How to Rewrite the Rules of Media with Chris Best of Substack

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

Player FM - Internet Radio Done Right

18 subscribers

הוסף לפני six שנים

תוכן מסופק על ידי Inc. Magazine. כל תוכן הפודקאסטים כולל פרקים, גרפיקה ותיאורי פודקאסטים מועלים ומסופקים ישירות על ידי Inc. Magazine או שותף פלטפורמת הפודקאסט שלהם. אם אתה מאמין שמישהו משתמש ביצירה שלך המוגנת בזכויות יוצרים ללא רשותך, אתה יכול לעקוב אחר התהליך המתואר כאן https://he.player.fm/legal.

Action Academy | Replace The Job You Hate With A Life You Love

1
How To Replace A $100,000+ Salary Within 6 MONTHS Through Buying A Small Business w/ Alex Kamenca & Carley Mitus 57:50

לפני 1 year57:50

הפעל מאוחר יותר

רשימות

לייק

אהבתי

57:50

Alex (@alex_kamenca) and Carley (@carleymitus) are both members of our Action Academy Community that purchased TWO small businesses last thursday! Want To Quit Your Job In The Next 6-18 Months Through Buying Commercial Real Estate & Small Businesses? 👔🏝️ Schedule A Free 15 Minute Coaching Call With Our Team Here To Get "Unstuck" Want to know which investment strategy is best for you? Take our Free Asset-Selection Quiz Check Out Our Bestselling Book : From Passive To Passionate : How To Quit Your Job - Grow Your Wealth - And Turn Your Passions Into Profits Want A Free $100k+ Side Hustle Guide ? Follow Me As I Travel & Build: IG @brianluebben ActionAcademy.com…

לפני שנה 30:55

MP3•בית הפרקים

What if the media you consume isn’t just how you spend your time—but who you become? Chris Best began his career as a software engineer, driven by the idea that writing code could transform how millions of people work. But after nearly a decade of coding, he recognized an even greater potential with writing: the power to shape who millions of people become. In 2017, Chris launched Substack, a platform that empowers independent writers and creators to own their connection with audiences and earn through paid subscriptions. In this episode, Chris unpacks the “anti-media” philosophy at the heart of Substack—eliminating barriers for writers to share their work and creating a meritocratic space where the most influential voices can be heard. From political commentators and fashion gurus to sports enthusiasts, Substack has grown into a vibrant ecosystem where readers can discover their tribe. Today, the platform boasts over 35 million active readers and more than 4 million paid subscribers. Chris shares how he overcame initial skepticism about product-market fit, why he thinks of Substack as an index for culture, and how authenticity is increasingly vital in a world where AI generated content is limitless.

249 פרקים

#Tech #Business #Founders Project #Alexa Von Tobel #LearnVest #Female Founders #Technology #Women Leaders #Entrepreneurship #Entrepreneur #Podcasting Education #Magazine #Strong Female Leads

How to Rewrite the Rules of Media with Chris Best of Substack

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

18 subscribers

published לפני שנה

שתפו

MP3•בית הפרקים

249 פרקים

#Tech #Business #Founders Project #Alexa Von Tobel #LearnVest #Female Founders #Technology #Women Leaders #Entrepreneurship #Entrepreneur #Podcasting Education #Magazine #Strong Female Leads

כל הפרקים

1
How to Innovate Without Compromise with Jon Perl of QA Wolf 31:15

לפני 19 weeks31:15

31:15

With software powering every aspect of our lives, when does quality testing shift from a nicety to an absolute necessity? Despite the stakes, most companies fail to test everything—and even fewer automate their QA processes—leaving critical systems vulnerable to catastrophic bugs. Jon Perl is on a mission to change that. In 2019, he launched QA Wolf to help hundreds of companies automate 80% of their quality assurance processes, accelerating release cycles fivefold and saving customers over $100 million annually. By disrupting the outdated, manual QA status quo, QA Wolf empowers teams to ship faster and more confidently, delivering innovation without compromise. In this episode, Jon shares how a tech mistake sparked the idea for QA Wolf, how they settled on a pricing model that aligns incentives with their customers, and why he believes human-in-the-loop will remain essential until AI achieves flawless accuracy.…

1
How to Innovate at the Speed of Light with Nick Harris of Lightmatter 30:46

לפני 19 weeks30:46

30:46

For 60 years, Moore's Law and Dennard scaling drove the exponential advancement of computers, making them faster, smaller, and more energy-efficient. But as Nick Harris explains, the era of transistor-based technology has reached its physical limits. The future of computing demands a new solution, and that solution is light. Nick founded Lightmatter in 2017 to fully transform AI data center infrastructure. By harnessing light to process and transmit data, Lightmatter is laying the foundation for the next generation of computing. The company invented the world's first 3D-stacked photonics engine and was most recently valued at $4.4 billion. In this episode, Nick shares why he chose to leave academia after receiving his PhD, how his go-to-market strategy hinged on building real friendships and understanding his customers' internal roadmaps, and why he believes that having an obsession is a gift.…

1
How to Pinpoint What Powers Your Growth with Avishai Abrahami of Wix 32:05

לפני 20 weeks32:05

32:05

What if building a website wasn’t just for developers, but something anyone could do easily? This was the simple idea that led Avishai Abrahami to create Wix in 2006. What began as a no-code tool to help businesses establish an online presence has grown into a global platform that serves hundreds of millions of users. Under Avishai’s leadership, the company has reached many milestones including the launch of Wix’s first AI website builder in 2016—one the first commercial AI products available to consumers at mass scale. In 2013, Avishai took Wix public, and the company is currently valued at over $11 billion. In this episode, Avishai shares his take on what differentiates exceptional entrepreneurs from the rest, why he believes in meticulously tracking the most granular details, and how important it is to master the balance of seeking feedback while knowing when to trust your own judgment.…

1
How to Rewrite the Rules of Media with Chris Best of Substack 30:55

לפני 21 weeks30:55

30:55

1
How to Bend the Solar Cost Curve with Chris Hopper of Aurora Solar 29:49

לפני 22 weeks29:49

29:49

Following the clean-tech bust of the early 2010s, the path to renewable energy was anything but clear. Yet in 2013, Chris Hopper took a bold step forward to co-found Aurora Solar, on a mission to accelerate solar energy adoption. Aurora’s platform streamlines and improves the processes of sales, design, and installation—making solar more accessible and efficient for all. Operating in a tough funding environment, he relied on grit to secure a seed round that enabled the company to bootstrap and grow steadily over the next five years. Today, Aurora Solar has raised over half a billion dollars, achieved a valuation exceeding $4 billion, and has empowered the design of over 10 million solar projects worldwide. Chris shares why he’s grateful for the challenging early days, how Aurora's cloud-based platform uses AI to streamline workflows, and why—despite his forward-thinking mindset—he encourages entrepreneurs to remain open to serendipity.…

1
How to Create Community with Sarah Harrelson of CULTURED 28:58

לפני 23 weeks28:58

28:58

In 2011, as the rise of digital media cast doubt on the survival of print, Sarah Harrelson broke from convention and launched her own independent magazine: CULTURED. Sarah set out to spotlight artists, writers, curators, and designers overlooked by mainstream outlets and has since become one of the most trusted voices in the world of art and design. Beyond the magazine’s editorial prestige, CULTURED collaborates with leading fashion houses, luxury brands, and galleries. Sarah has had a decades-long career in magazines, beginning with an internship at Elle and including launching the Miami Herald’s Home and Design section, becoming the editor-in-chief of Ocean Drive and Art Basel Magazine, and ultimately founding her own publishing company. In this episode, Sarah shares how intuition shapes her approach to talent discovery, why her belief in the staying power of print remains unchanged, and how the magazine’s strategic focus has evolved to span global markets and adjacent industries.…

1
How to Build A Competitive Edge with Ryan Petersen of Flexport 32:18

לפני 24 weeks32:18

32:18

In 2013, when Ryan Petersen launched Flexport, he approached the problem from a customer’s perspective. Early in his career, he had worked at his brother’s import-export business, sourcing and selling ATVs, scooters, and dirt bikes from Asia to markets around the world. They built the entire technical platform to facilitate these transactions, and Ryan saw an opportunity to make the freight forwarding industry more efficient. He founded Flexport to make global trade easy and accessible for everyone and has since raised $2.3 billion to fuel the business. Today, Flexport’s platform coordinates logistics from factory floor to customer door, serving companies of all sizes. In 2023 alone, Flexport’s technology moved over $32 billion worth of merchandise. Ryan discusses how he leverages the U.S. Air Force’s OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) strategy, how AI is helping automate 1% of its freight forwarding workflows each week, and why Flexport’s agility remains the company’s greatest strength.…

1
How to Grow from Idea to IPO with Eliot Horowitz of MongoDB & Viam 29:12

לפני 25 weeks29:12

29:12

When Eliot Horowitz, Founder and CEO of Viam, was locked down with his family during COVID, he did what any engineer might do—he built a robot to play chess. Once that project was complete, he turned his attention to his ever-problematic sprinkler system. After that? He added smart software to his HVAC system. Through this series of home improvements, he uncovered a problem he was eager to solve, and his third startup was born. Eliot founded Viam to build a product that connects hardware to software and unlocks AI, automation, and data for the physical world. A career software developer and technology leader, Eliot previously co-founded MongoDB, writing the core code base for the pioneering database and leading the engineering teams for 13 years as CTO. MongoDB went public in 2017 and has a market cap of over $20 billion. Eliot shares why he enforces a no-jerk policy when it comes to hiring, how he evolved as a founder from the seed stage to post-IPO, and why he believes that being the product’s biggest user is essential to success.…

1
Flashback: How to create engaging content with Emmett Shear of Twitch 28:22

לפני 26 weeks28:22

28:22

In 2007, Emmett co-founded a live streaming service called Justin.tv along with his childhood friend and neighbor, Justin. That first entrepreneurial spark grew into Twitch, an interactive livestreaming service that spans gaming, entertainment, sports, music, and more. Today, at any given moment, more than 2.5 million people globally are engaging with Twitch. While Twitch was acquired by Amazon in 2014 for nearly $1 billion, Emmett has stayed on as CEO and continued to scale. Emmett shares why the company's hardest engineering challenge was scaling live video, why the future of the creator economy is "micro-patronage," and the role Twitch plays in combating loneliness. Original airdate: Aug 2022…

1
Flashback: How to Unlock Innovation with Emma Grede of Good American 32:49

לפני 27 weeks32:49

32:49

From the time she was a child in East London, Emma Grede knew she wanted to work in fashion. After a long career at the intersection of fashion and entertainment, Emma now sits at the helm of Good American, the fashion label she co-founded with Khloe Kardashian in 2016. The first fully inclusive fashion brand kicked off with the largest denim launch in history, bringing in $1M on day one, and has evolved to include ready-to-wear, swim, shoes and activewear. Emma shares what it was like to experience the roller coaster of launch day, why the ability to understand what customers want is a superpower, and why she thinks in-person retail experiences will be here for decades to come. Original Air Date 06-02-2021…

1
FlashBack: How to Ask the Big Questions with Mateo Jaramillo of Form Energy 43:56

לפני 28 weeks43:56

43:56

Most startups set out to tackle massive problems, but working to develop a low-cost, long-duration energy storage solution that will enable the electric system to be 100% renewably powered? That's a big one by any standard. At Form Energy, Mateo Jaramillo and his co-founders are working to bring that very vision to life, leveraging the smartest minds in the energy storage space. Mateo shares why he bet his career on the climate tech industry after attending Yale Divinity School, how his time at Tesla taught him the importance of top-quality talent, and what it was like to step into the shoes of a founder at age 40. Original Air Date: 12-16-2020…

1
How to Unlock Healthcare Access for Millions with Brian Whorley of Paytient 30:54

לפני 29 weeks30:54

30:54

After a career spent inside a hospital, Brian Whorley envisioned a future for American healthcare that, to him, seemed not just possible but inevitable. Witnessing firsthand the growing number of patients burdened by high deductibles, Brian understood that when people have better financial tools to afford care, they seek treatment sooner, leading to improved health outcomes. In 2018, Brian co-founded Paytient, the company that empowers people to pay for care over time with no interest and no fees—ever. Fast forward seven years, and his vision is becoming a reality. Starting in 2025, every single Part D health plan in the U.S. will be required to offer plan members the option to spread their out-of-pocket pharmaceutical costs over time with interest-free monthly payments. Given this new regulation, Paytient is expected to help nearly 25 million Americans more easily access and afford care next year. Brian shares why he believes founders are forged as children, how he built a business among a sea of skeptics, and why he thinks that healthcare entrepreneurs have to partner with America’s existing health system stakeholders to implement the most impactful change.…

1
How to Stand Firm in Your Integrity with Annie Lamont of Oak HC/FT 31:44

לפני 30 weeks31:44

31:44

Growing up, Annie Lamont was an avid reader with an insatiable thirst for knowledge. This led her to attend Stanford—which coincided with Silicon Valley's tech boom and ignited her passion for entrepreneurship. Immediately, she found herself gravitating towards healthcare investing because of the incredible impact it can have on communities. Today, Annie is the cofounder of Oak HC/FT and is recognized as one of the most influential investors in healthcare and fintech. With over $5 billion in assets under management, she boasts an impressive track record, having backed iconic companies like One Medical, athenahealth, and Devoted Health. To date, she has successfully exited more than 70 companies and achieved 15 IPOs. In addition to her venture career, she also serves as the First Lady of Connecticut. Annie shares her take on how generative AI will impact healthcare and fintech, why she believes the smartest rule in venture is to never compromise on integrity, and how she distinguishes ordinary entrepreneurs from exceptional ones.…

1
How to Attract Top Talent with Daniel Chait of Greenhouse 29:50

לפני 31 weeks29:50

29:50

What if businesses were empowered to consistently attract and hire the best-possible candidates—every single time? In 2012, Daniel Chait set out on a mission to help every company become great at hiring. He launched Greenhouse and scaled the business into the leader in hiring software. Almost a decade later, private equity leader TPG acquired a majority stake in the company in a $500M deal. Daniel shares how leadership’s involvement in hiring sets the tone for the success of a businesses’ recruitment and retention practices, why he believes that magical interview questions are a myth, and how AI is actually making life much harder for both applicants and employers.…

1
How to Test a Hypothesis with Bill Smith of Shipt 29:47

לפני 32 weeks29:47

29:47

When serial entrepreneur Bill Smith relocated his family across the country to build his third startup, the seedling of an idea for his next startup was born. In 2019, Bill founded Landing, the first membership-based leasing model for flexible living. He has since scaled the business to cities around the country with a network of thousands of apartments. Along the way, he’s amassed $255M in funding and been named Forbes Next Billion Dollar Startup, all while making renting your next apartment as easy as ordering takeout. Prior to Landing, Bill founded, scaled, and exited three companies, including the online grocery delivery marketplace, Shipt, which sold to Target for $550M. Bill shares his advice on navigating negotiations, how he discovered product-market fit by asking customers to pay before his product was even built, and why true partnership is critical for a successful acquisition.…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
How to Shift Consumer Sentiments with Ethan Brown of Beyond Meat 29:20

לפני 33 weeks29:20

29:20

In 2009, Ethan Brown, Founder & CEO of Beyond Meat, faced a dilemma at a rest stop on I-95. Struggling to find a healthy meal for his young children, he realized he had to make a change. That same year, he launched Beyond Meat, the world’s first plant-based meat company, with a mission to drive a global shift from animal-based to plant-based products. Its flagship product, the Beyond Burger, was crafted to look, cook, and taste just like traditional beef. Since then, the company has expanded its offerings and now sells a variety of plant-based products in over 130,000 locations across 65 countries. Today, Beyond Meat partners with major brands like Panda Express and McDonald’s. Ethan shares his predictions for the evolution of the $1+ trillion dollar global meat industry, how he tackled go-to-market for an entirely new food category, and why he believes truths only get truer as his business grows.…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
How to Build with Service at the Core with Edward Norton of Zeck 36:06

לפני 34 weeks36:06

36:06

Edward Norton is widely known as one of the most celebrated actors of our generation. He has starred in over 50 films, has been nominated for three Academy Awards and has won the Golden Globe, an Emmy, and an Obie, to name a few. What many people don’t know is he has built a parallel career as a serial entrepreneur. Today, Edward Norton is the Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at his fourth startup, Zeck, the company transforming board dynamics for thousands of corporate and nonprofit leaders. Previously, he co-founded Stax Engineering (emission capture as a service to shipping companies in California ports), EDO (advanced data science and machine learning for audience measurement in the media and advertising industries), and CrowdRise (a charitable fundraising platform that merged with GoFundMe to create the largest online charity platform in the world). Edward shares why he believes business-building is so similar to making movies, how his family taught him to address challenges that make a difference in his community, and why solving problems with friends is infinitely more rewarding than going solo.…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
How to Take Calculated Risks with Jenny Just of Peak6 32:19

לפני 35 weeks32:19

32:19

What does it take to become one of the few self-made billionaires in the US? According to the visionary business leader Jenny Just, it starts with a comfortability with taking risks. After just giving birth to her first child, Jenny took a risk and founded her first business, Peak6, in 1997. Peak6 began as a proprietary options trading firm and has since grown into a multibillion-dollar financial services and technology giant housing the next generation of products and service brands including PEAK6 Capital Management, PEAK6 Strategic Capital, Apex Fintech Solutions, PEAK6 InsurTech, and Zogo. On top of these achievements, Jenny also co-founded Poker Power—a company she launched with her daughter Juliette to teach poker and empower women to master the art of risk-taking. Jenny shares how stock rewards could address the persistent issue of financial literacy in our country, why she believes her repeated failures have led to invaluable lessons throughout her career, and how she continues to motivate herself three decades into her career.…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
How to Use Constraints to Your Advantage with Peter Beck of Rocket Lab 37:00

לפני 36 weeks37:00

37:00

How does an entrepreneur without a college degree manage to build a rocket company exploring life beyond earth? Just ask Peter Beck, the Founder, CEO and Chief Engineer of Rocket Lab, a Nasdaq-listed leading launch and space systems company. At an early age, Peter’s parents taught him that no ambition was too big. So he began building rockets, steadily increasing in their size and complexity. In 2006, Peter founded Rocket Lab and has since grown the company into a global organization of 1,800 employees, taking the business public in 2021 with a market cap north of $2.3B. Rocket Lab’s capabilities span the space economy and Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle has become the most successful small launch vehicle globally. Peter shares why he focused on credibility and capability in the early days of company building, how constraints ensure Rocket Lab doesn’t outspend its peers, and why he thinks some regulation is needed in the space industry.…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
Flashback: Why Data is the New Code with Alexandr Wang of Scale AI 34:39

לפני 37 weeks34:39

34:39

As a freshman at MIT, Alexandr was struck by his classmates' interest in AI. But he realized that despite all that AI technology could solve, there was no solution for managing AI-related data. So, at 19, he dropped out of college and started Scale AI. Scale now helps customers like Pinterest and Toyota accelerate the progress of AI and has grown to a valuation of $3.5B. Alexandr shares how AI is changing software development, why he believes in surrounding yourself with optimistic people, and how he learned to get comfortable with not being able to do everything at once. Original Air Date 04-7-2021…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
Flashback: Why Failure is a Path to Progress, with Will Ahmed of WHOOP 43:40

לפני 38 weeks43:40

43:40

As a D1 athlete, Will Ahmed became obsessed with the idea of recovery. How do you unlock human performance, and what data would you need to do so? This interest led to the creation of WHOOP, the next gen wearable technology. Will started WHOOP in 2012, immediately after graduating from Harvard College. Since then, he's raised over $100M in funding, saw 7x member growth in the last year alone, and has been worn by the likes of Lebron James and Michael Phelps. Will shares how the product was born out of his own over-training as an athlete, why he believes WHOOP is fundamentally a data company, and why the most important part of being a CEO is figuring out who to listen to—and when. Note: This episode was recorded in early March, just as the Covid-19 outbreak took hold of the U.S. Since then, WHOOP has been leveraging their data to aid in health research . Original Air Date: 4-16-2020…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
How to Question Everything with Ara Katz of Seed Health 33:10

לפני 39 weeks33:10

33:10

Ara Katz’s respect for the power of science began in high school when her mom was diagnosed with cancer. After founding her first business, Spring—the mobile commerce startup that helped launch Apple Pay on the iPhone—she set out on a new challenge: creating a consumer health company deeply rooted in science-backed research. Its mission? To lead the field of translating breakthrough science into innovations that impact every aspect of our health related to the microbiome. Founded in 2016, Seed Health is the microbiome science company pioneering innovations in probiotics and living medicines to impact human and planetary health. With 800%+ revenue growth in the last 3 years, Seed has quickly become one of the most trusted and beloved synbiotic brands on the market. Ara shares why she believes science isn’t finished until it's widely understood, how we have the power to significantly change health outcomes if we focus on the microbiome, and why her favorite interview question is: ‘When was the last time you cried?’.…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
How to Achieve Hospitality at Scale with Noah Glass of Olo 35:11

לפני 40 weeks35:11

35:11

What if restaurants were empowered to deliver a personalized experience each time a guest walks through the door? That’s the idea that underpins Olo, a leading open SaaS platform powering over 700 restaurant brands. Noah Glass founded Olo in 2005, drawing on his experience working from the ground up as a restaurant server, cashier, and delivery driver. Today, Olo is a publicly listed company empowering hospitality at scale. Noah shares how he convinced skeptical restaurant vets and customers that online ordering was the beginning of the future for restaurant tech, why he believes going public was the right idea for his business, and how he made the decision to drop out of HBS to pursue building Olo.…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
How to Strengthen your Mental Armor with Lindsey Vonn 31:46

לפני 41 weeks31:46

31:46

Growing up, Lindsey Vonn’s parents instilled two important lessons: her mom taught her the importance of finding positivity in every situation, and her dad taught her that any ambition is achievable with a clear plan and dedication. So, at the age of 9, she confidently stated her goal to become the greatest ski racer of all time. Her dad helped her write a 10-year plan to make it to the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. Today, she is one of the most decorated American ski racers in history and was the first American woman to win a gold medal in downhill at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Beyond ski racing, Lindsey is a NYT bestselling author, the founder of the Lindsey Vonn Foundation—a nonprofit championing girls through scholarships, education, and athletics—and the creative force behind Apres Productions. Lindsey’s career is a powerful lesson in a differentiated kind of entrepreneurship—one defined by grit, determination, and above all else, consistent work ethic. Lindsey shares how mental toughness is the bedrock of her success, why she views partnerships through a long term lens, and how growing up in a family of seven made her a hard worker at a young age.…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
How to Capitalize on Information Asymmetry with Andrew Lacy of Prenuvo 31:35

לפני 42 weeks31:35

31:35

Andrew Lacy first encountered whole-body imaging as a patient. In just one hour, he learned more about his health than the American healthcare system had taught him in his entire life. He wondered to himself: why isn’t this technology accessible for everyone everywhere? So he started Prenuvo, the company pioneering proactive whole-body imaging for the early detection of cancer and other diseases—with one 60-minute exam. Prenuvo leverages cutting-edge MRI hardware and software, advanced AI research, and the world's largest database of whole-body imaging to empower patients to proactively manage their health. Andrew shares why information asymmetry amongst physicians was the tipping point that convinced him to start his third entrepreneurial endeavor, how he approached customer acquisition in an entirely new healthcare category, and why he believes humility is a critical quality for repeat entrepreneurs.…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
Flashback: How to Lean Into the Impossible with David Rogier of MasterClass 28:21

לפני 43 weeks28:21

28:21

Growing up, David's grandmother instilled an important lesson: that the only thing someone can't take away from you is your education. So when a mentor of David's offered to back him as an entrepreneur, he decided to bring the joy back to education and build a school that everyone would want to attend. In 2015, he launched MasterClass, which now provides classes from 100+ of the world’s best practitioners (from Serena Williams to Martin Scorsese). MasterClass has grown into one of the largest online learning platforms in the world and was most recently valued at nearly $3 billion dollars. David shares why a childhood stutter impacted his entrepreneurial ambitions, why starting with the best teachers was critical to his business strategy, and the importance of getting two opinions (and no more) when making a hard decision. Orignal Air Date: 09-22-2021…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
Flashback: How to Adopt a Learner’s Mindset with Rachel Carlson of Guild Education 29:26

לפני 44 weeks29:26

29:26

What if workers could acquire new skills and training, without taking on debt? That’s the value Guild Education strives to provide. Guild Education unlocks opportunities for America’s workforce through education and upskilling and counts Fortune 500 companies (such as Chipotle, Disney, Walmart, and Taco Bell) among its partners. Since founding Guild in 2015, Rachel has scaled the business to reach working learners in all 50 states and has helped prevent over half a billion dollars in student debt. Rachel shares how COVID-19 has accelerated the future of work, why she decided to make Guild a Certified B Corporation instead of a nonprofit, and what she learned from working on political campaigns. Original Air Date: 07-07-2021…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
Flashback: How to Craft a Viral Product, with Ivan Zhao of Notion 36:48

לפני 45 weeks36:48

36:48

As we all strive to increase our productivity, it's no wonder that productivity startup Notion has taken off. Since co-founder and CEO Ivan Zhao launched a prototype a few years ago, Notion has gained a cult following of over one million users. With a team of less than 30 employees, the company has already achieved a sky-high valuation of $800M. Ivan shares his approach to democratizing software, why he believes engineers are the scribes of our time, and why he moved to Kyoto to reboot the company in its earliest days. Make sure to follow Ivan on social at @notionhq and @ivanhzhao. Orignal Air Date 11-20-19…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
Flashback: How to Put Kindness First with Sarah Friar of Nextdoor 32:59

לפני 46 weeks32:59

32:59

Do you know your neighbors? When Nextdoor was founded in 2008, 50% of Americans knew one or none of their neighbors. Fast-forward and Nextdoor now connects 81 million neighbors across 11 countries, building both digital and real-world connections. Sarah Friar joined Nextdoor as CEO in 2018 and took the company public in 2021 under the ticker symbol KIND. Sarah shares how her childhood in Northern Ireland during The Troubles gave her a lifelong belief in the local power of community, how Nextdoor leverages AI to encourage kindness on the platform, and why one of the company's biggest moments to date was bringing together 18 million people in person around the Queen's Jubilee. Original Air Date: 6-14-23…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
How to Understand your Users with Shivani Siroya of Tala 32:46

לפני 47 weeks32:46

32:46

Shivani Siroya started Tala not because she wanted to build a company, but because one problem consumed her thoughts: 4 billion people were excluded from the traditional banking system and lacked access to essential financial tools to help them use, protect, and grow their money. After conducting over 3,500 interviews with micro-entrepreneurs globally during her time at the UN Population Fund, she witnessed firsthand the vast purchasing power overlooked by traditional financial institutions. So in 2011, she founded Tala, the first holistic financial platform designed uniquely for the global majority. Today, Tala is responsible for originating over $5 billion in credit access to a population that was previously blocked from traditional banking resources. Shivani shares how she reimagined traditional credit underwriting to serve a new population, why user experience needs to be at the heart of product development, and how Tala gained the trust of a population that was traditionally turned away.…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
How to Disrupt a Trillion-Dollar Industry with Paul Monasterio of Kalepa 26:50

לפני 48 weeks26:50

26:50

What does it take to disrupt a trillion-dollar industry? According to Paul Monasterio, Co-Founder and CEO of Kalepa, it starts with a fresh outsider’s perspective. In 2018, Paul launched Kalepa with its flagship product, an AI-powered copilot empowering commercial underwriters to write more profitable business, faster. And just a few years in, Kalepa has been recognized as one of the most innovative insurtechs in the world by FinTech Global. Paul shares why he believes insurance is the safety net that propels the world’s growth, how AI will enhance—not overtake—underwriters’ abilities to evolve with an increasingly complex world, and why a product demo should be used to create real value for potential customers.…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
How to Own the Problem with Hari Ravichandran of Aura 30:17

לפני 49 weeks30:17

30:17

When serial entrepreneur Hari Ravichandran discovered that his credit score had taken a hit due to identity fraud, he realized that consumers were facing an increasing burden to protect their digital safety—and there wasn’t an existing product that provided a holistic solution. So, as an engineer by training and an entrepreneur by nature, he set out to solve this problem for consumers. In 2017, he founded Aura, the company dedicated to simplifying digital security for families. The business has since scaled to over one million users worldwide with celebrity-backers such as Robert Downey Jr. Before Aura, Hari was the Founder and CEO of Endurance International Group, a publicly-traded global hosting and email marketing company, valued at $3.5 billion with more than 3,500 employees worldwide. Hari shares the astounding data that children are spending nearly 50% of their waking hours in the digital world, why a frictionless product experience was crucial to their go-to-market strategy, and how Aura is leveraging AI to protect families in an increasingly risky digital world.…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
How to Harness the Power of Curiosity with Trevor Martin of Mammoth Biosciences 33:17

לפני 50 weeks33:17

33:17

While Trevor Martin was an undergraduate at Princeton, he decided on a whim to take a class called Integrated Science, a course dedicated to encouraging students gifted in physics, math, or computer science to pursue an academic focus in biology. Unbeknownst to him, this class would end up being the catalyst that led him to his successful career as a biotech entrepreneur. After receiving his PhD from Stanford in 2017, Trevor founded Mammoth Biosciences, the platform revolutionizing CRISPR-based synthetic biology products across therapeutics and diagnostics, with the ultimate mission of finding permanent cures for diseases. Trevor shares his favorite mantra: “Let others say no,” how biotechs need to strike the right balance between commercializing their products and researching the next generation of products, and why Mammoth’s go-to-market strategy facilitates the flywheel needed to build a generational business.…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
How to Prepare for the Future of AI-Workers with Nami Baral of Niural 30:19

לפני 51 weeks30:19

30:19

As the world of work becomes increasingly global, how can technology fuel the transfer of funds around the world? In 2022, Nami Baral started Niural, on a mission to build a generational product that enables businesses to manage payroll, HR, benefits, payments and compliance in 150+ countries—all in one powerful system. Nami is no stranger to leveraging AI in financial services. Prior to Niural, Nami founded Harvest, a fintech company that built the first AI superagent to reduce debt for American consumers. Harvest was acquired by Acorns in 2021. Nami shares how her upbringing in Nepal taught her that dreams should have no ceilings, why she is focused on building a product 100x more useful than the competition, and how she cultivates employees that work like owners.…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
How to Build Conviction with Jett McCandless of project44 30:44

לפני 1 year30:44

30:44

From selling everything he owned to meet payroll to achieving a $2.7 billion valuation, Jett McCandless' journey with leading logistics company—project44—has been a story of grit and determination. Founded in 2014, project44 now operates the world's most trusted end-to-end visibility platform that tracks more than 1 billion shipments annually for over 1,300 of the world’s leading brands across 170+ countries. Jet shares how global supply chains could be weaponized amidst an increasingly hostile geopolitical climate, why communication, accountability, and resourcefulness are non-negotiables when it comes to hiring, and how a $120 donation changed the trajectory of his life.…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
How to Go Slow to Go Fast with Sami Inkinen of Virta Health 31:24

לפני 1 year31:24

31:24

Growing up on a farm in Finland and training as a physicist, the path to entrepreneurship might not have been an obvious one for Sami Inkinen. But to date, he has founded two companies: Trulia, the online real estate marketplace that IPOed and eventually sold to Zillow Group in 2015, and Virta Health, the modern healthcare solution on a mission to reverse type 2 diabetes in 100 million people. If that weren’t enough, Sami is an endurance athlete who has completed seven ironmans and set a record for rowing 2,750 miles from California to Hawaii to raise awareness about the dangers of the American diet. Sami shares how a personal health scare motivated him to launch his second company, how leaders must get comfortable making decisions with the absence of perfect information, and why going slow actually allows you to go fast when building a company.…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
How to Raise Powerful Girls with Jes Wolfe of Rebel Girls 28:34

לפני 1 year28:34

28:34

When Jes Wolfe was in highschool her dad and grandfather taught her how to invest. Fast forward to today, Jes contributes much of her success to that early encouragement that she belonged, and in fact, had a knack for business. After more than a decade of various finance and strategy roles, she set out on a new challenge as CEO of Rebel Girls: raise the most confident and inspired generation of girls the world has ever seen. With Jes at the helm, Rebel Girls’ mission is to reach 100 million girls by 2030. Jess shares how she navigated a new role as CEO during the height of the pandemic, why she thinks control is an illusion, and how the Rebel Girls community inspired her to disrupt the antiquated world of publishing.…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
How to Balance Vision and Timing with Naveen Rao of MosaicML 29:42

לפני 1 year29:42

29:42

Armed with a PhD in computational neuroscience, Naveen Rao has built not one, but two, AI companies at the forefront of his field. In 2014, he started deep learning company Nervana Systems, which was acquired by Intel. And in 2020, he started MosaicML to enable developers to maintain full control over the AI models they build. Just last year, Databricks acquired MosaicML in a $1.3 billion dollar transaction. Naveen shares his framework for evaluating an exit opportunity, how his parents' immigration to the United States shaped his perspective on risk-taking, and his insights into the plausibility of autonomous robots transcending science fiction.…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
How to Reimagine the Entrepreneur's Playbook with Melissa Bernstein of Lifelines 31:17

לפני 1 year31:17

31:17

There are a special few founders whose contributions are so prolific that they are better known as inventors. Melissa Bernstein is one of those founders. She spent 30 years at the helm of iconic toy company, Melissa & Doug, where she designed over 5,000 innovative products for children of all ages and sold billions of dollars of toys around the world. Having been bit by the bug of a mission a second time around, she is now Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Lifelines, reinventing well-being products for adults and helping them strengthen their resilience, spark joy and creativity, and unlock their full potential. Melissa shares how you truly know when you have a breakout product, why sometimes being rebellious is the key to your go-to-market strategy, and why creativity is inextricably linked to a beginner's mindset.…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
Introducing For Starters with Alexa Von Tobel 0:47

לפני 1 year0:47

0:47

After five seasons, sometimes a rebrand is in order. Join host and repeat entrepreneur Alexa Von Tobel for a new season of podcasts with a new title: What was The Founders Project is now For Starters with Alexa von Tobel . You can expect the same deep-dive into the journey of being a founder, from future insights to "pinch me" moments to big wins. Join us each Wednesday. New episodes start on April 3. And if you haven’t already, subscribe on your podcast platform of choice. See you there!…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
How to Build a Differentiated Product with Shiza Shahid of Our Place 32:23

לפני 1 year32:23

32:23

Shiza's career path has been one of pivots: she went from a childhood in Pakistan to college at Stanford. Post-college, she started off at McKinsey, but left for the non-profit world, co-founded the Malala Fund with Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai. And then in 2019, she co-founded Our Place,a mission-driven startup reimagining kitchenware for the modern, multiethnic, global kitchen. Our Place’s designs have resulted in more than 140 patents, waitlists of over 30,000 people and more than 1000 press headlines. The iconic Always Pan has sold out more than 30 times. Shiza shares how learning to cook led her to reimagine the kitchenware industry, how she persevered past 100 investor rejections, and why we often think opportunities are riskier than they are.…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
How to Create a Beloved Consumer Brand with Andrew Dudum of Hims and Hers 31:56

לפני 1 year31:56

31:56

As the co-founder of Atomic, a venture fund that builds new companies, Andrew was no stranger to being a founder. But starting Hims in 2017 proved to be his biggest swing yet. He launched Hims to tackle the largest industry in the country that had not yet been touched by modern technology: healthcare. Today, Hims and Hers is a leading consumer health platform powering nearly 9 million medical visits and enabling access for millions of people to a broad range of care, including for mental health, sexual health, and dermatology. Just four years after launching, $HIMS debuted on the New York Stock Exchange. Andrew shares how it felt to get 500 sign-ups in the first week, why it's never been harder to build a brand, and how his time as a concert cellist (playing Carnegie Hall) taught him about accountability.…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
How to Be Forward-Thinking with Greg Williams of Acrisure 29:06

לפני 1 year29:06

29:06

What does it take to build the fastest-growing insurance brokerage in industry history? According to Greg Williams, it’s all about thinking three to four years ahead. When he cofounded Acrisure in 2005, he initially questioned the need for another insurance broker. Yet, by bringing his vision of the future into the day-to-day, Acrisure is now the sixth-largest insurance broker globally and the largest independent real estate services company in America. By providing customers with intelligence-driven financial services solutions, Acrisure combines the best of human capabilities with the best of technological capabilities, and is valued at more than $20B. Greg shares why highly successful people think differently, why he’s bullish on proprietary chatbots, and why he focuses heavily on vision and culture.…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
How to Adapt Beyond Your Vision with Grant LaFontaine of Whatnot 28:44

לפני 1 year28:44

28:44

What does it take to start one of the fastest-growing consumer marketplaces? According to repeat founder Grant LaFontaine, it starts with an open mind. When he and his co-founder Logan Head launched Whatnot in 2019, they went into it know that their starting place and ending place would be completely different. The team opted to be customer-centric instead of vision-driven. Today, Whatnot is a live shopping marketplace that enables anyone to turn their passion into a business. Whatnot is like Twitch-meets-eBay and was most recently valued at $3.7B. Grant shares why they started building with a niche community (Funko Pop collectors), why creativity is vital for consumer startups, and why this generation of shoppers cares about authenticity.…

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel

1
How to Keep Moving Forward with Jim McCann of 1-800-Flowers.com 32:06

לפני 1 year32:06

32:06

In 1976, Jim McCann had spent a decade working in a group home for boys and was bartending on the side. A customer at the bar gave him a tip that there was an opportunity to buy a flower shop for $10,000. Jim took the leap and turned that single flower shop on Manhattan's East Side into a billion-dollar omni-channel retailer. He grew store by store, turning on a franchise model, expanding into new gifting categories (from The Popcorn Factory to Harry & David). Through it all, Jim had a knack for adopting new technologies ahead of other retailers. Jim shares where the company's iconic name comes from, how he positioned the company to become the first merchant of any kind on AOL, and why the best way to solve a problem is with a pen and a pad of paper.…

ברוכים הבאים אל Player FM!

Player FM סורק את האינטרנט עבור פודקאסטים באיכות גבוהה בשבילכם כדי שתהנו מהם כרגע. זה יישום הפודקאסט הטוב ביותר והוא עובד על אנדרואיד, iPhone ואינטרנט. הירשמו לסנכרון מנויים במכשירים שונים.

תקשיבו ל-500+ נושאים

18 subscribers

דומה לFor Starters with Alexa von Tobel

Amazon Basics Multipurpose Copy Printer Paper, 8.5 x 11 inches, 20 lb, 1 Ream, 500 Sheets, 92 Bright, White

The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't Stop Talking About

Nespresso Capsules Vertuo, Variety Pack, Medium and Dark Roast Coffee, 30 Count Coffee Pods, Brews 7.8 oz.

פודקאסטים ששווה להאזין

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel « » How to Rewrite the Rules of Media with Chris Best of Substack

How to Rewrite the Rules of Media with Chris Best of Substack

פודקאסטים ששווה להאזין

ברוכים הבאים אל Player FM!

Bounty Quick Size Paper Towels, White, 8 Family Rolls = 20 Regular Rolls (Packaging May Vary)

The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't Stop Talking About

Bounty Paper Towels Quick Size, White, 16 Family Rolls = 40 Regular Rolls (Packaging May Vary)

דומה לFor Starters with Alexa von Tobel

מדריך עזר מהיר

For Starters with Alexa von Tobel « »
How to Rewrite the Rules of Media with Chris Best of Substack