Secret Leaders with Dan Murray-Serter & Chris Donnelly

Omaze: A Unicorn Business Built by Giving Away Millions to People & Charity

Jan 28, 2025

Matthew Pohlson, co-founder and CEO of Omaze, has transformed the business landscape with innovative fundraising tactics, raising over $300 million for charity through unique prize giveaways. He shares how he convinced the Pope to sell his Lamborghini and orchestrated a space trip with Richard Branson. Pohlson’s near-death experience deepened his leadership and empathy, guiding him through the challenges of blending profit with purpose, while leveraging celebrity engagements to amplify charitable impact.

01:16:08

Episode guests

Matthew Pohlson

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Matthew Pohlson's innovative approach with Omaze demonstrates that combining entertainment and philanthropy can effectively raise substantial funds for charities.

A near-death experience profoundly transformed Pohlson's leadership style, emphasizing the importance of love and connection in business and life.

Storytelling is crucial to Omaze’s success, as it captivates audiences and builds a sense of purpose and engagement among participants.

Deep dives

Transforming Currency Management

Managing international money can be complex and stressful, but Wise Business simplifies this process significantly. The account allows users to hold multiple currencies and convert funds only when exchange rates are favorable. This eliminates the pressure to rush exchanges at unfavorable rates and reduces the burden of high fees. The platform enables teams to handle payments independently, allowing business owners to monitor activity effortlessly via their mobile devices.

Intro

2min

Beyond Survival: A Journey of Love and Purpose

18min

Transformative Journeys and Charitable Innovations

10min

Dream Homes and Empowering Journeys

9min

Celebrity Engagements and Marketing Strategies Through Charity

2min

Navigating Celebrity Engagements

11min

The Art of Storytelling in Business

22min

Navigating Future Opportunities and Investor Relationships

3min

Matthew Pohlson has built Omaze into a unicorn business through some pretty unconventional ways - convincing the Pope to sell his Lamborghini, sending someone to space with Richard Branson and giving away multi-million dollar mansions for $10. All whilst giving away over $300M to charity.

This is one of our favourite interviews ever. From a business burning cash into a unicorn business that actually does good, Matthew's journey has been incredible, and you haven't even heard about how dying for 4 minutes made him an even better leader.

______________________________________

https://wise.com/uk/business/?utm_source=secretleaders&utm_medium=audio&utm_campaign=Secret+Leaders_1H+2025&utm_content=Wise+Business

Join Vanta and receive $1000 off:

http://vanta.com/secretleaders

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more