Episodi

  • Welcome to this new episode of Explore and thank you for your continuous support. If you want to support the show you can give a 5 stars review ✹ on Spotify/Apple podcast.

    This is the final episode of Explore Season 2 - thank you for your support! Together, we've grown the podcast and had the opportunity to speak with incredible guests. I’ll share a dedicated post reflecting on the last six months soon, but don’t worry Season 3 will bring even more learnings, there's plenty more to learn!

    This week, I sit down with Ethan Austin, former entrepreneur and founding partner at Outside VC. Ethan spent 7-years building GiveForward, a crowdfunding platform he sold to Gofundme. 2-years ago, he launched Outside VC with the goal of building a more equitable and just financial system through pre-seed investments ($100K-$250K first checks). In our conversation, Ethan talked about:

    * Founding a crowdfunding platform

    * Navigating early days as a non-technical founder

    * Securing investment by creating FOMO

    * Loosing everything after Facebook turned off traffic

    * Lessons learned from being part of Techstars

    * Tactical strategies for getting into accelerators

    * The importance of transparency and relationships with founders

    * Outside VC's investment philosophy

    * Understanding the economics of venture capital.

    Listen now on 🟱Spotify or 🟣Apple Podcast.

    Where to find Ethan:

    🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fintech-investor/

    🔗 Outside VC: https://outside-vc.com/

    Where to find me:

    🔗 LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugorauch/

    🔗 Newsletter: https://explorepodcast.substack.com/

    Timestamps:

    00:00 Meet Ethan Austin: From Founder to VC

    01:25 The Birth of a Fundraising Platform

    02:35 Challenges and Early Struggles

    03:28 Pivoting to Medical Crowdfunding

    04:45 Lessons in Startup Focus and Adaptation

    06:09 Emotional Challenges of Pivoting

    07:49 Building the First Product Without Technical Skills

    09:07 The Motivation Behind Starting the Company

    12:48 Early Traction and Accelerator Experience

    16:34 Moments of Validation and Growth

    21:10 Fundraising Journey and Strategies

    27:28 The Importance of Personalization in Crowdfunding

    28:20 Challenges and Strategies in Crowdfunding

    29:47 The Acquisition by YouCaring and Its Impact

    31:29 Joining Techstars: A Life-Changing Experience

    36:12 Investing in Outsiders: A Unique Venture Capital Approach

    41:31 The Investment Process and Building Trust with Founders

    49:11 Understanding Venture Capital Economics

    51:41 Conclusion and Final Thoughts



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com
  • Welcome to this new episode of Explore and thank you for your continuous support. If you want to support the show you can give a 5 stars review ✹ on Spotify/Apple podcast.

    This week, I sit down with Vanessa Larco, a former product manager that became a VC at NEA. Vanessa has spent 9+ years supporting companies like Microsoft and Twilio. She is also the co-founder of FunLoop, a company that she sold after a year. For the last 7-years she has been doing investments in Series A and B in North America. In our conversation, Vanessa talked about:

    * Growing up with a mom entrepreneur

    * How she discovered the product role at Microsoft

    * The creation of a gaming startup for children and her path to acquisition

    * The challenges of transitioning into VC and learning the ropes

    * How personal experiences can inform investment decisions

    * The role of VCs in supporting startups during challenging times

    * The importance of founder quality in startup success

    * The way she thinks about assessing product-market fit

    * How she supports founders through tough times as a VC

    * Practical advice for founders currently seeking investments

    * Why founders should do due diligence on VCs

    * Red flags that she looks for in startups

    * How to analyze a potential market

    Listen now on 🟱Spotify or 🟣Apple Podcast.

    Where to find Vanessa:

    🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessalarco/

    Where to find me:

    🔗 LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugorauch/

    🔗 Newsletter: https://explorepodcast.substack.com/

    Timestamps:

    00:00 Introducing Vanessa Larco, partner at NEA

    01:47 Vanessa's Early Life and Entrepreneurial Influence

    03:20 Journey into Product Management at Microsoft

    05:58 Founding an Educational Gaming Startup

    08:40 Challenges and Acquisition of the Startup

    11:43 Role of a Product Manager in Startups

    16:48 Transition to Venture Capital

    27:11 The Empty Office Mystery

    27:35 Finding Purpose in a New Role

    28:47 Shadowing Senior Partners

    30:47 First Investment Journey

    31:12 Investing in Greenlight

    35:14 Personal Conviction in Investments

    37:33 Market Analysis and Diligence

    39:03 Supporting Founders Through Tough Times

    41:18 Advice for Founders and Investors

    45:06 Rapid Fire Questions

    50:38 Conclusion and Contact Information



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com
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  • Welcome to this new episode of Explore and thank you for your continuous support. If you want to support the show you can give a 5 stars review ✹ on Spotify/Apple podcast.

    This week, I sit down with Ben Lang, one of the first employees at Notion, the founder of next play and an active angel investor. In our conversation, Ben talked about:

    * Founding a mapping software with his father

    * Creating the Hummus Day as a side project

    * Discovering Notion on Product Hunt and launching notion-pages.com

    * Joining Notion after emailing Ivan Zhao and flying to SF to meet the team

    * Developing the template gallery and the ambassador program

    * Notion's unique startup culture and traditions that made it great

    * Transitioning to Angel Investing and starting as an apprentice

    * His investment thesis, sourcing mechanism, and support to founders

    Listen now on 🟱Spotify or 🟣Apple Podcast.

    3 learnings from this episode:

    đŸŒ± Look for organic trends and support them

    As Ben described, many of Notion's community initiatives started by observing what was already happening organically among users. Before taking action, the team at Notion paid close attention to how their users were interacting with the product and with each other. What happens next is a great playbook in growing communities.

    Once Notion identified these organic trends, they didn't try to replace them – they supported them. As Ben put it:

    "We would see these trends and things happening inside the community and just try to support them and put a framework around it to help drive more."

    With organic activities flourishing, Notion's next step was to provide structure and support. They created programs that formalized existing activities like:

    * Ambassador Program

    * Influencer Marketing

    * Campus Program

    * Certifications

    Today Notion has 35M users.

    🚀Ship things quickly

    In Ben's words:

    "I always optimize for the quickest, most efficient way to get something done.”

    But why does it matter?

    "Anytime something takes longer than my attention span would hold, I wouldn't end up shipping it.”

    It reduces the risk of not shipping at all and it allows for faster feedback and iteration loops with your users. As Ben puts it

    "Don't get stuck in the middle, you got to get to the end."

    đŸ€Early-stage investments are bets on people

    Ben loves investing very early. For him, traction doesn’t matter as much. What he looks for are “killers”. In his own words:

    “I don't think there's any recipe. To me, it fits when I meet someone and I'm like, wow, this person is a killer. I just feel like can sell me on anything, they clearly have the patience to work on something for the next 10 years, they are working hard. When I meet someone like this, I’m like: I want to give them money. I want to be involved!”

    Where to find Ben:

    🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmlang/

    🔗 next play: https://nextplayso.substack.com/

    🔗 Substack: Ben Lang

    Where to find me:

    🔗 LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugorauch/

    🔗 Newsletter: https://explorepodcast.substack.com/

    Timestamps:

    00:00 Introduction

    02:28 Early Career and Side Projects

    02:55 The Hummus Day Story

    05:37 Founding MapMe with Family

    09:47 Joining Notion: From User to Employee

    18:59 Building Community at Notion

    26:14 Transition to Angel Investing

    36:49 Advice for Founders and Investors

    39:08 Conclusion and Final Thoughts



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com
  • Welcome to this new episode of Explore and thank you for your continuous support, I wanted to let you know that the best way to send me some love is to give a 5 stars review ✹ on Spotify/Apple podcast.

    This week, I sit down with Edrizio de la Cruz the co-founder of Arcus that he sold to Mastercard, a former visiting partner at Y-Combinator and CEO of the Founder School. Tune in to learn about the highs and lows of a startup and get valuable advice.

    In our conversation, he shares:

    * How he went from being an airplane mechanic to an investment banker

    * The creation of Arcus to tackle the remittance market through gift cards

    * Being rejected from all accelerators, except Y-Combinator

    * Pivoting and focusing on LATAM bills payments through API integration

    * How to maintain team’s motivation during challenging periods

    * How they got acquired by Mastercard in a prolonged negotiation process

    * Becoming a visiting partner at Y-Combinator and coaching founders

    * How he supports entrepreneurship for underrepresented tech professionals

    * Going to the Whitehouse to talk about venture capital and startups

    Listen now on 🟱Spotify or 🟣Apple Podcast.

    Some key takeaways:

    Startups are hard and persistence is key

    Throughout our discussion Edrizio emphasized on persistence as a key factor in entrepreneurial success. Of course, he his an underdog founder, someone that defied the odds, which probably made it even harder. But when I asked:

    Hugo: “What are you the most proud of?”

    Edrizio: “I feel like I could have quit a lot of times. I think a normal person would have quit and I chose to stay sometimes in my own detriment, sometimes when nobody wanted me to in the company."

    Or when we talked about Y-Combinator and what makes it special he said:

    Edrizio about YC: “And all you're doing is listening to these success stories that are really horror stories.”

    We all hear about how hard it is. But once you’re there, it’s probably different.

    Pivoting is necessary

    In his own words:

    Edrizio about pivoting: “It’s not about whether or not, it’s about when?”

    From our discussion, I understood that being able to recognize when a pivot is needed and execute it is an important skill of a founder/CEO. Edrizio mentioned many times that he should have let go the original product earlier.

    While pivoting is incredibly hard, especially if you’re short on cash, it’s not surprising that you don’t always get it right on the first shot. But getting the right timing is more an art than a science.

    Focus on a niche

    Focus on one market/product initially rather than spreading too thin. Edrizio told me all about how trying to tackle multiple markets simultaneously was a mistake. If you look at examples of great companies, they all leveraged the power of a niche. It's better to win in one market before expanding. It leads to much greater success. Don’t try to expand too quickly. In his own words:

    “The error that I made was to keep both the U.S. and Latam on at the same time.”

    "It doesn't matter if you're in a small market. I think if you can get big in that market and then expand, it's better than if you try to get of medium size in multiple markets at the same time, because it rarely translates from one to another."

    From “chief doer” to “chief delegator”

    As a startup scales, the CEO role shifts from "chief doer" to "chief delegator". Your role becomes more focused on bringing talented people who could potentially take your job than to execute. Scaling a company requires bringing on individuals who can take on leadership roles and delegate tasks.

    “There's like two faces to a CEO. There's like chief doer and chief delegator."

    "Under 50 employees, you are doing a lot. You're doing sales, product management, marketing, you're kind of leading the charge on everything."

    "Once you get past 50, you have to be very cognizant of being able to bring on talents and people that are so good that they could take your job from you."

    Where to find Edrizio:

    🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edrizio-de-la-cruz/

    🔗 The founder school: https://www.linkedin.com/school/thefounderschool/

    Where to find me:

    🔗 LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugorauch/

    🔗 Newsletter: https://explorepodcast.substack.com/

    Timestamps:

    00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

    02:41 Edrizio’s Early Life and Journey to New York

    04:38 Challenges and Determination in Education

    07:20 Breaking into Investment Banking

    10:53 Founding Arcus and Early Struggles

    14:57 Getting into Y Combinator

    24:55 Facing Leadership Challenges

    25:26 Navigating Legal Troubles

    28:22 Pivoting the Business Model

    30:16 Scaling and Learning from Mistakes

    35:52 Acquisition by Mastercard

    41:20 Role at Y Combinator

    46:43 Founders School Initiative

    50:36 Final Thoughts and Reflections



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com
  • Welcome to this new episode of Explore and thank you for your continuous support, I wanted to let you know that the best way to send me some love is to give a 5 stars review ✹ on Spotify/Apple podcast.

    Thank you OpenVC for keeping this content free for our listeners. OpenVC is a fundraising platform used by 10,000 founders and 5,000 investors. You can use the code: "EXPLORE” to upgrade to OpenVC Premium and get a 20% discount. đŸ“ˆđŸ”„

    This week, I sit down with Sehreen Noor Ali the co-founder of Sleuth, a pediatric health platform that answers the question "is this normal?" that parents ask all the time. Sehreen started her career shipping tech products for the government and soon after moved to various startups until founding Sleuth in September 2019.

    In our conversation, she shares:

    * The creation of EdTechWomen, a community of 2,500 women

    * How she met her co-founder at Antler

    * Her personal motivation behind Sleuth

    * Meeting with Gary Vee and securing an investment

    * Pitching to president Joe Biden

    * The challenges of developing a health tech app

    * The impact of COVID on her startup

    * The fundraising hurdles she faced

    * The pivot to telehealth that led to closing the company

    Listen now on 🟱Spotify or 🟣Apple Podcast.

    Some key takeaways:

    * Personal stories can be powerful in pitching a startup. Sehreen’s product addressed a problem she faced as a mother struggling to find reliable health information for her child. She used this argument as part of her pitch to investor. While some investors view her project as "cute" rather than as a serious business opportunity. Others found it convincing and could relate. Overtime, she found the right balance between personal story and business fundamentals that made a strong case for her startup. She also learned that making the pitch personal works better with people she knew for a long time. On a first cold call with a potential investors, it didn’t yield the expected results.

    * The perception that children's health should be a nonprofit highlighted a market gap. Sehreen’s friends asked her if her company should be a non-profit. And she saw this as an indication that the market had not adequately addressed these needs. She saw it as whitespace for technology in this sector. My take on this is that people couldn’t think about any competitor in the space. However, people spend thousands of dollars in their health and insurance each year. Hence, the opportunity was there. This can be applied more broadly: areas traditionally seen as nonprofit territories may actually represent untapped opportunities for innovative, socially responsible ventures.

    * Running out of cash is real but it doesn’t always show up in the way you think. Sehreen was doing well - she secured $1.1M seed funding from leading VCs, including Gary Vaynerchuk, she had 5k monthly downloads, 70% download-to-install rates and 40%+ share rate. However, she saw the next steps for her business as a telehealth company, she couldn’t stop the progression there, it wouldn’t have worked, especially for a VC-backed startup. However, the next step meant pivoting to a more capital-intensive business model, in her case, to a telehealth company. This required huge amount of funding, but markets are evolving, and her next round would have been almost impossible in this new environment. Couple of thing I learned from this:

    * Carefully considering the capital requirements of potential pivots.

    * Maintain communication with investors about the company's needs.

    * Have contingency plans for various funding scenarios.

    * Startups fail, this is normal. Sehreen’s story also highlights that sometimes, despite best efforts and initial traction, the responsible decision might be to wind down the company if the funding environment doesn't support the necessary next steps. 90% of startup fail. But closing a startup doesn’t mean that you failed. Look at all the success she had, this is a life changing experience, with tremendous learnings. One of the best qualities of an entrepreneur is to be able to take the right decisions even if it hurts. Plus, she is already bouncing back up. Sehreen, if you are reading this, thank you for your transparency and honesty. We need more entrepreneurs like you.

    Where to find Sehreen Noor Ali:

    🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sehreennoorali/

    Where to find me:

    🔗 LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugorauch/

    🔗 Newsletter: https://explorepodcast.substack.com/

    Timestamps:

    00:00 Introduction and Background

    03:00 Creating the EdTechWomen Community

    07:14 Addressing the Need for Technology in Pediatric Health

    14:35 Challenges and Opportunities in Building a Health Startup for Kids

    23:10 Redefining Children's Health: From Nonprofit to For-Profit

    26:41 Pivoting During COVID-19: Collecting Data through Gamification

    30:47 Securing Famous Investors

    44:02 The Difficult Decision to Close

    50:54 Future Plans: B2B Consulting



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com
  • Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎

    Thank you for your continuous support, I wanted to let you know that the best way to send me some love is to give a 5 stars review ✹ on Spotify/Apple podcast.

    Thank you OpenVC for keeping this content free for our listeners. OpenVC is a fundraising platform used by 10,000 founders and 5,000 investors. You can use the code: "EXPLORE” to upgrade to OpenVC Premium and get a 20% discount. đŸ“ˆđŸ”„

    This is part 2/2 of this podcast with Sam Wen, a partner at Green Visor Capital, founder of Volley Travel and co-founder of Square. In episode 1, we went through the early days of building Square, and all the reasons behind Square's success.

    In this episode, Sam shares the story behind Volley Travel, we talked about the challenges of pivoting as a VC-backed startup, how they secured an acquisition, and the value of having a strong engineering-led team. Sam also shares his vision of Venture Capital and offers valuable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs and investors, emphasizing the significance of operator experience and scalability in startups.

    Have a great episode!

    Listen on 🟱Spotify or on 🟣Apple Podcast.

    Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠.

    Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠Sam, and Green Visor.

    Timestamps:

    00:00 Introduction

    00:44 Recap of Episode One

    01:31 The Journey to Volley Travel

    02:19 Pivoting the Business Model

    04:14 Challenges and Lessons Learned

    07:03 The Acquisition Process

    17:53 Transition to Venture Capital

    25:27 Empathy in Investing: A Double-Edged Sword

    27:07 Identifying Green and Red Flags in Investments

    27:39 The Importance of Technology in Early-Stage Companies

    31:25 The Role of Charisma in Founders

    34:42 Navigating the VC Landscape: Tips and Insights

    40:07 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs and Investors

    44:39 Inspiring Stories and Final Thoughts



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com
  • Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎

    Thank you for your continuous support, I wanted to let you know that the best way to send me some love is to give a 5 stars review ✹ on Spotify/Apple podcast.

    Thank you OpenVC for keeping this content free for our listeners. OpenVC is a fundraising platform used by 10,000 founders and 5,000 investors. You can use the code: "EXPLORE” to upgrade to OpenVC Premium and get a 20% discount. đŸ“ˆđŸ”„

    In this episode I sit down with Sam Wen, a partner at Green Visor Capital and co-founder of Square (a $38B company).

    You’re probably using Square’s product on a daily basis without knowing it. Square is used by 56 million users that pays with their credit card at small merchants and Starbucks shops. It is this small device that once used the iPhone headphone jack to read credit card and that became this fintech with all sort of payment devices. Look no further than a small grey Square on the payment device next time you go to a shop. This is Square.

    Square was co-founded in part by Jack Dorsey (the founder of Twitter), Jim McKelvey, and Sam Wen (our guest today on the show).

    In this episode Sam delve into the early days of building Square. Sam shares the inspiration behind creating a simple credit card reader using a smartphone headphone jack and discusses the challenges and triumphs of the startup journey. We talked about the influence of co-founders Jack Dorsey and Jim McKelvey, and the meticulous attention to product quality that has defined Square's success. We discussed competing against Amazon and being copied by PayPal, alongside their legal challenges and fast growth. This episode offers a rich narrative on innovation, persistence, and building a game-changing fintech company.🚀

    Founders - this is the story behind the most successful fintech! 📈

    Have a great episode!

    Listen on 🟱Spotify or on 🟣Apple Podcast.

    Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠.

    Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠Sam, and Green Visor.

    Timestamps:

    00:00 Introduction and Guest Background

    01:20 Early Career and University Days

    02:45 First Job at Boeing

    05:20 Transition to Square

    09:31 Founding Square and Early Challenges

    14:40 Square's Product Development

    28:48 Fundraising and Market Strategy

    39:39 Competing in the Payment Industry

    41:53 Driven by Design: The Early Days of Square

    42:19 Competing with Giants: Amazon and PayPal

    43:03 The Simplicity of Square's Hardware

    45:03 Square's Legal Challenges and Industry Impact

    46:27 The Philosophy Behind Square's Product Development

    54:15 Square's Partnership with Starbucks

    55:48 The Intensity of Working at Square

    58:21 Reflecting on the Square Journey

    01:01:44 Closing



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com
  • Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎

    Thank you for tuning in - I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn and I wanted to let you know that the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast on Spotify/Apple podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏

    Thank you OpenVC for keeping this content free for our listeners.

    What is OpenVC? It’s a free fundraising platform used by 10,000 founders and 5,000 investors (VCs, angels, family offices). OpenVC provides a fundraising CRM, AI pitch deck analytics and open rate tracking. Use the code: "EXPLORE” to upgrade to OpenVC Premium and get a 20% discount. đŸ“ˆđŸ”„

    In this episode I sat down with Guillermo Flor, a venture capital at GoHub Ventures, a venture capital fund based in Spain that focused on B2B seed and Series A.

    In this episode Guillermo shares his journey from studying law and working in consulting firms to founding a startup called Tueri, a legal tech company. He discusses the challenges and lessons learned from his entrepreneurial experience, including the importance of building a must-have product, having patience, and making sure to have a strong team. Guillermo also provides insights into his current role in venture capital, the criteria he uses for investments, and advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. The discussion covers the venture capital market, the significance of product-market fit, and the importance of coming well-prepared when seeking investment. 🚀

    If you’re an entrepreneur, this will boost your chance of getting funded. 📈

    Have a great episode!

    Listen on 🟱Spotify.

    Listen on 🟣Apple Podcast.

    Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠.

    Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠Guillermo, GoHub, and Product-market fit.

    Timestamps:

    00:00 Introduction

    01:00 Guillermo's Early Education and Career

    03:03 Transition to Entrepreneurship

    03:45 Founding Tueri: The Legal Tech Startup

    06:02 Challenges and Learnings from Tueri

    08:43 Finding Co-Founders and Building the Team

    11:03 Business Model and Market Fit

    14:50 Lessons from Startup Failure

    18:30 Would You Do It Again?

    19:45 Closing the Startup and Investor Relations

    21:03 Launching the Product Market Fit Newsletter

    23:09 Journey into Venture Capital

    25:30 Understanding Venture Capital

    38:05 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs and Closing



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com
  • Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎

    Thank you for tuning in - I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn and I wanted to let you know that the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏

    Thank you to OpenVC for support this podcast. đŸ€

    What is OpenVC? It’s a free fundraising platform used by 10,000 founders and 5,000 investors (VCs, angels, family offices). The platform provides features such as a fundraising CRM, AI pitch deck analytics and open rate tracking.

    Through the premium membership, you can raise 5 times faster. With the code: "EXPLORE” you can upgrade to OpenVC Premium and get a 20% discount. đŸ“ˆđŸ”„

    In this episode I sit down with Paul Barnes-Hoggett, a repeat fintech founder and multiple times CTO that became a startup mentor.

    Paul shares his journey, from his early days studying architecture to his role at Adobe and his ventures into entrepreneurship. He discusses his transition from technology to starting a meal kit service, the journey of developing Alice Financial, and his recent mentorship roles. Paul provides insights on building and scaling startups, understanding product-market fit, the CTO's role in fundraising and how to approach product partnerships. 🚀

    If you’re an entrepreneur, listen to this to increase your chances of raising money. 📈

    Have a great episode!

    Listen on 🟱Spotify.

    Listen on 🟣Apple Podcast.

    Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠.

    Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠Paul.

    Timestamps:

    00:00 Introduction

    01:35 Paul's Early Career and Education

    03:44 Transition to Freelancing

    06:58 Joining Adobe and Key Learnings

    11:16 First Entrepreneurial Venture: Meal Kit Subscription

    18:05 Founding Alice Financial

    25:30 Role of CTO in Fundraising

    32:54 Life After Daylight

    34:41 Advice for Startup Founders

    41:45 Conclusion and Farewell



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com
  • Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎

    Thank you for tuning in - I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn and I wanted to let you know that the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏

    Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership. đŸ”„

    In this episode I sat down with Lauri Kokkila, a partner at Inventure, a venture capital fund focused on seed and Series A investments across the Nordics and Baltics.

    In this episode we discussed Lauri’s journey from an intern to partner at Inventure. Lauri details the various stages of his role, from sourcing and evaluating new deals to portfolio management and internal fund operations. He provides valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and investors on building relationships, the importance of trust and transparency, and understanding market timing. Lauri also discusses the unique characteristics of Baltic founders, the significance of sustainability in investments, and his outlook for the 2024 market. 🚀

    If you’re an entrepreneur, listen to this to increase your chances of raising money. 📈

    Have a great episode!

    Listen on 🟱Spotify.

    Listen on 🟣Apple Podcast.

    Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠.

    Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠Lauri and Inventure.

    Timestamps:

    00:00 Introduction

    01:10 Meet Lauri Kokkila: From Student to Venture Capital Partner

    03:47 The Journey from Sales to Supporting World-Changing Entrepreneurs

    06:09 Climbing the VC Ladder: From Intern to Partner

    08:18 The Intricacies of Venture Capital Work

    10:32 Decoding the VC Investment Process

    12:55 Inventure's Investment Focus and Process

    21:09 The Baltic Market: A Hub for Resourceful Founders

    23:01 Investment Success Stories and Market Timing

    25:39 Looking Ahead: Investment Trends for 2024

    27:38 Sustainability in Startups: A Growing Focus

    29:24 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs and Investors

    31:52 Closing Thoughts and Resources



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com
  • Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎

    Thank you for tuning in - I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn and I wanted to let you know that the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏

    Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership. đŸ”„

    In this episode I sat down with Alex Brees, the co-founder and CEO at un:hurd, a music marketing startup supporting artists with their music promotion

    We discussed Alex’s journey from tech to Universal Music and launching un:hurd. We covered everything from how he came up with the idea, to his initial revenue-led model as a consultant, and developing the iOS app to be ahead of competitors while supporting artists on their existing devices. We discussed un:hurd’s business model from adopting a membership model for monetization to developing partnerships and integrating AI into their product. Alex shares the impact un:hurd already has on the music industry as well as some advices for entrepreneurs! 🚀

    Have a great episode!

    Listen on Spotify.

    Listen on Apple Podcast.

    Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠.

    Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠Alex and un:hurd.

    Timestamps:

    00:00 Introduction

    01:15 Sponsor Spotlight: OpenVC

    02:00 Alex Brees: From Science Student to Music Marketing

    05:09 The Birth of Breezebox and Picasso Events

    06:42 A Brief Stint at Universal Music

    10:48 Embracing Entrepreneurship with Keakie

    12:14 Launching Un:hurd - The Mission and Vision

    14:27 Data-Driven Music Marketing: A Game Changer

    22:40 Building Relationships in the Music Industry

    25:24 Bootstrapping and Fundraising Journey

    28:30 Strategic Investments and Market Expansion

    31:06 Product Evolution: From iOS to Desktop

    34:19 Crafting the Product Roadmap

    36:15 Technical Challenges and Team Dynamics

    38:04 Leveraging Partnerships for Growth

    39:49 Measuring Impact in the Music Ecosystem

    41:53 Unveiling the Business Model

    46:01 Future Aspirations and AI Integration

    47:58 Entrepreneurial Advice: Patience and Personal Growth



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com
  • Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎

    Thank you for tuning in and for the amazing support. I wanted to let you know that the best way to support this show is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars on your podcast platform. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏

    This episode is unique and does not fit our series of founders interview.

    Today, I sit down with Peter Walker the head of insights at Carta, a cap table management software providing unique features. Carta has more than 43k startups on its platform which makes it uniquely positioned to gather insights.

    In this episode, we are talking about data driven insights in the fundraising market such as fundraising trends, valuations, shutdowns, equity splits, compensations, revenue-lead versus venture backed startups, AI companies.. the list is long!

    This is “Fundraising 101” - everything the data tell us to help you get started! 📈

    Have a great episode!

    Listen on 🟱Spotify.

    Listen on 🟣Apple Podcast.

    *****

    Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! đŸ”„Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership.

    Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠.

    Learn more about Peter and Carta⁠⁠⁠, sign up for Carta’s free offer.

    *****

    Timestamps:

    00:00 Introduction and Background

    02:00 Transition from Health to Startup

    04:04 Experience at Carta

    08:39 Carta's Product and Role in the Ecosystem

    12:09 State of the Fundraising Market

    16:21 Startup Shutdowns and Valuations

    21:10 Bootstrapping vs Venture-backed Startups

    23:26 Considerations for Fundraising

    24:47 The Gap in Funding for Growing Companies

    26:04 Fundraising for the First Time

    29:30 Angel Round and Equity Distribution

    32:06 Valuation and Funding Trends

    36:41 AI Companies and Industry Trends

    40:06 Timeline Between Fundraising Rounds

    42:39 Headcounts and Employment in Startups

    46:02 Forecast for 2024

    49:08 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com
  • Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎

    Thank you for tuning in and for the amazing support. I wanted to let you know that the best way to support this show is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars on your podcast platform. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏

    This episode is unique and does not fit our series of founders interview.

    Today, I sit down with Dallas Price from Forum Ventures, a venture studio based in North America and focusing on B2B SaaS companies.

    In this episode, we are exploring the concept of venture studio. We cover everything from defining what a studio is, why it is different from accelerators and incubators, understanding the financial model for GP and for founders, the role of the founder and the relationship with the studio, the startup life cycle, the equity split structure, the investment amount and support from the studio, product development, sales cycle, defining ICP, benefits and drawbacks for founders.. the list is long!

    This episode is venture studio 101 - everything you need to know to get started! 📈

    Want to become an entrepreneur but don’t know to start? This episode is for you! Want to join a studio as an employee? This is also for you!

    Have a great episode!

    Listen on 🟱Spotify.

    Listen on 🟣Apple Podcast.

    *****

    Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! đŸ”„

    Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership.

    Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠.

    Learn more about Dallas and Forum Ventures⁠⁠⁠.

    *****

    Timestamps:

    00:00 Introduction to Venture Studios

    03:45 Defining Venture Studios

    08:27 Founder's Role and Equity

    10:35 Venture Studios and External Programs

    13:27 Venture Studio Life Cycle

    21:02 Generating Ideas

    23:39 Market Research and Validation

    26:27 Venture Studio Thesis

    28:54 Finding a Founder

    31:36 Geographic Location of Founders

    33:06 Office Space for Portfolio Companies

    34:09 Defining the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

    36:35 Timeline for Product Development

    38:03 Roles and People in a Venture Studio

    42:19 Business Model of a Venture Studio

    44:47 Success Rate of Venture Studio-backed Startups

    47:49 Compensation for Venture Builders

    49:42 Ventures Built and Launched by Dallas

    51:20 Advice for Entrepreneurs



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com
  • Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎

    Thank you for tuning in - I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn and I wanted to let you know that the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏

    In this episode I sat down with Nate Matherson, the co-founder and CEO at Positional, a startup that provides a modern toolset for SEO and content teams.

    We discussed Nate’s early interest in finance, his decision to start LendEDU as a tutoring app, and the subsequent pivot to a marketplace for student loans. Nate shares the challenges of raising capital and the pivotal role Y Combinator played in the growth of LendEDU. We also talked about the decision to exit in March 2020, becoming an angel investor, and starting a new company. Nate provides insights into building an SEO toolset and offers advice for startups looking to leverage SEO as a growth channel and much more! 🚀

    Founders looking to grow a content channel, this episode is for you.

    Have a great episode!

    Listen on Spotify.

    Listen on Apple Podcast.

    *****

    Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! đŸ”„

    Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership.

    Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠.

    Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠Nate and Positional.

    *****

    Timestamps:

    Chapters

    00:00 Introduction and Background

    02:25 Starting LendEDU

    09:23 Pivoting to a Marketplace for Student Loans

    16:14 Getting into Y Combinator

    23:08 Selling the Company

    25:04 Transitioning Out and Becoming an Angel Investor

    29:18 Starting a New Company

    31:31 Pivoting from ContainIQ to Positional

    36:13 Building an SEO Toolset

    41:46 SEO Tips for Startups

    46:36 Positional Today and Future Plans

    48:43 Advice for Starting a Business



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com
  • Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎

    Thank you for tuning in - I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn and I wanted to let you know that the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏

    In this episode I sat down with Martin Habfast, the co-founder and sales director of Umiami, a food startup that provides plant-based filet experience without compromising the taste and the texture.

    We discussed Martin’s unique journey from building a tutoring startup to raising $100M to grow a plant-based meat company in France. Martin shares his strategy for fundraising, the challenges of a Food Tech startup, the strategic selection of ingredients, Umiami’s collaboration with a Michelin Star Chef and much more! 🚀

    Ambitious founders, this episode is for you.

    Have a great episode!

    ****

    Listen on Spotify.

    Listen on Apple Podcast.

    ****

    Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! đŸ”„

    Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership.

    ****

    Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠.

    Learn more about Martin and Umiami.

    ****

    Timestamps:

    00:31 Introduction

    02:19 The Journey from Student to Entrepreneur

    12:09 The Genesis of a Plant-Based Meat Startup

    21:45 Navigating the Challenges of a Food Tech Startup

    28:07 From Kitchen Experiments to Lab Innovations

    29:43 The Strategic Decision Against Co-Manufacturing

    31:11 Becoming a Mission-Driven Company

    32:29 Simplifying Ingredients for Superior Products

    35:11 NutriScore A: A Testament to Quality

    36:47 Producing 100% in France: A Strategic Choice

    39:23 Continuous Product Improvement Through R&D

    41:58 Targeting the Flexitarian Market

    45:21 Innovative Technology Behind Plant-Based Chicken

    46:55 Navigating the Competitive Landscape

    48:32 Challenges and Opportunities in the Plant-Based Industry

    51:13 Collaboration with Michelin Star Chefs and Future Goals

    55:34 Contributing to Entrepreneurship as a MassChallenge Judge



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com
  • Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎

    For those of you that have been here since the beginning, 1000 thanks, and welcome to the newcomers who have joined us in recent weeks. I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn, the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏

    In this episode I sat down with Jas Jaiswal, the founder and CEO at SmartHaul, a software company that provides a relay model with the focus on bringing truck drivers back home more often while moving freight 2x faster. We discussed Jas’s unique journey from moving to the US from India, developing a business to $1BN EBIDTA before jumping into the unknown and building SmartHaul with the help of Platform Venture Studio. Jas shares the challenges of building a company, the reasons why he is planning to fundraise, the benefit of the venture studio model and much more! 🚀

    Have a great episode!

    Listen on Spotify.

    Listen on Apple Podcast.

    *****

    Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! đŸ”„

    Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership.

    Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠.

    Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠Jas and ⁠⁠⁠SmartHaul⁠⁠⁠.

    *****

    Timestamps:

    00:00 Introduction

    05:24 Realizing the Desire to Become an Entrepreneur

    07:30 Joining Platform Venture Studio

    11:45 The Idea for SmartHaul

    24:28 Building the Algorithm and MVP

    26:38 Challenges and Opportunities

    31:16 Business Model and Market Size

    37:21 Advice for Future Entrepreneurs



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com
  • Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎

    For those of you that have been here since the beginning, 1000 thanks, and welcome to the newcomers who have joined us in recent weeks. I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn, the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏

    In this episode I sat down with Ana Pricop, the co-founder and COO of Outdid.io, a startup that provides zero knowledge identification solutions to improve online safety. We discussed Ana’s unique journey from dropping out of a top school, to surviving in London with little to no money and raising $2.5M in 3 days after struggling for 2 years. Ana shares the challenges of fundraising, the strategic pivot from Web3 to targeting broader industries, the importance of the people around you, the necessity to maintain a balance between work and personal life and much more! 🚀

    Early-stage founders and young entrepreneurs, this episode is for you.

    Have a great episode!

    Listen on Spotify.

    Listen on Apple Podcast.

    *****

    Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! đŸ”„

    Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership.

    Learn more about Explore on: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠.

    Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠Ana ⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠Outdid.io⁠⁠⁠.

    *****

    Timestamps:

    00:00 Introduction and Background

    01:00 Ana Maria's Love for School

    06:20 Starting Outdid.io

    10:08 Technical Challenges

    12:01 UC London Innovation and Enterprise Startup Program

    22:27 Seed Round Fundraising

    29:38 Explaining the Solution

    31:08 Fast Term Sheets

    32:13 Growing the Team

    36:48 Differentiation from Competitors

    42:23 Managing Relationships with Investors

    44:58 Finding Your Role in the Company

    46:10 Current State and Future Vision

    49:37 Sigma Squared Society

    53:21 Advice to Past Self



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com
  • Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎


    For those of you that have been here since the beginning, 1000 thanks, and welcome to the newcomers who have joined us in recent weeks. I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn, the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏



    In this episode I sat down with Tuomo Laine, the founder and CEO of Twice Commerce, a commerce platform for the circular economy, where you can sell, rent, and resell your products. We discussed Tuomo's journey from being a founder in a corporation to failing in his first startups and pivoting to a new idea. We talked about financing the company, teaching to students to become a better CEO, founding a company with 3 tech co-founders, providing solutions to solve for climate change, his vision for the next 5-years, how he raised 8M€ and much more!🚀



    Have a great episode!


    *****


    Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! đŸ”„


    Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership.


    Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠.


    Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠Tuomo ⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠Twice Commerce.


    *****


    Timestamps:


    00:00 Introduction and Background


    05:38 Learnings from Corporate Experience


    09:13 Lessons from Failed Startup


    12:37 Starting Twice Commerce


    21:30 Skills and Expertise for Building Twice Commerce


    24:46 Financing the Company


    26:35 Early Product Development and Customer Feedback


    31:19 Challenges of Subscription and Rental Models


    33:23 Contributing to Sustainability and Impact


    36:42 Examples of Customers Leveraging the Platform


    44:00 Going Global from Day One


    45:33 Business Model and Key Metrics


    49:17 Future Vision and Advice for Entrepreneurs



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com
  • Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎


    For those of you that have been here since the beginning, 1000 thanks, and welcome to the newcomers who have joined us in recent weeks. I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn, the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏



    In this episode I sat down with Jack Lancaster, the co-founder and chief product officer of Spoke.Ai, a company that helps you streamline communications through AI workflows that connects Slack, Jira, Notion, and the rest of your product stack. We discussed Jack's unique journey from Product Manager at N26, to founding a Plant as a Service company and now working on Spoke.Ai. We talked about his vision on AI and its use cases, the strategic decisions of staying in beta for more than a year, the importance of bringing in technical expertise in building the MVP and the necessity to track key metrics such as customer usage. We compared briefly Microsoft Copilot and Spoke, how they differ but also complement each other, and Jack shared some insights for early-stage entrepreneurs. 🚀



    Have a great episode!


    *****


    Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! đŸ”„


    Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership.


    Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠.


    Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠Jack ⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠Spoke.ai⁠⁠⁠.


    *****


    Timestamps:


    00:00 Introduction and Background


    02:07 Early Career and Start of Plant Club


    06:37 Role as a Product Manager at N26


    10:37 Founding Spoke AI


    15:55 Original Idea and Product of Spoke AI


    22:24 Building the MVP of Spoke AI


    23:46 Raising Funds and Early Beta Users


    27:04 Launching the Beta Version


    29:23 Differentiation in Summarization Capabilities


    32:11 The Beta Phase and Future Launch


    35:28 Partnership with Slack


    38:04 Vision for the Company


    41:37 Business Model and Key Metrics


    46:29 Advice for Entrepreneurs



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com
  • Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎


    For those of you that have been here since the beginning, 1000 thanks, and welcome to the newcomers who have joined us in recent weeks. I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn, the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏



    In this episode I sat down with Tomer Molovinsky, the founder and CEO of Per Diem, a startup that provides premium mobile apps for restaurants, bakeries, and coffee shops. We discussed Tomer's unique journey from serving in the IDF to diving deep into the restaurant industry and technology space. Tomer shared insights from his previous entrepreneurial endeavors, lessons learned from working at companies like OpenTable and Rezi, and the inception and evolution of Per Diem during the pandemic. We discussed how Per Diem addresses the challenge of direct customer engagement for small businesses through creating branded mobile applications, integrating seamlessly with Square's POS system, and enabling features like loyalty programs and subscription models. We uncovered the stories behind their time at Y-Combinator, how they raised $2.3M and their strategy for the future and much more!🚀



    Have a great episode!


    *****


    Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠! đŸ”„


    Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership.


    Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Newsletter⁠, ⁠Website⁠.


    Learn more about ⁠⁠Tomer ⁠and ⁠⁠Per Diem⁠⁠.


    *****


    Timestamps:


    00:00 Introducing Tomer Molovinsky and Per Diem


    01:58 Tomer's Journey: From Military to Entrepreneurship


    11:49 Navigating the Startup World: Lessons from OpenTable and Resy


    17:23 The Genesis of Per Diem: Adapting to Market Needs


    23:11 Y Combinator and Pivoting Towards Success


    29:57 The Genesis of a Revolutionary Restaurant App


    30:24 Identifying the Gap in Restaurant Tech


    33:51 The Strategic Partnership with Square


    34:42 Expanding the Ecosystem: Beyond Coffee Shops


    35:11 The Technical Backbone: Integrating Essential Features


    36:35 Leveraging Square's Infrastructure for Rapid Innovation


    39:58 Growth Metrics and Future Directions


    46:12 Navigating the Competitive Landscape and Future Plans


    48:39 Building a Remote Company Culture and Vision for the Future


    52:10 Final Thoughts: Persistence in Entrepreneurship



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit explorepodcast.substack.com