Transforming Politics into Fantasy Sports: Fantasy Elect | Justin Schoenfelder - E1

Justin Schoenfelder, CEO & Founder of Fantasy Elect, shares how he built a platform merging fantasy sports with politics—and why genuine entrepreneurial success comes from stopping the push and letting ideas emerge naturally.

## What you'll learn:

1. How to validate your business before building the product through strategic customer discovery and market testing.
2. Framework for operating in a regulated space: navigating payments processing, legal requirements, and identity verification.
3. How to leverage relationships through cold outreach (calls, emails, conferences) to fill knowledge gaps and gain insights for problem-solving.
4. A framework for approaching problems as a generalist entrepreneur who's constantly putting out fires.
5. When to consider hiring a CEO to scale your company—and how to know if it's the right move.
6. Why "over-sharpening the blade" can hurt you: making difficult leadership decisions even when they cause friction.

## Where to find Justin Schoenfelder:
- Fantasy Elect: https://fantasyelectgame.com
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/justin-schoenfelder-fantasy-elect
- X: https://x.com/fantasy_elect
- Bully Pulpit Podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsMSLJukkLx-0uWpyUNkIFUtS3Z8mxfPv

## Where to find Abhinav Sinha:
- Funds & Founders: https://fundsandfounderspodcast.com
- Email: abhinavsinha.podcast@gmail.com
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/abhinavbsinha

## In this episode, we cover:
- (00:00) Intro
- (00:55) Justin's early entrepreneurial drive and exploration of diverse careers
- (10:35) The origin story and inspiration for Fantasy Elect
- (17:50) Key lessons and expanded perspective gained from living in Vietnam
- (20:18) Transitioning back to Austin and entrepreneurial pursuits amidst COVID-19
- (25:14) Motivation to create his own venture and resilience through past challenges
- (29:26) Leveraging a non-tech founder background for startup success and initial validation
- (34:57) The inherent challenges and complexities of building a political tech company in a regulated environment
- (41:04) Mindset and strategies for CEOs to navigate and overcome entrepreneurial hurdles
- (50:30) Recommended books and resources for early-stage founders
- (54:44) Final acknowledgments and closing remarks

## Tools referenced:
- Bubble: https://bubble.io

## Other references:
- DotCom Secrets by Russell Brunson: https://amazon.com/Dotcom-Secrets-Underground-Playbook-Growing/dp/1401970591
- Venture Deals by Brad Feld & Jason Mendelson: https://amazon.com/Venture-Deals-Smarter-Lawyer-Capitalist/dp/1119594820
- How to Take Over the World (Podcast): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-take-over-the-world/id1333158713
- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson: https://amazon.com/Steve-Jobs-Walter-Isaacson/dp/1451648537
- Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts: https://amazon.com/Napoleon-Life-Andrew-Roberts/dp/0143127853
- Jason Robins (DraftKings CEO): https://linkedin.com/in/jason-robins-26270b1
- DraftKings: https://draftkings.com
- Disney: https://disney.com
- Codie Sanchez (Contrarian Thinking): https://contrarianthinking.cor