👉🏼 About the Guest:

In 2007, Matthew Kobach became one of the first to ever pursue a PhD predicting how people use social media. This led to an opportunity with a social media analytics firm where he was required to accurately code social media sentiment and spot cultural trends.  While working for the New York Stock Exchange, Matthew used the NYSE’s social media profiles in never-before-seen ways, resulting in millions of followers, multiple speaking opportunities, and recognition from several media outlets (e.g. Mashable, Digiday, Adweek, Cheddar, Vox).

Previously, Matthew led marketing efforts at Fast and led the successful social media launch of the cryptocurrency ecosystem Bakkt, resulting in hundreds of thousands of followers and millions of organic impressions. Currently, Matthew leads marketing, branding, and social for Slice, a mobile app that allows you to order pizza from any local pizzeria!

👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 22,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. Currently, he is the Head of Community + Brand at Threado, building a side project called GuestLab, and runs a newsletter called YC Founder Stories alongside hosting this podcast.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for being the first sponsor of The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/

👉🏼 Description:

Tune in as Sharath and Matthew discuss going viral, social media trends, the future of brands, and more

👉🏼 Timestamps:

• 00:00: Episode Highlight
• 00:28: Shoutout to Acquire.com
• 04:07: Introduction to Matthew Kobach
• 05:10: Matthew's life at Slice - building innovative tech to empower America’s independent pizzerias
• 07:18: Social media lessons from 2007 that are still true
• 11:26: Making your brand a real person
• 15:55: The various stages of brand marketing
• 18:14: How to close a deal and make someone buy your product
• 23:05: Why does content go viral?
• 27:40: Idea stealing is ethical
• 29:37: Fuelling your creativity
• 36:16: Where does the "execute quickly" philosophy come from?
• 41:02: Creating your social media portfolio
• 45:22: Advice for marketers building in public
• 50:32: Matthew on being a dad
• 52:04: Work-life balance and mental health for social media marketers
• 57:16: The future of Twitter
• 1:00:19: How does celebrity culture impact Matthew's daily life
• 1:05:05: Matthew's next ambitious goal

👉🏼 Resources:

• Your specific link for Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/
• Slice: https://slicelife.com/pages/about-us

👉🏼 Where to find Matthew Kobach:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mkobach
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mkobach/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-kobach-92a63178/

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
• Website: https://5harath.com/
• Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/