For ten years, we've interviewed hundreds of elite entrepreneurs who’ve started and grown the world's most successful businesses. The reason we connect with these dynamic founders is to break down their wisdom, experience, and inspirational stories to help accelerate your growth as an entrepreneur. In this episode of The Foundr Podcast , we're instead sharing the stories of everyday founders like you who are students in our foundr+ community. Foundr+ is our comprehensive platform designed to equ...
May 19, 2023•41 min•Ep. 460
Partnerships can be tricky, especially when you’re starting a business. For Jean Oelwang, creating meaningful partnerships has been her focus for nearly 30 years. Oelwang is the founding CEO and President of Virgin Unite, an entrepreneurial foundation that builds collectives, incubates ideas, and re-invents systems for a better world. She’s worked with partners like Richard Branson and Peter Gabriel, Archbishop Desmond and Leah Tutu, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, Ben and Jerry, and the co-founder...
May 12, 2023•58 min•Ep. 459
David Lester learned a lot from his first venture. After spending a decade in the beverage marketing industry, he teamed up with his co-founder Ben Goodwin to work on formulating a soda that’s good for you. After three years, they sold their first business but didn’t feel they’d gotten the product correct. So, they returned to their research for two years and discovered the right product market fit. In 2016, Lester and Goodwin launched OLIPOP PBC–a new kind of soda with the benefits of plant-bas...
May 05, 2023•52 min•Ep. 458
David Shein was an entrepreneur before it was in vogue. For over three decades, he’s founded, mentored, and invested in exceptional startups. He sold his first company, COMTECH, for over $1 billion–arguably Australia’s first tech unicorn. In 2021, he published his first book, The Dumbest Guy at the Table: How I Founded Australia’s First Unicorn , drawing on his experience and providing valuable advice to anyone looking to start a company. Listen to Nathan and David discuss: Leaving a stable job ...
Apr 28, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 457
Jim McKelvey was a glassblower when he created the idea for the payment platform Square (now Block, Inc.). He was furious that he couldn’t accept certain credit cards as an artist and contacted a former colleague and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey to solve the problem. What took three weeks to build became a three-year journey of creating Square into a banking disruptor inspired by McKelvey’s frustrations. In the 15 years since McKelvey teamed up with Dorsey, Square has grown into a billion-doll...
Apr 21, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 456
Kirin Sinha never wanted to run a startup. She was on a secure path in academics when her research into augmented reality (AR) showed her a vision of the future. So, at 25 years old, Sinha launched Illumix, an AR technology and media company focused on developing immersive experiences for mobile. To date, Illumix has secured $31M in venture capital funding, including investment from acclaimed director Michael Bay. In this episode, you’ll learn how to invest in the metaverse and lead a business w...
Apr 14, 2023•49 min•Ep. 455
Have you felt the pain yet? Eventually, all founders face a battle with burnout or anxiety. So, where do you go when the momentum is drained? How do you stop treading water every day? In this episode, Nathan Chan and Dan Martell open up about the pain they’ve experienced trying to build successful businesses. Martell is an entrepreneur, angel investor, thought leader, and founder of SaaS Academy, the No. 1 coaching program for SaaS companies. He’ll teach you healthy strategies from his new book ...
Apr 07, 2023•55 min•Ep. 453
Roland Peralta was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2010. So, he researched a botanical that could keep his symptoms at bay and inadvertently improved his hair quality. Over dinner, future co-founder and friend Giorgos Tseti shared his hair loss struggles and that he was looking for an organic solution. Their initial research turned into a 10-year relationship that’s built Nutrafol into the #1 dermatology-recommended hair growth supplement in America. Listen to Nathan and Roland discuss: T...
Mar 31, 2023•46 min•Ep. 453
How can you build a sustainability-driven business? By solving a global problem. Jordy and Julia Kay’s former careers in winemaking and architecture led to recognizing plastic waste’s impact on the planet. In 2019, the couple launched Great Wrap, working with Monash University to create the only compostable stretch wrap made from food waste. In 2022, they received $24 million in series A funding to help reach their 10-year vision of a world where plastic doesn’t exist. Listen to Nathan discuss w...
Mar 24, 2023•59 min•Ep. 452
Ten years ago, Nathan Chan started Foundr Magazine to discover what it takes to build a successful business. A decade on, he’s learned the sacrifice, victories, and obstacles that it takes to create a company of value for a global community of students. In this special episode, foundr ’s contributing editor, Luke Ferris, puts Chan on the hot seat to reflect on the 10-year anniversary of foundr . Listen to Luke and Nathan discuss: Nathan’s childhood and first jobs The origins of foundr Discoverin...
Mar 17, 2023•57 min•Ep. 451
Kathryn Finney started her first business at age nine, selling friendship bracelets to her older brother’s friends. She’s a Yale graduate and started and exited multiple media companies, including her groundbreaking The Budget Fashionista. Even with her resume of accolades, Finney faced prejudice in the startup world just because of her gender and race. So in 2020, she used her two decades of entrepreneurship experience to start Genius Guild. This venture fund invests in black entrepreneurs buil...
Mar 10, 2023•43 min•Ep. 450
Jess Hatzis is the co-founder of frank body, the world's leading coffee-based skincare company, and ad agency Willow & Blake. In 10 years, Jess has built frank body from “that brand on Instagram” to a global beauty brand with over 6 million customers. Learn the origins of the #frankeffect brand voice, starting a business with friends, and shifting from ecommerce to retail. Listen to Nathan and Jess discuss: Quitting her job and starting Willow & Blake with her best friend Starting frank ...
Mar 03, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 446
Brian Littlefield is the co-founder and chief product officer of JOCKO FUEL, which creates nutritional supplements and beverages in partnership with retired Navy SEAL Jocko Willink. Littlefield and his business partner first met Jocko through their business, Origin US, which was planning to launch a line of health supplements. Jocko wanted in. Learn how Littlefield led the product development process and created a standout supplement business around Willink’s powerful personal brand. Listen to N...
Feb 24, 2023•51 min•Ep. 448
Suneera Madhani is the CEO and founder of the all-in-platform transaction platform Stax. She’s listed on Fortune’s prestigious 40 Under 40 list, a recipient of EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year award, and host of CEO School , a top 25 entrepreneur podcast with a 300,000 female-listener community. Last year, Stax became a unicorn startup with a billion-dollar valuation. But for Madhani, it’s not about milestones–it’s the journey. Learn about her incredible journey from the daughter of immigrants to a...
Feb 17, 2023•55 min•Ep. 447
Is advertising spending sucking your business dry? Ronnie Teja knows the feeling. He is a self-taught digital marketer, entrepreneur, and founder of Branzio watches. In 2018, Teja lost $2 million because of a freeze on his advertising accounts. So, he quickly learned to divest his business and developed an organic SEO framework that, within 2 years, boosted website visitors from zero to 2 million per month. Listen to Nathan and Ronnie discuss: From picking blueberries to the managing ad campaign...
Feb 10, 2023•46 min•Ep. 446
Leadership doesn’t have to be complicated. Garie Dooley has over 15 years of experience helping founders and business leaders build phenomenal teams. After a career in education and corporate leadership, Garie discovered his passion for creating environments with high levels of trust and clarity of purpose that deliver sustainable success. He’s worked with Amazon, Redcape, Cricket NSW, AFL clubs, Foxtel, Johnson and Johnson, and our team at foundr. So if you’re looking for strategies to move you...
Feb 03, 2023•51 min•Ep. 445
Aaron DeBevoise used to count YouTube views by hand. Now he’s helping creators like Mr. Beast, Dude Perfect, and Jordan Matter have the financial freedom to grow their businesses. After a disappointing start to his career in investment banking, DeBevoise launched the programming brand Machinima during the early days of YouTube. In 8 years, he grew Machinima into one of the most successful gamer channels on the platform. But he saw an opportunity to help creators become enterprises, so in 2019, h...
Jan 27, 2023•56 min•Ep. 444
Meet the business behind the name. In 2009, Simon Sinek gave a TED Talk that has since become one of the most-watched videos of all time on TED.com, with 37 million plus views. His talk spurred NY Times best-selling books, speaking engagements, consulting gigs with globally-recognized brands, a podcast, a publishing arm, and viral quotes shared across social media. And it all started with the question– why? Listen to Nathan and Simon discuss: What he learned from growing up internationally Why h...
Jan 20, 2023•44 min•Ep. 443
After running a small cafe chain for over a decade, Abigail Forsyth experienced firsthand the amount of packaging waste used in the food and beverage industry. So, in 2008 she co-founded KeepCup and created the world’s first barista standard reusable cup. In the last 15 years, she built KeepUp into a multi-million dollar brand with reusable cups and bottles sold in 65 countries worldwide. Learn how she’s built a mission-driven business and adapted to the changing nature of sustainable products. ...
Jan 12, 2023•56 min•Ep. 442
Do you want to be a great leader? Do you want to build life-changing relationships with your team, customers, and colleagues? Then this is the episode for you. Dr. Adam Bandelli is a business psychologist whose childhood love for athletics motivated him to study great teams and leaders. After earning his doctorate in industrial-organizational psychology, he spent 15 years consulting on succession plans, working with boards, and coaching CEOs. Then he started a firm in 2015 called Bandelli & ...
Jan 06, 2023•39 min
This past year, we've interviewed our most diverse selection of founders ever. So, as a special year-end treat, we're bringing together their best lessons, stories, and business advice in one final episode for 2022. In this special episode, you'll hear valuable insights from: Reid Hoffman and his learning experience with the PayPal mafia. Emma Grede on developing SKIMS, Good American, and Safely. Marc Lore and how he built a billion-dollar business in less than two years. Scooter Braun on discov...
Dec 23, 2022•32 min•Ep. 440
Josh Reeves and his fellow co-founders wanted to tackle a problem they could spend decades fixing. But they didn’t want to solve something for Silicon Valley–it had to affect the masses. In Reeves’ experience, the hassle of setting up payroll and benefits was the problem to tackle. So, in 2011, the three Ph.D. dropouts spent a year building a payroll system that eventually became Gusto, a modern, online people platform that helps small businesses take care of their teams. On top of full-service ...
Dec 14, 2022•44 min•Ep. 439
Mowbray is the co-founder of ZURU Toy Co., ZURU Edge, ZURU Tech, and Rhodes Pet Science. In 2018, he was named Entrepreneur of the Year in his home country, New Zealand, and he’s listed in the World Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. He and his siblings, co-founders Mat and Anna, are worth more than $3 billion, while the company revenue was north of $2 billion AUD in 2022. Despite their success, the siblings didn’t go into the toy business with a deep knowledge of business or manufacturing. In fact, the...
Dec 10, 2022•57 min•Ep. 438
Sourcing specialist Kian Golzari returns to the podcast to discuss how to develop a product from research to launch. Golzari is one of the world’s top sourcing experts. He has manufactured products for top companies and NGOs, including Tesco, the United Nations, the 2012 Olympics, Google, and more. In all, he’s sourced more than 2,500 products and works with 100 of the top sellers on Amazon. Listen to Nathan and Kian discuss: Branding vs selling Choosing a customer avatar Researching the competi...
Nov 30, 2022•47 min•Ep. 437
If you don’t know Mike Evans, you’ve probably used his first business when the craving for takeout hits you on a Saturday night. Evans started GrubHub in 2002 as a hobby and built it into one of the largest food delivery companies in the US, going public on the stock exchange in 2014. After exiting GrubHub, Evans took a break until he felt the pull to start a business that could benefit a community and customer base. In 2017, he started, Fixer, a “right now" home repair service that offers super...
Nov 23, 2022•48 min•Ep. 436
If you've hosted a webinar or live event that fell flat, then this episode is for you. Casey Zeman is the CEO and founder of EasyWebinar, a live-stream platform and marketing automation tool. As a former actor and mortgage broker, Zeman was fed up with having little control over his success. So with the encouragement of a friend, he became a video marketing consultant focusing on YouTube. His work as a consultant tapped into the capability of live videos and webinars as a sales tool. So, in 2015...
Nov 18, 2022•52 min•Ep. 435
Following a 20-year career in media, Trinny Woodall established herself as the expert in all things style, skincare, and makeup. Inspired by her unique design of stackable makeup pots, she established Trinny London in 2017 with the mission to give everyone the tools they need to feel their best. In this episode, Trinny shares her experience in product development, funding, personal branding, and how to develop a diehard fan base and community. Listen to Nathan and Trinny discuss: One of her earl...
Nov 10, 2022•59 min•Ep. 434
After graduating from Harvard Business School alongside future tech giants like Mark Zuckerberg, Magnus Grimeland traveled the world as a consultant for McKinsey. After exploring Southeast Asia, he decided to lay down roots and leverage the region's enormous business potential. From 2013-2017, Grimeland built ZALORA into Southeast Asia's largest fashion ecommerce business. Now, he's supporting fellow founders through his latest business, Antler, a global early-stage venture capital firm that inv...
Nov 07, 2022•48 min•Ep. 433
Some might say Alex Bouaziz, cofounder and CEO of Deel, was simply in the right place at the right time. Deel, an international payroll, compliance, and HR solution, launched in 2019 and, by May 2020, raised $14M in funding. Currently, they have 8000 customers worldwide, including Dropbox, Airtable, and Shopify. But good timing will only get you so far. To launch and grow a company as successful as Deel takes leadership with a clear mission and a solid infrastructure. The idea was simple: Create...
Oct 28, 2022•43 min
At 24, Guy Pearson turned down a partnership to start an accounting firm. His early clients were digital companies, and Pearson was jealous that there wasn’t an online commerce system for his industry. So in 2013, he launched a new company called Ignition to simplify and speed up the transaction process for professionals like him. To date, Ignition helped facilitate more than 1M client engagements and over $2B in client payments. Ignition has offices in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Philippine...
Oct 26, 2022•52 min
