Just Go Grind

Adam Jackson is the co-founder and CEO of Braintrust, the world’s first user-controlled talent platform-- one that aligns incentives, removes expensive middlemen and gives value and control back to talent and organizations. Braintrust’s unique network model allows talent to retain 100% of their market rate, while enabling organizations to pull together flexible teams of highly-skilled technical and design talent, no matter where they’re located. Organizations ensure budgets go 2-3 times further by cutting out unnecessary, expensive middle men. This new business model of minimizing fees and enabling users to control the network is uniquely enabled by a blockchain token. Adam is a serial technology entrepreneur and investor that has spent his career creating and deploying capital into software systems that make complex tasks simple and intuitive. He has founded 4 VC-backed companies and an asset management company over the last 16 years. In August, 2017 he co-founded Cambrian Asset Management, a blockchain asset management company.  In 2012, he co-founded and served as CEO of Doctor On Demand, a healthcare service that provides video visits with board-certified physicians and psychologists. Doctor On Demand delivers services through employers, health systems, health plans, and directly to consumers and has raised $165M in VC. Adam's previous business, DriverSide was founded in 2007 and was acquired by Advance Auto Parts in September of 2011. His first venture-backed business, MarketSquare, founded in 2004, was the first online local shopping destinations on the Internet. It was acquired by Intuit in September of 2006. Adam is an angel investor in 45+ companies/projects, including: Bolt, Placer, Aktana, Skale Labs, Protocol Labs, JCTurbo, Apero Health, Rapportive, MyTime, Automatic, Womply, Superhuman and Zenefits. Connect with Adam Jackson Braintrust Facebook Instagram Twitter Medium LinkedIn Adam on Twitter Some of the Topics Covered by Adam Jackson in this Episode What is Braintrust and how Adam came up with the idea The problem with two-sided marketplaces How Braintrust is inverting disastrous marketplace economics and the complexities that come with building a new model Using their own marketplace to hire freelancers to build Braintrust Braintrust's business model Acquisition on the enterprise side of the business How COVID has led to incredible growth for Braintrust Adam's advice for building marketplaces The challenge of fundraising for Braintrust Adam's experience founding Doctor on Demand Adam's entrepreneurial spirit and being "unemployable" How Adam approached his exits and transitions Adam's experience as an angel investor and deciding to be an LP The big vision for Braintrust Why Braintrust is Adam's passion and how he manages his time Links from the Episode eBay Uber Airbnb Lyft Postmates DoorDash Amazon Blockchain Craigslist Nestle Porsche Deloitte 99designs Fiverr Upwork Bank of America NASA BlueCross TaskRabbit Bitcoin Ethereum Nextdoor Doctor on Demand Dr. Phil The Doctors Intuit Superhuman Zenefits Jack Dorsey

Sarina Richard is the Founder and CEO of HERdle, India's first private women's one-stop healthcare expert. HERdle.health provides Indian women power over their sexual and mental health in a safe, anonymous, fast, and convenient way. They aim to give women the care they need without judgment or stigma, from the comfort and privacy of their mobile phone. 25% of the world’s cervical cancer deaths come from India, and 4 out of every 10 women in the world who commit suicide are from India. There is a lack of access to information and resources and a massive social stigma against sexual and mental health. HERdle hopes to bridge this gap and remove Indian women's health hurdles by providing access to non-judgy experts, resources and technology. Connect with Sarina Richard HERdle Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Some of the Topics Covered by Sarina Richard in this Episode How Sarina’s background in healthcare and women’s development led to her funding HERdle The issue of access to healthcare and sexual health education for women in India Understanding the problem and the business models Sarina came up with Deciding between for-profit and non-profit The first steps Sarina took to start HERdle How Sarina went about customer discovery and understanding pain points from the supply side HERdle’s services and how it works From bootstrapping to pre-seed and seed round fundraising What Sarina values in building a team How Sarina has been resourceful while bootstrapping Sarina’s takeaways from previous founder experiences and applying them to HERdle Customer acquisition, partnerships, and creating an organic community How Sarina currently structures her day and distributes her time and finding work-life balance How Sarina recharges and stays active (for free!) Sarina’s advice for other entrepreneurs Links from the Episode: Five Whys #108: Rob Mather, Founder and CEO of the Against Malaria Foundation, one of the World’s Top-Rated Charities #48: Candice Lu, Founding Partner of OnPrem Solution Partners, on Scaling from 4 to 200 Employees, Solving Problems, and Running a Remote Company #137: Cole Zucker on His Remarkable Journey from $0 to $60M in Revenue, Selling a Company, and Starting the Influencer Platform Hey Hero #126: Christian Peverelli, CEO & Co-Founder of WeAreNoCode, an Educational Platform Empowering Non-Technical Founders Through No-Code Technology Webflo Jetboost Memberstack Airtable Girl Up Sheroes Sairee Chahal The ONE Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss Peloton

An award-winning designer and MIT alum, Christine is the CEO of Everydae, the world's smartest digital tutor. Previously she was the Chief Product Officer at Veritas Prep (sold in 2018) where she incubated and launched the adaptive learning platform, ORION (33% MoM growth). Prior to this, she led the product and design team at DogVacay (sold to Rover.com) and the innovation department at Deutsch. She also invented the electric bike, the Copenhagen Wheel, a TIME Magazine Best Invention.  Everydae is an online SAT digital tutor that gets you top scores without the stress. Affordable, effective, and fun, Everydae's secret is their revolutionary bite-size online micro lessons that match short attention spans and busy schedules. Everydae's team believes that a lack of money shouldn’t stand in the way of realizing your potential, which is why they're democratizing access to affordable, personalized learning so that anyone can level-up in life. Connect with Christine Outram Everydae Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube LinkedIn Some of the Topics Covered by Christine Outram in this Episode What is Everydae, where the idea came from, and how it got started Christine's background in product and digital design and interest in tech and education The steps taken to actually develop Everydae Christine's role as CEO Marketing and sales as a direct-to-parents product Customer acquisition and launching during the COVID-19 pandemic In-house versus outsourcing for running paid acquisition Relationship and email marketing Their experience with Wefunder, why they decided to go the crowdfunding route, and what they did to ensure its success "Mom and pop angels" Everydae's team Distribution of funds post-fundraising Their approach to content creation and breadth versus depth Collecting and incorporating consumer feedback Balancing short-term and long-term plans and goals The business model and pricing structure for Everydae Christine's background as an architect, her time at MIT, and inventing the Copenhagen wheel Christine's advice and book recommendations regarding product development What's next for Everydae What fuels Christine The biggest challenges Christine and her team have faced in building Everydae How Christine recharges away from work Links from the Episode Veritas Prep MonkeyLearn HubSpot Buffer #139: Jesse Horwitz, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Hubble, an E-Commerce Contact Lens Company That’s Raised $73M+, on Building a Standout Direct to Consumer Company Upwork Wefunder Caribu Angels and Entrepreneurs run by Neil Patel Startup Camp #126: Christian Peverelli, CEO & Co-Founder of WeAreNoCode, an Educational Platform Empowering Non-Technical Founders Through No-Code Technology MIT Senseable City Lab DogVacay Measure what Matters by John Doerr Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug Superhuman

Thomas is Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Prevu, a customer-focused digital home buying platform delivering industry-leading efficiency and savings. Frustrated over the lack of control and transparency he experienced throughout the home-buying process, he launched Prevu in 2017 with his good friend, Chase Marsh, to establish a smarter way to transact. Before Prevu, Thomas spent 12 years working at highly established asset management firms in both the US and Europe, where he gained valuable experience investing in technology companies. He has been an active real estate investor for over a decade. Thomas holds a BS in Finance & Accounting from the Stern School of Business at NYU. Prevu is a real estate technology company on a mission to save homebuyers money. The company’s digital Smart Buyer™ platform offers a homebuying experience with unparalleled control, transparency and savings when purchasing a home. With Prevu, consumers can seamlessly search, offer and save up to 2 percent of the purchase price when they buy a home. This zero-pressure online experience delivers a smarter, more efficient way for homebuyers to transact. Connect with Thomas Kutzman Prevu Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn Some of the Topics Covered by Thomas Kutzman in this Episode What is Prevu and why Thomas started it with his co-founder, Chase Marsh The inherent issues with the real estate industry The original version of Prevu and how it has evolved into what it is today Bootstrapping in the early days and how it benefited them Thomas' partnership with his co-founder Chase The connection between customer education, consumer experience and customer acquisition The importance of customer discovery and incorporating customer feedback Being a data-driven business The process of pivoting the business Growing the Prevu team The challenges of being non-technical co-founders The digitization of real estate, during COVID and beyond Product development and the process and benefit of outsourcing the original MVPs Raising their seed round Determining distribution of funds Expanding geographically How COVID has affected Prevu How Prevu works today How Thomas' role as founder and CEO has evolved as Prevu has grown A typical day for Thomas as a real estate founder and his strategy for time management Thomas' book recommendations Giving 100% to his business and the toll it has taken on him The big vision for Prevu Prevu is hiring! Thomas' advice for entrepreneurs Links from the Episode Buffer HubSpot "Jerry Seinfeld: So You Think New York Is ‘Dead’" (NYT Op-Ed) HouseCanary Market Pulse Deep Work by Cal Newport Jack Dorsey Elon Musk Invested by Charles Schwab Rezi Doorkee LEX

René Graham is the founder and CEO of Renzoe Box, the next-generation makeup platform and first makeup storage & pod system designed to replace your entire makeup bag. Renzoe Box is a customizable beauty kit combining your favorite brands' makeup products into one sustainable compact. A native of Texas, René Graham holds a Master in Architecture from the Rice University School of Architecture, where she completed her thesis work with Eva Franch Gilabert, Director of the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. Before entering the world of product design in 2017 and founding Renzoe Box, LLC, Graham achieved significant and diverse experience in architectural practice, community development and real estate development. in addition to leading Renzoe Box™, LaurelHouse Studio and BCS Modern, Graham is a long time Board Member of the Downtown Bryan Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the cultural vitality and preservation of Historic Downtown Bryan, Texas. She has held advisory and committee roles for many public and private organizations including City of Bryan, Arts Council of the Brazos Valley, Leadership Brazos, Startup Aggieland, the Texas Bighorn Society, and the National Science Foundation. Of all her roles Graham’s favorite is serving as a faculty member and educator at The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University. Considering herself a “design thinker across many scales,” it is at these institutions where she enjoys collaborating with students and colleagues, battling out ideas to investigate new potentials of the built environment. In her spare time she enjoys attending the symphony, exploring new cities, building wildlife guzzlers in the west Texas desert mountains, and snuggling with her niece & nephew, Elise & Grayson, or with her dog, Oliver. Connect with René Graham Renzoe Box Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Some of the Topics Covered by René Graham in this Episode The moment the idea for Renzoe Box was born How René actually began to solve the pain point she was experiencing and start the customer discovery process Pre-selling at Beautycon LA Figuring out manufacturing and navigating international production From the first prototype to what the product is today Balancing being an entrepreneur and her career as an architect and deciding to go full-time with Renzoe Box Raising 250K through angel investors to get started and the power of networking Renzoe Box's business model Navigating the mix-and-match customization component of the product in terms of sourcing and scaling Customer acquisition and marketing strategies for Renzoe Box René's advice for utilizing influencer marketing Building out the team for Renzoe Box and a growing support system Renzoe's digital curation tool The big vision for Renzoe Box A typical day for René and finding balance René's advice for entrepreneurs Links from the Episode Beautycon LA #158: Zubin Bhettay, Co-Founder and CEO of Fuzzy Pet Health, a Subscription-Based Pet Health Company, on the Challenges of Fundraising, Building a Mission-Driven Business, and Finding Balance as an Entrepreneur Keurig K-Cup Coffee Machines Kayla Itsines Tory Burch Fellows MassChallenge Venture Deals by Brad Feld

Zubin Bhettay is the co-founder and CEO of Fuzzy Pet Health. Zubin strives to make better pet health care accessible to dogs and cats of all ages. He gets excited about leveraging technology, better working practices and new business models to make the world a better place. Zubin thrives working with high-performing teams towards a common goal on things that seem improbable until they've made it happen. Fuzzy is a subscription-based pet health company with a mission to make veterinary care more accessible. Through a combination of in-home vet care, proprietary telemedicine software, and tailored health programs for pets that include home-delivery of meds and supplements, Fuzzy is empowering pet parents to be proactive in ensuring their pets live their best life. Fuzzy's mission is to broaden access to veterinary care and preventive pet health education. Connect with Zubin Bhettay Fuzzy Pet Health Facebook Instagram Yelp LinkedIn Fuzzy app for Apple Fuzzy app on Google Play Zubin on Twitter Some of the Topics Covered by Zubin Bhettay in this Episode What led to Zubin starting Fuzzy Pet Health Developing the idea with co-founder Eric Palm and digging into the problems with the pet health industry The original version of Fuzzy Pet Health and how it has changed while holding true to its mission How COVID has affected Fuzzy and how it's functioning today The humanization of pets and how it has led to a shift in consumer behaviors Raising their seed round and series A and how they were different Customer discovery and acquisition and incorporating customer feedback How Zubin approached building out the team for Fuzzy and what he learned from the process Onboarding the vets How Zubin views growth and adapting the business in order to scale The challenges Zubin has faced as a first-time founder and the best advice he has received What has been helpful for Zubin's mental health along his entrepreneurial journey and finding work-life balance Zubin's advice for entrepreneurs Links from the Episode Charles Hudson at Precursor Ventures Accelerator Ventures SD Angels #137: Cole Zucker on His Remarkable Journey from $0 to $60M in Revenue, Selling a Company, and Starting the Influencer Platform Hey Hero The Struggle, Ben Horowitz The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz Awareness by Anthony De Mello

Guy Friedman is the co-founder and CEO of SteadyMD, a technology company and healthcare provider that enables members and doctors to pair up, collaborate, and develop long-term personal relationships, completely online. The SteadyMD Matching Engine evaluates each new member and doctor across hundreds of medical, fitness, and lifestyle attributes to help spark a connection and pair them up successfully. The company offers services for Primary Care, Functional Medicine, Pediatric Care, and Employers and is licensed and has members in all 50 U.S. states. SteadyMD doctors are partnered with a limited number of members and are conveniently available through text, phone and video chat. The SteadyMD medical team retrieves and maintains health records, refers patients to local specialists, arranges tests and procedures, and generally influences all downstream care and health spending for that member. Connect with Guy Friedman SteadyMD Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn guy@steadymd.com Some of the Topics Covered by Guy Friedman in this Episode How Guy went from selling his online proctoring startup to founding SteadyMD What makes SteadyMD unique in the telemedicine space Guy's criteria for a startup and his false starts How Guy has shifted between industries SteadyMD's values and mission The original version of SteadyMD and how they've enhanced it Recruiting doctors and acquiring patients How SteadyMD is improving the quality of care for patients and the experience for doctors The uniqueness of being D2C in the healthcare industry Determining channels, figuring out messaging and utilizing influencer marketing Why SteadyMD is for everyone Why the healthcare industry is fundamentally flawed Keeping the core business consistent How patients utilize SteadyMD The landscape for primary care and how SteadyMD fits in Guy's process and advice for fundraising How COVID has affected SteadyMD How Guy views new opportunities for growth How Guy has approached building out the team for SteadyMD Raising the Series A for SteadyMD and its impact on growth Dividing roles and responsibilities and balancing priorities How Guy has adapted his perspective after running startups for years Guy's book recommendations Getting an MBA at Wharton Links from the Episode Hims Roman Simon Sinek, Find Your Why Zero to One by Peter Thiel What You Do Is Who You Are by Ben Horowitz The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

Will Houghteling is the founder and CEO of Strive, helping emerging leaders reach their full potential through personalized and practical management training. Strive's mission is to empower working professionals to find meaning, belonging and opportunity at work. Strive was founded on the belief that transforming managers into leaders is an essential first step to building the more just, inclusive, equitable workplace and world we hope to inhabit. Will is an analytical and conscientious leader focused on bridging work and school, with experience building marketing, partnerships, sales and operations teams, largely in education. Prior to starting Strive, Will worked at Minerva building a top-tier university from scratch, and on educational initiatives at Google and YouTube. Connect with Will Houghteling Strive Facebook Strive on Twitter Will on Twitter Strive on LinkedIn Will on LinkedIn will@strive.co Some of the Topics Covered by Will Houghteling in this Episode Will's passion for education and how it led to working at Google, YouTube, and Minerva Why the university system is inherently broken What inspired Will to start Strive What Strive originally started as and how Will evaluated potential paths to success for the business Raising the first seed round for Strive Scaling and going from 3 to 25 customers in one quarter Why and how the model for Strive broke How Strive pivoted from a competency based hiring and training platform to management training and leadership development How Will knew it was time to pivot Addressing the pivot with investors The best advice Will has received How Strive approaches management training Acquiring customers after the pivot, customer testing, and Strive's "leadership circles" Strive's business model Building out the team for Strive Being rigorous with hiring and rooting out unconscious bias The 3 things that are most predictive of job performance The impact of managers on employees Determining pricing The ins and outs of Strive's programs How Will is approaching acquisition and growth currently The biggest challenges Will has faced on his entrepreneurial journey The big vision for Strive Will's experience with an executive coach and therapy Will's book and educational recommendations Will's takeaways from working at Minerva project Links from the Episode Minerva Kara Nortman at Upfront Ventures Kapor Capital Ryan Craig at University Ventures NextView Ventures Dreamforce Coursera Udacity Minerva Active Learning Forum Intuit Chime Confluent TripActions Slack Airbnb Far transfer of learning Strive's Conversation DE&I Dr. Cameron Sepah Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith Radical Candor by Kim Scott YC Startup School videos Paul Graham essays What Keith Rabois Thinks About Basically Everything (Venture Stories podcast episode)

Alex Wheldon, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Rho Business Banking, discusses building great products, fundraising, and navigating the highly regulated banking industry. He shares insights on starting Rho, evaluating opportunities in new markets, exiting companies, and incorporating feedback into product development. Alex also emphasizes the importance of foundational product thinking, approaching hiring, and offering global payment solutions.

Ennie Lim is a social entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of HoneyBee, the result of her journey through personal financial challenges. The majority of employees HoneyBee serves are women, people of color, or both. They are providing support for issues that disproportionately affect these marginalized groups. Systemic barriers to financial health exist all around us. It’s up to employers to acknowledge this and take a step towards equality. Ennie is passionate about diversity and inclusion initiatives and building businesses for a better tomorrow. She believes that all of us have the potential to become powerful changemakers. HoneyBee is a Certified Benefit Corporation® with the mission to address financial insecurity in the workplace. They are a holistic financial wellness platform that provides employees with on-demand financial coaching and access to emergency funds for life’s unexpected expenses with a single click. HoneyBee is the only company that allows employees emergency funds at no interest anytime, to help manage unplanned expenses, build credit and pay down debt. Connect with Ennie Lim HoneyBee Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube LinkedIn Ennie on Twitter Some of the Topics Covered by Ennie Lim in this Episode How Ennie founded HoneyBee as a result of a personal financial setback What is HoneyBee The initial version of HoneyBee and how it has changed The customer discovery process and the payday loan industry Getting their first customer The early HoneyBee team From bootstrapping to VC backing Networking, the fundraising process and tolerating rejection Growing HoneyBee post- fundraising and how their growth strategy has evolved Instilling a culture of authenticity How COVID has highlighted the problem HoneyBee is designed to fix HoneyBee's target market and how HoneyBee has expanded their offerings Ennie's entrepreneurial nature The challenge of raising awareness about employees' financial health The big vision for HoneyBee Balancing short-term execution with long-term vision Building out a great team A typical day for Ennie and work-life balance Ennie's book recommendations Ennie's experience as a female founder at a venture-backed, impact-focused company Where Ennie finds motivation, community and support Ennie's advice for creating impact Links from the Episode #134: Zuleyka Strasner, Founder and CEO of Zero, on Building a Convenient Zero-Waste Grocery Delivery Service, Becoming the Largest Sustainability Platform in the U.S., and Growing 15X in 5 Months The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard What Do You Do with an Idea by Kobi Yamada Start with Why by Simon Sinek