The Startup Ideas Podcast - podcast cover

The Startup Ideas Podcast

Greg Isenbergwww.gregisenberg.com
Get your creative juices flowing with The Startup Ideas Podcast. Published twice a week, we bring you free startup ideas to inspire your next venture. Hosted by Greg Isenberg, CEO of Late Checkout and former advisor to Reddit and TikTok. Subscribe so you don't miss out. For more startup ideas, we created a database of 30+ startup ideas you can take at https://gregisenberg.com/30startupideas

Episodes

Predicting the Future of Web3

Web 3.0 is the future, ready or not; are you? In today’s episode, we explain how Twitter increases earning & job potential, the ways Web 3 is revolutionizing the fitness and insurance industries, and why young people need to follow their interests and then double down. Hosts Sahil Bloom and Greg Isenberg are joined by guest Gaby Goldberg, who has become a pioneer in crypto, an expert in Web 3, and one of the earliest investors in The Chernin Group (TCG), all by the age of 23. Today Gaby shar...

Jun 17, 20221 hr 7 minEp. 36

Building From Scratch with Ryan Hoover

Do you trust your gut? In today’s episode, we explore how the world's most disruptive innovations begin with just one small insight, share why successful founders need to embrace their niche, and why the best products & brands always seem obvious in hindsight. Hosts Sahil Bloom and Greg Isenberg are joined by Ryan Hoover, the builder who gave us Product Hunt and now runs Weekend Fund, an early-stage VC committed to “backing your next favorite thing.” Ryan is a serial entrepreneur and deep th...

Jun 10, 20221 hr 7 minEp. 35

How to Invent and Invest In the Future with Josh Wolfe

The best way to predict the future is to help invent it. That's exactly what today's guest is doing as the founder and managing director of Lux Capital, where he invests in emerging science and technology ventures at the outermost edges of what is possible. Josh Wolfe (@wolfejosh), renowned Forbes journalist and visionary thinker, joins us on the show to share why we should question everything, how modern stressors differ from those our ancestors faced, the 3 important "M's" in life, and some fu...

Jun 02, 20221 hr 8 minEp. 34

$30M by Age 19 — And Where You Should Build Today

Are you a founder at heart but afraid to act? Today we explore how to build a scalable venture, the best way to create arbitrage in the market, and why the time is now to start your start-up. Hosts Sahil Bloom and Greg Isenberg are joined by Val Kateyev, an immigrant turned serial entrepreneur who built his first company to $30M, all before his 20th birthday and from his parent's basement. Val offers his personal insight into how technology has expedited the timeline of creating a company, the i...

May 26, 20221 hr 14 minEp. 33

Why You Need A Digital Detox with Andrew Wilkinson

Does dopamine have you hooked on tech? If you find yourself unable to put down the phone, it may be time for a detox. Entrepreneur and investor Andrew Wilkinson walks us through his personal addiction and how getting off the grid for a technological rehab helped him bring back his inner fire. Andrew is a father, original thinker, and co-founder of Tiny, a not so tiny company that buys internet businesses. He joins hosts Sahil Bloom and Greg Isenberg to explore creative boredom, original thinking...

May 19, 20221 hr 7 minEp. 32

Are We Alone In The Universe? (with Tim Urban)

Do advanced civilizations exist? Can psychedelics help us better understand ourselves? What goes on in Elon's mind? Can one episode answer all of these questions? When Tim Urban is the guest that's exactly what happens. Tim is an incredible writer known for his blog, Wait But Why, which has gained the respect of some of the world's brightest minds, including Elon Musk. He joins host Sahil Bloom to help answer many deep questions, including evidence that explains our place in the universe. SPECIA...

May 12, 20221 hr 14 minEp. 31

Why You Should Start a Business For Older Adults

There’s a giant opportunity in helping older adults live a more vibrant, empowering life throughout their later years. Today we’re joined by John Zapolski, the founder and CEO of Alive Ventures, to better understand that opportunity. John is dedicated to building products and services that cater to older adults, and has developed a co-design system that allows them to be part of the process. On this episode we cover the future of smart wallets, Bing’s search engine, Greg’s security deposit busin...

May 05, 20221 hr 18 minEp. 30

Elon's Twitter Takeover and The Future of Social Media with Sriram Krishnan

What does the future of Twitter look like as it transitions to a private company? Sriram Krishnan joined us on the pod to explore that question. Sriram is a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz and host of "The Good Time Show.” With a focus on investing in crypto and web3, he brings a unique perspective to help us understand the shifting social media landscape. In this episode, we also cover the crashing stock market, Aku World’s $33 million mistake, and receive valuable advice from our guest ...

May 03, 20221 hr 17 minEp. 29

How To Invest Like An Optimist With Morgan Housel

Morgan Housel ( @morganhouse l) sits down with host Sahil Bloom for a deep dive on money and success. Morgan shares the powerful story of how he went from a 20-year-old with an 8th-grade education to a distinguished writer and partner at The Collaborative Fund. We also cover humility, independence, and insecurity. Three assets that have helped drive Morgan's success, as well as financial caution and the importance of over-preparedness. ►► Want more community? Learn more here: http://trwih.com TH...

Apr 28, 20221 hr 6 minEp. 28

From Community Manager to C-Suite | Jiho, Axie Infinity

Today's guest shows the power of community by sharing a personal story of how Discord changed the trajectory of his life. Jiho (@Jihoz_Axie), the Co-Founder of Axie Infinity, tells the story of how he went from community manager to C-Level Executive at Axie Infinity. As the co-founder of one of the most successful play-to-earn games to date, Jiho has tons of knowledge about NFTs and video games. He joins us on the pod to discuss the player-owned economy, the new GDP, and the value of crypto mone...

Apr 21, 202255 minEp. 27

How to Leverage Nostalgia and Win at Marketing with Danny Trinh

Brand storytelling is the future of marketing. In today’s digital society, businesses need to get creative to connect with their audience and truly pull at their heartstrings. Danny Trinh (@dtrinh), Design, New Platforms at Snap and consumer social legend, is our go-to guy when it comes to understanding social behavior. Danny joins us today for a fun conversation that takes us from Mike Posner’s crazy rattlesnake story to degenerate hackers, consumer hype cycles, consumer nostalgia, and the impo...

Apr 14, 20221 hr 2 minEp. 26

Common Traits of Legends with Ndamukong Suh

In this episode we dive deep on the Terra LUNA Ponzi debate, then bring in guest Ndamukong Suh to pick his brain on lessons from his multifaceted career. Ndamukong began his career as a Nebraska football player and has gone on to play in the NFL, where he is one of the highest-paid defensive players in NFL history. He is also an investor, engineer, developer, entrepreneur, and father. Known for his aggressive style of play, Ndamukong explains his relationships with his competitors and how his pe...

Apr 07, 202258 minEp. 25

The Future of Gaming With Ryan Wyatt

What does the future of gaming look like on the blockchain? We’re joined by a leader in the space Ryan Wyatt (@Fwiz). He’s the former global head of gaming partnerships at Google and head of gaming at YouTube, where he also led their virtual and augmented reality business. Wyatt now serves as the CEO of Polygon Studios. In this episode of Where It Happens, Ryan discusses his path from high school gamer to successful businessman, the future of blockchain gaming, and the power behind play-to-earn....

Mar 31, 20221 hr 18 minEp. 24

How to Engineer Serendipity (with Matt Mullenweg)

Can a billion-dollar business be built remotely? You don't need to guess if it can happen. For more than 15 years -- long before coronavirus forced work from home for just about everyone -- Matt Mullenweg (@photomatt) was trailblazing the remote work movement as the founding developer at WordPress. Today, the platform powers approximately 30 percent of the entire internet, and its businesses employ more than 1100 people across 60 countries. In this episode of Where It Happens, Matt discusses the...

Mar 24, 202259 minEp. 23

How to Get Rich Building Boring Businesses with Codie Sanchez

Codie Sanchez is no stranger to thinking outside the box. The founder of Contrarian Thinking and Managing Partner at Entourage Effect Capital, she shares her path from traditional finance to founder and investor with more than 100,000 newsletter subscribers. In the last 12 years, she’s bought and sold more than 60 businesses and now runs a portfolio of 26 companies. On this episode of Where It Happens, Codie joins hosts Sahil Bloom (@sahilbloom) and Greg Isenberg (@gregisenberg) to explore arbit...

Mar 17, 20221 hr 3 minEp. 22

Bootstrapping An Eight-Figure Business with Michael Martocci

What does it take to build a successful bootstrapped business? Michael Martocci (@MichaelMartocci) is the right person to ask. The Founder and CEO of SwagUp grew his bootstrapped brand to more than 8-figures in revenue in just 3 years. On this episode of Where It Happens, Michael shares how to overcome the zero-to-one hurdles, finance secrets, and why he believes bootstrapping is the right way to build your startup before seeking venture capital. Want more community? Learn more here: http://trwi...

Mar 11, 202258 minEp. 21

Anything Is Possible with David Friedberg

David Friedberg (@friedberg), founder and CEO of The Production Board (TPB), is working to reimagine global systems in order to solve some of the biggest sustainability problems we face today. He joins hosts Sahil Bloom (@sahilbloom) and Greg Isenberg (@gregisenberg) to explain why the best path forward is using the latest science and technology innovations to meet the trends of human desire and consumption. An extreme optimist, Dave shares his positive outlook on scientific iteration, the chang...

Mar 03, 20221 hr 8 minEp. 20

Personality-Market Fit with Nuseir Yassin

What could you do if you had access to 50 million people? Nuseir Yassin, the creator of Nas Daily and Nas Academy, is the perfect person to answer that question. Today's guest went from Venmo employee to YouTube star incredibly fast. His secret? The ability to assess personality-market fit and determine the likelihood of virality. In this episode, hosts Sahil Bloom (@sahilbloom) and Greg Isenberg (@gregisenberg) explore the future of the creator economy, a cool mental health service for social m...

Feb 22, 20221 hr 5 minEp. 19

Minting Billionaires and the Religion of Bitcoin with Meltem Demirors

Is bitcoin a religion? It might sound like a joke, but cryptocurrency is unlocking a whole new world of opportunity and wealth creation. In this episode of Where It Happens, Meltem Demirors (@melt_dem) explores whether the institutions of the future will look like the institutions of the past. Hosts Sahil Bloom (@sahilbloom) and Greg Isenberg (@gregisenberg) discuss the different ways that the Web3 movement is challenging traditional organizational structures, and how the role of community will ...

Feb 18, 20221 hrEp. 18

Will Meta Bounce Back? (with Nikita Bier)

When Meta lost more than $230 billion almost overnight many people questioned -- is Meta done? On this episode of Where It Happens, former Meta employee Nikita Bier (@nikitabier) joins hosts Sahil Bloom (@sahilbloom) and Greg Isenberg (@gregisenberg) to explore if Meta can recover and how it might happen. They also explore decentralized mobile networks, the future of music, and how Web2 and Web3 can co-exist. Want more community? Learn more here: http://trwih.com SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS C...

Feb 15, 20221 hr 13 minEp. 17

Forget Zero-Sum, Be Positive-Sum with Harley Finkelstein

Shopify has changed e-commerce forever. And, if you're willing to listen closely enough, you can borrow part of their DNA to accelerate your own entrepreneurial success. On this episode of Where It Happens, Shopify President Harley Finkelstein shares how he created his own luck to become involved with Shopify, how NFTs are changing the future of entrepreneurship, and how media will never be the same. Want more community? Learn more here: http://trwih.com SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS This episo...

Feb 10, 20221 hr 18 minEp. 16

How to Build Hype with Matteo Franceschetti

Sleep has never been sexier, but it wasn't always that way. On this episode of Where It Happens, Matteo Franceschetti (@m_franceschetti) joins hosts Sahil Bloom (@sahilbloom) and Greg Isenberg (@gregisenberg) to discuss how he was able to transform a stale, outdated product into a hot category drawing interest from athletes and big investors. You'll hear stories about how they were able to win over Y Combinator and scale their business. If you want to make noise in a loud room, the episode explo...

Feb 03, 202249 minEp. 15

The Wolf of All Streets, Scott Melker

Scott Melker isn't your average crypto expert. Then again, crypto isn't exactly your average area of investing, which might explain his incredible knowledge and success in the space. On this episode, we invited The Wolf of All Streets onto Where It Happens to help predict the future of crypto, learn new investing approaches, and find out why diversification might be one of the most misunderstood pieces of investing advice. If you ever thought that maybe your window of opportunity has passed, Sco...

Jan 27, 20221 hr 7 minEp. 14

Memes Rule The World with Dogecoin Creator Billy Markus

Have you heard the story about the crypto founder who sold all his crypto for $10,000 only for it to be worth billions many years later? On this episode of Where It Happens, co-hosts Sahil Bloom ( @sahilbloom ) and Greg Isenberg ( @gregisenberg ) get to the bottom of one of the craziest stories by speaking directly with the co-creator of Dogecoin Billy Markus ( @BillyM2k ). He explains his early experiments in crypto, how he created Dogecoin, the truth about his famous sell, the future of crypto...

Jan 19, 20221 hr 15 minEp. 13

The Power of Becoming a Feedback Magnet with Kat Cole

Great leaders help develop game-changing brands. Kat Cole ( @KatColeATL ) knows this first-hand, having led Focus Brands as their President and COO, and now in her new role as President and COO of Athletic Greens. Her secret? She understands how to find the feedback, process it, and turn it into ideas that make teams and businesses stand out from the competition. In this episode, you'll learn the frameworks she uses to lead, opportunities she is excited about, and how to spot the best leaders. W...

Jan 14, 20221 hr 9 minEp. 12

Forecasting the Future of Tech with Scott Belsky

How will work and life change in a material way over the next 5 years? That one line, written by guest Scott Belsky ( @scottbelsky ), was enough to get hosts Sahil Bloom ( @sahilbloom ) and Greg Isenberg ( @gregisenberg ) to immediately invite the successful entrepreneur and investor onto Where It Happens. But, what started as an exploration of exploding trends turned into a conversation that resulted in, at least, three potential game-changing business ideas. If you're looking to place bets on ...

Jan 11, 20221 hr 18 minEp. 11

Why NFT's Won't Fail and How To Spot Winners with Gary Vaynerchuk

Many people view Gary Vaynerchuk as a byproduct of his own energetic self-promotion. What they don't realize? Every big bet is highly calculated, and his excitement is a reflection of his absolute certainty. In this episode of Where It Happens, the serial entrepreneur, Chairman of VaynerX, and CEO of Vayner Media shares his research process for spotting trends, provides rules for getting more out of life, and breaks down why he's willing to bet that NFTs will be a success. Want more community? L...

Jan 06, 202238 minEp. 10

The Unlimited Potential of Web3 with Alexis Ohanian

Web3 is here, but all of the ways it will change the way the world works is not yet fully understood. In this episode of Where It Happens, the OG of community, Alexis Ohanian ( @alexisohanian ), Founder of Reddit and Seven Seven Six joins the show to share his early lessons from Reddit, stories from Y Combinator, and why he's betting big on Web3 communities and technologies. While co-hosts Greg Isenberg ( @gregisenberg ) and Sahil Bloom ( @sahilbloom ) place their bets on the future, and explore...

Dec 23, 20212 hr 34 minEp. 9

How to Become a Super Ball with Anthony Scaramucci

When things don't go your way, how do you react? On this episode of Where It Happens , former White House Director of Communications Anthony Scaramucci ( @Scaramucci ) joins the show to discuss how to turn bad situations into opportunities, the future of live events, and why he's bullish on crypto and Web3. Also, hosts Sahil Bloom ( @sahilbloom ) and Greg Isenberg ( @gregisenberg ) discuss their meme moments and whether it's time to reinvent The World's Fair. Want more community? Learn more here...

Dec 17, 20211 hr 1 minEp. 8

Special: State of the Union: DAOing the X Games

Are they really going to try to buy The X Games? On the last episode of Where It Happens, co-hosts Sahil Bloom ( @sahilbloom ) and Greg Isenberg ( @gregisenberg ) shared a plan to buy the X Games. Next thing you know, athletes and investors answered the call and wanted to bring the vision to life. In this special episode of Where It Happens, Sahil explores what’s next in order to turn this crazy idea into a reality. We also bring on a special guest, Sam Schwartzstein ( @schwartzsteins ) who help...

Dec 14, 202132 minEp. 7