Finding Founders

Pixar had sunk millions of dollars into Toy Story 2 and it was almost deleted... Today on the show we analyze how Pixar failed and the steps they took towards recovery. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m Samuel Donner, and today on the show we talk to Markian Benhamou, a social media influencer with over 5 Million followers across Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. When I first met Markian at USC through UCLA’s entrepreneurship club, he seemed like a nice, hardworking guy. I would have never expected that he had such a serious following. But he does have a serious following, and he’s serious about the business of being an influencer. While most might see influencers as frivolous, Markian sees entrepreneurs that can transform personal brands into businesses. Influencer marketing, which started as a $1.7 billion industry in 2016, is projected to grow to $6.5 billion this year alone. And by 2025, experts predict that it will balloon to a massive $26.4 billion industry.  I was fascinated to take a dive into the life of one of these influencers. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the show we talk to Brian Freeman, the founder and CEO of Heartbeat, a social media marketplace that empowers creators at any level, from 100 to 100,000 followers, to work with established brands. When I met Brian I noticed pretty quickly that he speaks with a lot of energy. This infectious energy pulled me into Brian's world. I felt that I could see his vision, it was almost tangible. I realized that this energy is an integral component of a captivating leader and an attribute that has propelled Brian to success.  But even more than an ability to inspire those around him , I think this energy also let’s Brian inspire himself when everything seems as though it’s on the verge of implosion.  Brian is incredibly resilient, and, as you’ll hear, his ability to jump from one venture to another without losing confidence in himself is what part of what makes him such an inspiring entrepreneur. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We loved Rob’s story but there was a lot of sciencey stuff that came up and it just didn’t fit int he episode, so we wanted to dedicate a mini-episode to the science. To talk about that sciencey stuff I wanted to introduce Luke Riggan, an immunology Ph.D. student here at UCLA. Luke is smart, especially with sciencey things, so at the end of our interview, he used that big brain of his and talked to Rob about the microbiology stuff surrounding Soylent. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the show we talk to Rob Rhinehart, 27-year-old founder of Soylent, an innovative food replacement startup that has rocked the world of consumer packaged goods. Soon after the interview started I noticed that Rob has an incredibly intentional way of speaking. It seems like each word was meticulously chosen to most effectively communicate his internal dialogue. I think this intentionality directly contradicts the scrappy break it, then fix it later mantra that saturates the mentality of many Silicon Valley startups.  With an innate talent for creating and innovating, Rob has led Soylent to insane success with the young company having raised over $75 million. A natural-born inventor and trained engineer, Rob is redefining how the world views nutrition and food.--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the show we talk to Dalton Combs, founder of Boundless Mind, formally known as Dopamine Labs. Dalton has built a company that specializes in persuasion AI, a technology that shapes human behavior. I know what you are thinking: IRobot, The Matrix, Ex Machina, Terminator, death, and destruction. It initially seemed like pretty nefarious stuff to me as well. I was curious on two accounts. One I wanted to see the birthplace of our AI overloads and two I wanted to see who was behind such powerful technology. So, I went to the Boundless offices in Venice to talk to Dalton. There are a lot of interesting points in Dalton’s interview, as you’ll hear, but a theme of this podcast will be free will, and the ability of technology to destroy or cultivate our free will. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the show we talk to John Terzian, the owner and co-founder of The H.Wood Group, a Los Angeles hospitality and lifestyle company catered to curating some of the most iconic brands in the world. Ranging from upscale nightlife venues to groundbreaking new restaurants, H.Wood Group runs thirteen venues in Los Angeles, five others across the nation and continues to broaden its reach every year. With an artistic background and an innately creative personality, John puts great detail into every venue, concept or event he works on. What really distinguishes him as an entrepreneur is his love for connecting with new people from different backgrounds, cultures, and careers. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this podcast, we’ll explore how Cannabis is changing, and how the partnership between Wayv and Hypur will rapidly accelerate the growth of the Cannabis industry. But to understand how this partnership will shape the future of Cannabis we have to take a look at the history of Cannabis and where it is today. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the show we talk to Glen Irani, a native Angeleno and the founder of Glen Irani Architects, an architecture firm that has been at the forefront of environmental research, sustainability, and breathtaking design for over 20 years. You have probably passed by one of his designs while in the LA area, which is actually how I first met him. I was walking on the outskirts of Venice when I was struck by this beautifully designed house. It was so striking, that I had to get out of the car and take a picture of it. I immediately searched for anyone who knew anything about the house and bumped into someone surveying the land outside. It turned out to be Glen, the architect behind this house. I knew I had to ask him some more questions, so we set up this interview. I want to momentarily go back to the house. When you find yourself in front of an Irani structure, there exists this immediate immersion and connection, not only to the physical structure but the design philosophy behind it. It engulfs you with its unique, self-defined design, while it simultaneously stimulates your senses, causing you to just stand back and drop your jaw. And today we have the opportunity to explore the mind of the man behind it all, --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the show we’re talking about holograms. Now you are probably most familiar with this tech from a little movie called Star Wars. Well, holograms are real and Ben Conway, co-founder of the company VNTANA, has been turning what was once science fiction into science fact. VNTANA is on the bleeding edge of an augmented and virtual reality revolution that will drastically change how we perceive the world. But on the road to change, the world presented a lot of unexpected twists, turns, and pitfalls… --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/finding-founders/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices