How I Built This

In the episode "Advice Line: Growing up on a Coffee Farm, Giving Back with Jewelry, Making the Perfect Pecan Pie" of the podcast "How I Built This Lab," host Guy Raz and guest mentor Fawn Weaver, founder of Uncle Nearest Whiskey, engage with callers seeking advice on refining their brand stories and expanding their businesses. The episode begins with a discussion on the importance of storytelling in branding, emphasizing that stories should resonate deeply with the founders themselves before they can touch the audience. The first caller, Kevin Arrieta, co-founder of Puente Coffee Co., shares his rich background of growing up on a coffee farm in Honduras. He struggles with articulating his brand's story effectively. Fawn advises him to segment his story to cater to different audiences and suggests incorporating his personal connection to coffee farming on his product packaging. This approach aims to enhance the authenticity and appeal of his brand. Next, Elizabeth Crossley-Wright, founder of the jewelry brand With Love Darling, discusses her transition from a military career to creating a jewelry line that supports vulnerable communities. She faces challenges in scaling her business and streamlining her brand's message. Fawn recommends focusing on the unique aspects of her jewelry and the impact of her business on the communities she works with, rather than diluting the brand message with too many elements. The final caller, Joanne Bang, shares her journey with her pie-making business, Eat Joe Pie, highlighting her unique recipe for pecan pie that has become popular in her community. As she plans to pivot to running her business full-time, Fawn stresses the importance of owning her online presence and suggests a rebranding to "Joe Bang Pies" to establish a distinctive and searchable brand identity. This advice underscores the necessity of a strong, ownable brand name that can be easily promoted and found online. Throughout the episode, the discussions revolve around the power of personal stories in branding, the importance of connecting emotionally with consumers, and the strategic use of online platforms to build and scale businesses. The advice given by Fawn Weaver highlights the need for clarity in messaging and the potential of storytelling to transform and grow brands.

Rosanna Pansino, a YouTube creator and cookbook author, shared her journey on the podcast "How I Built This" with host Guy Raz. Initially moving to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, Rosanna found herself creating content on YouTube to pass time between auditions. Her channel, Nerdy Nummies, which started as a hobby, grew into a significant business venture, amassing over 14 million subscribers and over 4 billion views. The show features baking tutorials inspired by comic books and video game characters, which resonated with a niche audience that appreciated the geeky themes. Despite her success, Rosanna faced challenges with the evolving YouTube algorithm, which now requires content creators to meet specific metrics to have their videos shown to their audience. This change has made it difficult for her to consistently reach her viewers without investing in promotion, a shift from the platform's earlier, more organic growth model. Rosanna's business expanded beyond YouTube as she ventured into writing cookbooks, which became bestsellers, and developing a line of cookware and merchandise. She also engaged in brand partnerships and sponsorships, though she was cautious about these opportunities to maintain her audience's trust. Her approach to business emphasizes diversification, allowing her stability regardless of changes in social media platforms. Throughout her career, Rosanna has navigated the intersection of new and traditional media, leveraging her online presence to secure opportunities in mainstream entertainment, including TV shows. Despite the challenges posed by platform algorithms, Rosanna continues to adapt her content strategy, focusing on projects that fulfill both her creative passions and her audience's interests.

In the podcast episode "Healing through food with Danielle Walker of Against All Grain," Danielle Walker shares her personal journey with food and health, which led to the creation of her business and blog, Against All Grain. Danielle's struggle with an autoimmune condition called ulcerative colitis prompted her to explore dietary changes as a way to manage her symptoms. This exploration led her to adopt a grain-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free diet, which significantly alleviated her symptoms and inspired her to write a cookbook to help others with similar issues. Danielle's business grew from her desire to share her recipes and experiences with others who suffer from autoimmune diseases or those simply seeking healthier eating options. Her blog and cookbooks, including her latest, "Healthy in a Hurry," offer recipes inspired by her grandmother's cooking but modified to fit her dietary needs. These resources aim to help others enjoy delicious, healthy food without feeling deprived, despite their dietary restrictions. Throughout the episode, Danielle discusses the challenges and successes of turning her personal health journey into a thriving business. She emphasizes the importance of food in managing health conditions and the growing public interest in understanding the impact of diet on overall well-being. Her story is not only about entrepreneurship but also about the transformative power of food and the importance of dietary choices in managing health.

In the podcast episode "CrunchLabs Mark Rober," hosted by Guy Raz on How I Built This, the story of Mark Rober, a former NASA engineer turned YouTube sensation, is explored. Mark Rober is renowned for his captivating and educational YouTube videos that blend science with entertainment, reaching millions of viewers. Before his YouTube career, Rober worked at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and later at Apple. His transition from a full-time engineer to a content creator began when he started posting videos during his tenure at Apple, eventually leaving to focus on YouTube after reaching 10 million subscribers. Mark Rober's YouTube channel is not just a collection of random science experiments; it represents a carefully curated series of educational content that makes science accessible and fun. His approach involves significant financial and time investments, with some videos costing over $100,000 to produce. Despite the high production costs, the educational value and widespread appeal of his videos justify the investment. Rober's channel has evolved into a platform for promoting science and education among young audiences, leading him to launch CrunchLabs, a subscription box service that extends his educational outreach. CrunchLabs is a direct extension of Rober's YouTube persona, offering physical products that complement his digital content. The subscription service provides educational kits that allow children to engage with science hands-on, reinforcing the concepts presented in his videos. This venture was self-funded with Rober's capital and became profitable quickly, demonstrating the strong demand for educational content that is both fun and informative. Throughout the podcast, the theme of using one's platform to make a positive impact is evident. Rober's journey from NASA engineer to YouTube star and educational entrepreneur illustrates the potential of social media and digital content to educate and inspire. His story is a testament to the power of merging one's passions with a desire to contribute positively to the world, making complex subjects like science enjoyable and accessible to all.

In the episode titled "AI is smarter than you think" from the podcast How I Built This Lab, host Guy Raz interviews Shane Legg, co-founder of Google DeepMind, to explore the advancements and potential of artificial intelligence (AI). Shane Legg shares his journey from receiving his first computer as a child in New Zealand to co-founding DeepMind with the mission of creating artificial general intelligence (AGI), a type of AI that can perform any intellectual task that a human being can. DeepMind, now a part of Google's AI division, has made significant strides in AI, including the development of AlphaGo, a program that defeated the world's best Go players. Go is a complex board game that had long been considered a grand challenge for AI due to its intricate strategy and vast number of possible moves. The success of AlphaGo demonstrated DeepMind's ability to tackle complex problems and marked a significant milestone in the field of AI. The conversation also delves into DeepMind's achievements beyond gaming, such as their work on protein folding with AlphaFold. This project aimed to predict the 3D shapes of proteins based on their amino acid sequences, a problem that had puzzled scientists for decades. By solving this problem, DeepMind has opened new avenues for drug discovery and understanding biological processes. However, the rapid advancements in AI also bring forth ethical and safety concerns. Shane Legg discusses the potential risks associated with AI, including the possibility of creating systems with intelligence far beyond human capabilities. He emphasizes the importance of approaching AI development with caution and the need for society to engage in discussions about the implications of AI. Despite these challenges, Legg remains optimistic about the potential of AI to solve some of humanity's most pressing problems, from curing diseases to addressing climate change. The episode concludes with a reflection on the future of AI and the responsibilities of those developing it. Shane Legg calls for a collective effort from various sectors of society to ensure that AI is developed in a way that maximizes its benefits while minimizing potential harms. This conversation highlights the incredible potential of AI to transform our world, as well as the importance of thoughtful and responsible development to ensure that this technology serves the greater good.

In this episode of "How I Built This," Guy Raz interviews Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal, the dynamic duo behind one of YouTube's most successful partnerships, Mythical Entertainment. Known collectively as Rhett and Link, they share their journey from boyhood friends to internet sensations, detailing the evolution of their career from aspiring engineers to YouTube stars. Rhett and Link's story begins in the first grade, where they formed a friendship that would become the foundation of their future business. They bonded over their shared sense of humor and creativity, eventually making a blood pact to work together. This pact symbolized their commitment to each other and their shared vision, leading them to pursue creative endeavors together, including a band in high school. Their journey took a significant turn when they decided to leave their engineering jobs to create content full-time. Initially, they produced videos for a Christian organization, Campus Crusade for Christ, where they honed their skills in creating engaging content. This experience laid the groundwork for their future success on YouTube, where they would eventually launch their daily show, Good Mythical Morning. The show, known for its mix of comedy, food experiments, and genuine friendship, amassed over 75 million subscribers across their channels. Rhett and Link's success on YouTube can be attributed to their innovative approach to content creation and their ability to adapt to the platform's changing algorithms. They capitalized on YouTube's emphasis on watch time by producing longer episodes of Good Mythical Morning, which kept viewers engaged and increased their visibility on the platform. Despite their success, Rhett and Link faced challenges along the way, including a brief stint in network television that ended when their show was not renewed. However, they used this setback as an opportunity to focus on their YouTube channel, which continued to grow in popularity. They also expanded their brand beyond YouTube, launching a podcast, writing books, and going on live tours. Throughout their journey, Rhett and Link's friendship has remained at the core of their business. They attribute their success to their strong bond and shared vision, which has allowed them to navigate the ups and downs of their career together. As they look to the future, they remain committed to creating content that entertains and connects with their audience, proving that their mythical partnership is stronger than ever.

The latest season of Business Wars, hosted by David Brown, delves into the internal conflicts and philosophical divergences within OpenAI, leading to the unexpected dismissal of its CEO, Sam Altman. The narrative begins with the introduction of ChatGPT version 3.5 by OpenAI in November 2022, under Altman's leadership. This AI chatbot, capable of writing code, answering questions, and even telling jokes with a human-like flair, quickly propelled OpenAI to the forefront of the artificial intelligence industry, surpassing tech giants like Google and Meta. Altman, recognized as a leading figure in the AI sector, spent the subsequent year promoting AI's potential globally. However, tensions were brewing within OpenAI. Initially founded as a nonprofit with the goal of developing AI for humanity's benefit, the organization transitioned to a for-profit entity in 2019 to attract more substantial funding, notably securing $1 billion from Microsoft. This shift, while financially beneficial, sparked internal concerns about the company's direction. Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI's chief scientist, and other board members feared that the focus had shifted too much towards commercialization, straying from the original mission. They worried that AI's rapid development could soon lead to autonomy, posing significant risks to human safety. These concerns culminated in a dramatic board meeting in November 2023, where Altman was blindsided with his termination as CEO. The board accused him of not being candid, thereby hindering their oversight responsibilities. Stunned, Altman found himself locked out of his company accounts, a clear sign that his firing was not a misunderstanding but a decisive action by the board. This event not only marked a significant turning point for OpenAI but also highlighted the broader debates and challenges facing the AI industry regarding the balance between innovation, commercial success, and ethical responsibility.

In the episode titled "Less competition, more creation with Renée Mauborgne" from the podcast How I Built This Lab, host Guy Raz interviews Renée Mauborgne, an economics professor at INSEAD and co-author of influential business books like "Blue Ocean Strategy," "Blue Ocean Shift," and "Beyond Disruption." Mauborgne discusses the concept of Blue Ocean Strategy, which she developed alongside her co-author Chan Kim. This strategy emphasizes the importance of creating new markets (blue oceans) rather than competing in saturated ones (red oceans). She shares insights into how businesses can find untapped opportunities that are often hiding in plain sight, thereby unlocking new demand and value. Mauborgne's interest in this area began during her undergraduate studies in economics at the University of Michigan in the 1980s, when she witnessed the decline of the auto industry in nearby Detroit. This experience led her to question the traditional focus on competition and instead explore how companies could thrive by creating new market spaces. She provides examples of companies that have successfully implemented Blue Ocean Strategy, such as Cirque du Soleil, which redefined the circus industry by eliminating animal acts and focusing on a theatrical experience, thereby attracting a new audience and creating a new market space. The conversation also touches on Mauborgne's latest book, "Beyond Disruption," where she argues that not all innovation needs to be disruptive. She introduces the concept of non-disruptive creation, where new markets are created without displacing existing ones. This approach broadens the innovation spectrum and offers an alternative to the often destructive nature of disruptive innovation. Mauborgne encourages entrepreneurs to observe their surroundings and identify pain points that can lead to the creation of new market spaces. She emphasizes the importance of never outsourcing one's observational skills and the potential of technology, including AI, to contribute to non-disruptive opportunities. Throughout the episode, Mauborgne advocates for a shift in mindset from competing within existing markets to creating new ones. She highlights the potential for both established companies and startups to adopt Blue Ocean Strategy and stresses the importance of creating value not just for businesses but also for society. By focusing on non-disruptive creation, companies can contribute to economic growth while also addressing societal needs and creating new job opportunities.

In the podcast episode titled "Whole30 Melissa Urban," Melissa Urban shares the story of how she turned a dietary experiment into a wellness and nutrition powerhouse known as Whole30. The journey began with Melissa and her then-partner Dallas Hartwig experimenting with an elimination diet to address chronic inflammation and shoulder pain. They cut out sugar, alcohol, grains, dairy, and legumes for 30 days, experiencing significant improvements in energy, sleep, mood, and physical health. This personal experiment quickly gained traction as they shared their findings on Melissa's blog, leading to the creation of the Whole30 program. As interest in Whole30 grew, Melissa and Dallas began conducting seminars and eventually wrote a book titled "It Starts With Food," which laid out the science behind their dietary approach. Despite facing personal challenges, including their divorce, Melissa continued to develop Whole30 into a brand, focusing on mission-driven growth rather than profit. The program's popularity led to the creation of a licensing program, allowing food brands to use the Whole30 approved logo on their products, further expanding the reach and impact of Whole30. Melissa's journey with Whole30 is marked by her dedication to helping others improve their health through nutrition. Despite the challenges of turning a personal experiment into a successful business and navigating personal hardships, Melissa's commitment to the Whole30 mission has remained unwavering. The program has evolved to include books, coaching, and even a line of Whole30-approved salad dressings and sauces, demonstrating the lasting impact of Melissa's work on the health and wellness community.

In this episode of How I Built This Lab, Guy Raz interviews David Nussbaum, the founder of Proto, a company that has developed a groundbreaking technology for holographic communication. Proto's device, resembling a large box about the size of a telephone booth, projects hyper-realistic 3D images of people, allowing for live streaming and real-time conversation as if the person were physically present. This innovation, which Nussbaum describes as a step beyond traditional video chats like Zoom or FaceTime, offers a more immersive and realistic experience, making the viewer believe the person is actually in front of them. David Nussbaum's journey to creating Proto began with his passion for broadcasting and technology. Initially working in commercial radio and later venturing into podcasting, Nussbaum was always fascinated by the potential of new media. His interest in holographic technology was sparked by the hologram of Tupac Shakur at Coachella in 2012, leading him to explore the possibilities of "beaming" people to different locations. This exploration eventually led to the creation of Proto, initially called Portal, with the aim of connecting people in a more lifelike and interactive manner. Proto's technology has found applications across various sectors, including healthcare, education, and entertainment. Hospitals and universities use Proto to beam in professionals for lectures, training, and patient consultations, offering a two-way communication experience that simulates physical presence. The technology has also enabled celebrities and speakers to appear at events without the need for travel, providing a safer and more convenient alternative to traditional appearances. Looking towards the future, Nussbaum envisions Proto becoming a household technology, with plans to make it more affordable and accessible to consumers. He imagines a world where Proto devices, used for communication, education, and entertainment, become as common as smartphones and internet access today. Despite the challenges of ensuring privacy and preventing misuse, particularly with the integration of AI, Nussbaum is optimistic about Proto's potential to revolutionize how we connect with each other, transcending the limitations of current digital communication tools.

Isaac Larian's journey from the slums of Tehran to becoming the CEO of MGA Entertainment, one of the largest privately-owned toy companies in the world, is a classic tale of rags to riches. Born into poverty, Larian moved to Los Angeles at 17 with little money and minimal English skills. His early years in the U.S. were marked by hard work, from washing dishes at a coffee shop to eventually studying engineering. However, Larian's entrepreneurial spirit led him away from engineering and into the world of business, where he started a consumer electronics company, ABC International, which found success in importing and selling electronic goods. Larian's entry into the toy industry was somewhat accidental, sparked by a freelance designer's pitch for a new kind of doll. Despite initial skepticism, Larian was convinced by his daughter's positive reaction to the concept. This led to the creation of Bratz dolls, which quickly became a sensation, challenging the dominance of Barbie in the doll market. The success of Bratz was not without its challenges, as it sparked a lengthy and costly legal battle with Mattel, the makers of Barbie. Mattel sued MGA Entertainment, claiming that the Bratz concept was developed by a designer while he was under contract with Mattel. This lawsuit led to a series of court battles that lasted for years, costing both companies millions of dollars in legal fees. Despite these challenges, Larian's determination and refusal to be bullied played a crucial role in MGA's survival and continued success. The company went on to develop other successful products, including the LOL Surprise dolls, which became a global phenomenon. Larian's story is not just about the creation of a successful business but also about the personal toll of such a high-stakes legal battle. It highlights his resilience, the importance of fighting for what you believe in, and the complexities of navigating the competitive toy industry. Today, Isaac Larian continues to lead MGA Entertainment, planning to keep the business within the family. His journey from a childhood marked by poverty and hardship to becoming a billionaire in the toy industry is a testament to the possibilities that hard work, innovation, and perseverance can bring. It's a reminder that success often comes with its own set of challenges, but also that resilience and a fighting spirit can overcome even the toughest obstacles.

In this episode of How I Built This Lab, Guy Raz interviews organizational psychologist and bestselling author Adam Grant about his latest book, "Hidden Potential." Grant discusses the misconception that innate qualities are necessary for achieving greatness, emphasizing instead the importance of character development. He highlights a study by Raj Chetty, which found that the experience of kindergarten teachers can predict the income of individuals in their 20s, suggesting that character skills learned early in life have a long-lasting impact on success. Grant and Raz explore common traits among successful entrepreneurs, such as resilience, determination, and the ability to view rejection as a starting point rather than an end. They delve into the importance of social skills and the potential for improvement, regardless of one's starting point. Grant shares personal anecdotes to illustrate the power of pushing oneself out of comfort zones and the benefits of seeking advice over feedback for growth. The conversation also covers the significance of fostering collaboration within teams and organizations. Grant criticizes the focus on individual achievements in many workplaces, advocating for a broader definition of success that includes enhancing the success of others. He suggests practical steps for organizations to encourage collaborative behavior, such as disincentivizing selfish actions and rewarding team-oriented contributions. Finally, Grant touches on the importance of recognizing one's hidden potential, often made visible through the perspectives of others. He describes an exercise called the reflected best self portrait, which involves collecting stories from various people about times when the individual was at their best. This exercise, according to Grant, can reveal previously unrecognized strengths and areas for growth, underscoring the idea that everyone has hidden potential waiting to be uncovered.

In this episode of "How I Built This," Guy Raz interviews Larry Liu, the innovator behind the online Asian grocery platform Weee!, which is now valued at over $4 billion. Larry's journey from an eBay reseller to the founder of a leading grocery delivery brand specializing in Asian products is a tale of resilience, innovation, and understanding the needs of immigrant communities in the United States. Larry Liu's entrepreneurial spirit was evident from his early days in China, where he started by selling secondhand goods on EachNet, a platform similar to eBay. His move to the U.S. in 2003 to work at Intel marked the beginning of his American dream. However, it was his personal struggle to find the Asian food he loved that sparked the idea for Weee!. Initially, the company attempted to leverage group buying to save money on large purchases, but this model nearly led to the business's downfall. With barely a month of funding left, Larry made a pivotal decision to pivot into grocery delivery, focusing on providing easy, affordable access to Asian groceries. The transition was not smooth. The company faced significant challenges, including a moment when Larry, injured and bedridden, had to rethink the entire business model. This period of reflection led to the realization that the core issue was not about making group buys more efficient but about addressing the fundamental need for easy access to ethnic foods for immigrant communities. This insight prompted a complete overhaul of the business, focusing on direct delivery of a wide range of Asian groceries. The pivot proved successful, and Weee! began to grow steadily, expanding beyond the Chinese immigrant community to serve a diverse range of ethnic groups in the U.S. The company's growth was further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as more people turned to online grocery shopping. Weee!'s ability to offer competitive prices, a wide selection of products, and a deep understanding of its customers' needs has been key to its success. Larry Liu's story is a testament to the power of resilience, the importance of understanding your customer, and the ability to pivot when necessary. From struggling to find his favorite foods in the U.S. to running a billion-dollar company, Larry's journey with Weee! highlights the potential for innovation to address specific community needs, creating a business that is both profitable and impactful.

In the episode titled "AI that can be your second brain" from the podcast "How I Built This Lab," hosts Guy Raz interviews Bethany Bongiorno and Imran Chaudhri, the co-founders of Humane. The episode delves into the creation of the Humane AI Pin, a revolutionary device designed to function as a personal assistant without the need for a screen. This device, which is controlled by voice, features a touchpad, camera, built-in projector, and is designed to be worn on clothing. The inspiration behind this innovation stems from the founders' previous work at Apple, where they contributed to the development of products that have become integral to daily life, such as the iPhone and iPad. During their tenure at Apple, Bongiorno and Chaudhri were instrumental in the design and implementation of groundbreaking technologies. However, after leaving Apple in 2016, they embarked on a journey to create a new kind of computing experience that would enhance human interaction with technology without the distractions of a screen. This led to the development of the Humane AI Pin, which aims to serve as a "second brain" for users, assisting with tasks and storing personal information securely. The Humane AI Pin represents a shift towards more intimate and less intrusive interactions with technology. It is designed to understand and respond to user commands, store memories, and provide information, all while ensuring user privacy and data security. The device's development was driven by a desire to address the negative aspects of screen dependency and to promote a healthier relationship with technology. The founders envision a future where technology supports human happiness by enabling people to be more present in their lives. The episode also touches on the broader implications of AI and the importance of responsible innovation in the field. Bongiorno and Chaudhri discuss their commitment to creating technology that respects user privacy and fosters positive human-technology interactions. They express hope that their work will inspire others in the industry to prioritize ethical considerations in the development of AI technologies. Overall, the podcast episode provides an insightful look into the motivations and aspirations behind the Humane AI Pin, highlighting the potential for technology to enhance human life without contributing to the problems associated with screen addiction. Through their work, Bongiorno and Chaudhri aim to redefine the relationship between humans and technology, making it more harmonious and beneficial for all.

The podcast episode titled "Primal Kitchen Mark Sisson" on "How I Built This" delves into the entrepreneurial journey of Mark Sisson, who transformed his passion for health and fitness into a successful business venture. Mark Sisson, a former elite athlete and fitness expert, ventured into the food industry in his 60s with a bold idea to create a brand of paleo and keto-friendly condiments. This idea led to the birth of Primal Kitchen, a company that would revolutionize the condiment market with its healthy alternatives. Sisson's journey wasn't without its challenges, including a significant financial risk and product development hurdles, but his perseverance and innovative approach paid off. Primal Kitchen's success story began with a focus on creating a healthier version of mayonnaise, a product that was both a staple in many diets and a source of unhealthy fats. Sisson's commitment to using high-quality ingredients like avocado oil, despite the higher costs, set Primal Kitchen apart from its competitors. The gamble on mayonnaise, along with a range of other condiments like ketchup and salad dressings, resonated with consumers looking for healthier options, leading to rapid growth and widespread distribution in major retailers. The episode also touches on Sisson's previous ventures and experiences, which shaped his approach to business and health. From running a painting business and a frozen yogurt shop to becoming a personal trainer and a prominent figure in the paleo diet community, Sisson's diverse background contributed to his understanding of the market and consumer needs. His blog, which initially served as a platform to share his dietary philosophy, eventually became a key marketing tool for Primal Kitchen, demonstrating the power of content and community in building a brand. In 2018, Primal Kitchen caught the attention of Kraft Heinz, leading to a $200 million acquisition. This partnership allowed Primal Kitchen to continue its mission on a larger scale, with Sisson remaining involved as a consultant. The acquisition is a testament to the brand's impact on the food industry and Sisson's ability to create a business that not only succeeded financially but also made a positive difference in people's lives. Throughout the episode, Sisson's story is a reminder of the importance of innovation, resilience, and the willingness to take risks. His journey from an elite athlete to a successful entrepreneur illustrates the potential for personal passions to evolve into impactful businesses. Primal Kitchen's success underlines the growing consumer demand for healthier food options and the opportunities for entrepreneurs willing to challenge the status quo in the food industry.

In the episode titled "Supercharging Lithium-Ion Batteries with Gene Berdichevsky of Sila Nanotechnologies," listeners are introduced to the groundbreaking work of Gene Berdichevsky and his team at Sila Nanotechnologies. They have developed a composite silicon anode material that promises to increase the capacity of lithium-ion batteries by as much as 40%. This innovation could significantly extend the range of electric vehicles (EVs) and make them more affordable for consumers. Berdichevsky's journey began in the Soviet Union, where he was born and where his parents worked as engineers. After moving to the United States, he pursued mechanical engineering at Stanford University, where he became involved in a solar car project. This experience sparked his interest in lithium-ion batteries and eventually led him to join Tesla in its early days. At Tesla, Berdichevsky worked on developing the battery technology that powered the company's first electric car, the Roadster. However, he left Tesla to further his studies, driven by a desire to overcome the limitations of traditional lithium-ion batteries. He recognized that the performance improvements of these batteries were plateauing, which could hinder the widespread adoption of EVs. To address this, Berdichevsky co-founded Sila Nanotechnologies in 2011, with the goal of developing a new material that could store more energy than the graphite used in conventional lithium-ion batteries. The episode delves into the technical challenges that Berdichevsky and his team faced in developing their silicon anode material. Silicon, while capable of storing significantly more lithium ions than graphite, expands dramatically during charging, leading to degradation and a short battery life. Overcoming this issue required extensive research and development, with the team iterating through tens of thousands of material formulations over a decade. Sila Nanotechnologies' persistence paid off when they introduced their silicon anode material in a consumer product, the Whoop fitness tracker, in 2021. This marked a significant milestone, proving the viability of their technology. The company has since secured agreements with major automotive manufacturers, including Mercedes and Panasonic, to incorporate their silicon anode material into electric vehicles. Berdichevsky envisions a future where their technology not only enables longer-range and faster-charging EVs but also contributes to energy security and sustainability by reducing reliance on graphite, which is predominantly mined and processed in China. The episode concludes with Berdichevsky reflecting on the long and challenging journey of bringing a revolutionary technology to market. Despite the uncertainties and the time it took to develop their silicon anode material, he remains committed to the mission of improving battery technology to facilitate the transition to electric vehicles. With plans to scale up production and the potential to significantly impact the EV market, Sila Nanotechnologies stands at the forefront of a major technological shift in energy storage.

In the episode titled "Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey Fawn Weaver" from NPR's How I Built This, host Guy Raz explores the remarkable journey of Fawn Weaver, who founded one of the fastest-growing whiskey brands in the U.S., Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey. The story begins over 150 years ago in Lynchburg, Tennessee, where a young Jack Daniel learned the art of distilling Tennessee whiskey from Nearest Green, a black man and former slave. Despite Green's pivotal role, his contribution remained largely unrecognized until Fawn Weaver stumbled upon his story and decided to delve deeper. Fawn Weaver, initially known for her books on marriage, embarked on a mission to bring Nearest Green's legacy to light. Her curiosity led her to Lynchburg, where she purchased the farm where Green had taught Jack Daniel the distilling process. Despite having no background in distilling or the spirits industry, Weaver was determined to honor Nearest Green's legacy. She faced numerous challenges, including convincing investors and navigating an industry dominated by white males. However, her perseverance and belief in the importance of Green's story propelled her forward. Weaver's journey was not just about creating a whiskey brand; it was about rectifying a historical oversight and ensuring that Nearest Green's contributions were recognized. She meticulously researched Green's life, connecting with his descendants and gathering their insights. This research not only informed the creation of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey but also helped cement Green's place in history. The launch of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey was a strategic and thoughtful process. Weaver and her team focused on winning awards and gaining recognition in spirit competitions to establish the brand's credibility. They also employed scarcity marketing and leveraged the unique story behind the brand to create demand. Despite the challenges of breaking into a market dominated by large corporations, Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey quickly gained traction, becoming a symbol of perseverance, recognition, and respect for a previously overlooked figure in American history. Fawn Weaver's journey from discovering Nearest Green's story to building a successful whiskey brand is a testament to the power of storytelling and the importance of honoring those who have been forgotten by history. Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey is not just a product; it's a tribute to Nearest Green's legacy and a reminder of the contributions of African Americans to the spirit industry and American culture as a whole.

In the second part of the conversation with Tristan Harris on "How I Built This Lab," the focus shifts to the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential to disrupt societal trust and the very fabric of reality as we know it. Tristan Harris, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, delves into the dangers and ethical dilemmas posed by AI, particularly generative AI, which has the capability to forge documents, videos, and even personal identities with alarming precision. This advancement in technology, while promising in many respects, also harbors the risk of undermining the authenticity of information, leading to a breakdown in societal trust and the potential for widespread misinformation. The episode explores the excitement surrounding AI in the tech community, particularly in the Bay Area, where there is a rush to capitalize on the next big technological breakthrough. However, Harris emphasizes the need for a more cautious approach, advocating for changes in incentives to ensure that AI development does not outpace our ability to manage its societal impacts. He draws parallels with the early days of social media, highlighting how legal protections such as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act inadvertently shielded companies from liability for the harms caused by their platforms. Harris suggests that a similar approach to AI, focusing on liability for potential harms, could encourage a more responsible pace of development. The conversation also touches on the tangible ways AI is already impacting our lives, such as through AI-generated content that is indistinguishable from real human creations. Harris warns that as AI continues to improve, it will become increasingly difficult to discern what is real and what is fabricated, posing significant challenges to our understanding of truth and reality. He advocates for the development of secure and authenticated communication methods to counteract the potential for deception. Despite the daunting challenges posed by AI, Harris remains hopeful that humanity can navigate this technological transition responsibly. He calls for a collective effort to reimagine our legal and societal frameworks to accommodate the new realities brought about by AI. This includes creating new norms around the open sourcing of AI models and ensuring that the development of AI technologies is aligned with societal well-being rather than unchecked profit motives. Harris's work, including his involvement in shaping a White House executive order on AI, aims to raise awareness and prompt action on these critical issues. He stresses the importance of public engagement and legislative action to establish guardrails for AI development, ensuring that technology serves humanity's best interests. Despite the challenges and uncertainties, Harris's message is one of love and hope for a future where technology enhances rather than undermines the human experience.

In the episode titled "Poshmark: Manish Chandra" from "How I Built This," listeners are taken on a journey through the creation and evolution of Poshmark, a leading social marketplace for new and secondhand style for women, men, kids, pets, home, and more. The story begins with Manish Chandra, the founder of Poshmark, who was inspired by a combination of personal experiences and technological advancements. The idea for Poshmark struck Chandra when he noticed the potential of the iPhone 4's camera quality and connected it with the concept of a mobile and social marketplace for selling unused clothing from his wife's closet. This realization led to the birth of Poshmark in 2011, a platform designed to make buying and selling fashion items easy, fun, and social. Chandra's journey wasn't without its challenges. Early on, Poshmark faced significant hurdles, including issues with shipping costs that led to a community backlash when fees were increased. Additionally, the company encountered operational difficulties as it scaled, particularly with payment processing and shipping logistics. Despite these obstacles, Poshmark's focus on building a strong community and leveraging mobile technology helped it to grow rapidly. The platform's user-friendly design, combined with the ability for users to engage with each other, created a unique shopping experience that attracted millions of users. The episode also covers Poshmark's expansion beyond women's fashion to include men's, kids', and even pet items, reflecting the platform's adaptability and growth. However, the path to going public was not smooth. Plans for an IPO were initially derailed by challenges such as the introduction of sales tax on online marketplaces and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these setbacks, Poshmark achieved profitability and eventually went public in 2021, marking a significant milestone in the company's history. In early 2023, Poshmark was acquired by Naver, a South Korean technology company, with plans for the platform to continue growing and potentially become an independent public company again in the future. Throughout the episode, Chandra reflects on the importance of hard work, luck, and maintaining core values in the face of adversity. His story is a testament to the power of innovation, community, and resilience in building a successful business.

In the podcast episode "The peril (and promise) of AI with Tristan Harris Part 1," Tristan Harris, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, discusses the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential impacts on society. Harris, who has deep roots in the tech world and previously warned about the dangers of social media, expresses concern over the pace at which AI is growing. He emphasizes that while AI holds promise for breakthroughs in areas such as disease cure and climate change solutions, its rapid advancement could lead to a loss of control, making it difficult to discern truth from falsehood and potentially undermining societal trust. Harris shares his journey from being a technology enthusiast in the Bay Area, writing fan mail to Steve Wozniak, to founding the Center for Humane Technology. He recounts his experience with his company, Apture, which aimed to enrich the internet with multimedia and educational content. However, he soon realized that the company's success was measured by engagement and time spent on websites, not by the educational value it provided. This realization led him to focus on the attention economy and its implications for society. During his time at Google, Harris created a presentation highlighting the impact of a few designers at major tech companies on millions of people's attention. The presentation went viral within Google, sparking discussions about the responsibility of tech companies in managing users' attention. Despite some support within Google, Harris felt that meaningful change was limited by the companies' incentives to maximize screen time and engagement. Harris then discusses the evolution of social media and its comparison to the Gutenberg Press, highlighting the unprecedented speed at which social media has changed society. He points out the challenges humanity faces in adapting to such rapid technological advancements, given our "paleolithic brains" and "medieval institutions." The episode also touches on the breakthrough in AI development in 2017 with the invention of the Transformer model, which led to the creation of large language models like GPT-4. Harris explains how these models have developed unexpected capabilities, such as explaining jokes or conducting research-grade chemistry, raising concerns about the unpredictable nature of AI's growth. In summary, Tristan Harris warns of the potential dangers of unchecked AI development, emphasizing the need to consider the incentives driving this growth and the societal impacts of rapidly advancing technology. He advocates for a more deliberate approach to introducing new technologies, allowing society to absorb and adapt to changes at a manageable pace.

In this episode of "How I Built This," Guy Raz interviews John MacFarlane, one of the founders of Sonos, a company that revolutionized home audio with its wireless speaker systems. The story begins with MacFarlane's early interest in the internet and his first venture, Software.com, which laid the groundwork for his future success. Despite the challenges of convincing music and tech industries about the viability of wireless music streaming in the early 2000s, MacFarlane and his team at Sonos persisted, driven by their vision of filling homes with music seamlessly. Sonos was founded in 2002, at a time when the concept of streaming music wirelessly throughout one's home was novel and technically challenging. The company had to invent the technology to make this possible, including developing a reliable mesh network for their speakers. Despite skepticism from many, including a memorable encounter with Steve Jobs, who threatened to sue Sonos over a design feature, the company persevered. Their dedication to sound quality and the user experience helped Sonos not only survive but thrive, even as tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Apple entered the wireless speaker market. The journey was not without its ups and downs. The 2008 financial crisis hit Sonos hard, but the company managed to innovate its way out of potential disaster by introducing more affordable products like the Play 5. The advent of smart speakers posed another challenge, prompting Sonos to integrate voice assistants into their products to stay competitive. Throughout these challenges, MacFarlane's leadership was crucial, though he eventually recognized the need to step down for both personal and professional reasons. His departure marked the end of an era for Sonos, but the company's continued success is a testament to the solid foundation he helped build. MacFarlane's story is one of innovation, persistence, and the importance of timing and luck in business. Despite the immense challenges, his vision for Sonos—to fill homes with music—remained unwavering. This episode not only explores the technical and business hurdles Sonos overcame but also delves into MacFarlane's personal journey, from his early fascination with the internet to his decision to leave the company he helped create.

Steve Fambro was an electrical engineer working for a biotech company when he got stuck in traffic one day. Looking around at all the boxy, inefficient vehicles, he started thinking about aerodynamics and designing a more efficient car powered by electricity. He met Chris Anthony, who designed boats, and together they founded Aptera Motors in 2005 to create a three-wheeled, aerodynamic electric vehicle that could get incredibly high gas mileage equivalents. They built a prototype in 2007 that generated a lot of buzz and investment interest after unveiling it at the TED conference. Over 4,000 people put down deposits. But the economic recession made fundraising difficult, so Fambro and Anthony stepped back and brought in auto industry veterans to run the company. Aptera shifted focus to building a four-wheeled sedan to try to get a Department of Energy loan, but ultimately went out of business in 2011 after failing to raise enough private funds. Fambro went on to start a vertical farming company, but always had Aptera in the back of his mind. In 2019, he and Anthony decided to relaunch the company, seeing new potential with improved solar and battery technology. They redesigned the original three-wheeled shape to maximize efficiency and range, with the capability to travel up to 40 miles per day on solar power alone. Now with over 40,000 reservations, Aptera aims to deliver its first new vehicles in 2023, promising a solar-powered "freedom of mobility" beyond traditional electric cars. Fambro believes the future is greater range through radical efficiency, and sees Aptera showing the way over the next five years and beyond.

Gabby Lewis and Greg Sevitz met in 2009 as students at Brown University. They bonded over challenging math classes and an entrepreneurship project where Gabby developed an idea for a paleo protein bar. In 2013, Greg suggested adding crickets to the protein bars. Though initially hesitant, Gabby became intrigued by the challenge of overcoming consumer disgust and getting people to eat bugs. They launched a Kickstarter campaign for their cricket bars called Exo and raised nearly $60,000 in preorders. This allowed them to start developing a supply chain of cricket farmers and manufacturers. They officially launched Exo in 2015, selling cricket bars direct-to-consumer online. Exo gained some traction in the paleo community but struggled to expand beyond this niche. After 5 years, Gabby and Greg sold Exo, having raised over $5 million but never reaching profitability. Reflecting on Exo, Gabby and Greg realized the cricket supply chain couldn't support their vision. They wanted to apply lessons learned to a bigger, mainstream product category ripe for innovation. Looking at options like milk and soda, they settled on the $11 billion cereal market which hadn't changed much in decades. They saw an opportunity to make cereal healthier with added protein and no sugar. After a year of R&D, they launched Magic Spoon in 2019 - a high-protein, low-carb, grain-free cereal with zero sugar aimed at health-conscious adults. They used alternative sweeteners like allulose and monkfruit to mimic the sweet taste of sugary cereals. Early sales exceeded expectations, allowing them to delay retail and build direct-to-consumer. After 3 years, Magic Spoon eventually launched in major retailers like Target and Walmart. To date they have raised over $100 million to scale quickly before larger cereal brands can copy them.

The podcast episode focuses on direct carbon capture technology as a way to remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in order to fight climate change. The guest is Shashank Samala, co-founder and CEO of the company Heirloom. Heirloom has developed a new method of direct air capture that uses limestone to absorb carbon dioxide from the air. The technology works by first heating up the limestone to turn it into calcium oxide, which makes it very thirsty to react with carbon dioxide. The calcium oxide is then spread into thin layers on trays and stacked vertically. As air passes through, the calcium oxide absorbs carbon dioxide and turns back into calcium carbonate, which is limestone. This provides a way to capture carbon dioxide from the air that is inexpensive and scalable. Currently, Heirloom sells the carbon dioxide removals as credits to corporations like Microsoft and Stripe that have pledged to reach net zero emissions. While this market is still voluntary, Shashank sees policy and compliance playing a bigger role in the future of carbon removal. He estimates that to avoid the worst climate impacts, 5-10 billion tons of carbon dioxide will need to be removed per year globally by 2030, representing a trillion dollar industry. Heirloom recently opened its first direct capture facility in California that can capture 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year. The goal is to build out modular facilities over the next 10-15 years that can each capture around 1 million tons per year. To reach the scale needed, Shashank wants to build 1,000 such facilities across the world, with ideal locations being places with inexpensive renewable energy and geology suitable for permanently storing the captured carbon dioxide underground. Overall, Heirloom's mission is to scale up capacity to be able to remove 1 billion tons annually in the 2030s.

Arielle Kay grew up in Los Angeles and had aspirations of becoming a pop star, but realized she wasn't good enough to make it professionally. She studied abroad in Italy in college, which exposed her to high-quality textiles and craftsmanship. After working in advertising and digital marketing, Arielle decided she wanted to start her own business merging her interests in home design and building brands. In late 2012, Arielle was struck by the poor shopping experience and lack of brands when buying bed linens. She saw an opportunity to create a direct-to-consumer brand focused on European-made luxury sheets. After visiting factories in Europe in early 2013, she incorporated the business and worked to raise funding. With the help of her friend Eddie, Arielle raised $30k to start and joined an accelerator to receive an additional $25k investment. Arielle launched Parachute Home online in January 2014 after designing a modern aesthetic and focusing on quality materials and transparent business practices. Leveraging PR at launch, the company gained quick traction. Despite copycats entering the space, Arielle stayed committed to disciplined growth and building an authentic brand. After expanding into other home categories like towels and rugs based on customer feedback, Parachute experimented with pop-up retail stores in 2015/2016 to drive awareness and sales. The company has raised over $50 million to date. In 2018, shortly after getting married and becoming pregnant with her first child, Arielle's personal life began to unravel as her marriage broke down. She struggled quietly to balance her professional and personal worlds during an intensely difficult period. Eventually realizing the toll this took on her health, Arielle prioritized self-care and stepped back from the CEO role this year to focus more on creative direction.

Jason Ballard, along with his co-founders, set out to revolutionize home construction using 3D printing technology. While running an eco-friendly building supply company called Treehouse, Jason became interested in innovating new ways to build affordable, sustainable housing at scale. He started researching 3D printing in his spare time and brought the idea to his board, but they declined to pursue it as part of Treehouse's core business. Undeterred, Jason continued working on 3D printing homes on nights and weekends with his wife and kids. He connected with two other entrepreneurs also exploring construction 3D printing - Alex LaRue and Evan Loomis. Together, they started developing printers and material science for 3D printable concrete. After maxing out several credit cards, they unveiled a 500 sq ft 3D printed home at SXSW using an early prototype printer called Vulcan One. This proof of concept house attracted the attention of nonprofit New Story, who offered to finance a 3D printed community in Mexico if Jason's team could enhance the printer technology. After making upgrades, Icon printed 10 resilient, concrete homes for impoverished families in Mexico. This demonstrated 3D printing's potential for affordable housing and helped Icon raise millions in funding. Icon went on to sell the first-ever 3D printed homes on the open market in Austin, showing banks would finance mortgages. After a devastating fire destroyed Icon's headquarters, the company quickly recovered since most printers were unharmed. Recently, Icon secured a NASA contract to develop 3D printing for lunar habitats. While regulatory hurdles still exist around permitting alternate construction methods, Jason aims to fully automate homebuilding with robots. He believes innovations like 3D printing concrete could help end global homelessness and expand humanity's building capabilities on Earth as well as the moon and Mars. Icon continues leading the 3D construction revolution.

Tiffany Masterson was a stay-at-home mom of four kids when she started selling a $100 soap bar called Wonder Bar in 2009. When a review website exposed dubious claims about the bar's ingredients, Tiffany started researching skincare and realized many products contained irritating ingredients. She decided to create her own line focused on non-toxic ingredients and called it Drunk Elephant, inspired by the myth that elephants eat fermented Marula fruit and get drunk. Despite widespread doubts about the odd brand name and bright packaging, Tiffany remained committed to her vision. She self-funded initial products in 2013 with help from her brother-in-law Charles, who invested over $400K. Though sales were slow at first, Tiffany relentlessly emailed magazine editors and cultivated word-of-mouth, leading to features in national publications. In 2014, Sephora picked up Drunk Elephant to launch in 2015. With Tiffany's savvy social media marketing and use of samples to give employees "drunk breaks," the brand quickly built a cult following. By 2016, Estée Lauder identified Drunk Elephant as Sephora's fastest growing skincare brand ever. After bringing in private equity investors in 2017 to fund expansion plans, Drunk Elephant sold to Shiseido in 2019 for $845 million. The deal rewarded Tiffany, employees and early investors for taking a chance on her unconventional approach. She attributes the success to luck and hard work, fueled by her passion. Tiffany continues leading product development as the brand's chief creative officer.

Jim Koch, founder of Boston Beer Company, returns to the show to discuss innovations and new products his company has developed in recent years. When Jim started the company 40 years ago, there were only about 5,700 craft breweries in the U.S. Today there are almost 10,000, showing the success of the craft beer movement he helped start. However, the market has gotten much more competitive and craft beer's market share is decreasing slightly as spirit sales increase. Jim explains his philosophy of creating new products is not based on market research but rather on pushing boundaries and thinking outside traditional paradigms. For alcohol, there are usually three categories - beer, wine, and spirits. Jim sees opportunities in creating products outside those realms in what he calls the "fourth category." For example, twenty years ago Boston Beer Company developed a hard iced tea called Twisted Tea and more recently a hard seltzer called Truly. Both products eventually found an audience after some reformulation and repackaging. The company has also innovated within traditional beer styles, creating a strong beer called Samuel Adams Utopias that is like a vintage port and experimenting with nitrogenation instead of carbonation for a creamier texture. Not all innovations are successful though, like the failed Samuel Adams Nitro line. But Jim says he is proud of the quality even if the public doesn't appreciate it. Finally, Jim has ventured into non-alcoholic beer, seeing an opportunity to provide full flavor without alcohol. After tasting a good non-alcoholic beer from Heineken, he worked for years to develop Boston Beer Company's own flavorful non-alcoholic IPA. Jim aims to create enduring high quality products, not just short-term fads, that over time can transform what consumers expect from beer.

Episode Title: Liquid Death Founder: Mike Cesario Company: Liquid Death - a canned water brand marketed like an energy drink or beer Backstory: - Mike had a long career in advertising but was often frustrated when clients rejected his edgy, humorous ideas - He decided to create his own product so he could have full control over the marketing - He considered launching an alcohol brand but struggled with regulations and distribution The Idea: - Mike stumbled on the idea when he saw bands at Warped Tour drinking water out of Monster Energy cans - He realized people want what they're not supposed to have - teens want what 20-somethings have - He decided to put spring water in tallboy cans designed to look like a beer Launching Liquid Death: - Couldn't find any manufacturers in the US that could produce canned water - Finally connected with a facility in Austria that could do it - Created a viral ad for Liquid Death before having an actual product - Used consumer demand from the ad to raise funds to produce the first run Growth: - Launched on Amazon in early 2019, sold out first production run in a month - Added major retailers like Whole Foods and 7-Eleven - Grew rapidly to over $100M in annual revenue by 2022 Sustainability: - Focused on building an irreverent, funny brand that stands out, not a functional advantage - Believes brand/marketing is the moat in the beverage industry, not ingredients or packaging - Plans to keep making entertaining content to drive attention and sales Key Takeaway: Used his marketing expertise to create consumer demand for a product that didn't exist yet in order to raise funds to produce it.

Ty Sadeh grew up on a kibbutz in Israel, working in the orchards every week as a child and teenager. This early exposure to agriculture influenced his interest in food and farming. After opening a family restaurant business, Ty wanted to tackle bigger global challenges related to agriculture and food production. He recognized that rapidly rising global food demand paired with declining bee populations poses a major problem, since bees pollinate about a third of the food we eat. Commercialization of honeybees for pollination is inefficient and harmful to their health. Ty's company BloomX set out to develop pollination solutions to enhance what bees already do. The BloomX technology can increase crop yields by 10-40% using robotic devices that replicate bee pollination in a more targeted, efficient way tailored to each crop. One product vibrates plants to shake pollen loose like bees do. Another electrostatic system collects and transfers pollen between flowers that bees tend to avoid. Algorithms determine optimal daily pollination times based on weather and other environmental factors. Initially focused on avocados, mangoes, berries and other crops in Latin America, BloomX aims to strategically supplement traditional honeybee pollination, not replace it completely. By boosting yields, the technology could reduce incentives for further deforestation from agricultural expansion. Though agriculture tends to be slow to adopt new innovations, solving pollination limitations is a priority that growers recognize.

Episode Title: Primary Guests: Christina Carbonell and Galyn Bernard, co-founders of Primary Summary: - Christina and Galyn met while working at Diapers.com in 2010. They discovered they had parallel backgrounds (Ivy League schools, Harvard MBAs, big brand experience). - In 2014, they decided to start their own business selling high quality, affordable basics for kids after frustrating experiences clothes shopping for their own children. - They launched Primary in 2015 with the goal of creating durable, comfortable styles in rainbow colors without stereotypical gender divisions. - After early inventory and funding issues, Primary found its footing and grew to $30 million in revenue by 2018 with a small but loyal customer base who appreciated their focus on quality over branding. - Key to their success has been an exceptionally close partnership as co-CEOs, leveraging their complementary skillsets while supporting each other during difficult stretches. - Looking ahead, they aim to reach half a billion to a billion in sales, potentially accelerated through partnerships, and believe their steady approach built on a firm foundation will get them there.

The podcast episode features Wes and Allison Felix, siblings who co-founded the women's shoe brand Saysh. Allison is a highly decorated Olympic track and field athlete, while Wes served as her agent and manager. However, after contentious contract renewal negotiations with Nike, they decided to start their own footwear company designed specifically for women's feet. Allison first took up track in high school and quickly excelled, deciding to turn professional right out of high school instead of competing at the collegiate level. Her brother Wes was already a standout college athlete at USC. After graduating, Wes became Allison's agent and manager, securing endorsement deals and helping her training focus solely on competing. Allison went on to have great Olympic success, cementing her status as the most decorated American track and field athlete. In 2017, when Allison's sponsorship deal with Nike was up for renewal, Nike offered her a new contract with only 30-40% of her previous compensation. This was despite Allison continuing to perform at an extremely high level and expand her medal count. Feeling undervalued and exploited, Allison and Wes spoke out publicly against the treatment of female athletes during and after pregnancy by sponsors like Nike. They also decided to explore creating their own shoe brand tailored specifically for women's feet after learning all major brands use men's foot measurements. Leading up to the delayed 2020 Olympics, Wes and Allison self-funded and built a prototype spike shoe for Allison to compete in. They leveraged their industry connections to work with shoe designers and developers who believed in their mission to properly design footwear for women. Allison went on to win her record-setting 11th Olympic medal wearing her Saysh spikes. Since then, Saysh has expanded into lifestyle shoes for women and secured venture funding. But their core mission remains to design shoes specifically for women's feet, properly accounting for anatomical differences versus men's feet that traditional brands ignore. Moving forward, Wes and Allison hope to grow Saysh into a leading brand serving women across all aspects of life.

Tope Awotona was frustrated with the endless back-and-forth of trying to schedule meetings with multiple people. After doing some research and finding no good solutions on the market, he realized there was an opportunity to create scheduling software that made the process quick and simple. Awotona hired a development firm to build a prototype of his scheduling software idea. He invested over $200,000 into the project, emptying his 401K and savings and taking on debt. Tragically, his mother passed away from cancer during the development process. Pouring himself into the project helped him cope with the loss. The initial version of the software, which didn't yet have a name, was released in 2013. Since Awotona had run out of money, the software was offered for free with no way to charge users. It started to gain traction, especially among teachers scheduling parent-teacher conferences. Awotona eventually named the software Calendly and quit his job to focus on it full-time. After struggling to raise funds from investors, Awotona met the owner of the Atlanta Tech Village co-working space, who invested $350,000 into Calendly. This allowed Awotona to keep improving the product. By 2014, Calendly had 15,000 users. That August, Awotona introduced paid plans to finally start generating revenue. Today, just seven years after launch, Calendly brings in $60 million in annual revenue and has taken little outside investment beyond that initial amount. Awotona sees endless opportunities ahead to eliminate more of the hassle associated with meetings. He has no plans to ever sell Calendly, despite lucrative offers, as he feels like the business is still just getting started.

The episode starts by highlighting some of the best How I Built This Lab episodes from 2022. The first excerpt is from an interview with Pinky Cole, founder of the restaurant chain Slutty Vegan. Pinky talks about how she first got the idea to start a vegan fast food restaurant while working a side job doing food deliveries. She rented space in a commercial kitchen to make vegan burgers and fries to sell exclusively through delivery apps under the name Slutty Vegan. The provocative name and limited hours built buzz and long lines started forming outside the kitchen, eventually getting Pinky kicked out. She then bought a food truck and continued building her viral brand by posting up around Atlanta. Next is an interview with Nuseir Yassin, creator of the social media brand Nas Daily. Nuseir explains how after quitting his tech job and traveling the world for 1000 days straight making 1-minute Facebook videos, he wanted to build a mission-driven media company. He launched a production studio, an online community software called Nas IO, and an academy teaching people how to become social media creators themselves. The key for Nuseir is to build an ecosystem of complementary companies and products that have a positive social impact, not just sell ads. The episode wraps up with an update interview with Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder and former CEO of the dating app Bumble. Whitney talks about her vision for how AI and technology can improve dating and relationships moving forward by coaching people on building self-confidence. The future she sees is using tech to get people offline and meeting in real life, not further disconnected. Her obsession is integrating AI ethically to help people have healthier relationships.

Paige Mycoskie started making her own colorful and funky clothes in 2006 because she couldn't find the styles she liked in stores. She taught herself to sew and make patterns by deconstructing thrift store finds. When people repeatedly asked on the streets of Venice Beach where they could buy her clothes, she decided to start selling them. Paige made about 100 pieces and took them unannounced to Fred Siegel, a prestigious boutique in Santa Monica. The buyer loved the clothes and placed a large order on the spot. Paige then got an additional order from another popular store, Planet Blue. She took out a small business loan to fulfill the orders, working out of her apartment with her mom. Within days of delivering to Fred Siegel, the clothes sold out completely. Paige slowly grew her business by selling at trade shows and festivals. She branded her clothing line "Aviator Nation," inspired by her love of 70s style and culture. In 2007, she opened her first small store and office on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice Beach, decorating it with her own vintage belongings. This location exploded in popularity after media coverage, increasing foot traffic. Over the next decade, Paige focused on opening stores up and down the California coast. She kept costs low by funding all growth through cash flow and negotiating favorable leases. By 2019, there were 5 Aviator Nation stores doing a combined $27 million in annual sales. When the pandemic hit, Paige quickly pivoted to e-commerce and sold over $1 million in product in just 24 hours. Today, Aviator Nation has exploded, especially among Gen Z. The brand is expected to do $130 million this year, all while retaining its core values - quality, ethical production, and culture. Paige remains fully independent, owning the business outright. She oversees all design and still makes many operational decisions. Despite tremendous financial success, staying true to her initial vision remains the priority.

Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe returns to the show to provide an update on the electric vehicle company. Rivian launched three vehicles - a pickup truck, SUV, and delivery van - in late 2021. Ramping up production of all three so quickly amidst supply chain issues and parts shortages proved extremely challenging. Scaringe spent many hours on the phone with supplier CEOs trying to secure scarce components. With high demand but low supply, Rivian has accumulated an order backlog of over 100,000 vehicles. Scaringe acknowledges customer frustration over long wait times but says 2023 supply and production is improving. Rivian is on track to build over 50,000 vehicles this year. The company has also signed an agreement with Tesla to open up their respective EV charging networks to each other's drivers. Looking ahead, Rivian plans to launch the R2, an electric SUV priced between $40,000-$50,000, in 2026. This represents a more mass market, affordable option compared to their current higher-priced vehicles. Scaringe also discusses the adventure positioning of the Rivian brand and shares an example of how it has already inspired a customer to live a fuller, more active life. Despite all the skepticism and volatility, Scaringe maintains optimism in Rivian's future based on strong product-market fit and a clear path to profitability.

Sandra Oh Lin grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio after her parents immigrated from Korea. Her mother sold her wedding ring to help the family when they first moved to America. She later ran an informal childcare service and sold troll dolls at a mall kiosk when Sandra was young. These early retail experiences made an impression on Sandra. After studying chemical engineering at Case Western Reserve University, Sandra worked at Procter & Gamble. When her husband got a medical residency in San Francisco, they moved west. Sandra transitioned from a corporate job to working at startups during the dot com boom. Over the next decade, she gained experience at companies like PayPal and eBay, eventually becoming head of eBay's $2 billion fashion business. When Sandra had kids, she wanted them to exercise creativity by making arts, crafts and science projects. The activities were so popular with her friends' kids that she saw a business opportunity. In 2011, Sandra and two co-founders launched KiwiCo, a subscription service that mails kids a crate of materials and instructions for hands-on projects every month. The early years involved lots of testing different projects with kids and finding the right product-market fit. A pivotal moment came in 2014 when KiwiCo was running low on cash. Sandra decided to expand from their original KiwiCrate line for young kids to add three new ones for older kids. The holiday sales that year led to 10x the number of subscriptions. This expansion also paved the way for KiwiCo to reach profitability by 2016. Today, KiwiCo ships over 50 million crates per year and is a leading brand in the kids subscription box industry. Though Sandra has had acquisition offers, her focus is on continuing to build KiwiCo into a beloved household name brand for families, like Lego.

Steve Altemus is an entrepreneur who founded Intuitive Machines, a company that aims to commercialize space exploration and enable a sustained human presence on the Moon. Altemus was previously a NASA engineer but became frustrated with the bureaucracy and lack of ambition, so he left in 2013 to start Intuitive Machines. The company is developing lunar landers to deliver payloads to the surface of the Moon for government and commercial customers. Altemus believes there are still many unknowns about the Moon that need to be explored, such as the availability of water ice and rare minerals. Intuitive Machines is also bidding to develop a lunar rover for NASA that could transport astronauts on future missions. Intuitive Machines has contracted with SpaceX to launch its landers on Falcon 9 rockets. The first Nova-C lander is scheduled to launch in January 2024 on a mission to the Moon's south pole. The business model is to sell payload space to customers for around $1 million per kilogram. Landing on the Moon is extremely challenging, with around a 40-45% failure rate historically. But Altemus believes that with repeated attempts using the same lander design, reliability can improve over time. Intuitive Machines plans multiple lunar missions to incrementally retire more risk. Even if the first mission fails, it will prove their low-cost lander concept. Altemus predicts the Artemis program will return astronauts to the Moon by around 2030. He believes this commercial approach with private-public partnerships will make the U.S. more competitive than government-run programs of the past.

Episode Title: reCAPTCHA and Duolingo Luis von Ahn (2020) - Luis von Ahn invented CAPTCHA as a Carnegie Mellon PhD student to distinguish humans from bots when signing up for accounts online. He later sold it and founded reCAPTCHA, which digitized books by having people decipher scanned text as part of filling out CAPTCHAs. - Luis went on to found the language learning app Duolingo with the goal of providing free language education globally. Originally, he planned to fund it via having users translate content, but that model did not generate enough revenue. - After raising over $100 million in funding, Duolingo ultimately switched to a freemium model with ads and subscriptions to keep the core product free while still being financially sustainable. This required compromising early ideals. - Tactics like motivational notifications and gamification help drive user engagement and habit formation within Duolingo. The app now has 40 million monthly active users with 3% paying subscribers, making Luis a billionaire. - Luis attributes his success to both luck in timing and execution as well as obsessively focusing on solving problems over a long period. He plans to take Duolingo public in pursuit of further advancing language learning innovation and access.

The host, Grace Guy, asked listeners to submit voice memos sharing their favorite How I Built This episodes. Several listeners responded with thoughtful reflections on episodes that inspired them. One listener, Grace from Reston, Virginia, couldn't pick just one favorite, but she found Jamie Simonoff's story of overcoming crisis at Ring impactful. It showed how "moments of grace in the darkest of times can make all the difference." Other listeners highlighted the Airbnb episode on perseverance, the Spanx founder's story of defying naysayers, and Danny Meyer's perspective shift on problems. Grace Guy enjoys spreading joy by airing these listener reflections. She invites more favorite episode submissions under 30 seconds to hibt@id.wonder.com. The team will include excerpts in future episode ad breaks as a way to showcase the supportive How I Built This community.

Title: Framing the future of eyecare with Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa of Warby Parker Warby Parker co-founders Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa discuss how they have led the eyewear company as co-CEOs since its founding in 2010. They explain how having a partner makes the highs higher and the lows more manageable. Though they divide and conquer where possible, they constantly update each other and join one-on-one meetings with each other's direct reports to stay aligned. The company has evolved from solely an e-commerce brand into an omni-channel retailer with over 200 stores. Though online glasses sales are increasing, most people still prefer to shop in physical stores. Stores also increase brand awareness and trust. Warby Parker has further expanded into vision care services like eye exams and contact lenses to provide a convenient one-stop experience. In 2021, Warby Parker went public through a direct listing to provide liquidity to longtime investors and employees without needing to raise capital. As a public company, they aim to prove you can build a profitable business that does good in the world, hopefully inspiring other mission-driven companies. As a mature company, Warby Parker focuses on "scaling with integrity" - moving quickly but thoughtfully, balancing long-term and short-term thinking. Staying innovative is crucial, so they constantly evaluate customer feedback to improve and learn from competitors while pioneering new technologies like AI and virtual try-on. While proud of their progress, after 13 years they feel they're still just getting started pursuing their goal of providing vision for all.

Episode Title: Hernan Lopez - Wondery - Hernan Lopez was a successful TV executive at Fox when he became an early fan of podcasts like Serial. He saw the potential for audio storytelling to go through a "golden age" renaissance, similar to what happened with TV in the early 2000s. - In 2016, Hernan left his job at Fox to launch a podcast company called Wondery. He initially struggled to raise venture capital and ran low on cash, coming close to shutting down in the first year. - Wondery found success in 2017 with a show called Hollywood & Crime. Hernan realized they could tell compelling true stories using techniques like character development and cliffhangers borrowed from Hollywood storytelling conventions. - In 2018, Wondery launched the hit show Dirty John in partnership with the LA Times. This demonstrated Wondery's model and helped attract investors. The company raised $5 million in a Series A round in 2018. - Over the next few years, Wondery launched several other hit narrative shows and rejected multiple acquisition offers over $80 million. Hernan wanted to continue growing the business. - In 2020, Hernan was indicted on federal charges related to alleged misconduct during his time at Fox. He maintained his innocence but the case lasted nearly 3 years before he was finally exonerated. - In 2021, after more interest from potential buyers, Wondery agreed to sell to Amazon reportedly for around $300 million. Hernan left the company soon after.

Episode Title: Full body preventive health care with Andrew Lacy of Prenuvo Andrew Lacy is a serial entrepreneur who co-founded Prenuvo, a company using full body MRI scans to detect chronic health conditions early, before symptoms appear. Lacy was exploring the field of health and wanted to build a company that could help people. He met Dr. Rajpal Atariwala, a radiologist in Canada already offering voluntary full body MRIs in his clinic. Lacy had a scan himself and was struck by the valuable health insights it provided that the medical system had never told him. Lacy and Atariwala co-founded Prenuvo in 2018 to bring full body MRI screening to more people. They overcame challenges in operational efficiency and changing the mindset of investors and physicians. Prenuvo uses specialized hardware and software to conduct fast, high quality full body scans. They can detect early stage cancer and provide clarity on ambiguous symptoms. The medical establishment has largely criticized Prenuvo's services as lacking sufficient evidence for population-wide screening. But Lacy argues this criticism stems from a lack of firsthand experience and notes history of resistance towards new screening techniques like mammograms. Prenuvo has found great demand from people worried about cancer recurrence and those with unclear symptoms. Lacy aims to make the scans under $500 one day. His vision is for preventative body scanning to become routine care that redefines disease as early-stage and manageable rather than scary and advanced.

Nancy Twine grew up watching her mother run a successful medical practice. She absorbed lessons about confidence and overcoming challenges as a Black woman. Nancy started making her own beauty products as a child, using natural ingredients with her mother and grandmother. She studied finance in college and landed a lucrative job trading stocks at Goldman Sachs. In 2010, Nancy's mother was tragically killed in a car accident. This devastating loss prompted Nancy to reevaluate her priorities. She decided to pursue her passion and start a business selling natural haircare products. Nancy conducted market research showing demand for effective natural haircare. She bootstrapped initial funding while working long hours at Goldman Sachs. It took over a year for Nancy to find a contract manufacturer able to formulate clean shampoos and conditioners. She attended a cosmetics trade show in 2012 to connect with potential retail buyers. Urban Outfitters placed an initial order, validating Nancy's business concept. An investor named Phil provided $100k in seed funding after the first retail order. In 2014, Sephora agreed to test Nancy's haircare line online. She quit her job at Goldman Sachs to focus full-time on the opportunity. Strong digital sales led Sephora to roll out Nancy's products in 25 stores. She secured additional funding from Phil to scale production. By 2020, her brand Briogeo reached nearly $40 million in gross annual sales. Nancy overcame many obstacles through perseverance and self-belief. She brought an inclusive vision to the historically underserved natural haircare market. Nancy credits her success to hard work plus confidence instilled by her mother early on. She feels her mother's guiding spirit, watching her achieve this entrepreneurial dream.

Episode Title: The surprise that's saving food with Lucie Basch of Too Good To Go (2023) Summary: Lucy Bash worked at Nestlé and was troubled by the enormous food waste she witnessed at the factories. This inspired her to come up with an app idea to connect consumers with restaurants and food shops to buy their excess fresh food at the end of the day that would otherwise be thrown out. She met up with a group of Danish entrepreneurs working on a similar idea of selling leftover buffet food. Together they launched Too Good To Go in 2016, first pitching the concept to bakeries and cafes in Oslo. The app allows users to purchase "surprise bags" of unsold food at a big discount. They convinced businesses to join by emphasizing the simplicity, how it would bring in new customers, and help fight food waste. Prominent brands like bakery Eric Kaiser helped lend credibility. The app took off across Europe, launching in a new country every few months. During the pandemic in 2020, Too Good To Go expanded to the U.S. and raised over $30 million in funding. Today they operate in 17 countries with over 75 million users and have saved hundreds of millions of meals from going to waste. Lucy aims to build a global movement against food waste by making it easy for anyone to reduce waste.

Episode Title: CAVA Ted Xenohristos and Brett Schulman Founders: - Ted Xenohristos - Dimitri Moshe Vides - Ike Grigoropoulos - Brett Schulman (later addition as CEO and partner) Backstory: - Ted, Dimitri, and Ike met as kids through their Greek Orthodox church and grew up immersed in Greek culture and food - They all ended up working in restaurants as young adults - In their 20s, they decided to open a small Greek restaurant together called Kava Meze, featuring small plates of authentic Greek dishes Early Days & Struggles: - Built out their first location themselves by maxing out credit cards to pay for equipment and supplies - Faced permit issues and construction delays - Initially lost money due to not pricing dishes properly and underestimating food costs - Tried to expand by selling packaged dips and spreads to grocery stores but struggled with production, logistics, lack of preservatives, etc. Enter Brett Schulman: - Brett had experience working at his wife's snack food startup - He came in as a consultant to help turn around their struggling packaged goods business - Ted was impressed and brought Brett on as a full partner to be CEO Pivoting to Fast-Casual: - With Brett's guidance, they decided to leverage the healthy Mediterranean concept and open fast-casual locations - Focused menu around grain bowls, salads, dips and spreads - First location opened in 2011 in Bethesda, MD but initially confusing to full-service customers National Expansion: - 5th location showed the growth potential, giving them confidence to expand nationally - 2nd market in LA was very challenging but taught them how to open large new markets - Acquired struggling chain Zoe's Kitchen in 2018 to accelerate growth in suburbs/Sunbelt - Went public in 2023 with almost 300 locations Key Takeaways: - Authentic cuisine, quality ingredients, and hospitality as differentiators - Willingness to take risks and pivot business model - Slow build focused on proving concept before rapid expansion - Right mix of skillsets between founders and later addition of Brett as CEO

The episode explores the origins and development of Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company spun out of Google's self-driving car project which started in 2009. One of the early engineers working on the project was Dmitri Dolgov, now the co-CEO of Waymo. In the beginning, the team was given an ambitious 2-year goal by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin - to drive 100,000 autonomous miles and 10 specially selected 100-mile routes. Against skepticism, they accomplished it with 3 months left. In 2013, after testing early driver assist technologies, the team made a pivot to focus on full autonomy. Reasons included over-trust issues with driver assist tech, progress made on solving core self-driving challenges, and wanting to make a real transportation impact globally. This began a decade-long journey to bring the Waymo driver to fruition. Early prototypes were low-speed vehicles meant for campuses. In 2015, the first fully autonomous ride with a blind user was achieved in Austin. Then the focus turned to testing in cities like Phoenix and San Francisco. Today, Waymo One offers 24/7 autonomous ride-hailing services to the public in Phoenix and San Francisco using vehicles equipped with the latest Waymo driver technology. They use a mix of sensors like cameras and LIDAR to see the world combined with AI and machine learning to interpret the data. Waymo takes full responsibility for the driving actions of its vehicles. After initial anxiety, most riders get comfortable quickly as the experience feels remarkably ordinary. While ride-hailing is the current focus, the plan is to expand into trucking, delivery and personally owned vehicles over the next decade on the path to profitability. In Dmitri's view, a future where most people are transported by autonomous cars is coming.

Michael Preysman grew up in Silicon Valley and went to work at a private equity firm after graduating college. He soon felt unfulfilled and decided he wanted to start his own business instead. In 2010, he moved back to San Francisco and connected with a technical co-founder named Jesse Farmer. They explored various ideas for an online retail business before settling on a concept called Everlane, which would sell high-quality basics like t-shirts directly to consumers and provide unprecedented transparency around pricing and manufacturing. They contracted with factories in LA to produce a small run of simple cotton t-shirts for $15 each, much less than similar quality shirts that retailed for $45-50. Before launch, they built hype by getting 80,000 people to sign up for early access. On launch day in 2011, they let in the first 5-10k customers from the waitlist and quickly sold out their inventory. This scarcity model and viral nature of the launch helped propel early momentum. Over the next couple years, Everlane expanded into denim, sweaters, outerwear and other products, always sticking to their brand promise of "radical transparency." They revealed supply chain details and exact product costs to educate consumers on the reality of fashion industry markups. This helped further differentiate Everlane, though it also opened them up to criticism if their practices didn't fully measure up to these lofty ideals. After reaching $100 million in revenue and profitability by 2017, Preysman wishes in retrospect he had focused more on maximizing profits over topline growth. The brand was impacted significantly by the onset of the pandemic in 2020, forcing layoffs and other tough business decisions that were controversial internally. Preysman stepped down as CEO last year, feeling he wasn't the right long-term leader for Everlane as it entered its next chapter focused on sustainability.

The podcast discusses how cement production creates substantial carbon emissions, accounting for about 8% of global CO2 emissions. The majority of cement's emissions come from heating limestone, which releases the CO2 stored inside. Cody Finke, a chemist, realized he could eliminate these emissions by using a different calcium-rich rock called calcium silicate to make cement. Finke co-founded a company called Brimstone to produce cement from calcium silicate. This rock does not contain CO2, so no emissions are released when heated. Additionally, the process creates a magnesium carbonate byproduct that can sequester CO2 from the air. So Brimstone's cement could potentially be carbon-negative. Brimstone has developed a patented process to create ordinary Portland cement from calcium silicate. This allows their product to be a drop-in replacement for regular cement. Now, they are working to scale up production and build their first commercial plant. Their goal is to license their low-carbon cement process to established industry players to maximize its climate impact.

The Six Trophies podcast, hosted by Shay Serrano and Jason Concepcion, covers the biggest NBA storylines by handing out pop culture-themed trophies. In this episode, they discuss the late night trade between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Clippers. The trade sent James Harden and others from Philadelphia to the Clippers in exchange for players like Paul George. Serrano argues that both teams come out of this trade worse off, so he awards them both the Lauryn Hill "you might win some, but you just lost one" trophy for the worst performance of the week. Concepcion disagrees, seeing addition by subtraction for the Sixers. He thinks Tyrese Maxey can step up and that the team improved by removing the dysfunction with Harden. For the Clippers, Concepcion sees crazy potential but uncertainty by adding another ball-dominant star in Harden to play alongside players like Russell Westbrook. Serrano counters by noting Harden's history of forcing his way out of teams and not coexisting well with other stars. He compares Harden to an exotic plant that requires precise conditions to thrive. So Serrano still thinks both teams lost key pieces without clearly improving, making it a lose-lose trade in his view.

Episode Title: Priority Bicycles Dave Weiner Summary: Dave Wiener grew up loving bikes and working on them as a kid. He started working at bike shops and later worked at Giant Bicycle. He moved to New York for a software job but kept riding and fixing bikes as a hobby. In 2014, Dave decided to start his own bike company, Priority Bicycles. He wanted to create affordable, low-maintenance bikes with high quality components like puncture resistant tires, rust-free frames, and a belt drive instead of a greasy chain. He launched a Kickstarter campaign seeking $30k but ended up raising over $500k. Fulfilling those 1500 bike orders by Christmas was chaotic when a customs delay held the shipment. The first year sales were modest after the initial Kickstarter spike. His second bike model aimed at kids failed to resonate. But the third model, a commuter bike with upgraded components, helped the company turn profitable within 3 years. The business grew consistently with multiple bike models at various price points. Hotels like the Viceroy started buying Priority bikes and helped advertise the brand. When COVID hit, sales plummeted for months until a bike boom emptied Priority’s inventory. Dave took on private equity investment. Supply issues plagued the company until late 2022. Like the wider industry, Priority’s sales slowed dramatically this year. Despite a serious accident that sidelined Dave for 4 weeks, his team kept Priority running smoothly, proving he had built an enduring company. With 25 bike models now, Priority has carved out a niche making stylish low-maintenance bikes.

Episode Title: When a robot cooks your lunch with Steve Ells of Chipotle and Kernel - Steve Ells, founder of Chipotle, has started a new restaurant concept called Kernel that will serve plant-based food. - Ells was inspired to create a more sustainable restaurant model after reading about climate change. The food industry generates 25-30% of greenhouse gas emissions, mostly from animal agriculture. - Kernel will feature a vegan menu with sandwiches, salads, and sides. The food prep will be done in a central kitchen and delivered to small restaurant locations. - The Kernel restaurants will be highly automated, requiring only 3 employees instead of a typical staff of 12. Customers will order via app and pick up their food from temperature-controlled cubbies. - Ells believes automation addresses some problems in the restaurant industry like high turnover and low wages. Kernel jobs will require specialized skills and offer higher pay and benefits. - Kernel's technology includes robot arms, custom ovens, and automated cooking. Ells thinks the model could be replicated and licensed. - The first Kernel location is set to open in New York City in 2023. Ells plans to expand to 15 locations in the next 2 years. - Ells stepped down as Chipotle CEO during food safety crises but says Kernel allows him to innovate and try to solve big problems related to climate change and labor practices.

Episode Title: Kona Ice: Tony Lamb - Tony Lamb grew up watching his father Tom successfully sell Rainbow vacuum cleaners door-to-door. He aspired to follow in his footsteps. - After college, Tony built his own Rainbow vacuum cleaner sales office into one of the largest in the region with 300 salespeople by age 25. - In the early 2000s, Tony left Rainbow after disagreements with new management. He did some consulting work including helping turn around a friend's struggling furniture business. - The idea for Kona Ice shaved ice trucks came in 2004 after a bad experience buying ice cream from an old run-down truck. Tony saw potential to reinvent the concept. - In 2007, Tony launched the first Kona Ice truck hand-painted with a tropical theme to provide an immersive experience. He drove the truck himself at first. - The business took off driven by high margins on cups of shaved ice. Tony started franchising trucks and selling them to operators. - By 2008, Tony had paid off his $500K investment. The franchise grew to over 1,500 trucks before COVID-19 hit in 2020. - During the pandemic, Kona Ice pivoted to mobile ordering and contactless delivery to survive. Sales rebounded quickly. - Recently, Tony has been focused on a new mobile coffee truck concept called Traveling Tom's aimed at existing Kona Ice franchisees.

- Vincent and Andrew Kiritattragarn started the Asian-inspired snack food company Dang Foods. They built it into a successful brand carried at major retailers like Whole Foods, Target, and Walmart. - When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, it caused major disruptions to Dang's business. Demand dropped for their energy bars, which had been their fastest growing product. Then supply chain issues led to huge cost increases for importing their coconut and rice chips from Thailand. - Faced with falling revenue and mounting losses, Dang tried to raise money from investors but was unsuccessful. They also explored selling the company but could not find a buyer. - By early 2022, Dang made the difficult decision to wind down operations over 9 months. They stopped ordering new inventory and focused on selling off existing stock. - Emotionally, the shutdown was devastating for Vincent and Andrew. Vincent felt extreme sadness at the loss, while Andrew felt more relief. Both agree it was traumatic. - A chance encounter at a holiday party in December 2022 connected Vincent with a company interested in acquiring the Dang brand and operating it. So Dang products still exist today under new ownership. - Vincent has moved on to work with a new startup doing frozen soup dumplings. Andrew is consulting for companies going through wind downs. - Key lessons they learned included focusing obsessively on product-market fit early on, having aligned teams to support the product, and not overspending on marketing before nailing the product.

Episode Title: Etsy: Rob Kalin - Rob Kalin grew up near Boston and struggled in school, eventually dropping out of high school for a period. He got interested in photography and worked odd jobs before moving to New York City. - In New York, Rob studied classics at NYU and did construction work. He started building furniture in his apartment and wanted to sell it online, but didn't like eBay's model. - In 2005, Rob and two friends, Chris Maguire and Haim Shopic, launched Etsy as an online marketplace for handmade and vintage items. The name came from a nonsense word Rob heard in a movie. - Etsy grew slowly at first through word of mouth and organic traffic. Rob traveled to craft fairs to spread the word. By the first year, Etsy did $1 million in sales. - In 2008, Rob brought on Maria Thomas as CEO to help grow the company. But she didn't mesh with Etsy's maker culture and left after 2 years. - Rob returned as CEO in 2010 aiming to get Etsy back on track. But he struggled as a manager and clashed with staff. He was abruptly fired in 2011 by the board. - After leaving Etsy, Rob moved to the Catskills region and got involved in his local community, including helping build a preschool. - Though painful at first, Rob came to terms with leaving Etsy. He is now working on a new startup involving technology and early childhood education. - Etsy grew into a major global marketplace after Rob's departure and went public in 2015. Its success can be attributed to the community of sellers it serves.

Whitney Wolfe Herd started Bumble, a dating app where women make the first move, in 2014 after leaving Tinder, another dating app she co-founded. When the pandemic hit in 2020, Bumble's business model of in-person meetings was threatened. However, Bumble quickly innovated by promoting its existing video chat features. Usage of these features skyrocketed as people adapted to virtual dating. Bumble eventually rebounded as people returned to in-person meetups, first with socially distanced park dates. As CEO, Whitney has focused on making Bumble welcoming to all genders and sexualities, rather than positioning it for a narrow audience. She sees it as a "digital coffee shop" where anyone can find connections. In 2021, Whitney took Bumble public, becoming the youngest female founder to do so. She has learned to balance long-term vision with short-term execution. Whitney plans to integrate AI more deeply into Bumble to improve matching and provide virtual coaching. Her goal is to facilitate more substantive connections, both online and offline. While concerned about ethical AI use, she wants to leverage it to inspire confidence and self-love. If people feel better about themselves, she believes the resulting relationships will be healthier.

- Scott Norton and Mark Ramadan were college friends at Brown University who came up with the idea for a gourmet ketchup brand called Sir Kensington's as a senior year project. - They were inspired by a New Yorker article by Malcolm Gladwell arguing that Heinz had perfected ketchup and couldn't be beat. Scott and Mark saw an opportunity to challenge this notion. - They created a fictional aristocratic British character named Sir Kensington as the face and story behind the brand. The premise was intentionally exaggerated and silly. - After graduating, Scott and Mark pursued corporate careers but kept Sir Kensington's going on the side with help from another college friend. - In 2010, they decided to fully commit to the business. With no food industry experience, they taught themselves to make ketchup using online recipes and tested flavors at tasting parties. - They raised money from family and friends to produce an initial run of ketchup sold in upscale food shops in NY. Their unusual branding and story helped get attention. - A mayonnaise line they launched in 2013 quickly eclipsed ketchup in sales and helped them expand distribution to Whole Foods and other grocers. - They continued grassroots marketing with extensive in-store demos and attention-grabbing PR stunts on a shoestring budget. This helped build a cult following. - The business reached $20 million in revenue by 2016. That year, Unilever acquired the company for a reported $140 million. - As part of Unilever, the brand tripled in size but Scott and Mark eventually left due to culture clashes and bureaucracy. The ketchup line was later discontinued.

Episode Title: Leading through radical change with Julia Hartz of Eventbrite - Eventbrite's business was devastated in the early days of the pandemic as live events were canceled. Revenue dropped to zero within 2 weeks. - Julia had to make tough decisions like laying off nearly half the staff to survive. She focused on supporting event creators and raising funds to ensure Eventbrite's survival. - Virtual events briefly filled the void but could not replace the revenue from live events. Julia used the crisis to reset and refocus Eventbrite on serving frequent event creators. - Eventbrite rebuilt its platform and rolled out new products to help event creators market events, sell tickets, and build their audience. - The company is now positioned as a marketplace for discovering local events and ticketing rather than just a ticketing platform. - Julia learned to be more decisive, focus on priorities, and connect with others during the crisis. She embraced her role as a "wartime CEO." - Managing remote and hybrid work has been an evolution. Julia aims for compassionate leadership and thoughtful in-person gatherings. - Her advice to young employees is to take on projects and build skills. She wants Eventbrite to be a place for personal growth and connection.

- Jamie and Lyndon Cormack are brothers who co-founded the bag and accessories company Herschel Supply Co. in 2009. - They were inspired by classic, timeless brands like Zippo lighters and wanted to create a modern backpack company with that same aesthetic. - They bootstrapped the business at first, using savings and an investment from their older brother. Lyndon was working for Vans and Jamie for K2 Sports. - They found a manufacturer in China to make prototypes after Googling "how to make backpacks." The first samples weren't great so Lyndon went to China to oversee production. - In 2010 they debuted at a trade show in NYC, building their own booth from wooden pallets. Retailers like Urban Outfitters placed orders. - The bags sold very well at Urban Outfitters and other retailers. Herschel gained momentum when their duffel bag made Oprah's Favorite Things list. - They eventually quit their jobs to focus on Herschel full-time. The company was profitable from 2011 onward. - Herschel continued expanding into new products and international markets. COVID-19 was challenging as it hurt demand for their bags. - Recently, Herschel switched to using 95% recycled materials and is bouncing back post-pandemic. - The founders credit both hard work and good timing/luck for their success. Their brand filled a gap in the market.

Episode Title: Unlocking the renewable energy revolution with Ramya Swaminathan of Malta Inc - Ramya Swaminathan previously worked in hydroelectricity before becoming CEO of Malta, a company developing new energy storage technology. - Renewable energy sources like solar and wind are intermittent - energy supply fluctuates based on weather conditions. This makes storing energy a key challenge. - Lithium-ion batteries can store renewable energy but have limitations in scale and duration. They are expensive for long-duration storage. - Malta is developing technology to store energy in molten salt. Salt can retain heat, allowing thermal energy storage. - Their system uses a salt loop to store heat from excess electricity. This heat can be converted back to electricity when needed. - Molten salt storage can extend duration more easily and cheaply than lithium-ion batteries. - Malta's technology uses existing power plant components, helping integration with the grid. - Construction on Malta's first commercial plants is expected to start at the end of 2023, with the first operational in 2027. - Long-duration energy storage will be key to supporting the transition to renewable energy.

- Scott Morris had an entrepreneurial spirit from a young age, starting a landscaping business in high school and building loft beds for college students at UNC. - After college, he worked in sales and marketing for pet food companies like Ralston Purina and Meow Mix. This gave him insight into the industry. - In 2006, Morris and two partners started Freshpet with the idea of making fresh, refrigerated natural pet food. This was revolutionary at the time when most pet food was dry kibble or canned. - They faced huge challenges in manufacturing, distribution, refrigeration, and convincing retailers to carry the product. Morris describes it as constantly playing "whack-a-mole" to solve problems. - Early sales were slow as pet owners were hesitant about refrigerated food. Morris and his team did demos in stores to promote it. - They constantly struggled to raise money to fund operations and expansion. This included getting investments from angels, private equity, and even Tyson Foods. - By slowly adding stores and expanding distribution, Freshpet gained momentum. Though not yet profitable, it grew into a leading fresh pet food brand doing over $250 million in sales. - Morris attributes the success to perseverance through many crises, gradually improving the product, and positioning fresh pet food as a growing trend.

Episode Title: A biometric smart gun with Kai Kloepfer of Biofire - Kai Kloepfer is the founder of BioFire, a company developing biometric smart guns to try to reduce gun accidents and deaths. - After the 2012 Aurora mass shooting, 15-year-old Kloepfer became interested in developing safer gun technology. He focused on "smart guns" that can only be fired by authorized users. - Kloepfer won science competitions with early smart gun prototypes. In 2014, he received a $50,000 grant to develop a fingerprint-enabled smart gun. - Previous attempts at smart guns failed because the technology was unreliable. Kloepfer aimed to create a smart gun people would trust for home defense. - The BioFire smart gun uses fingerprint or facial recognition to unlock itself when held by an authorized user. It has electronic components and software for biometric authentication. - BioFire does not collect or store user biometric data. All data stays encrypted on the gun itself. - Kloepfer sees a market among new gun owners concerned about safety. He wants to prove the technology so it becomes a mainstream option. - BioFire has pre-sold thousands of its first smart gun model. Deliveries start in early 2023, priced around $1,500. - Kloepfer's long-term goal is getting biometric smart guns widely adopted to improve safety, not eliminating all gun violence.

- Joe Kudla grew up in Washington state and was inspired by the active, outdoor lifestyle there. He started his career as an accountant but also dabbled in fashion, including some modeling in Europe. - In 2013, Joe and his business partner Chris Miller saw an opportunity to create premium activewear for men, as brands like Lululemon were taking off with women. - They launched the brand Vuori with a focus on versatile, casual athletic apparel that could transition from yoga to hiking to everyday wear. Their first product was the Core Short. - Raising funding was very difficult at first. Joe and Chris bootstrapped the business with small investments from friends and family. - They initially tried to sell through yoga studios and gyms but struggled to gain traction. So they pivoted to a direct-to-consumer model, using digital marketing to find customers. This became the engine of growth. - Wholesale also eventually took off once buyers saw Vuori's success online. REI became a major retail partner. - Launching a women's line in 2018 helped fuel further growth. Today women's is 50% of the business. - Vuori reached profitability very quickly due to their premium pricing and cost discipline. Joe never took a salary in the early years. - The pandemic was scary at first but ultimately accelerated online sales. Vuori is now valued at $4 billion after a 2021 investment from SoftBank. - Throughout the challenges, Joe credits hard work, perseverance, and a great team for Vuori's success. He sees the setbacks as blessings in disguise.

Episode Title: When your dinner is printed with Eshchar Ben-Shitrit of Redefine Meat - Eshchar Ben-Shitrit grew up on a kibbutz in Israel surrounded by animals and nature. His father worked with turkeys and his mother took care of dairy cows. - He started his career working for technology companies like HP and became a product manager, thinking he would have a stable corporate career. - After having children, he started questioning the ethics of eating meat and stopped consuming it himself. - In 2018, he quit his job to explore plant-based meat startups. He reached out to Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat with the idea of using 3D printing to make plant-based meat, but didn't hear back. - He started experimenting with plant-based proteins, fats, and flavors in his home kitchen using syringes to layer materials. The early prototypes were inedible. - He co-founded Redefine Meat in 2018 with his friend Adam Lahav. They assembled a small team and makeshift lab in Israel to develop 3D printed plant-based meat prototypes. - Their goal shifted from selling 3D printers to restaurants to becoming the world's largest meat company themselves. They create products like steak, lamb, and pork from plant-based ingredients. - Redefine Meat has partnered with famous chefs like Marco Pierre White to improve their products based on feedback. Their Alt-Steak product impressed meat-eaters in blind taste tests. - They aim to have plant-based products indistinguishable from premium beef within 3 years and to be in mainstream restaurants and retailers globally in 5 years.

- Amanda Klain and Drew Harrington were childhood friends who co-founded the frozen Greek yogurt brand Yasso in 2009. - They got the idea to make frozen Greek yogurt bars after seeing the rise in popularity of Greek yogurt brands like Chobani. They wanted to create a healthier ice cream alternative. - After a year of experimenting with recipes, they launched their first 3 flavors - blueberry, strawberry, and raspberry. The early products were imperfect but they were first to market. - They decided from the start to sell Yasso in major national retailers like Costco instead of smaller natural food stores. This was a risky and expensive strategy. - They struggled to find a co-manufacturer willing to work with them since frozen Greek yogurt was a new concept. Eventually a company called Mr. Cookie Face agreed. - Their first big order was from Costco for around $100,000. This helped finance their next production run. - In the early years, the gross margins were very low as they subsidized the product to gain velocity. They didn't become profitable until 2015. - As the brand grew, big players like Ben & Jerry's launched competing products. But Yasso stayed focused and kept improving their recipes. - They never strayed from their core offering of frozen Greek yogurt, despite major trends like low-carb and non-dairy. - In 2017 they took on an investment from a private equity firm. In 2023, Unilever acquired Yasso. - They attribute their success to a mix of hard work and luck - being persistent through challenges but also capitalizing on the Greek yogurt trend.

The episode focuses on Pierre Thiam, founder of the company Yolélé, which is bringing the ancient West African grain fonio to the U.S. market. Thiam grew up in Dakar, Senegal and originally studied physics and chemistry in university. After coming to the U.S. to continue his studies, he ended up getting a job as a busboy at a French restaurant in New York City after being robbed of all his money shortly after arriving. This experience sparked his interest in food and cooking. He worked his way up to become head chef at the restaurant Boom in SoHo. He started incorporating West African flavors from his childhood into the food he cooked. In 2000, he opened his own restaurant called Yolélé in New York, serving Senegalese food. While researching ideas for a cookbook on Senegalese cuisine, he rediscovered the ancient grain fonio, which he had rarely eaten growing up. Fonio is gluten-free, high in protein and amino acids, and thrives in drought conditions. Seeing the potential for fonio to become the next quinoa in the health food market, and wanting to help provide economic opportunities for Senegalese farmers, Thiam partnered with industry veteran Philip Teverow to launch the company Yolélé Foods in 2017 to import fonio to the U.S. They partnered with a logistics company to handle shipping and got Whole Foods to carry their fonio products. They overcame challenges with the labor-intensive traditional processing methods for fonio by developing new mechanized processing technology. Yolélé Foods now sells fonio products in 2,000 stores across the U.S. and has expanded into fonio flour, chips and other products. Thiam uses social media, cooking demos and partnerships to spread awareness of fonio. His goal is to create a sustainable product that provides jobs and economic growth in Senegal.

The episode features an interview with filmmaker Ava DuVernay from 2021. DuVernay grew up in Compton, California and was raised by her mother, grandmother, and aunt. Her aunt Denise was especially influential, exposing DuVernay to art, music, and film from a young age. DuVernay went to UCLA where she became involved with the hip hop scene and performed at open mics. After graduating, she pursued journalism at CBS but disliked the competitive culture. She pivoted to publicity, working at studios and agencies. In 2005, DuVernay wrote and directed her first short film, Saturday Night Life, based on her mother dressing up DuVernay and her sisters when they were little to get compliments at the grocery store. This led to her first feature, I Will Follow, about a woman caring for her sick aunt. She self-distributed these early films. DuVernay's breakout came with Middle of Nowhere, which won Best Director at Sundance 2012. This convinced her to leave publicity for filmmaking. Her next film, Selma, came about through a chance encounter between actor David Oyelowo and an investor on an airplane. DuVernay rewrote the script and made the film for a small budget of $20 million. Though Selma was praised, DuVernay was not nominated for Best Director at the Oscars. She built on its success by founding Array, a production/distribution company and nonprofit focused on women and people of color. Array has expanded into a campus with screening space and education programs. Throughout her career, DuVernay has focused on maintaining creative control of her projects and telling the stories she wants to tell, rather than chasing fame and budgets. She attributes her success to both hard work and serendipity. Her goal is to open up opportunities for more diverse voices in Hollywood.

- Jasmine Crowe founded the company Goodr in 2017 to help businesses reduce food waste and feed people in need. She was inspired after years of volunteering to feed homeless people in Atlanta. - 40% of all food produced in the U.S. gets thrown away, amounting to billions of pounds per year. Much of this food waste is still safe to eat. - Goodr is a for-profit logistics company that picks up excess "surplus" food from businesses and delivers it to local nonprofits to distribute to people in need. This diverts food from landfills. - Businesses pay Goodr a fee comparable to a waste management service. But they can also get tax deductions for the donated food, resulting in a net financial benefit. - Goodr built technology to allow businesses to easily log their excess food and schedule pickups. They also built a network of drivers and partnerships with delivery companies for the logistics. - They partnered with thousands of local nonprofits who distribute the food. Goodr focuses on speed to ensure food safety. - During COVID, Goodr also opened some grocery stores to increase food access. But the core business is the logistics service. - Goodr now operates in 34 cities and aims to expand nationwide. Jasmine believes a for-profit model is key to efficiently scaling the solution. - The goal is to reduce national food waste 15% to provide 25 million people with meals. Jasmine aims to show technology can help solve hunger at scale.

Episode Title: Jack Black Skin Care: Curran and Jeff Danderand - Curran Danderan and her colleague Emily Dalton came up with the idea for a men's skincare line called Jack Black after leaving their jobs at Mary Kay Cosmetics. - They faced skepticism from Curran's husband Jeff, investors, and men themselves that there was a market for luxury skincare products for men. - The name Jack Black was chosen before the actor became famous, aiming for a masculine, timeless feel. The branding drew inspiration from liquor labels and cigar bands. - They launched at a 2000 PGA show, but had logistical disasters like product samples exploding and a mailer mixup. Golf pros weren't interested in carrying skincare. - They pivoted to department stores and specialty shops. A saleswoman named Elaine became their secret weapon, personally pitching men on trying samples. - A key product was Beard Lube shave cream. They hooked men in with superior shave products, then introduced skincare. - Major breakthroughs came from a PR mention that Matthew McConaughey used their products and partnerships with NFL teams like the Dallas Cowboys. - It took 10-12 years to build strong brand awareness and sales, overcoming intense competition from other brands. - In 2018, after 18 years of exhausting work, they sold Jack Black to Edgewell Personal Care for around $100 million.

Peter Majeranowski founded the company Cirque, which has developed patented technology to recycle polycotton, the material that most clothes are made from. The fashion industry dumps 92 million tons of textile waste per year, even though the materials like cotton and polyester are recyclable. Peter saw this as an opportunity to reduce waste. Peter started his career in the Navy, serving on ships after 9/11. He later worked in Iraq during the war, writing reports for the Pentagon. After leaving the Navy in 2004, Peter worked for an investment firm focused on emerging markets in Eastern Europe. This gave him experience with entrepreneurship and business. In 2009, Peter went back to school to get his MBA and expand his network. After finishing, he reconnected with an old family friend named Hilary Kaprowski, a famous immunologist who had worked on the polio vaccine. Over dinner, Kaprowski told Peter about his foundation's work on using plants for vaccines. He had just gotten a patent on a genetically engineered tobacco plant that could be used for biofuel production. Peter was intrigued since he had experience with fuel and oil from his Navy days. He saw biofuels as a way to provide alternative energy sources. So Peter and Kaprowski started a company called Titan Biosciences to develop tobacco-based biofuels. However, they struggled to attract investors due to the risky nature of biofuels. With limited funding, Peter experimented with the company's hydrothermal technology to process used clothing into pulp and polyester building blocks. This discovery allowed them to pivot into textile recycling. Brands like Patagonia contacted Cirque interested in recycling their used clothing that was being warehoused. This made Peter realize textile waste was a huge unsolved problem. Cirque's process uses heat, pressure and water to break down cotton and polyester clothing into their base components. The cotton pulp can be spun into new fibers and the polyester can be re-polymerized indefinitely. After proving the technology, Cirque focused on scaling up. They partnered with brands like Zara to produce recycled clothing lines. Recently, Cirque raised $50 million to build larger recycling facilities. While recycling materials is a good start, Peter believes the fashion industry needs a full "reckoning" to address its sustainability impacts like water use, labor practices and emissions. In the future, he hopes recycled textiles can transform clothing production.

Steven Udvar-Hazy fled communist Hungary as a child and arrived in the U.S. with a fascination for airplanes. As a teenager, he would go to airports in Los Angeles and watch planes take off and land, memorizing flight schedules and details. While studying at UCLA, he started a consulting business helping airlines optimize their schedules and fleets. This earned him his first profits. At age 23, Udvar-Hazy attempted to start his own small airline called Astro Air. It lost money and he soon realized the real profits were in aircraft leasing, not running an airline. In 1973, he co-founded International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) to lease planes to airlines. It started small but grew rapidly after airline deregulation in 1978. ILFC went public in 1983 and was acquired by insurance giant AIG in 1990 for $1.3 billion. Udvar-Hazy became immensely wealthy from the AIG stock he received. He made a $60 million donation to help build the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. By 2007, ILFC owned more planes than major airlines like Air France and British Airways combined. But in 2008, AIG suffered huge losses in the financial crisis and was bailed out by the U.S. government. Udvar-Hazy retired from ILFC in 2010. The next day, he started a new aircraft leasing company called Air Lease Corporation. It has been highly successful, making Udvar-Hazy one of the most influential people in aviation.

Ramses Alcaide is the co-founder and CEO of Neurable, a company developing non-invasive wearable brain-computer interface technology. As a child, Ramses was fascinated by computers and did computer repair jobs in his neighborhood. A family tragedy involving his uncle losing his legs in a truck accident motivated Ramses at a young age to want to use technology to help create more natural prosthetics. In graduate school, Ramses worked on brain-computer interface research to help people with disabilities communicate. He developed machine learning techniques to interpret brain activity more accurately. This allowed systems to work faster and better for users. After grad school, Ramses started Neurable to bring brain-computer interface technology to everyday consumer devices like headphones. Their main product is N10, a set of headphones that can track your natural working rhythms and alert you when to take breaks to prevent burnout. The headphones can detect your level of focus/fatigue by analyzing brainwaves. Neurable has developed algorithms to extract and boost relevant signals from brain activity. This allows the technology to work effectively from sensors near the ear instead of a full EEG cap. In the future, Ramses envisions brain sensing wearables replacing other health tracking devices by consolidating their functions and enabling new capabilities. Silent speech technology could allow basic device control through thought. Brain-computer interfaces may also unlock the potential for early diagnosis of conditions like Alzheimer's disease. Neurable aims to make the technology accessible to all and empower developers to build new applications. The headphones will be commercially available in late 2022. Ramses is excited to see what solutions people create once everyday brain-computer interfaces become a reality.

Title: Supergoop! Holly Thaggard (2020) - Holly Thaggard grew up in Louisiana with entrepreneurial parents. She started playing harp as a child and performed professionally as "Holly the Harpist" through her 20s. - In 2005, after a friend was diagnosed with skin cancer, Holly had the idea to create a sunscreen brand focused on daily SPF protection. She partnered with chemists to develop formulas without controversial ingredients like oxybenzone. - Holly's original business model was selling sunscreen pumps to schools to encourage daily SPF use. But she learned sunscreen was prohibited in most schools without a doctor's note. - Holly pivoted to prestige retail, landing deals with Sephora and Nordstrom in 2011 after hiring a top NYC PR firm. This grew revenue from $45k to $600k+ in 2 years. - Holly cold-called Maria Sharapova's agent and got her to invest in 2012. She also raised money from family and friends. - Supergoop continued rapid growth, hitting $40M revenue in 2018. Holly brought on a president and opened a NYC office at investors' suggestion. - Key to success was perseverance and networking. Holly views music background as a confidence builder that helped her sell her vision. She pivoted when original school model failed.

Episode Title: Electrifying aviation with Kyle Clark of BETA Technologies - Kyle Clark is the founder and CEO of BETA Technologies, a company developing all-electric aircraft. - As a teenager, Clark spent time tinkering in his dad's machine shop at the University of Vermont, building parts for planes, go-karts, etc. - At Harvard, Clark wrote his undergraduate thesis on designing a hybrid electric airplane in 2004. - After graduating, Clark started several technology companies but continued working on electric aviation ideas on the side. - In 2017, entrepreneur Martine Rothblatt hired Clark to assess an electric helicopter she had commissioned. Impressed by his passion, she gave him $1.5 million to start developing an electric aircraft prototype. - Within 10 months, Clark's team built and flew a 4,000 pound electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) prototype called AVA. - Rothblatt then gave Clark's company Beta Technologies a $46 million contract to develop a commercial version for organ delivery. - After testing AVA in 2018, Clark decided to redesign the aircraft to optimize it for cargo delivery. The new design was called Alia. - Alia's first flight was in January 2020. It can fly about 250 nautical miles on a charge at around 100 knots while carrying 600 lbs of cargo. - Beta is now working with companies like UPS, Amazon and the military to demonstrate Alia's capabilities for short-range cargo delivery. - Clark believes electric aviation will transform logistics, enabling direct flights between distribution centers instead of through airline hubs. - He expects Beta's electric planes to be doing commercial operations in the US by 2025. The company already has a 600 unit backlog of orders.

- Paul Orfalea noticed long lines at copy shops while in college in the late 1960s, which gave him the idea to start his own copy business. - In 1970, he opened the first Kinko's copy shop in Santa Barbara, across from UC Santa Barbara. It was only 100 square feet and had one Xerox copy machine. - He rented the Xerox machine for $1,100 a month and charged 4 cents per copy, quickly making the business profitable. - He expanded by partnering with people to open new locations near college campuses, with Orfalea putting up 60% of the money and the partner 40%. This allowed rapid expansion with little capital. - By 1980, there were 80 Kinko's locations. By 1990, there were 480 locations. - Keys to the business were keeping stores open 24/7 for reliability, and photocopying textbook chapters for professors to sell to students. - Orfalea was constantly worried about competition and new technology making Kinko's obsolete. He never felt he could love or get too attached to the business. - In 1996, an investment group bought 30% stake in Kinko's, beginning process of buying out Orfalea completely by 2002. - Kinko's was sold to FedEx in 2004 for $2.4 billion. Its copy shops enabled many students and professionals to print projects at the last minute.

Title: Making garbage useful with Tom Szaky of TerraCycle - Tom Szaky started TerraCycle as a fertilizer company in 2001, making fertilizer from worm waste. He got the idea in college when he saw how worm waste helped marijuana plants grow well. - TerraCycle sold liquid worm fertilizer in reused soda bottles to retailers like Walmart. By 2005, sales were around $3 million. - In 2007, Tom pivoted TerraCycle away from fertilizer to focus on recycling and reusing hard-to-recycle waste. He partnered with brands like Stonyfield and Clif Bar to create recycling programs funded by the brands. - TerraCycle creates collection programs where schools and organizations can collect waste like yogurt cups and energy bar wrappers. The materials are recycled or upcycled into new products. - Tom sees an opportunity in solving the waste problem through business models. Brands help fund the recycling programs voluntarily. - In 2019, Tom launched a new division called Loop which focuses on reusable packaging. Brands create durable, reusable versions of their containers that consumers return to be cleaned and refilled. - Tom aims to eventually make TerraCycle obsolete by reducing waste. But the recycling business still has over $75 million in revenue and has been profitable since 2015.

Title: Solo Stove Spencer and Jeff Jan - Spencer and Jeff Jahn started selling products online in the late 2000s, beginning with a mattress business and garden cloches. - In 2010, they created a smokeless camping stove called the Solo Stove that became very popular. It uses a double-walled design that burns wood efficiently. - They sold the stoves on their own website and Amazon, doing about $500k in revenue the first year. The business was very profitable. - They resisted hiring employees at first, wanting to keep it a "lifestyle business." But as sales grew into the millions, they had to start building a team. - In 2014, they launched a successful Kickstarter campaign for a backyard fire pit called the Bonfire. This helped attract interest from retailers like REI. - They hired a new CEO, John Maris, to help prepare the company for a sale. In 2019, a private equity firm bought a majority stake at a 9-figure valuation. - Two more private equity deals followed in 2020 and 2021 at higher valuations as the company continued to grow. Solo Stove went public in 2021. - Spencer and Jeff credit some of their success to luck, but also hard work. They are now retired in their 40s with a minority stake in Solo Stove.

Title: When our phones are just phones Kai Tang and Joe Hollier started Light Phone in 2014 to create a minimalist alternative to smartphones. They were concerned about how smartphones negatively impact attention, mental health, and relationships. After meeting at a Google incubator program, they launched Light Phone's first product on Kickstarter in 2015. It was a simple 2G phone that could only make calls and texts but allowed people to "go light" and take a break from endless apps and distractions. In 2018, they created the Light Phone 2, adding a few more utilities like music, maps, and ride-sharing while still avoiding features that promote addiction. Light Phone is now a team of 15 people sustainably running on direct sales, not ads or data collection. The founders use Light Phones exclusively in their personal lives. They aim to reimagine mobile devices as tools, not constant distractions. While smartphones have benefits, people should have options. Light Phone provides an intentionally designed alternative for those wanting more balance.

Title: Orgain Andrew Abraham - Andrew Abraham developed nutritional shakes called Orgain after battling cancer as a teenager. The conventional nutrition shakes he was given in the hospital contained ingredients he felt were unhealthy. - In his late 20s while doing his medical residency, Abraham started Orgain to provide a healthy, organic alternative shake. He launched at Whole Foods in 2009. - Orgain was entirely bootstrapped by Abraham in the beginning. He worked tirelessly doing everything himself while also finishing his residency. - The shakes initially solidified on the shelves at Whole Foods, costing Abraham $50k. He reformulated them to fix this. - Orgain grew rapidly, reaching $1 million in sales in the first couple years with Abraham running it solo. He eventually had to leave his medical career to focus on Orgain full-time. - Abraham's priorities were always on the product quality and helping people, not rapid expansion. Orgain's growth was organic, starting with just two products at Whole Foods. - In 2019, Abraham sold a majority stake in Orgain to a private equity firm to take some money off the table after years of bootstrapping. - In 2022, Nestle purchased a majority stake from the private equity firm. Abraham still runs Orgain as CEO and has a minority stake. - Abraham credits his cancer battle and near-death experience as giving him the courage and perspective to take risks and build Orgain. He is passionate about continuing to grow it.

Steve Fambro was an electrical engineer commuting in San Diego when he realized most cars are inefficient boxes pushing air out of the way. He sketched aerodynamic 3-wheeled car designs in his free time. Fambro met Chris Anthony, who designed wakeboarding boats using aerodynamics software. Together they co-founded Aptera Motors in 2005 to create an ultra efficient electric 3-wheeled car shaped like a shark, inspired by ground effect vehicles. Aptera built a prototype in 6 months and unveiled it at TED in 2007, generating excitement. They soon had 4,000 preorders. As the recession hit, Fambro and Anthony handed off day-to-day operations to auto industry veterans who pursued government loans. By 2011, those efforts failed and Aptera shut down. In 2019, Fambro and Anthony relaunched Aptera, inspired by advances in batteries and solar. The new Aptera is a 2-seat, 3-wheeled electric car covered in solar panels that can travel up to 40 miles per day on sunlight alone. It has a futuristic composite body and 1,000 liters of cargo space. Over 40,000 preorders have been placed. First deliveries are expected in 9-12 months once regulatory approvals are complete. Fambro believes Aptera's ruthless pursuit of efficiency will enable long ranges up to 1,000 miles as solar tech improves. He wants to provide drivers freedom from charging by harnessing solar power. Fambro sees a future where electric cars become more aerodynamic and lightweight like Aptera to maximize efficiency and range.

Title: The Tetris Company: Henk Rogers - In 1988, Henk Rogers discovered Tetris at a trade show and became instantly hooked on the puzzle video game. He acquired the rights to publish Tetris on personal computers in Japan. - Henk wanted to get the rights for the Nintendo console as well, which were held by Atari. After much negotiation, he secured a deal with Atari to publish Tetris on Nintendo in Japan. - When Henk learned Nintendo was releasing the Game Boy handheld, he immediately saw Tetris as the perfect game for it and tried to acquire those rights. This required tricky negotiations with the Soviet government agency ELORG. - In 1989, Henk flew to Moscow and met with ELORG. Through perseverance and some risky moves, Henk secured the worldwide handheld rights for Tetris on Game Boy. - Tetris became a pack-in game for every Game Boy sold, with over 30 million copies bundled. It was a huge success. - Henk later partnered with Tetris inventor Alexey Pajitnov to form The Tetris Company and manage the IP. After many legal battles, they eventually owned the rights completely. - In the 2000s, Henk sold The Tetris Company for around $130 million. He then had a heart attack and decided to devote his life to environmental causes.

Introduction - Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy, was given early access to GPT-4, the AI behind ChatGPT, in 2022. He saw its potential to act as a personal tutor for every student. - Khan Academy built an AI teaching assistant called Conmigo using the GPT-4 technology. It is now integrated into Khan Academy in beta testing. Conmigo's Features - Conmigo provides personalized help and feedback to students as they work through Khan Academy lessons and exercises. It does not give answers but guides students through problems. - Conmigo logs all conversations and uses a monitoring AI to flag any concerning interactions for teachers/parents. This provides oversight and prevents misuse. - Teachers can use Conmigo as a virtual teaching assistant to get reports on student progress and identify who needs more help. - Conmigo can also help students practice writing, provide feedback on essays, and act as a guidance counselor. Addressing Concerns - Unlike ChatGPT which can be misused, Conmigo is designed specifically for learning. Its features prevent cheating and promote student understanding. - Khan Academy has worked closely with school districts to get buy-in, showing how Conmigo is a controlled tool focused on learning versus an open AI like ChatGPT. The Future - Conmigo has huge potential to transform education by providing personalized tutoring at scale, which studies show can dramatically improve student outcomes. - Khan Academy remains a non-profit but may license Conmigo to schools to cover costs. Sal Khan believes education should remain mission-driven. - In 3-5 years, AI could enable incredibly immersive educational experiences, like talking to historical figures. This technology will redefine how students learn.

Summary: - Scott and Ally Svenson met in high school and stayed together through college, despite being long distance. They wrote letters to stay in touch. - In the 1990s, they moved to London for Scott's job in finance. They were frustrated by the lack of good coffee options like Starbucks, so they decided to open their own coffee shop inspired by Starbucks. - In 1995, they opened the first Seattle Coffee Company location in London's Covent Garden. It was an immediate hit with tourists looking for a taste of home. - They rapidly expanded to over 60 locations in the UK. When Starbucks decided to enter the UK market, they acquired Seattle Coffee Company instead of competing. - Scott and Ally moved back to Seattle and started a private equity firm. They were approached about starting a fast-casual pizza concept, which became Mod Pizza. - They opened the first Mod Pizza in 2008 as the financial crisis hit. The recession informed their approach - one flat price no matter how many toppings. - They also focused on hiring those with barriers to employment, like the formerly incarcerated. - Mod grew rapidly, reaching over 400 locations by their 10th anniversary in 2013. They were the fastest growing restaurant chain in the US for several years. - Their motivation has always been to build a business a positive platform for social impact through employing people and responsibly feeding customers.

Title: When trucks drive themselves with Chris Urmson of Aurora Chris Urmson has been working on self-driving vehicle technology for over 20 years, beginning with robotics research at Carnegie Mellon University. He was part of the team that competed in the DARPA Grand Challenges, races across the desert for autonomous vehicles in the early 2000s. This sparked his interest in applying the technology more broadly. Urmson was later recruited by Sebastian Thrun to help start Google's self-driving car project in 2009. This secret project aimed to have autonomous vehicles driving 100,000 test miles on roads within a couple years. The team succeeded, proving the viability of the technology. Urmson eventually left Google to start his own self-driving company, Aurora, in 2017. Aurora is focused on developing an autonomous driving system that can operate trucks and passenger vehicles. Their technology is called the Aurora Driver. One advantage of autonomous trucks is improving safety. Truck drivers have a high fatality rate on the job. Self-driving trucks also help address the shortage of truck drivers and let drivers avoid being away from home for long hauls. Aurora's system can drive trucks door-to-door from distribution center to distribution center. Aurora's technology still has safety drivers monitoring trips but aims to remove them by the end of 2024. They expect to launch commercial service of their autonomous trucks on select routes between hubs like Dallas to Houston. Widespread adoption of self-driving trucks could take many more years but will likely happen eventually.

Title: Grindr - Joel Simkhai Joel Simkhai wanted an easy way to meet other gay men, so he created Grindr, one of the first and most popular location-based dating apps. As a gay man himself, Joel knew the challenges of meeting other gay men and wanted to solve this problem. In 2009, when Apple opened up the iPhone to third-party apps, Joel saw an opportunity. He hired a developer in Denmark named Morton to build the app, which showed users' profiles based on how close they were to each other. The name "Grindr" aimed to be edgy and masculine. Grindr quickly took off, spreading by word of mouth and through gay publications. However, the app constantly crashed due to scaling challenges. Despite one-star reviews, people kept using Grindr because of the lack of other options. As it grew, Grindr began monetizing through ads and paid subscriptions. Joel resisted outside funding and acquisitions, wanting to retain control. He dealt with issues like spam and underage use. In some countries, Grindr put users in danger as authorities used it to track and arrest gay men. But Joel kept it available to provide a space for isolated gay men. In 2016, Joel sold 60% of Grindr to a Chinese gaming firm, valuing it at $155 million. He later stepped down after conflicts over priorities. Grindr went on to be valued at over $2 billion after going public. Joel is proud of its success but also struggled leaving the company he'd built. He has since launched a new queer dating app called Motto.

Delivering the future in drones with Keller Rinaudo Cliffton of Zipline Keller Rinaudo Cliffton is the co-founder and CEO of Zipline, a company that uses drones to deliver medical supplies and other goods on demand. Zipline was born out of Keller's previous startup Remotive, which made smartphone-controlled robots. This experience with robotics led Keller to think about building "the Apple of robotics" focused on logistics. While traveling in Africa, Keller saw firsthand the challenges of delivering medical supplies to rural areas. This inspired the idea for a drone delivery system that could "teleport" supplies instantly over long distances. Initially experts told Keller that drone delivery was unrealistic. But Keller believed the technology had advanced enough to make it viable. Zipline launched in Rwanda, which was eager to adopt new technologies. In 2016 they signed a contract to deliver blood supplies to 21 hospitals by drone. Those first 9 months were painful, with constant technical issues. But Zipline persevered and expanded to deliver medical supplies across Rwanda and later Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya and more. The drones now have a range of 100km and have flown over 40 million autonomous miles. Zipline recently unveiled new drones that can silently deliver packages directly to homes with "dinner plate accuracy." Major retailers like Walmart see drone delivery as strategic and have partnered with Zipline. Keller believes that in 5 years hundreds of millions of homes could receive near-instant drone delivery.

- Mary Waldner struggled with digestive issues her whole life but wasn't diagnosed with celiac disease until age 43. The diagnosis led her to change her diet and start experimenting with gluten-free recipes, including a cracker made from a mixture of cooked whole grains, seeds, and gluten-free flours. - Friends loved the crackers and encouraged Mary to sell them. She started selling bags of them at a local health food store, making them by hand in her home kitchen. - In 1999, Mary and her husband Dale decided to try to manufacture the crackers at a larger scale. It took 5 years of experimentation to develop the equipment and processes needed to mass produce the sticky, glue-like dough. - They raised $750k from investors to start the business, called Mary's Gone Crackers. The early years involved trying to get the crackers into stores via demos and sampling. Growth was quick but financing was a constant challenge. - In 2007, they took $1 million from a VC firm to expand further but soon realized the investors wanted to take over the company. This led to years of tension and legal battles. - Despite the clashes, the company grew quickly, reaching $30 million in revenue by 2012. That year they accepted an acquisition offer from Japanese company Kameda. - The buyout ended the standoff with investors. Mary stayed on 2 more years then shifted to a consulting role. She found the business journey rewarding due to the product helping people, but difficult personally. In summary, the story covers Mary's pivot from therapist to accidental entrepreneur, the challenges of scaling a unique product and conflicting business philosophies with investors, leading to both immense growth and interpersonal struggles before a successful exit.

Title: When robots recycle Summary: The podcast discusses how Matanya Horowitz, founder of AMP Robotics, is using artificial intelligence and robots to make recycling more efficient. Only about a third of waste in the U.S. actually gets recycled, largely because most recycling facilities rely on people manually sorting through materials on conveyor belts. This is an inefficient process with high turnover. Matanya realized robotics and AI could transform recycling. He focused on building robots that could identify and sort recyclables on conveyor belts. This involved tackling hardware challenges like building robots to withstand messy recycling environments and software challenges like training AI to identify different materials. After years of development, AMP Robotics now has robots installed in recycling facilities across the U.S. The robots automate sorting, lowering costs and allowing facilities to profitably recycle more material. Fully automated facilities are being built around this technology. Matanya aims to transform recycling into a more profitable business, incentivizing facilities to expand recycling programs. This could increase U.S. recycling rates from 35% to 50-70%, capturing billions in value from recycled materials. AMP's technology helps make domestic recycling more cost effective. The podcast highlights how robotics and AI can optimize recycling, reducing waste and unlocking the value in recyclable materials. AMP's automation helps address fundamental economic challenges facing the recycling industry.

Introduction - The episode is about Melissa Butler, founder of The Lip Bar, a cosmetics company known for its bold, vibrant lipstick colors. Early Life - Melissa grew up in Detroit with her mom and sister. Her mom worked as a crane operator at a steel factory. - Melissa attended Cass Technical High School, a competitive public school in Detroit. She was interested in business from a young age. College and Early Career - Melissa attended Florida A&M University, a historically black college. She majored in business finance with plans to work on Wall Street. - After college, Melissa got a job as an analyst at Barclays bank in New York. She found the work unfulfilling. Pivoting to Cosmetics - As a hobby, Melissa started making natural soaps and selling them locally. - A chance call with a supplier introduced her to the idea of making lipstick. She started experimenting with recipes in her kitchen. - Melissa bootstrapped the business, using her savings and cash flow to finance it. She did everything herself early on. Launching The Lip Bar - Melissa launched The Lip Bar in 2012 with bold, vibrant lipstick shades not widely available. - She targeted the brand at black women who felt overlooked by the cosmetics industry. - After modest early sales, she quit her finance job to focus on the business full-time. Gaining Traction - Melissa went on tour around the U.S. in a retrofitted bus to promote the brand. - She appeared on Shark Tank but failed to get a deal. The episode gave The Lip Bar publicity. - In 2014, she moved operations from NYC to Detroit to be part of the city's revitalization. Scaling Up - A social media push got The Lip Bar lipsticks sold on Target.com. This led to a deal to sell in Target stores. - After bootstrapping for years, Melissa took a small investment in 2018 to finance growth. - She opened a Detroit store in 2019. COVID-19 initially hurt but then boosted sales. Today - The Lip Bar products are now sold in over 500 Target locations. The brand has expanded into other makeup. - Melissa envisions growing into a major global brand, potentially through a future acquisition. Key Takeaways - Melissa bootstrapped the business for years through her own savings and cash flow. - She relentlessly pitched the brand, gaining key retail partnerships with Target and Urban Outfitters. - The Lip Bar found success by targeting an underserved market of black female beauty consumers.

The podcast episode features Aryé Elfenbein and Justin Kolbeck, co-founders of WildType, a company growing real salmon from cells without harming any fish. Aryé was a cardiologist and Justin worked for the State Department when they met at a dinner party in 2011. They bonded over their interest in entrepreneurship and its potential for social impact. In 2015, they started exploring business ideas together, considering the concept of cultivated meat after Aryé attended a conference on it. They first grew foie gras from cells as a proof of concept but soon pivoted to salmon, recognizing its greater potential for positive environmental impact given people's heavy consumption of seafood globally. In a San Francisco lab, they began growing salmon cells, iterating for over a year before producing anything edible. Their first sample tasted faintly fishy but had poor texture. Through conversations with chefs and developing scaffolding to shape the cells, they steadily improved the product's structure, color, flavor, and aroma to resemble conventional salmon. In 2019, they served the first salmon rolls and other dishes using their cultivated salmon to a group of diners. While not yet perfect, it marked a milestone. They aim to provide a sustainable "third source" of seafood alongside wild catch and farmed fish to help address overfishing, contamination, and other issues plaguing conventional seafood production. Though not yet approved for commercial sale, they envision launching in select restaurants at first and ultimately stocking major grocery chains once they scale up. Their goal isn't to fully replace conventional seafood but rather supplement it, providing people more choice and transparency.

Episode Title: Dutch Bros Coffee Summary: - Travis Boersma and his older brother Dane grew up on a dairy farm in Grants Pass, Oregon. They were very close and often talked about different business ideas together. - In 1992, after their family dairy farm struggled, Travis suggested to Dane that they start an espresso cart business. Dane tried espresso for the first time and loved it. - They bought an espresso cart and equipment from a local roaster named Paul in Eugene, Oregon who also taught them how to make espresso drinks. - They opened their first espresso pushcart called "Dutch Bros" in Grants Pass in 1992. It was located outside a grocery store and they did $65 in sales the first day. - Business grew steadily through word of mouth. They opened more pushcarts in parking lots around town. - In 1995, they opened their first drive-thru espresso trailer to better serve customers. This became their niche and fueled growth. - They started franchising in 1999, selling licenses to people who bought the mobile espresso trailers. This provided cash flow to expand company-owned locations. - The business grew rapidly in the 2000s through franchising and company-owned drive-thrus. But Dane was diagnosed with ALS in the mid-2000s, presenting challenges. - After Dane passed away in 2009, Travis led the company's continued growth. He pivoted to only sell franchises internally to vetted employees. - Dutch Bros went public in 2021 and now has over 600 locations in 14 states, on track to become a national brand.

Title: Reinvesting in our cities with renewable energy with Donnel Baird of BlocPower (2022) - Buildings account for 30% of US carbon emissions. Electrifying and powering buildings with renewable energy can significantly reduce emissions. - Donnel Baird grew up in a low-income Brooklyn neighborhood where buildings lacked proper heating systems. This inspired him to later start BlocPower to provide renewable energy solutions for low-income communities. - BlocPower converts buildings to be all-electric, replacing fossil fuel heating/cooling with efficient electric heat pumps, induction stoves, etc. It then sources renewable energy like solar or hydro power. - BlocPower handles the entire process - financing, engineering, installation, etc. - and creates cost savings for building owners through energy efficiency. - The company has raised over $60 million and done 1,200+ buildings so far. It aims to go public and continue expanding. - BlocPower is profitable but plans to invest in R&D and growth before the IPO, as typical of tech startups. Its goals are impact and scale. - Baird wants the green revolution to benefit more than just Silicon Valley and Wall Street. He advocates for crowdfunding and broad public investment. - With enough mobilization and technology, Baird believes the US could fully electrify buildings in 10 years. This would significantly reduce emissions.

Title: Spikeball Chris Ruder - Chris Ruder grew up near Chicago and moved to San Francisco in the late 1990s during the dot-com boom. He worked in advertising sales but always wanted to start his own business. - In 2003, Chris went on vacation to Hawaii with his brother Matt and childhood friends Tim and Pat Kennedy. The Kennedys brought along an old, beat-up Spikeball set. Spikeball is a 2 vs 2 game played on a small trampoline-like net. Chris became obsessed with the game and its potential. - Spikeball was invented in 1989 but was discontinued after a couple years when it failed to gain popularity. Chris did research and found the trademark had expired, meaning he could revive the sport. - In 2007, Chris and his partners raised around $100k to manufacture new Spikeball sets. Chris ran the company alone while working a full-time job. - Sales were very slow at first, but picked up through grassroots marketing. Chris gained traction with niche groups like PE teachers, ultimate frisbee players, and Christian youth groups. - In 2013, Spikeball hit $1 million in revenue. Chris was finally able to quit his day job and hire an employee. A deal with Dick's Sporting Goods in 2015 led to a surge in interest. - To protect the Spikeball brand, Chris coined the sport name "Roundnet" and encouraged people to use this generic term rather than "Spikeball." - Chris believes Roundnet will continue to grow as a legitimate sport, with dreams of Olympic inclusion and professional leagues someday. The community is driving this growth organically.

Episode Title: Saving the F#%king Rainforests with Shara Ticku of C16 Biosciences - Shara Ticku, co-founder of C16 Biosciences, first learned about the environmental destruction caused by palm oil production when she visited Singapore and experienced the poor air quality from forest fires in Indonesia. - Palm oil is in over 50% of supermarket products because it is versatile and high-performing, but its production leads to deforestation, habitat loss, and carbon emissions. - Large consumer goods companies have pledged to stop using palm oil associated with deforestation but can't due to lack of alternatives. - Shara and her co-founders started C16 Biosciences to use biotechnology to create a sustainable palm oil alternative from microorganisms like yeast. - After initial scrappy experiments, they raised funding from Y Combinator and investors to develop the product called Palmless. - They first targeted the personal care market to get to market quickly before expanding to food. They also launched their own "Save the F#%king Rainforest" consumer product to demonstrate the concept. - C16's process takes just days versus years for palm oil. Tailwinds like legislation and supply chain risk could rapidly accelerate adoption of their alternative. - Ultimately, C16 aims to serve major CPG companies with a better performing, eco-friendly palm oil to help solve the environmental issues with conventional palm oil production.

Episode Title: Harry's Razors: Andy Katz-Mayfield and Jeff Raider - Jeff Raider and Andy Katz-Mayfield met while interning at a consulting firm and became friends. They later worked together at a private equity firm. - In 2011, Andy had a frustrating experience buying overpriced razor blades at a drug store. He realized the market was dominated by Gillette and saw an opportunity for disruption. - Andy reached out to Jeff about starting a shaving/grooming brand using a direct-to-consumer model like Warby Parker (which Jeff co-founded). - They did research on the market and manufacturing process. Razor blades require highly specialized steel and precision manufacturing. - They partnered with German factory Feintechnik to produce custom razor blades for their brand. - They launched Harry's in 2013 with shave kits and branded shave creams, focused on simple, clean design at affordable prices. - The brand was a viral hit, selling out quickly. To meet demand and control quality, Jeff and Andy acquired Feintechnik for $100M. - They expanded into retail at Target and Walmart, taking significant market share from Gillette and prompting competitive response. - In 2019, Edgewell offered to acquire Harry's for $1.4B but the deal was blocked by the FTC on antitrust grounds. - Harry's has continued as an independent company, launching new brands and achieving profitability. Its success relies on both luck and determination.

Tapping the heat beneath your feet with Kathy Hannun of Dandelion Energy Kathy Hannun founded Dandelion Energy to provide geothermal heating and cooling systems for homes. Geothermal systems use pipes buried underground to tap into the constant 55 degree Fahrenheit temperature of the earth about 200-500 feet below the surface. Water circulates through the pipes and exchanges heat with the ground, then gets pumped into a heat pump in the home. The heat pump compresses the water to heat it or expand it to cool it, providing heating and air conditioning for the home. Geothermal systems are much more efficient than traditional systems, cutting energy bills by up to 80%. However, they used to be expensive and complicated to install. Dandelion Energy aimed to make geothermal more accessible by developing specialized drilling rigs that can install the underground loops without damaging homeowners' properties. They also vertically integrated the installation process to make it more efficient. This allowed them to lower costs from $60,000-80,000 to around $25,000-30,000. Dandelion Energy started in X, Google's innovation lab. The idea was to find a project that could significantly reduce carbon emissions from buildings. Kathy and her team researched geothermal and found it had huge potential for impact and savings if adopted widely. After spinning out from X, Dandelion struggled at first with a contractor model but eventually brought all operations in house. This let them streamline installation and improve the customer experience. The company focused first on the Northeast U.S. but aims to expand nationally. Geothermal systems work anywhere and don't require backup fossil fuel systems like some air source heat pumps do. If widely adopted, they could help meet climate goals by reducing both emissions and peak energy demand. Kathy believes geothermal heat pumps will be key to electrifying and decarbonizing heating in homes.

Title: Tory Burch - Tory Burch - Tory Burch launched her fashion brand in the early 2000s. Many perceived it as a vanity project but it has grown into a global, multi-billion dollar company. - She wanted to create affordable luxury - beautiful designs at lower prices than high-end fashion. - She faced challenges as a woman entrepreneur but learned to embrace ambition. - Her iconic double T logo was inspired by Moroccan designs. The ballet flat became a huge hit. - She and her husband Chris Burch started the business together but went through a difficult divorce that played out publicly. - She was able to compartmentalize her personal life and continue growing the business, launching new stores and products. - The Tory Burch Foundation provides women entrepreneurs with access to loans and mentoring. - She eventually stepped down as CEO to focus more on design but still leads the brand's creative direction. - Tory Burch shared insights on building an enduring fashion brand and how she overcame obstacles as a founder.

Tina Roth Eisenberg started a co-working space in Brooklyn in the mid-2000s, bringing together creative people to collaborate and share ideas. The conversations and connections happening over lunch inspired her to start Creative Mornings - free monthly breakfast events for creatives with a short talk. It began in 2008 in Brooklyn with just a handful of people. Seeing the impact of gathering creative people, Tina wanted to expand the concept. Ben Chestnut of MailChimp became an early sponsor, providing t-shirts and support. More people asked to host Creative Mornings events in their cities. Though hesitant at first, Tina decided to trust people to carry on the spirit and let Creative Mornings spread organically. There are now over 200 Creative Mornings chapters globally, all run by volunteers. Tina has a small team that provides guidance on the format and brand. The events have to be free, nonprofit, and open to all. Sponsorships from tech companies help finance operations. Tina believes Creative Mornings is about human connection, not the talks themselves. She wants it to inspire people and help them find community. Though she never expected it to grow so large, Tina feels it's her legacy and is focusing on it full-time now. She sees a huge potential for Creative Mornings to keep evolving as a global platform for creatives.

Title: Chef and Restaurateur Thomas Keller Thomas Keller grew up working in his mother's restaurant in Florida. He was inspired to become a chef after working with French chef Roland Henin. Keller spent several years training and working in restaurants in Rhode Island, Florida, and New York. In the early 1980s, Keller did apprenticeships at top restaurants in France. When he returned to the U.S., he worked as a chef in New York. He opened his own restaurant called Rakel with Serge Raoul but it closed after a few years due to poor management. In 1992, Keller heard about a restaurant for sale called The French Laundry in Napa Valley. He managed to raise $1.2 million from investors to purchase it. The first night after re-opening was a disaster but Keller quickly rebounded. Under his leadership, The French Laundry earned critical acclaim and Michelin stars. Keller credits his business partner Laura Cunningham for helping build the operations and transform fine dining service. He also learned from previous failures to have the right team in place. Keller expanded to open several more restaurants including Per Se in New York and Bouchon Bistro. While no longer cooking daily, Keller still oversees a growing business of 10 restaurants and bakeries. He strives for perfection and providing guests with exceptional dining experiences. Keller helped elevate standards in American cuisine and views himself as a nurturer through his cooking.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai discusses his journey to leading one of the world's largest technology companies. Pichai grew up in Chennai, India and had limited access to computers. He came to the United States for college, attending Stanford and later Wharton. After a stint at McKinsey, Pichai joined Google in 2004, when it was still a relatively small company. Pichai was focused on product development in the early days at Google, working on Chrome, Google Drive and other services. He didn't see himself as a leader initially, but took on more responsibility over time as Larry Page asked him to oversee Google's product portfolio. In 2015, Pichai was appointed CEO of Google. He believes empathy and caring about your employees is key to good leadership. Pichai is very optimistic about artificial intelligence and sees it transforming Google's products and services, from search to maps to translation. He acknowledges the risks of AI and says Google is focused on ethics and building AI responsibly. On the future of work, Pichai thinks flexible and remote work arrangements are here to stay. But he also sees value in people coming together and fostering community. Google will need to reconfigure office spaces for more hybrid work. Pichai says being Google CEO today is complex, with increased public scrutiny and employees wanting the company to take stands on social issues. He aims to focus on the values Google cares deeply about. To encourage innovation, Pichai believes in rewarding efforts, not just successful outcomes. He tries to maintain a culture where people feel empowered to take moonshots.