS: (3:12) Levels snapshot today(4:10) Metabolic health explanation(6:28) Personalization(8:45) CGM history(13:12) Background and founding story(17:52) Product evolution(26:48) Customer adoption(30:23) Marketing/growth tactics(33:10) Competitive landscape(37:30) Manifesting the future vision(40:52) Hiring(44:10) Founding team strategy(47:56) Advice to younger self(51:02) Josh's wellness stack(1:03:43) Josh's startup manifesto (1:07:52) Josh's founder nomination Levels - levelshealth.comFollow Josh (@josh.f.clemente) on Instagram // LinkedInFollow Levels (@unlocklevels) on InstagramJosh's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // LinkedIn // Twitter // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Michael Kranitz is the Founder and CEO of Eventsquid. With a background in speech, standup comedy and radio in his early life, Michael went to law school in an attempt to figure out what he wanted to do longer-term. After graduating, he found himself practicing corporate litigation law for the next several years and experienced a broad exposure to a variety of different businesses and business models. Although he was building a successful law career, he always felt in the back of his mind that it wasn’t his calling and wanted to make the jump to technology. Through a series of twists and turns, he became a serial entrepreneur, launching software companies across automotive, mail catalogs, radio control flying, and newspaper syndication - selling his companies to bigger players along the way. He eventually wound up building an event management platform for radio control events, a space he had a ton of personal passion for. Along the way, he started branching out to events beyond radio control to things like archery, bodybuilding and golf. Those early verticals laid the foundation for Eventsquid.Today at Eventsquid, Michael and his team have built a comprehensive event management solution. Their software helps event planners handle everything they need to execute a flawless event, including things like event promotion, setup, mobile app, day-of check-in, badges, speaker management, vendor management, reporting and more. They work with a range of clients across all industries and have built solutions that facilitate virtual events as well!Tune in to hear Michael's story!EPISODE TOPICS: (2:28) Eventsquid snapshot today(4:05) Background and Eventsquid founding story(20:30) Product iteration(26:38) Marketing tactics(29:20) Unit economics and business model(30:40) Competitive landscape(34:46) Product improvements(37:07) Covid impact(40:34) Future of events(44:50) Hiring(47:52) Mentor advice(52:37) Advice to younger self(55:01) Market trends(58:23) Learning & resources(59:20) Michael's startup manifesto (1:03:38) Michael's founder nomination Eventsquid - eventsquid.comFollow Michael on LinkedInFollow Eventsquid (@eventsquid) on InstagramMichael's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // LinkedIn // Twitter // NewsletterDon't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Dan Kurzrock is the Co-Founder and CEO of ReGrained. Dan spent his free time in college brewing his own beer. After he was finished with each batch, he was blown away with the amount of grain was left over. For every 6-pack he brewed, he had almost a pound of grain that he would throw in the trash, a by-product of the brewing process. Overtime, he grew uneasy with how much waste the process was creating and wondered if there was a better way to utilize the grain. He started taking the leftover grain and used it to bake bread. He would then sell the bread and use the proceeds to fund his beer brewing hobby. Quite the operation. His first idea, naturally, was to start a brewery that was also a bakery, so he could do both at scale. But as he started talking to all the new microbreweries that were popping up in 2009 and 2010, he realized this was a much bigger opportunity than he thought. And that’s how ReGrained was born.Today at ReGrained, Dan and his team have a lot in the hopper. They’ve created a patented technology, process and machine to upcycle wet beer grain into their powerful SuperGrain+. This stuff is no joke as it packs 3.4x more fiber than normal whole wheat flour, with added prebiotics and as much protein as almond flour. Today, they use Supergrain+ across two business segments. First, they make their own puffs and bars that they sell to customers directly on their website and in stores. They also have a wholesale business, where they sell the SuperGrain+ directly to other food companies that use it in their products. Tune in to hear Dan's story!As a special offer, Dan is giving our listeners 15% off everything on their site. Just use code "FounderPod15" at checkout.EPISODE TOPICS: (2:42) ReGrained snapshot today(4:30) Supergrain+ nutritional value(8:04) Background and ReGrained founding story(12:41) Grain treatment process(18:07) Growth timing(21:49) Supply penetration(25:42) Creating a new market(27:39) Upcycling education(31:54) Food waste is a huge problem(36:23) Prioritization(39:15) Corporate Innovation(44:42) Hiring(48:17) Mentor/investor advice(52:12) Advice to younger self(54:39) Market Trends(56:45) Learning & resources(58:55) Dan's startup manifesto (1:01:53) Dan's founder nomination ReGrained - regrained.comFollow Dan (@dkurzrock) on Instagram // LinkedInFollow ReGrained (@regrained) on InstagramDan's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // LinkedIn // Twitter // Newsletter

Masha Titova is the Founder and CEO of Titov. Masha went to school for fashion design and after graduating, moved to LA to work for several fashion houses and startups including Marc Jacobs, BCBG Maxazria, and YEEZY. As a production manager at Yeezy, she found herself working long hours traveling all over to different manufacturing facilities. In the middle of a super hot day, she felt uncomfortable with her bra and took it off during work. After feeling embarrassed and annoyed, she made it her mission to create lingerie that didn’t distract her from her day. And that’s how Titov was born.Today at Titov, Masha and her team set out to make modern lingerie that’s comfortable and fun. They operate under a mentality that underwear should work with you, not against you, and drive a positive experience to support you throughout your day. They use high quality, sustainable materials, and offer non-restrictive sizes with the option for made-to-order.Tune in to hear Masha's story!As a special offer, Masha is giving our listeners 15% off your first order. Just use code "Founder" at checkout.EPISODE TOPICS: (2:05) Titov snapshot today(3:00) Background and Titov founding story(5:34) What makes Titov unique(12:04) Learnings from working at YEEZY & BCBG(14:01) Distribution strategy(16:03) Marketing strategy and tactics(22:36) Future of retail(28:36) Competition(31:51) Manifesting the future(33:18) Hiring(38:53) Mentor advice(41:06) Frustrating/validating moment(42:30) Fundraising approach(46:25) Advice to younger self(51:09) Learning & resources(52:43) Masha's startup manifesto (54:39) Masha's founder nomination Titov - titovlabel.comFollow Masha (@mtitova3) on Instagram // LinkedInFollow Titov (@titovlabel) on InstagramMasha's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // LinkedIn // Twitter // Newsletter

Matt Scanlan is the Co-Founder and CEO of Naadam. Despite getting kicked out of more schools than he was let into, Matt left college early after landing a great job in private equity. After 3 years and a lot of burn out, he decided to take a break and travel throughout Asia. When he got to his first stop in Mongolia, he wound up deep in the countryside, looking to experience the true nomadic lifestyle. After living with a family of goat herders for the next month, he started to notice some of the pain points of their lifestyle, and launched a nonprofit with initiatives like livestock insurance, water and grasslands projects and veterinary care to help improve and preserve their culture and livelihood. What he realized was that the economic system the herders were a part of, selling goat fiber used for cashmere to local buyers, was rigged. The buyers would come in, set a super low price, and get away with it because they were literally the only buyer in town. Matt realized that the best way to help his nomadic friends and other communities like theirs was to buy up all their raw material. And that’s how Naadam was born. Today at Naadam, Matt and his team make men’s and women’s clothes from the best cashmere in the world, straight off the backs of goats from Mongolia’s Gobi desert. They cut out all the middle men from the traditional cashmere trade and work directly with local herders so they can pay them 50% more and charge you 50% less for the softest knitwear on the planet. Their $75, 100% cashmere sweater blew up their business when it launched in 2018, and today, they employ over 100 people. Perhaps the most impressive thing about their business is the commitment to sustainability from Day 1. They have goals to ensure livable wages across their supply chain, promote ethical conditions for the animals that produce their raw materials and go carbon neutral by reducing emissions and leveraging renewable energy.Tune in to hear Matt's story!As a special offer, Matt is giving our listeners 15% off all products on their site. Just use code "TheFounder15" at checkout.EPISODE TOPICS: (2:55) Naadam snapshot today(4:16) Background and Naadam founding story(23:46) Customer acquisition and marketing(26:10) Cashmere vs other materials(29:23) Omni-channel distribution strategy(33:33) Angel investing strategies(40:35) Something Navy, Thakoon CEO role(43:16) Hiring(45:55) Investor lessons learned(47:31) Manifesting the future(50:01) Emerging trends(51:14) Learning & resources(51:57) Matt's startup manifesto (52:42) Matt's founder nomination Naadam - naadam.coFollow Matt (@matthewscanlan) on Instagram // LinkedInFollow Naadam (@naadam.co) on InstagramMatt's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // LinkedIn // Twitter // Newsletter

Kevin Gould is the Founder and CEO of Kombo Ventures and the Co-Founder of Glamnetic, Wakeheart and Insert Name Here. Kevin always knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur, but when he graduated from college in 2007, he didn’t know exactly where to look. With his sights set on the entertainment industry, he beelined for LA and found himself working at William Morris Endeavor, one of the biggest talent agencies in the world. He started in the mailroom and ultimately worked as an assistant to several agents, building an unparalleled rolodex of Hollywood connections. In addition to the entertainment space, he had a strong interest in technology and spent his weekends flying to Silicon Valley to take meetings with founders, VCs and angel investors. Overtime, he realized there was a glaring gap between the talent and personalities in the entertainment industry and the tech companies that wanted to partner with that talent to promote their startups. He ultimately left WME to capitalize on that market opportunity and provided business development and strategy for early to late stage startups on how to interface with the entertainment industry. That was an early version of the company he runs today, Kombo Ventures.Today at Kombo, Kevin and his team have broadened their focus beyond just entertainment strategy. First, they operate as a brand studio, launching and scaling 3 beauty brands with influencer co-founders. Those brands include Glamnetic, the world’s leading magnetic liner and lash company, Wakeheart a fragrance, scent and personal care brand and Insert Name Here, a hair extension and wig company. In addition to the brand studio, they also run a talent management arm, representing some of the biggest YouTubers in the world. Kevin also runs a venture arm that has invested in 13 companies including Draft Kings, Clutter, Whistle, Step, Ten Thousand and more.Tune in to hear Kevin's story!As a special offer, Kevin is giving our listeners 15% off all products from any of his three beauty brands. Just use code Kallaway at checkout - Glamnetic, Wakeheart, Insert Name Here.EPISODE TOPICS: (3:05) Kombo snapshot today(4:27) Background(12:29) Working with influencers(15:58) Building brands(21:12) Team structure(22:22) How to focus(27:56) How saturated is the influencer space(29:30) Influencer brand deals(36:03) Marketing tactics(39:19) School vs experience(43:34) Manifesting the future(48:07) Hiring(52:01) Angel investing strategies(1:01:37) Frustrating/validating moment(1:07:11) Learning & resources(1:08:47) Kevin's startup manifesto (1:12:09) Kevin's founder nomination Kombo Ventures - www.komboventures.comFollow Kevin (@keving) on Instagram // LinkedInFollow Glamnetic (@glamnetic), Wakeheart (@wakeheart), Insert Name Here (@insertnamehere)Kevin's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // LinkedIn // Twitter // Newsletter

Carolyn Treasure is the Co-Founder and CEO of Peachy. Carolyn has no shortage of impressive credentials. After getting her undergrad degree at UNC Chapel Hill, she went to Harvard Medical School. It was at Harvard that people started asking her for advice on how to prevent wrinkles. Paired with her personal interest to explore the space, she dove deep into the scientific literature to find that there was a lot of strong data supporting 3 core products in successful wrinkle prevention. That’s when she got the idea to create Peachy.At Peachy, Carolyn and her team have created the one-stop shop for wrinkle treatment and prevention. Their 3 step formula is based around preventive botox, prescription strength retinoids and daily-use sunscreen. The beauty of their program is that it doesn’t change or alter your natural appearance. Peachy operates both online and in their brick and mortar studio, which just opened up in Soho, in New York City. This was an inspiring interview that really showcased the science behind wrinkle prevention and debunked some major myths around botox. Tune in to hear Carolyn's story!As a special offer, Carolyn is giving our listeners $25 off all in-studio preventative Botox and prescription retinoid appointments. Just mention the founder podcast at the front desk and you’ll get the discount. Go to peachystudio.com for more details!EPISODE TOPICS: (2:07) Peachy snapshot today(3:17) Background(5:10) Botox and retinoids(9:29) Peachy business model(10:42) First steps(12:31) Botox stigma(14:35) Consumer education(15:38) Signs people need botox(16:22) Customer profile(17:50) Expanding the brand(19:06) Marketing tactics(21:21) Covid impact(23:24) Investor lessons(27:26) Competition(29:23) Manifesting the future(31:27) Hiring(32:38) Mentor advice(36:12) Frustrating/validating moment(38:32) Advice to younger self(42:42) Exciting trends(43:52) Morning routine(45:00) Favorite brands/products(47:06) Learning & resources(48:34) Carolyn's startup manifesto (49:46) Carolyn's founder nomination Peachy - www.peachystudio.comFollow Peachy (@peachystudionyc) on InstagramFollow Carolyn (@cltreasure) on Instagram // LinkedInCarolyn's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // LinkedIn // Twitter // Newsletter

Elizabeth Grojean is the Founder and CEO of Baloo. Elizabeth bounced around several different industries before getting to where she is today. After graduating from University of Texas with a marketing degree, she held roles in politics, advertising, and finance before working for a startup tequila brand and ultimately in children’s book publishing at Scholastic. Throughout all her experiences, she still felt like she had a lot of untapped energy, drive and ambition to give that wasn’t being utilized. So she quit. She said she felt like a huge failure and decided to go to the one place in the world that she felt really good – Bali. When she got there, it was an unlock. She was able to get out of the typical corporate grind for productivity and reconnect with what made her joyful. That’s where she got the idea to start Baloo.At Baloo, Elizabeth and her team sell weighted blankets, a proven remedy to help people that suffer from poor sleep and anxiety. While it remains unclear exactly why weighted blankets cause better and deeper sleep, it’s believed that weighted blankets mimic the memory of being bundled up in our mother’s arms, a comforting feeling that promotes relaxation. Baloo makes their blankets with glass microbeads and has rave reviews from their customers.This was an inspiring interview that really highlighted how we don’t all have a straight line path to get to where we want to go and how passion and energy for great products that solve a real need can take you far.Tune in to hear Elizabeth's story!As a special offer, this founder is giving our listeners 10% off all weighted blankets. Use code “Founder” when checking out at balooliving.com to take advantage of the offer!EPISODE TOPICS: (2:30) Baloo snapshot today(3:31) Background(8:40) Spark for idea(10:21) Weighted blanket benefits(11:16) Prototype creation(13:14) Product testing(17:12) Key customer segments(18:15) Long-term growth(19:19) Outside the box marketing tactics(20:53) Competition(22:20) Covid Impact(24:15) Manifesting the future(26:12) Health and wellness space(29:12) Bali living(32:33) Hiring(33:42) Mentor advice(36:47) Frustrating/validating moment(39:22) Advice to younger self(40:06) Biggest challenge today(43:50) Exciting trends(45:40) Morning routine(48:36) Favorite brands/products(50:52) Learning & resources(51:44) Elizabeth's startup manifesto (54:20) Elizabeth's founder nomination Baloo - www.balooliving.comFollow Baloo (@balooliving) on InstagramFollow Elizabeth (@elizabethmanette) on Instagram // LinkedInElizabeth's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn // Youtube

Shannon McLay is the Founder and CEO of Financial Gym. Shannon never had a career as an entrepreneur in her life plan. Starting from when she was 14, she had one thing on her mind – making money. She started working in investment banking out of college and used to tell everyone, “I’m not changing the world, I’m just making money.” When she hit 30, she started questioning her purpose and realized she didn’t have a great answer for herself. As she started looking for a financial advisor of her own, she realized they all looked and felt the same. After becoming a financial advisor herself and realizing she was spending more time helping people pro-bono than the clients she was paid to advise (with over $250K in assets), she knew there was an unmet need. That’s when she got the idea for Financial Gym.At Financial Gym, Shannon and her team are chasing a noble mission – to change the financial health of this and future generations. They work with over 3,000 clients remotely across all 50 states as well as in their 4 physical locations. They have a diverse client base, ranging from 17 to 74 years old across all levels of financial health and think of themselves like a regular gym but for your money.This was an inspiring interview that helped break down the big scary monster that is financial health and taught me a bunch of things I should be doing to improve my own. Tune in to hear Shannon's story!Mention “The Founder Podcast” during your free consultation and get 40% off your membership during Covid (15% off when Covid ends).EPISODE TOPICS: (2:28) Financial Gym snapshot today(3:22) Background(10:27) Initial product(20:00) Business model today(20:45) Financial plan details(25:09) Financial health themes/pitfalls(28:40) Financial tips(36:25) Ways to negotiate your salary(38:24) Outside the box marketing tactics(42:40) Competition(46:20) Scale(49:09) Manifesting the future(50:08) Hiring(52:31) Financial health myth-busters(54:31) Investor lessons(55:50) Mentor advice(57:47) Advice to younger self(58:37) Biggest challenge today(1:00:03) Exciting trends(1:01:53) Learning & resources(1:03:32) Shannon's startup manifesto (1:04:07) Shannon's founder nomination Financial Gym - www.financialgym.comFollow The Financial Gym (@thefinancialgym) on InstagramFollow Shannon (@theshannonmclay) on Instagram // LinkedIn // PodcastShannon's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn // YoutubeFollow Kallaway on Instagram // Twitter 

Steph Hon is the Founder and CEO of Cadence. Like many of us, Steph found herself always on the move. Whether public transit or rock climbing, across towns or between countries, she seemed to always face this pain point around transporting her personal care products when she was on the go. If it wasn’t the heavy second bag or the fear of leaks and spills, it was the general discomfort of buying single use plastics and their negative impact on the environment. She wanted to create a solution that would empower her on the go just like she felt empowered at home. So she created one and named it Cadence.At Cadence, Steph and her team have a lofty mission – to end single use, travel sized plastics. As a brand, they build intuitive movement solutions for the modern day consumer. Their first product, the capsule, is the next generation way to carry your health and wellness products while on the go. Could be vitamins, sunscreen, shampoo, hair gels, or anything else you need when you’re moving from one place to another – dry or wet, lotion or powder, liquid or solid, the capsule can handle it. The capsule is a hexagonal container made from recycled, ocean bound plastics that has no-show magnets inside so they can connect to one another. When you connect multiple capsules, it builds a honeycomb system that will stay together when you throw it in your bag. While the capsule is just the first in a long line of Cadence products, the commitment to beautiful design and quality is sure to persist as the brands grows.This was an inspiring interview that taught me a lot about what it takes to launch a DTC brand and how to handle early roadblocks along the way.Tune in to hear Steph's story!Use code “Founder” at checkout to get 15% off all Cadence products.EPISODE TOPICS: (2:26) Cadence snapshot today(4:17) Background(5:11) Spark for cadence(6:42) Design process(9:40) Customer profile(11:30) Use cases for the capsule(12:56) Customer education(14:03) Marketing tactics(16:00) Brand collaborations(17:42) Product roadmap(19:22) Competition(21:42) Covid-19 impact(23:45) Manifesting the future(26:45) Hiring(31:29) Why was creating the capsule so difficult?(33:21) Investor lessons(39:06) Mentor advice(40:04) Frustrating/validating moment(46:26) Advice to younger self(49:37) Founder mentality(50:05) Exciting trends(52:02) Morning routine(53:42) Secret weapon(55:54) Learning & resources(57:17) Steph's startup manifesto (59:15) Steph's founder nomination Cadence - www.keepyourcadence.comFollow Cadence (@keepyourcadence) on InstagramFollow Steph (@stephhon) on Instagram // LinkedIn Steph's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn // Facebook 

Lisa Curtis is the Founder and CEO of Kuli Kuli. While working for The Peace Corps in 2011, Lisa was stationed in Niger, West Africa. As a vegetarian in Africa, she found herself eating mostly rice and millet, a diet that left her feeling tired and weak for the majority of the day. When she mentioned it to a couple of women in her local village, they literally grabbed leaves off a nearby tree and mixed them with a West African peanut snack called Kuli Kuli. Turns out, that tree was a Moringa tree and those leaves were more nutritious than Kale. As she ate that mixture each morning for the next several weeks, she found her strength start to come back and knew that Moringa had to be shared with the world.At Kuli Kuli, Lisa and her team are building and scaling the world’s leading Moringa brand. In addition to being more nutritious than Kale with respect to protein, iron, calcium and fiber, Moringa offers some incredible health benefits including supporting cardiovascular health, gut health and anti-inflammation. Kuli Kuli sells Moringa in a variety of different forms including energy shots, powders for smoothies as well as superfood bars. In addition to all of the health benefits, Kuli Kuli is a certified B corp, meaning that their social mission in embedded in their legal DNA. Their international supply chain is designed to empower small family farmers and women’s cooperatives all over the world, unlocking the US market for thousands of low income families.This was an inspiring interview that taught me a ton about growing and scaling an international supply chain and shed light on one of the best new healthy alternatives to kale & spinach on the market. Tune in to hear Lisa's story!Use code “Founder” at checkout to get 10% off all Kuli Kuli products.EPISODE TOPICS: (2:31) Kuli Kuli snapshot today(3:17) Background / spark for idea(4:44) Health benefits of Moringa(5:29) First steps in launch(6:33) Customer research / education(7:15) Product mix / roadmap(9:03) Customer profile(10:26) International supply chain(14:27) Marketing tactics(17:49) Competition(19:54) Manifesting the future(21:40) Hiring(24:18) Investor lessons(27:14) Mentor advice(28:38) Frustrating / validating moment(30:35) Advice to younger self(31:38) What keeps you up at night(33:13) Exciting trends(34:12) Morning routine(35:42) Favorite products(36:37) Learning & resources(37:24) Lisa's startup manifesto (39:41) Lisa's founder nomination Kuli Kuli - www.kulikulifoods.comFollow Kuli Kuli (@kulikulifoods) on Instagram // TwitterFollow Lisa (@lisamcurtis) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn Lisa's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn // Facebook 

Olivia Landau and Kyle Simon are the Co-Founders and CEO/COO of The Clear Cut. Olivia and Kyle are a dynamic duo power couple who met during their time studying at GIA, the Gemological Institute of America. A few years after graduating from gem school, they started noticing a lot of their friends were looking to get engaged and would often ask them for help, tips and even to design their custom rings. What initially started as an educational blog to help people better understand the do’s and don'ts of ring buying, quickly turned into a frenzy on the internet, with people from all over the world wanting custom rings and jewelry.At The Clear Cut, Olivia, Kyle and their team have built a direct to consumer diamond engagement ring and fine jewelry powerhouse. They’ve taken what has traditionally been known as a mysterious, pay to play to industry and completely disrupted it, adding a layer of amazing customer service and transparency with their customers. Their goal is to be the end-to-end jewelry brand for the digital age. This was an inspiring interview that taught me a ton about the diamond industry and shed light on one of the best new brands in the space. Tune in to hear Olivia and Kyle's story!EPISODE TOPICS: (2:02) What does The Clear Cut look like today (mission, vision, products, size)? (2:39) What is your background and what were you both working on before starting The Clear Cut? (6:40) What's the difference between buying a ring from The Clear Cut vs another jewelry store?(11:00) What type of information does a prospective customer typically share when they come to you?(13:49) What was your Techstars experience like?(17:33) What marketing strategies have worked for you?(21:44) What are some business challenges/struggles you've had?(23:12) How do you think about hiring?(26:16) How do you think about competition? (29:24) What type of engagement rings are popular today?(31:00) Where do you want The Clear Cut to be in 5-10 years?(32:22) What's it like co-founding a company with your significant other?(37:35) What is your approach to fundraising?(32:04) What's the biggest investor lesson you've learned?(40:21) What out of the box marketing strategies did you try that didn't work?(43:09) If you could teleport back to when you started, what would tell yourself?(52:50) What resources would you recommend to others? (54:00) Olivia and Kyle's startup manifesto (56:08) Olivia and Kyle's founder nomination The Clear Cut - www.theclearcut.coFollow The Clear Cut (@theclearcut) on Instagram // TikTokFollow Olivia (@olivialandau) on Instagram // LinkedIn // PodcastFollow Kyle on LinkedInOlivia and Kyle's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn // Facebook 

Michael Markesbery is the Co-Founder and CEO of Oros. Michael has always been a self-proclaimed science geek. During his sophomore year at Miami University, he took a backpacking trip to the Swiss Alps. After triumphantly making it to the top of the tallest mountain, he was disappointed to realize he looked like the Michelin Man, wearing layers upon layers of puffy goose down coats to keep him warm. He didn’t get it. With all this incredible innovation happening in other industries, why was outerwear the same old, same old? When he got back to school, he learned about aerogel, the best insulation in the universe. It’s the thing that NASA puts in space shuttles to keep the astronauts warm in space. He thought immediately that this stuff needed to be in every jacket on the planet. After some experimentation and trial and error to get the aerogel into a form that worked for apparel, Lukla was born. Today, Lukla goes by a new name…Oros.At Oros, Michael and his team make next generation consumer apparel. Their tagline “Find Your Beyond” couldn’t be more true as their clothes are designed to withstand the coldest elements. You can literally wear a T-shirt and their jacket at the top of a mountain and stay completely warm. Today, they sell jackets, midlayers and pants as well as a few accessories for both men and women, but it’s easy to see where they could go from here.This was an inspiring interview that opened my mind up to what’s possible in the apparel space.Tune in to hear Michael's story!Use code “Founder” at checkout to get 15% off all Oros products through the end of August.EPISODE TOPICS: (2:28) What does Oros look like today (mission, vision, products, size)? (3:18) What is your background and what were you working on before starting Oros? (14:20) How have you tackled fashion vs function when designing your products?(17:30) Who are your core customers and how much education does it take to get them to purchase Oros products?(20:02) How do you think about competition? (22:15) What marketing strategies have worked for Oros?(25:20) What will Oros look like in 5-10 years?(26:13) What do you look for in people you hire?(32:04) What's the biggest investor lesson you've learned?(34:01) What has been your most frustrating/validating moment as a founder?(39:54) If you could teleport back to when you started, what would tell yourself?(44:48) What resources would you recommend to others? (45:38) Michael's startup manifesto (46:43) Michael's founder nomination Oros - www.orosapparel.comFollow Oros (@orosapparel) on Instagram // TwitterFollow Michael (@michaelmarkesbery) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn Michael's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn // Facebook 

Ryan Denehy is the Founder and CEO of Electric. Ryan is a 3x founder who got his start making extreme sports videos. He parlayed that into an online ad network and media company that eventually sold to USA Today Sports in 2008. After realizing he didn't want to spend the rest of his career in online advertising, he left USA Today and started his first software company, Swarm. The vision for Swarm was to build a google analytics type solution for small and medium sized retailers. Ryan sold Swarm to Groupon in 2014. During his time building Swarm, Ryan was selling products through a network of local IT providers. When he realized only a handful of the IT providers he was working with provided the expertise and service level he expected, he knew there was an opportunity for disruption. In 2016, Electric was born. At Electric, Ryan and his team have a super simple mission - make IT really easy for companies that don't have a robust IT department. For small and medium-sized companies that don't have multi-million dollar budgets for IT, they still want a world-class solution that is going to work with rather than against them. Today, Electric has about 200 employees serving over 300 customers and is seeing incredible growth. This was an inspiring interview that got me fired up about the future of work and the way companies will continue to evolve with software. Tune in to hear Ryan's story! EPISODE TOPICS: (2:18) What does Electric look like today (mission, vision, products, size)? (3:29) What is your background and what were you working on before starting Electric? (10:34) What did your first 6-12 months look like at Electric? (18:43) How does the product work? (21:26) How do you think about product iteration? (27:56) What marketing tactics did you use to get paying customers early on? (31:13) How do you think about competition? (34:34) How are companies grappling with increased needs for remote work with decreased budgets? (40:00) What has your funding journey looked like? (45:04) What will Electric look like in 5-10 years? (46:13) What do you look for when you hire? (53:40) What is your approach to mentorship? (1:00:13) If you could teleport back to when you started each of your three companies, what would you tell yourself? (1:07:17) What does your morning routine look like? (1:12:02) What resources would you recommend to others? (1:13:10) Ryan's startup manifesto (1:15:38) Ryan's founder nomination Electric - www.electric.aiFollow Electric (@electric_ai) on Instagram // TwitterFollow Ryan (@denehyxxl) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn Ryan's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn // Facebook 

Meg Maupin is the Co-Founder and CEO of Atolla. After getting her start as a designer at places like FormLabs and Patagonia, she enrolled in a special dual degree program at MIT that enabled her to focus on both Product Engineering and Business. During her first year in school, she started to experience some autoimmune issues that led her to keep a detailed skin diary to help diagnose the problem. It got her thinking, why isn’t there a better way to figure out what’s wrong with my skin? When she combined her design background with the AI and Machine Learning capabilities she was studying at MIT, Atolla was born. At Atolla, Meg and her team are building a data-first skincare company. When you sign up as a new customer, you complete an intake questionnaire about your diet, environment, lifestyle and current routine. Based on information about people who are similar to you, Atolla’s predictive model creates your first month's serum. Every month after, you complete an at-home skin analysis test that measures your oil, moisture and PH levels to further refine your custom formula. Their algorithms are also able to tell you which of the other products you use work well together, as well as which ones don’t, so you can switch up your routine to get the healthiest skin possible. This was an inspiring interview that got me excited about the way consumer companies are using data to deliver personalized products, services and experiences. Tune in to hear Meg's story! Use code "Founder" at checkout to get 15% off your first month! EPISODE TOPICS: (2:22) What does Atolla look like today (mission, vision, products, size)? (5:10) What is your background and what were you working on before starting Atolla? (6:25) Where did the spark for Atolla come from? (10:55) What trends did you learn about skin early on? (13:53) How did you build the initial prototypes for the skin test, serum and data models? (24:17) Is there an industry standard for an ideal skin? (25:23) What marketing tactics did you use to get paying customers early on? (35:32) How do you think about product iteration? (40:52) Where do you see the skincare industry going? (43:41) What has your funding journey looked like? (52:15) What will Atolla look like in 5-10 years? (58:42) What has been your most frustrating/validating moment as a founder? (1:03:57) How do you get over self-doubt? (1:08:01) What resources would recommend to others? (1:14:00) Meg's startup manifesto (1:18:08) Meg's founder nomination Atolla - www.atolla.co (Use code "Founder" for 15% off your first month)Follow Atolla (@atollaskinlab) on Instagram // Twitter // TikTokFollow Meg (@m_maup) on Instagram // LinkedIn Meg's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn // Facebook 

Justin Mares is the Co-Founder and CEO of Kettle & Fire. After getting his start launching Roommate Fit, an eharmony type service that matched college roommates based on personality to prevent the classic “crazy random roommate” problem, Justin spent a few years in growth and marketing roles before launching Kettle & Fire in 2015. Along the way he wrote a book called Traction, launched a couple of online courses on growth hacking, acquired a couple of Shopify app based businesses and co-founded a second company, Perfect Keto, in 2017. At Kettle & Fire, Justin and his team are building and scaling the fastest growing bone broth brand in the US. Today, they have over 30 employees and sell a range of products across bone broths and soups. At Perfect Keto, he and his team have built a collection of food and supplements to serve as a launch pad for people going keto. The mission across both companies is simple, to produce and sell products that make people healthier. This was an inspiring interview that got me excited about changing the narrative around healthy consumption and food trends in the US. Tune in to hear Justin's story! Use code "TheFounder" at checkout to get 15% off! EPISODE TOPICS: (2:31) What do Kettle & Fire and Perfect Keto look like today (mission, vision, products, size)? (4:09) What is your background and what were you working on before starting Kettle & Fire? (11:34) Where did the spark for the idea for Kettle & Fire come from? (19:37) How did you make the first prototype for Kettle & Fire? (22:19) What is bone broth and how do you make it?(25:07) What marketing tactics have worked for you?(29:29) How do you think about competition?(32:49) What is your approach to fundraising for both businesses?(38:08) What characteristics do you look for when hiring?(43:58) What do you think Kettle & Fire looks like in 5-10 years?(45:19) What's the best piece of advice you got from a mentor?(47:14) What has been your most frustrating moment as a founder?(50:03) What emerging trends excite you?(57:27) What resources would recommend to others? (1:00:22) Justin's startup manifesto (1:04:03) Justin's founder nomination Kettle & Fire - www.kettleandfire.com [Use code "TheFounder" at checkout to get 15% off]Perfect Keto - www.perfectketo.comFollow Kettle & Fire (@kettleandfire) on Instagram // Twitter Follow Perfect Keto (@perfectketo) on Instagram // Twitter Follow Justin on Twitter // Website // LinkedIn Justin's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn // Facebook 

Nis Frome is the Co-Founder and VP Product of Alpha. After starting his first business in web design and marketing when he was 17, Nis launched a couple of other companies in college and was able secure funding for Hublished, a platform that promised to help content producers market their content through webinars. Although Hublished in 2013 was too early for the webinar craze we’re experiencing today, he was able to meet his Co-Founder, Thor, and launch Alpha in 2014. At Alpha, Nis and his team are building and scaling a rapid consumer insights platform that allows teams to quickly gather consumer feedback to make more informed product, marketing and innovation decisions. Alpha operates as one of the only on-demand solutions for teams to get real insights when performing consumer discovery research or concept testing different messaging, features or functionality of a digital product. Previously, this type of research might have taken weeks, but with Alpha, it takes just a couple of days. Today, Alpha has over 70 employees and raised over $20M to tackle this rapid insights space. This was an eye-opening interview that spotlights how traditional industries are getting disrupted by savvy entrepreneurs with tech-enabled solutions. Tune in to hear Nis's inspiring story! EPISODE TOPICS: (2:22) What does Alpha look like today (mission, vision, products, size)? (3:19) What is your background and what were you working on before starting Alpha? (6:15) Where did the spark for the idea come from? (10:08) How did the early product work? (19:28) How did you find your first initial customers? (25:19) Why was content marketing so important for Alpha? (28:19) How do you think about innovation at Alpha? (30:06) How do you think about competition? (37:22) What are your words of wisdom around fundraising? (42:15) What do you look for in companies that you angel invest in? (46:40) What are your lessons learned around equity? (51:54) What do you think Alpha looks like in 5-10 years? (53:48) What do you look for when you hire someone? (1:00:40) How do you think about self-doubt? (1:08:04) What sacrifices have you made in founding Alpha? (1:11:18) What characteristics make a good founder? (1:13:47) What is your morning routine? (1:16:13) What resources would recommend to others? (1:19:07) Nis's startup manifesto (1:22:47) Nis's founder nomination (1:24:36) Where should we look to contact you? Alpha - www.alphahq.com Follow Alpha (@wearealpha_) on Instagram // (@alphaondemand) Twitter Follow Nis on LinkedIn // Instagram // Twitter // Website Nis's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn // Facebook 

Dan Morozoff is the Co-Founder and CTO of Vidrovr. After growing up in the heart of San Francisco and getting early exposure to the boom and bust cycles of Silicon Valley, Dan went to UCLA to study physics and neuroscience and then ultimately pursued a PhD at Columbia to focus on modeling how the brain understands logic. On the side, he worked on a project called News Rover which laid the foundation for what would eventually become Vidrovr three and a half years later. At Vidrovr, Dan and his team build video understanding systems. What that essentially means is that by using the Vidrovr technology stack, a user is able to search videos just like you or I would search on Google. For example, instead of a YouTube search looking up relevant titles, descriptions and keywords, Dan's platform can actually understand the words spoken or images shown in the video itself and then index them. Vidrovr goes to market today by selling this platform to other companies in spaces like media and entertainment, but it’s easy to imagine the benefit of having access to this technology as a consumer. This was an eye-opener and really makes you think about what could be possible in the future. Tune in to hear Dan's inspiring story and leave a review! EPISODE TOPICS: (2:12) What does Vidrovr look like today (mission, vision, products, size)? (4:15) What is your background and what were you working on before starting Vidrovr? (6:43) Where did the initial spark for the idea come from? (9:33) What were the early conversations like with potential clients? (11:39) How did you still down the complexity of the Vidrovr system when selling? (14:34) How did you design pilots for early adopters? (21:06) How did you design the product that end customers could use? (26:59) How did the Vidrovr product evolve? (30:27) What does the competitive landscape look like? (34:13) How has the sales process evolved? (38:33) What were the biggest takeaways from your Techstars experience? (43:29) Walk us through your funding path thus far? (53:27) What were some of your investor pitches like? (56:58) What's the future vision for Vidrovr in the next 5-10 years? (1:00:09) What do you look for in hiring? (1:05:52) How do you deal with self-doubt? (1:09:09) What do you think it takes to be a good founder? (1:11:43) Why do you think it's so hard to be a founder? (1:14:16) Dan's startup manifesto (1:15:10) Dan's founder nomination (1:16:43) Where should we look to contact you? Vidrovr - www.vidrovr.com Follow Vidrovr on LinkedIn Follow Dan on LinkedIn Dan's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn // Facebook 

John Lee is the Founder and CEO of Loopie. For John, his obsession has always been to create a dual-benefit venture. He loves the concept of a company that is able to benefit multiple parties, simultaneously. In 2018, he dreamed up the concept for Loopie, a mobile app for laundry that connects people who don’t have the time or desire to do their own with other people who can wash, dry and fold at home for a little extra cash. John dubs Loopie the "uber for laundry" in the sense that Loopie is the asset light marketplace that connects customers and washers, but doesn't have to own a single laundromat, washing machine or dryer. Today Loopie has pretty impressive traction in Seattle and is planning to launch to new markets soon. This was a really interesting interview that sheds light on the path of a first time founder and the climb to product market fit and eventual scale. Tune in to hear John's inspiring story and leave a review! EPISODE TOPICS: (1:48) What does Loopie look like today (mission, vision, products, size)? (2:29) What is your background and what were you working on before starting Loopie? (7:08) Where did the idea for Loopie come from? (11:34) What came first - idea socialization or early prototype development? (13:28) What was the early feedback on the initial concept for Loopie? (16:04) How long did it take to go from idea to workable prototype? (19:03) What did the team look like early on? (21:45) What are the unit economics on the business? (23:31) How does the laundry drop-off process work? (25:20) How did you acquire your early customers? (26:51) How do you think about growth? (29:45) What's your bigger constraint, finding customers or washers? (33:51) How do you think about competition? (45:25) How do you think about funding? (53:05) What does your team look like today and what do you look for when you hire? (57:02) How are you thinking about scaling the business? (1:04:14) How do you think coronavirus will impact the startup landscape? (1:08:41) Who was your most underrated hire? (1:10:09) Did you have an advisory board? (1:12:36) What books or resources would you recommend? (1:14:37) What's one thing that you know now that you wish you knew when starting out? (1:16:47) What do you think it takes to be a good founder? (1:21:18) What is your morning routine? (1:24:17) John's startup manifesto (1:27:25) John's founder nomination (1:29:35) Where should we look to contact you?Loopie - www.loopie.io Follow Loopie (@loopielaundry) on Instagram // Twitter Follow John on LinkedIn // Instagram John's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn // Facebook 

Michael Schneider is the Founder and CEO of Service. After getting his start at USC building and selling custom websites, Michael has spent the last two decades as a serial tech entrepreneur. In 1998, he founded Fluidesign, an award winning interactive digital agency. He proceeded to launch nesting.com, a Facebook style site for moms to keep track of their busy lives and then Mobile Roadie, a Wordpress style platform that enabled users to inexpensively build and maintain mobile apps. With Mobile Roadie, he focused on the music industry and powered the apps for Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Drake and many others. In 2015, he launched his most recent venture, Service.  Service was designed as an automated solution to save you time and money as you travel. The platform connected to your inbox and automatically detected when an airline or hotel delayed or cancelled your reservation. Service would then reach out to the airline or hotel on your behalf, file a claim, and get you cash, points, or vouchers. This will be a unique episode in the fact that Michael shut Service down just a few days after the interview was recorded. We talk about launching and growing the business as well as reasons for why it ultimately didn't work out. Tune in to hear Michael's inspiring story and leave a review! EPISODE TOPICS: (2:16) What does Service look like today (mission, vision, products, team)? (3:35) What is your background and what were you working on before Service? (10:57) Where did the idea of Service come from? (14:21) What strategies did you use to spread the word about the Service early on? (20:29) What did the business model look like and how did it evolve? (22:10) Was there a demand inflection point and what were the marketing strategies that caused it? (25:48) What did the competitive landscape look like? (28:53) What was your approach to fundraising? (32:39) What criteria do you look for when you hire? (35:17) Why is the company shutting down? (40:11) How long ago did you start seeing the warning signs and what are some of the things you tried to keep the company running? (46:51) What would you say to other founders that are in the same position you were 6 months ago? (52:27) What is something you know now that you wish you knew? (59:47) What is your morning routine? (1:04:34) Michael's startup manifesto (1:07:23) Michael's founder nomination Service - www.getservice.com Michael's non-profit - www.streetsforall.org Follow Michael on LinkedIn // Instagram // Twitter Michael's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn // Facebook Don't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here

Connor Wilson is the Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Thursday Boot Company. What started as a business school surfing trip to Nicaragua in 2014 quickly turned into a quest for Connor and his future Co-Founder Nolan to reimagine the men's boot from the ground up. Their goal was to combine the durability of a work boot with the sophistication of a fashion boot to make a product that could stand up to the work and play of a Thursday. After raising 9x their initial goal on Kickstarter, the duo was off to the races. Over the past 6 years, they've sold to tens of thousands of customers in 60 countries and launched product lines for men and women across boots, shoes and other leather goods.Tune in to hear Connor's inspiring story and leave a review! EPISODE TOPICS: (1:41) What does Thursday Boots look like today (mission, vision, products, team)? (3:29) What is your background and where did you grow up? (5:08) Where did the spark for Thursday Boots come from? (10:39) What excited you about chasing the idea? (16:11) How did you socialize the concept early on to get feedback? (19:32) How did go from idea to a kickstarter-ready product? (28:39) What was the strategy with kickstarter and how did the launch go? (32:58) How did you convert paying customers after kickstarter? (36:03) How do you think about product iteration and launching new products? (43:13) How do you think about brand collaborations? (46:00) What other marketing strategies worked for you? (48:15) After kickstarter, how did you approach fundraising? (53:07) What is your hiring process and what do you look for? (57:27) What was the most underrated or most valuable hire you've made? (58:55) What is one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you started?  (59:42) What questions kept you up at night early on and what keeps you up at night now? (1:00:49) Fast forwarding 10 years, what do you want Thursday Boots to be when it grows up? (1:03:06) What qualities do most good founders have? (1:05:06) What key resources would you recommend? (1:06:58) Connor's startup manifesto (1:09:50) Connor's founder nomination (1:11:15) Where should we look to contact you and explore Thursday Boots products? Thursday Boots - www.thursdayboots.com Follow Thursday Boots (@thursdayboots) on Instagram // Twitter Follow Connor on LinkedIn // Instagram // Twitter Connor's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn // Facebook Don't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here 

Vicki Kotris is the Co-Founder and CEO of Cleveland Cookie Dough Company & Remixx (launching summer 2020). When she wasn't satisfied with the monotony of corporate America, she turned to entrepreneurship to satisfy her creative endeavors. On a trip to New York City with her husband Steve in 2018, Vicki discovered edible cookie dough and instantly knew it would be a hit in her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. What started out as a passion project has since seen tremendous growth and excitement throughout Ohio. Vicki and her team now have a bright pink food truck, pop-up shop and several exciting brand collaborations in the works. As if that wasn't enough, Vicki is taking another step towards dessert domination in 2020 with Remixx, a next generation ice cream storefront that makes custom soft-serve McFlurry type goodness. Tune in to hear Vicki's inspiring story and leave a review! EPISODE TOPICS: (9:15) Where did the spark for the idea come from? (14:42) How were you affected by self-doubt? (16:38) How did you think about sharing your idea vs keeping it secret? (19:08) What was the process to come up with your first prototype? (22:08) How did you think about getting consumer feedback on your early products? (25:54) How did you start acquiring your early customers? (33:45) How do you think about the product roadmap? (36:31) How are you thinking about your brand evolving over the next 10 years? (37:24) What's different in building Cleveland Cookie Dough (food truck) vs Remixx (brick and mortar)? (39:34) How are you diversifying resources between multiple businesses? (44:58) How did you think about marketing? (50:09) How do you think about competition? (55:39) How did you think about funding the business early on? (1:02:43) What do you look for in people you hire? (1:08:24) Who were the key mentors that have helped you along the way? (1:13:24) What are the biggest struggles you faced early on and what would you have done differently? (1:15:32) What do you know now that you wish you knew? (1:17:15) What are your biggest challenges right now? (1:20:01) What have you had to sacrifice? (1:24:08) What would you say to someone having a quarter-life crisis? (1:30:33) Vicki's startup manifesto (1:33:44) Vicki's founder nomination Cleveland Cookie Dough Company - www.clecookiedough.com Follow Cleveland Cookie Dough (@clecookiedough) on Instagram // Twitter Follow Vicki on LinkedIn // Instagram Vicki's learning and resource recommendations The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn // Facebook Don't have time to listen to the full episode? Read the 5-minute version here