DTC Podcast Ep 521: How RYSE Used Meta Ads to Raise $10M+ in Equity (Not Just Sales)
Jun 30, 2025
Trung Pham, founder of RYSE, a smart-home innovation company, shares his impressive journey of raising over $10 million through equity crowdfunding. He reveals how he adapted direct-to-consumer ad strategies for investor outreach. Trung discusses the importance of a strong patent strategy to fend off competitors and highlights plans to monetize knockoffs with a lower-priced TikTok brand. He also tackles manufacturing flexibility to counteract tariffs, making a compelling case for equity crowdfunding's benefits in controlling business growth.
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Origin Story of Ryse
- Trung Pham created Ryse to motorize his window shades without replacing them due to high costs.
- After three years of R&D, he developed a unique motorized pulley system from scratch with novel IP.
Video Crucial for Smart Devices
- Video is essential for selling novel smart home devices because customers must see the product in action.
- Unlike fashion or beauty, product movement and installation demonstrations are vital for customer education.
Equity Crowdfunding as Marketing
- Use equity crowdfunding like e-commerce marketing by building funnels and educating investors.
- Drive traffic to landing pages with clear calls to action to raise capital directly from your audience.