Just Go Grind

Amanda Greenberg is the co-founder and CEO of Balloon, which she founded with her partner Noah in 2015. Balloon is the world's first insight mobility platform. Balloon brings behavioral science and technology expertise together to unlock the true value of collaboration by removing cognitive bias, group dynamics, and fears. Organizations are able to share and vote on input anonymously, which eliminates costly biases, increases thought diversity, and amplifies the strongest insights from their teams. The platform functions through a quick, phased process that also streamlines workflows, leading to fewer meetings and great results, faster. Over 80 percent of the information shared on Balloon is brand new, and the streamlined workflow reduced meeting time by 70 percent. Balloon ensures that more voices are heard and included, with an average of 78 percent of people collaborating and evaluating regardless of group size. Connect with Amanda Greenberg Balloon Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Amanda on Twitter amanda@getballoon.com Some of the Topics Covered by Amanda Greenberg in this Episode What is Balloon and why Amanda changed careers to found it How Amanda and her husband and co-founder Noah Bornstein started Balloon Choosing an accelerator Creating a new category and the re-programming of work during COVID Customer discovery and networking to get their first customers Balloon's business model and creating accessible pricing Use cases for Balloon and how it works Marketing Balloon and their "flight plans" From bootstrapping to VC funding Why they chose to live and grow Balloon in the Bay Area How going through an accelerator helped with fundraising and raising a $2.1M seed round The bootstrapping phase Growing Balloon post-fundraising Amanda's advice for fundraising Customer acquisition for Balloon The challenges of creating a new category Building out the team for Balloon Creating company culture The co-founder/partner relationship Amanda's view on work-life balance Expectations versus reality in entrepreneurship What has been most helpful for Amanda on her entrepreneurial journey Amanda's book and podcast recommendations A typical day for Amanda Being a female founder Amanda's advice for founders Links from the Episode #126: Christian Peverelli, CEO & Co-Founder of WeAreNoCode, an Educational Platform Empowering Non-Technical Founders Through No-Code Technology LAUNCH Accelerator Drive by Daniel Pink This Week in Startups with Jason Calacanis (podcast) #131: Olivia Owens, Creator and General Manager of IFundWomen of Color and Head of Partnerships at IFundWomen, a Platform for Female Entrepreneurs to Raise Capital Through Crowdfunding All Raise

Akash Magoon is the co-founder and CTO of Nayya, an AI platform that simplifies insurance decisions for business leaders and benefits managers--and improves the healthcare experience for individual employees. Nayya uses AI and data science to personalize the way that employees choose and use their benefits. Nayya helps employees promote their health and wellbeing, while maximizing financial wellness. Nayya is backed by Social Leverage, Guardian Strategic Ventures, Cameron Ventures, and Soma Capital -- and completed a top accelerator program (ERA) in New York. Connect with Akash Magoon Nayya LinkedIn Akash on Twitter Some of the Topics Covered by Akash Magoon in this Episode What is Nayya How Akash and his co-founder Sina Chehrazi started Nayya and the problem they're trying to fix The decision to leave their jobs early on in their venture The challenge of fundraising early through family and friends for Nayya Choosing an accelerator and participating in the Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator Getting their first customers How their product has changed based on customer discovery and identifying pain points How Akash views failure How COVID has affected Nayya, their fundraising and their industry Akash's advice for entrepreneurs looking to get seed round funding Figuring out distribution of funds Akash's role as CTO Building out the Nayya team and culture screening in hiring The issue of being under-insured in the U.S. and understanding the complexities of the industry The elements of Nayya's product Growing Nayya moving forward and balancing short versus long term planning Expectations versus reality with entrepreneurship What Akash does to recharge from work Akash's advice for entrepreneurs Links from the Episode Enigma Technologies Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator SAFE round #56: Rand Fishkin, Founder of SparkToro, Author of Lost and Founder, and Former Co-founder and CEO of Moz

Susanne Mitschke is the co-founder and CEO of Citruslabs, an end-to-end solution for patient recruitment and retention. 86% of clinical trials don't meet their patient targets on time, despite spending billions on ads every year. Citruslabs is fixing this broken industry through a patient-first approach by streamlining patient recruitment and retention in order to change the future of medical research for the better. Citruslabs’ three founders met at graduate school in Glasgow, Scotland and founded the company out of a desire to help the aging generation. Roger Rogelio, CTO, cared for seven years for his grandfather with Alzheimer's. Patrick Renner, COO, volunteered in a nursing home and saw the crippling effects of memory loss. And Susanne Mitschke, CEO, lost her father early in life to age-related disease. Together, they were named 30 under 30 by Forbes in 2018. Susanne and her team also created MindMate (Techstars NYC '16), the best app for baby boomers & is constantly ranked as the #1 health app in 17 countries (amongst others U.K., Canada, Australia & Ireland).  Susanne holds a MSc. in International Management & Leadership from the University of Glasgow and was offered a position at one of the big three management consultancies. Instead, she co-founded MindMate & Citruslabs.  Connect with Susanne Mitschke Citruslabs Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Some of the Topics Covered by Susanne Mitschke in this Episode How Susanne met her co-founders, Roger Arellano and Patrick Renner, in Scotland and why they started the MindMate app Trying out and developing different business models Deciding to go through Techstars and their experience with the accelerator The process of fundraising for Citruslabs Growing Citruslabs and finding the perfect market fit How COVID has impacted Citruslabs Customer acquisition and communication Pivoting from patient recruitment to software during COVID Why the industry of patient recruitment is so broken, and how Citruslabs is disrupting it The challenge of building out the team for Citrsulabs Hiring for culture vs. hiring for skill Susanne's advice for running a remote company Growing Citruslabs during COVID and what we can learn as a society from this experience of going remote Susanne's advice for other entrepreneurs fundraising outside of their area of expertise Keeping up with investors and keeping them engaged Susanne's background and becoming an entrepreneur The value of living in another country Susanne's book recommendations How Susanne manages her time and what she does to recharge away from work Susanne's advice for entrepreneurs Expectations versus reality in entrepreneurship Navigating a transitioning role The big vision for Citruslabs Links from the Episode MindMate Techstars CROs Bad Blood by John Carreyrou

Cenk Sidar is the co-founder and CEO of GlobalWonks, a technology-enabled marketplace that connects private and public enterprises, from Fortune 100 companies to leading universities, with experts who understand the world. GlobalWonks does this through three core products: a one hour call, a deep-dive report, and a real-time expert sourced Q&A tool, Network Pulse™. Their vision is to fundamentally change the way investors and decision-makers gain global knowledge by providing a responsive and seamless platform without the usual overheads and lag times. As of August 2020, GlobalWonks has 15,000 experts in over 170 countries. Cenk Sidar is a global risk expert with a vast experience of assisting top financial institutions, multinational corporations, risk management firms, and legal firms operating in high-risk regions. He has written for, been interviewed by, and worked with the world's leading newspapers and media organizations, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CNBC, Bloomberg, Foreign Policy, CCTV and Al Jazeera. Sidar has also addressed audiences around the world, including at UK House of Commons, Cornell, Tufts, Johns Hopkins (SAIS) and CFR.  Sidar holds an MA degree in international economics and international relations from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, a postgraduate degree in European studies from SAIS’s Bologna Center in Italy, and a BA degree in business administration and international relations from the Istanbul Bilgi University. In 2012, Sidar has been selected as one of the top 99 foreign policy leaders under 33 in the world by the Diplomatic Courier and the Young Foreign Policy Professionals. He is a member of the Johns Hopkins University SAIS Advisory Council, Atlantic Council, Turkish Social Democracy Foundation (SODEV), Atlantik-Brucke e. V., the European Young Leaders Program, the Jean Monnet Program, the Project Interchange Alumni, and the American Academy of Achievement. He is fluent in English and German. Connect with Cenk Sidar GlobalWonks Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Cenk on Twitter Some of the Topics Covered by Cenk Sidar in this Episode What is GlobalWonks How Cenk started GlobalWonks The original version of GlobalWonks and how it has grown and changed The core product of network calls Onboarding experts and growing the expert network GlobalWonks' business model The process of vetting the experts and GlobalWonks' rating system Determining which industries to acquire experts in and GlobalWonks' recruitment program GlobalWonks' target market and typical clients Securing funding through angels and institutional investors The complexities of building a platform business Building the GlobalWonks team Why GlobalWonks is unique Cenk's advice for building a platform business How COVID has affected GlobalWonks Why GlobalWonks is increasingly relevant in today's changing global context Anticipating clients' needs Cenk's backstory Cenk's book recommendations Cenk's advice for entrepreneurs How Cenk recharges from work and what motivates him The story behind GlobalWonks' name Links from the Episode Trailblazer by Marc Benioff

Sean Mitchell is the co-founder and CEO of REZI. REZI is a rapidly growing & diverse company with the mission of revolutionizing the rental experience. Renting has always been an expensive and inconvenient process for tenants and time-consuming and uncertain for landlords. Technology companies hadn’t moved the needle in solving these key problems – until REZI. REZI’s proprietary technology has transformed the way tenants and landlords rent apartments. REZI is the only rental marketplace where you can find, tour and lease an apartment in 5 minutes all from your phone and for free. Founded in 2016, REZI was selected to join the prestigious Y-Combinator in the winter of 2017. Since then, REZI has been backed by some of the most prominent venture capital institutions in the country, igniting the conversation around Renting Better. It has also been recognized by national publications such as Crain’s, TechCrunch, Inman and The New York Times. Connect with Sean Mitchell REZI Facebook Instagram Twitter REZI blog on Medium LinkedIn Some of the Topics Covered by Sean Mitchell in this Episode What is REZI How the idea for REZI was born out of a personal experience How Sean and his co-founders, Keenan Williams and Harsh Yadav started REZI Being the customer of your own business The issue of access to housing Their experience with accelerator Y Combinator The pivot that REZI took Getting their first deal Taking risks and gong all in Early growth and fundraising through VC Working on the tenant's customer experience Building partnerships with landlords Figuring out how to scale Customer acquisition for REZI--of both tenants and landlords Why they decided to target New York City to start REZI The big vision and mission for REZI The biggest lessons that Sean has learned as a first-time founder How COVID has affected REZI Links from the Episode Y Combinator

Madeline Fraser is the founder and CEO of Gemist. She is a serial entrepreneur and big thinker who loves creating consumer facing technology that solves a big problem. Over the past five years she has created and grown multiple start-ups. Raising millions in funding for ideas she believes will make our world so much easier. She started her first company while attending George Washington University in 2013, called Zoom Interiors. It was the first online interior design company that let you work with a designer virtually to furnish your apartment. The company grew quickly and landed a segment on ABC's Shark Tank. In 2015, she created Hutch, a mobile app that disrupted the furniture industry with a tech platform where you can try furniture on in your home before you buy. Hutch has grown quickly with funding through Series B. Gemist is disrupting the jewelry industry and completely changing how you shop for it online. The site and app are literally giving you the power to design your own jewelry, offering a 100% customizable experience with options for the cut, setting, metal, stone, color, style, band, and size. Through its unique “Try-On” feature, the brand will send you Gemist rings straight to your home at no cost so you can be sure the fit, look, feel, and experience is exactly what you want before buying. All stones and jewelry are ethically sourced and handcrafted locally in Downtown Los Angeles. Connect with Madeline Fraser Gemist Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Madeline on Instagram Some of the Topics Covered by Madeline Fraser in this Episode What is Gemist and the pain point that led to Madeline founding it Madeline's entrepreneurial nature and founding her first company during college Getting Zoom Interiors, the first online interior design platform, onto Shark Tank Getting Sean Rad (founder of Tinder) as an advisor and the chairman of their board Transitioning from Zoom Interiors to Hutch Madeline's mantra as an entrepreneur The benefits of having a co-founder and an advisor Roles and responsibilities of multiple founders for Hutch Fundraising $17M for Hutch Transitioning from Hutch to Gemist The importance of a pitch deck Starting Gemist and fundraising through angel investors and VC firms What's been different for Madeline as she builds her third company Madeline's advice for finding a manufacturer Embracing fear and finding your inner power How Madeline has grown Gemist and connecting with consumers Executing "try before you buy" The story behind Gemist's name How COVID has impacted Gemist Gemist's approach to customer acquisition The big vision for Gemist How Gemist was able to partner with De Beers Jewelers How Madeline recharges from work Managing the emotional extremes of entrepreneurship Links from the Episode Interior Architecture program at GW Shark Tank Zoom Interiors on Shark Tank Barbara Corcoran Sean Rad Hutch Zillow Principle #142: Javier Laval, Founder of FutureStream, Empowering Creators by Helping Them Monetize Their Livestreams, and Creator of Android Homme, on Building Innovative Ventures in the Entertainment and Fashion Industries #130: Chad Hall, Founder and CEO of Remodelmate, a Managed Marketplace for Bathroom Renovations, on Customizing and Simplifying Bathroom Transformations De Beers Jewelers

Ira Green is the founder and CEO of Freedom, a natural deodorant company. When Ira's 3 friends were diagnosed with breast cancer and were told to switch to natural products, Ira had the hardest time finding a natural deodorant that worked, smelled good or even looked good. So she created one that did all three! Freedom luxury natural deodorant can now be found in 300+ spas nationwide, including the Four Seasons Spas and Canyon Ranch Spas. Connect with Ira Green Freedom Instagram Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn Some of the Topics Covered by Ira Green in this Episode Why and how Ira started Freedom Making a great product and being open to change Managing feedback Getting the Four Seasons as her first client Figuring out manufacturing and production, from an assembly line of friends and family to dealing with manufacturer's minimums Creating a vision board instead of a business plan Ira's big vision for growing Freedom How Ira has bootstrapped the business for the first 3 years and what she would've done differently How Ira has been handling COVID Transitioning to VC and distribution of funds Testing the boundaries of your brand Tackling the challenge of e-commerce Freedom's team and traction today How Ira is views growth and the role of marketing The challenges of being a female entrepreneur and the transactional nature of female investors Ira's advice for entrepreneurs Ira's book and podcast recommendations The sacrifices of being an entrepreneur The story of Freedom's name and logo Links from the Episode Four Seasons Canyon Ranch Miraval QVC Reid Hoffman on How I Built This IFundWomen IFundWomenOfColor The E-Myth by Michael Gerber Built to Scale by Marissa Levin How I Built This - podcast Masters of Scale - podcast with Reid Hoffman Freedom on QVC Freedom on Amazon

Prasanna Krishnamoorthy is a co-founder and partner at Upekkha, a Value SaaS Accelerator working with B2B SaaS startups to get through the valley of death, to a place with predictable, scalable, profitable growth. Whether you want to build a $10M revenue business or the next $1B SaaS unicorn, Upekkha helps you accelerate. Prasanna previously worked intensely with 120+ startups to make them LARGE at Microsoft Accelerator India and picked the right startups for Investors & Microsoft. As a founder going through his own ups & downs, he helps other founders push through, and has been an angel investor in a couple of startups along the way. With every startup, Prasanna helps as a full-stack growth driver: from business planning for growth, frameworks for growth, aligning engineering for traction, innovating on product, marketing & sales plans to tactically crafting pitches & one-liners, & reviewing ads. Growing startups is everything he looks to do. In his own startups, he has done everything that needed to get done - development, testing, support, product management, sales, marketing, customer interaction, integration. Prasanna knows a little about a lot of things - technical and non-technical, and knows a lot about a few things - technology, growth, product, and the difficulties of starting up. Connect with Prasanna Krishnamoorthy Upekkha LinkedIn Some of the Topics Covered by Prasanna Krishnamoorthy in this Episode How Prasanna was inspired to become an entrepreneur and work in B2B The early ventures Prasanna worked on Working for Amazon and the Microsoft Accelerator How Prasanna founded Upekkha The original business model for Upekkha Developing a brand and getting their first cohort of startups The original 2-year structure of the program The theory of constraints and the guidance Upekkha gives their startups How the program has changed to focus on the initial flywheel construction and building scalable growth The cognitive biases of founders and some inflection points for startups What Prasanna has learned about the B2B SaaS industry while building and growing Upekkha Prasanna's advice for customer acquisition The importance of referrals Determining pricing Upekkha's team Prasanna's role at Upekkha and how it's changing during COVID How Upekkha's participating startups rallied together to help each other during COVID Prasanna's vision for Uppekha's growth Links from the Episode FusionCharts The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt #132: Ish Jindal, Co-Founder and CEO of Tars, on Bootstrapping from $0 to $1M in ARR with a SaaS Company for Marketers

Sean Salas is the CEO and Co-Founder of Camino Financial, a FinTech platform pioneering access to affordable credit to underbanked Latinx businesses. He is often featured as a commentator discussing FinTech and Latino entrepreneurship, including appearances on Univision, CNN, and Discovery Channel. Sean also sits on the board of two non-profit organizations, the US-Mexico Foundation and the Harvard Business School Latino Alumni Association (HBSLAA). Sean co-founded Camino Financial with his twin brother, Kenny Salas. The twin brothers were raised by an entrepreneurial mother, who built and lost her business. While completing their MBAs at Harvard Business School, the twins co-founded Camino Financial under the notion of never leaving a small business owner behind. As CEO of Camino Financial, Sean has built a team of over 50 employees distributed globally and raised over $125 million in debt and equity. Previously, Sean worked in private equity and investment banking. Throughout his experience, Sean oversaw four portfolio companies with combined revenue of over $250 million, invested close to $50 million in direct equity investments, and structured $1.2 billion in debt financings. Sean has a BA from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Connect with Sean Salas Camino Financial Facebook Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Sean on Twitter Sean on Instagram Sean's podcast, Fundamental Fairness Some of the Topics Covered by Sean Salas in this Episode Being the son of an immigrant entrepreneur Moving back to Mexico from L.A. and growing up in Mazatlán Re-living the "American dream" and starting his financial career during the 2008 financial crisis Why Sean chose investment banking Getting his MBA at Harvard and the connections and resources it provided him with How Sean got his twin brother Kenny on board to start Camino Financial together Getting traction while still at Harvard and taking a year to get their first 10 loans Camino Financial's first loan Funding the first loans and the challenge of getting access to capital at scale to grow the business The catch 22 of lending Going from a $1M to $100M facility Creating a digital-only brand and becoming the largest digital lender in the space Customer acquisition and the creative ways Sean worked to build trust within the community How COVID has affected the community they serve and how Camino Financial has supported their members The typical loan and borrower at Camino Financial The factors Sean considered while building out a team of 50+ and the role Camino Financial's culture has played How Sean recharges away from work Sean's book recommendations Links from the Episode Mazatlán, Sinaloa Mexico Harvard Business School Wombi Rose - Lovepop Michael Marti - RapidSOS Entering StartUpLand by Jeff Bussgang How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton Christensen The Ride of a Lifetime by Robert Iger Measure What Matters by John Doerr Sean's podcast, Fundamental Fairness

John Fagan is co-founder and CEO of Doorkee, making NYC apartment seeking easier and cheaper for everyone. After a challenging experience with moving, John and his co-founder Jordan Franklin began building Doorkee in 2017. Doorkee is a New York based startup aimed at solving one of urban living's biggest hassles--apartment hunting. They're creating a peer-to-peer marketplace to reshape how and when apartment renting happens. Doorkee helps landlords increase their revenues by decreasing vacancy time between tenants, while departing tenants can make up to half month's rent by letting apartment seekers see their apartments. Apartment seekers can then find and close on their next apartment on their own schedule, months earlier than before. Doorkee is free to post, and their closings cost way less than paying a broker. Connect with John Fagan Doorkee Instagram LinkedIn Some of the Topics Covered by John Fagan in this Episode What is Doorkee How John came up with the idea for Doorkee out of a personal experience How John and his co-founder Jordan Franklin turned a problem into a business The initial research and planning Having their first angel investor convince them to accept funding get started The challenge of being non-technical founders and how they overcame it Losing and winning back a key team member The importance of networking The business model for Doorkee Targeting big landlords and being a double sided network effects company Getting 4 of the top 10 NYC landlords as clients Doorkee's plan for growth and scaling The process of raising $5.7M in their seed round The idea of investing in founders not businesses Figuring out roles and responsibilities and what makes a co-founder relationship work The big vision for Doorkee Links from the Episode Big Human Simon Baron Ollie Corigin Ventures Stonehenge Alpha Edison DocSend Reid Hoffman Malcolm Gladwell