#166: Nate D'Anna, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Dumpling, on Disrupting the Gig Economy, Raising $10M in Venture Capital, and Growing 20X During the COVID-19 Pandemic

4 snips

Sep 7, 2020

Nate D'Anna, Co-Founder of Dumpling, discusses disrupting the gig economy, raising $10M in venture capital, and growing 20X during COVID-19. Topics include customer discovery, bootstrapping, and evolving Dumpling's services. The journey of understanding customer needs, empowering gig workers, and adapting customer acquisition post-pandemic are also highlighted.

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Navigating the Journey of Understanding Customer Needs

01:53 • 11min

Empowering Gig Workers Through Innovative Solutions

12:53 • 21min

Contrast Between Dream Selling and Data Presentation in Seed and Series A Funding Rounds

33:42 • 4min

Adapting Customer Acquisition Strategy Post COVID

37:38 • 8min

Empowering Individuals in the Gig Economy

45:15 • 8min

Reflecting on Support Systems, Strategic Thinking, and Book Recommendations for Entrepreneurs

53:21 • 2min

Nate D'Anna is the co-founder and co-CEO of Dumpling, which provides the tools, technology, and support people need to run their own local businesses - powering thousands of grocery shopping, delivery, and personal service entrepreneurs throughout 50 states. By pioneering a new approach to local entrepreneurship, dumpling offers communities a more personal, ethical solution to the essential household services that keep homes running. Since its founding in 2017, Dumpling has quickly become the trusted, reliable pathway to starting a local, service business in the United States. Dumpling is built by a diverse and passionate team of change makers, entrepreneurs, and former gig economy workers - all dedicated to ushering in a future where everyone who works can control their own fortune. The company is headquartered in Berkeley, Seattle, and homes across the country.

Connect with Nate D'Anna

Some of the Topics Covered by Nate D'Anna in this Episode

What is Dumpling and how Nate started it with his co-founder Joel Shapiro
How they approached customer discovery and what they learned from it
The initial version of Dumpling and how it has evolved into what it is today
Bootstrapping and knowing when it was time to fund raise
Early ups and downs and narrowing down the problem to solve
Early feedback and using it to adapt the business
Roles and responsibilities among the 3 co-founders
Customer acquisition for Dumpling
The process of fundraising for the first time, from a pre-seed round to a series A
How Dumpling was able to grow after fundraising
Dumpling's business model and how it has evolved
Managing short-term execution with long-term vision
How COVID-19 has led to incredible growth for Dumpling and the challenges that came with having to unexpectedly scale so quickly
How Nate views competition
Reality versus expectation of being an entrepreneur
Where Nate finds support and how he recharges away from work
Nate's book recommendations

Links from the Episode