This startup shaped the ready-to-drink coffee aisle we know today. This week we are joined by Jash Mehta, co-founder of Pop & Bottle. You’ll probably recognize Pop & Bottle from your local refrigerated drink section, however, achieving nationwide distribution was no stroke of good luck. Jash discusses carving out a niche early on, building based on data and feedback, and the importance of keeping fundraising top of mind at all points in time.Pop & Bottle Links: https://www.popandbottle.com/https://www.instagram.com/popandbottle/Startup Savant Links: https://startupsavant.com/podcasthttps://www.youtube.com/@StartupSavantPodcast/https://www.instagram.com/startupsavantpodcast/https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-savant/

Are you undervaluing PR as an IPO-strategy? Paul Wilke, founder of Upright Position Communications joins the podcast to discuss the relationship between PR and exiting. Paul also provides valuable advice on evaluating PR firms, identifying your internal PR person, representing yourself as an executive during an IPO, and the importance of clear communication in promoting a company.Upright Position Communications Links: https://uprightcomms.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/pwilke/Startup Savant Links: https://startupsavant.com/podcast https://www.youtube.com/@StartupSavantPodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/startupsavantpodcast/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-savant/

#73. Are low-ABV beverages here to stay? The co-founders of Libby, Grant Hemingway and John Green, are on a mission to create a better-for-you wine experience that scales. John and Grant emphasize the need for transparency and authenticity in marketing, and they share their journey of creating Libby as a response to the demand for refreshing, low-alcohol, low-calorie wines. They also discuss the challenges of entering the wholesale market, the importance of understanding consumer preferences, and their mission to make the wine industry more inclusive and accessible.Libby Links: https://drinklibby.com/https://instagram.com/drinklibbyhttps://twitter.com/drinklibbyhttps://tiktok.com/@drinklibbyStartup Savant Links: https://startupsavant.com/podcast https://www.youtube.com/@StartupSavantPodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/startupsavantpodcast/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-savant/

Could your hiring and firing strategy be hurting your startup? This week on the Startup Savant podcast, Ethan is joined by Karn Saroya, founder of Re a blockchain-based reinsurance startup. The pair discuss Karn’s evolution as a leader from his first startup to now, how performance management and hiring (or firing) employees can make or break your startup, and the real value behind Y Combinator’s personalized growth metrics. Re Links: https://re.xyz/https://twitter.com/REprotocolEmail Karn: karn@re.xyzStartup Savant Links: https://startupsavant.com/podcasthttps://www.youtube.com/@StartupSavantPodcast/https://www.instagram.com/startupsavantpodcast/https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-savant/

#71. In this episode of the Startup Savant Podcast, Ethan interviews Melissa and Lee, the co-founders of Frame, a fitness company specializing in Pilates reformers. They discuss their journey from closing their brick-and-mortar studio due to the pandemic to creating a home version of the reformer. The couple delves into the challenges of designing, prototyping and manufacturing a physical product with no experience.Frame Links: https://www.framefitness.com/https://instagram.com/framereformerhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-belzberg-7831301b/https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-bentivoglio-227369222/Startup Savant Links: https://startupsavant.com/podcasthttps://www.youtube.com/@StartupSavantPodcast/https://www.instagram.com/startupsavantpodcast/https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-savant/

#70. Lucas DiPietrantonio and Jackson Corey, co-founders of Darkroom, join the podcast. DiPietrantonio and Corey discuss their three-year roadmap, which includes building their own educational resource, Darkroom University. They also delve into their unique perspective as entrepreneurs and investors, their focus on customer satisfaction and bottom-line results, and their proprietary framework for assessing and diagnosing businesses' growth challenges. They stress the need for long-term partnerships and the importance of a strong product-market fit and continuous improvement.Darkroom Links: https://www.darkroomagency.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcorey/https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucasdipietrantonio/Startup Savant Links: https://startupsavant.com/podcasthttps://www.youtube.com/@StartupSavantPodcast/https://www.instagram.com/startupsavantpodcast/https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-savant/

#69. In this episode of Startup Savant Podcast, Ethan interviews Rachel Krupa, founder of The Goods Mart. Rachel shares her experience of reinventing the beloved convenience store by offering better-for-you products. She discusses the importance of location in the retail and food industry and trusting your gut as an entrepreneur. Rachel also talks about her journey of balancing her PR agency, Krupa Consulting, with The Goods Mart, and how she redefined her definition of success.The Goods Mart Links: https://www.thegoodsmart.com/https://www.instagram.com/rachkrupa/https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelkrupa/Startup Savant Links: https://startupsavant.com/podcast https://www.youtube.com/@StartupSavantPodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/startupsavantpodcast/https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-savant/

#68: Rishi Khanna, CEO of Stocktwits, joins the podcast to discuss the trials and triumphs of user-generated communities. They discuss the recent Reddit API turmoil, how Rishi’s role as CEO helped facilitate Stocktwits’ growth to over 8 million users, and the secret behind building an activated user community you can monetize.Stocktwits Links: https://stocktwits.com/https://stocktwits.com/rkhannahttps://twitter.com/rkhannahttps://www.linkedin.com/in/rishikhanna/Startup Savant Links:https://startupsavant.com/podcasthttps://www.youtube.com/@StartupSavantPodcast/https://www.instagram.com/startupsavantpodcast/https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-savant/

#67. On this episode of the Startup Savant Podcast, Ethan interviews Joe Calderon, founder, and CEO of Pelipost. Joe's mother's incarceration ignited the idea for Pelipost, a print-on-demand photo company that serves families of incarcerated individuals across the US. Joe discusses the challenges of starting Pelipost while being self-funded and facing competition. The episode also delves into the importance of effective communication with facilities and the power of a strong social media strategy.Pelipost Links: https://www.pelipost.com/https://www.instagram.com/pelipostapp/https://www.tiktok.com/@peliposthttps://twitter.com/pelipostappStartup Savant Links: https://startupsavant.com/podcasthttps://www.youtube.com/@StartupSavantPodcast/https://www.instagram.com/startupsavantpodcast/https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-savant/

#66: John Goscha, founder and CEO of Native Voice, joins Ethan to discuss how his startup harmonizes various AI assistants. John highlights how voice assistants like Siri and Alexa need to focus on quality user experience to succeed in the ambient computing era. He also predicts that devices like headphones will be integrated with voice assistants to enable seamless human-device interaction.Native Voice Links: https://www.nativevoice.ai/https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-goscha-548000b/ jgoscha@nativevoice.aiStartup Savant Links: https://startupsavant.com/podcasthttps://www.youtube.com/@StartupSavantPodcast/https://www.instagram.com/startupsavantpodcast/https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-savant/