There are not many interviews where Nathan Chan is speechless, but this is one of them. If you want to learn how to find product market fit, build a successful team, and create a lasting business, then Uri Levine has the map. Levine is the co-founder of two unicorn startups–Waze and Moovit. He’s been a founder, investor, and chairman for more than ten successful startups focusing on solving big problems. His new book “Fall In Love with the Problem, Not the Solution-a Handbook for Entrepreneurs” ...
Jul 14, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 468
Manuel Mueller started his first mattress company when he was 19 years old, and since then, he has never stopped iterating to create the perfect mattress. In 2013, he launched sleepwear company Emma, one of Europe’s fastest-growing sleep innovation companies, with mattresses, beds, and pillows sold in over 30 countries to 4 million customers. Learn the marketing strategies and mindset that allowed Emma to endure the DTC mattresses boom and continually have 30% year-over-year growth. Listen to Na...
Jul 07, 2023•44 min•Ep. 467
Ali Ghosdi was a reluctant founder. He planned to become an academic researcher and professor, not lead a successful tech startup. In 2013, alongside six other co-founders, Ghosdi helped build an open-source data product called Apache Spark, a best-of-breed future predicting code. The research project eventually became a business called Databricks. In 2016, he was picked as CEO and helped transform the open-source startup into a technology enterprise with a $38 billion valuation. Databricks boas...
Jun 30, 2023•50 min•Ep. 466
If your business or brand has a podcast, listen up. In this episode, we’re diving into the current state of podcasting with Max Cutler, Parcast founder, Spotify’s former head of talk creator content, and The Hollywood Reporter’s most powerful people in podcasting. Cutler became a podcast pioneer when he bootstrapped his true crime network, which sold to Spotify in 2019 for $100 million according to the Financial Times . As a Spotify executive, he signed and produced the most popular podcasting p...
Jun 23, 2023•49 min•Ep. 465
Michelle Zatlyn and her co-founders were outsiders when they moved to Silicon Valley to launch their web security startup. It was 2009, in the middle of a recession, but the team knew their visceral early-user feedback validated the need to be bold. In 2010, Cloudflare launched its first freemium product and hasn’t looked back. Today, Cloudflare has four million customers worldwide, surpassed a $1 billion revenue run rate, and employs 3,200 team members. Zatlyn currently serves as the publicly t...
Jun 17, 2023•58 min•Ep. 464
Since 2006, Immad Akhund has been investing in and building startups. But he always struggled with working with traditional banks to run his startups, especially as a non-US resident. He figured someone else would solve it, but the issue was still on the table by the time he exited his fourth startup in 2017. So, he launched Mercury, a bank for startups that now is a fintech unicorn valued at $1.62 billion. On the side, Akhund also is an angel investor of 240-plus startups, many of which are uni...
Jun 09, 2023•44 min•Ep. 463
Your first product won’t always be your best seller. Jessica Rolph’s organic baby food business Happy Family Organics failed twice before finding product market fit and scaling from $0 to $63M in sales. After exiting HappyFamily in 2016, Rolph launched Lovevery, a subscription brand that sells early-childhood development play kits and solutions. Lovevery has 300,000+ active subscribers and has been named one of Fast Company’s “World’s Most Innovative Companies.” Listen to Nathan and Jessica disc...
Jun 02, 2023•58 min•Ep. 462
Adrian Grenier was a rebellious artist before he was known for his acting roles in Entourage, Devil Wears Prada , and Clickbait . Now he’s a rebellious entrepreneur, investor, and activist. Learn how Grenier’s disenchantment with fame and wealth led him to start and support social impact businesses through DuContra Ventures and Earth Speed Media with co-founder and co-CEO Bia Carminati. Listen to Nathan and Adrian discuss: His trajectory from punk rebel artist to movie star How mortality drives ...
May 26, 2023•40 min•Ep. 460
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
