This Week in Startups

Building a consumer app’s MVP and how to fundraise with Zest’s Jake Gutstein | E1889

Jan 31, 2024

55:37

Snipd AI

Zest's Jake Gutstein joins Jason to discuss creating the cooking app Zest, finding the right tools for startups, experience in the Launch Accelerator program, and more!

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Quick takeaways

Fundraising for startups is a unique journey that requires adaptability and listening to the market

Zest raised $100,000 to invest in their cooking app and focused on enhancing gamification, becoming a comprehensive food resource, and acquiring customers

Zest conducted market research and user interviews to understand the motivations and pain points of their target audience in order to differentiate themselves from influencers with non-educational cooking content

Deep dives

Importance of a Unique Fundraising Approach

There is no golden goose or perfect formula for fundraising, as each experience is different. Best practices and launch's scorecard system can help source investors, but the fundraising process will unfold uniquely for each startup. It is important to be open to the winding road and listen to the market. Networking and meeting with a large number of investors can be crucial for success.

Understanding the Motivation Behind Zest's User Engagement

02:36

Learning from MVP and Perceiving Willingness to Pay

02:30

Ownership and Entrepreneurial Spirit

00:36

Constant Prototyping Mentality

00:40

Introduction

3min

Creating a Solution for Learning How to Cook

3min

Creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and Gathering Feedback

8min

The Importance of a Technical Co-Founder

7min

Scaling a Startup Efficiently with the Help of mev

2min

App Functionality and Gamification

6min

Exploring motivations behind starting a hobby and reminiscing about a previous episode

4min

Understanding the Vision and Investment Decisions

23min

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Today’s show:

Zest's Jake Gutstein joins Jason to discuss his journey in creating the cooking app Zest (1:37). The two dive into how the Zest team formed (10:29), finding the right tools for your startup (25:24), Jake's experience in the Launch Accelerator program (33:27), and more!

Timestamps:

(0:00) Zest’s Jake Gutstein joins Jason

(1:37) What prompted the creation of Zest and the initial concept and MVP for Zest

(9:22) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist

(10:29) The product development, initial testing, and finding a technical co-founder

(17:21) The decision to go full-time with Zest, the process of raising initial funding, and the importance of overcoming ambiguity and uncertainty

(20:54) MEV - Get $30,000 off your first three months at http://mev.com/twist

(22:05) Demo of Zest’s product

(25:24) Finding the right tools and mentors and the value propositions of Zest discovered through user research

(32:35) Paintbrush - Visit http://getpaintbrush.com to see if you qualify for a $50K startup loan in less than 2 minutes

(33:27) Product launch, approach to fundraising, and experience with the Launch Accelerator program

(46:48) Future plans and goals for Zest