Creator-to-Founder Leap: A Wild Ride Worth Taking | Jennifer Phan (Co-founder & CEO at Passionfroot)

In this episode, Kate Syuma dives into a conversation with Jennifer Phan, CEO and Co-Founder at Passionfroot, and former Venture Capital investor, to explore the unconventional path from corporate career to creator to tech founder. Jen shares how her immigrant family's entrepreneurial journey shaped her perspective, how her background in venture capital influences her fundraising and team-building approach, and why intentional growth and AI-powered efficiency are the keys to sustainable success in today's volatile tech landscape.

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.

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Welcome to Growthmates with Kate Syuma — Growth Advisor, ex-Miro. This season, “In the Company of Women,” is about celebrating women who successfully balance work, family, and creative passions while building meaningful careers.

Growthmates is where top product and growth leaders share real strategies and insights to help you turn ideas into successful products. Learn from experts at Dropbox, Adobe, Amplitude, Canva, and more in deep dive interviews with Kate Syuma, ex-Miro Head of Growth Design and founder of Growthmates.

Jennifer took an unconventional path, transitioning from venture capital investor to co-founder of Passionfroot — a platform empowering creators to monetize and brands to discover talent. Her journey was shaped by pandemic reflection, from newsletter creator to identifying a critical gap in the creator economy. Instead of following traditional playbooks, they built a lean, intentional company centered on creator needs, data-driven decisions, and sustainable growth.

They also share insights on building a two-sided marketplace, leveraging VC experience for fundraising, and maintaining founder wellbeing through structured routines.

Tune in to hear Jen's perspective on immigrant entrepreneurship, the power of intentional choices over sacrifices, and why small, effective teams outperform bloated startups.

🔗 Find more insights on growthmates.club and follow on your favorite platforms for more episodes.

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Key highlights from this episode 👇

* Entrepreneurship as Necessity vs. Self-Actualization: Jen contrasts her parents’ survival-driven entrepreneurship with her own path, driven by passion — revealing what fuels different types of founders.

* "You don't need to call it sacrifice": Jen reframes founder struggles as conscious choices, not sacrifices — a mindset that helps preserve agency and resilience.

* Counterintuitive Growth Strategy: Instead of overhiring, Jen’s team focused on lean, intentional growth — avoiding common pitfalls of the 2020–2022 startup wave.

* From Creator to Founder: Starting with a newsletter, Jen built a platform by focusing on creators first — a user-led approach to marketplace success.

* Founder Morning — 3 rituals: Jen starts her day with mindfulness, movement, and mindset — a daily ritual that brings clarity before the work begins.

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Where to find Kate Syuma:

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/

* Newsletter: https://www.growthmates.news/

Where to find Jennifer Phan:

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferphn/

* X (Twitter): https://x.com/jenpphan

* Passionfroot: https://www.passionfroot.io

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What we covered:

(00:00) Introduction

(03:40) Jen's entrepreneurial family background

(07:15) From necessity to self-actualization: different paths to entrepreneurship

(09:55) Starting a Substack newsletter during the pandemic

(15:28) The creator economy's monetization challenges

(20:05) Building Passionfroot: from idea to product

(24:50) Advice for founders: "This too shall pass"

(26:57) Passionfroot's evolution into a two-sided platform

(35:35) Intentional growth: why small teams can create big impact

(40:52) Work-life integration as a founder

(43:08) Morning routines for founder wellbeing

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📕 Useful Resources and other related Podcasts:

* Passionfroot: https://www.passionfroot.me/

* Creators on Air by Passionfroot: https://www.youtube.com/@passionfrootxyz

* The Evolution of B2B Content Marketing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFXE7cX4xpU&ab_channel=Intercom

* Building Software to Create more Brand Deals, with Jen Phan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMbwSQgewH0&ab_channel=RobBalasabas

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