Episodes

  • #48: These Childhood Friends Are Sam Altman's Worst Nightmare

    #48: These Childhood Friends Are Sam Altman's Worst Nightmare
    Jun 26 2024
    In #48, Michael Sikand and Simran Sandhu discuss mid-twenties founders Edward Tian and Alex Cui, the co-founders of AI detection startup GPTZERO which has raised $13.5M and is already profitable. They explore the dynamics of shows like Shark Tank and the success of startups that didn't secure deals. The conversation shifts to the importance of distribution in the success of AI tools. They also touch on the potential of AI in education, citing examples like RapStudy and StudyBuddy. The episode concludes with a debate on the merits of building cashflow businesses versus pursuing big, impactful ventures, emphasizing the diverse paths to success in entrepreneurship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    34 mins
  • #47: How We Sold Our Bootstrapped Startup In 2 Years

    #47: How We Sold Our Bootstrapped Startup In 2 Years
    Jun 19 2024
    After nearly 50 episodes, in #47 Michael Sikand and Simran Sandhu share their own entrepreneurial journey, from starting their media company Our Future to getting acquired by Morning Brew. They discuss the lessons they've learned, the strategies they employed, and challenges faced along the way. 0:00 Intro & Cold Open 2:07 Michael and Simmy's first idea: Jet Coffee 03:16 Being scrappy and lessons learned in scaling the business 5:13 Importance of starting a podcast and building a network 6:07 Strategy of leveraging podcasts for networking and opportunities 8:01 Discussion on the accessibility of media as a starting point for entrepreneurs 9:17 Importance of building relationships with potential co-founders 10:09 Emphasis on having a clear goal and being open to pivoting 12:37 Importance of being delusional and confident in pitching oneself 17:48 Transition to discussing the acquisition by Morning Brew 23:55 Importance of being cautious with potential acquirers and their agendas 26:02 Advice on handling acquisition discussions and maintaining focus on business growth Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    42 mins
  • #46: This 23-Year-Old Is Worth $100M From Police Drones

    #46: This 23-Year-Old Is Worth $100M From Police Drones
    Jun 12 2024
    Inn #46, Michael Sikand and Simran Sandhu delve into the stories of two young founders, Blake Resnick and Mohak Nahta. Blake Resnick, a 23-year-old entrepreneur, has built a police drone startup called Brinc. He's raised $80M from investors like Sam Altman and Peter Thiel and the company is now valued at over $300M. Next up is Mohak, the founder of Atlys, who has created a platform to expedite the visa application process, allowing users to complete the process in minutes by simply taking a selfie, scanning their passport, and answering a few questions. He's raised over $16M from investors like a16z. 00:00 - Introduction and Podcast Overview 00:11 - Episode Preview: Young Founders and Their Ventures 00:35 - Michael's Sales Pitch Anecdote 01:06 - Daily Office Rentals Business Idea 02:05 - Blake Resnick's $300M Police Drone Startup 05:31 - Public Perception and Privacy Concerns 08:01 - Surveillance Technology and Public Backlash 10:49 - Challenges in Selling to Public Service Departments 17:28 - Second Story: Atlys - Expediting Travel Visas 24:47 - Pay for Passport Programs and Government Revenue Strategies #business #podcast #startups Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    32 mins
  • #45: How This 28-Year-Old Built A $1M Lead Gen Business for Real Estate

    #45: How This 28-Year-Old Built A $1M Lead Gen Business for Real Estate
    Jun 5 2024
    In #45, Michael Sikand (@michaelsikand) and Simran Sandhu (@simmy) discuss the founders of Folk and ConvertWire. First up is Simo Lemhandez, a late-twenties entrepreneur from France, who is building Folk, a next-gen CRM designed to manage all types of relationships—sales, recruiting, partnerships, and investors. With a sleek, Notion-like UI, Folk has raised millions from top investment firms like Accel and has even won product of the year on Product Hunt. Next is Jack Sory, a 28-year-old entrepreneur who runs ConvertWire, a lead generation business for real estate. Jack's business model focuses on providing high-quality leads through a team of cold callers based in the Philippines. By emphasizing quality over quantity, Jack has built a subscription-based service that generates between half a million and a million dollars annually. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    33 mins
  • #44: This NYU Grad Raised Millions To Make TV Shows Shoppable

    #44: This NYU Grad Raised Millions To Make TV Shows Shoppable
    May 29 2024
    In #44, Michael Sikand (@michaelsikand) and Simran Sandhu (@_simmy_) discuss the founders of Diddo and Fina. Founded by NYU grads, Diddo has raised $2.8M to let you shop for products featured in your favorite TV shows and movies. Using AI, Diddo identifies the clothing worn on screen and allows viewers to purchase exact items or lookalike products. Next up is Clay Ratterman, the co-founder of Fina, which is best described as Notion for personal finance. The platform is bootstrapped and has already amassed 10,000 users, filling a void in the market for a highly customizable personal finance application. 0:00: Intro 1:00: Story of Diddo 19:10 Story of Fina #startups #podcast #entrepreneurship Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    35 mins
  • #43: He Made Millions Predicting Your Grocery Order

    #43: He Made Millions Predicting Your Grocery Order
    May 22 2024
    In #43, Michael Sikand (@michaelsikand) and Simran Sandhu (@_simmy_) discuss the founders of Halla and DeepScribe. Founded by mid-twenties entrepreneurs Henry Michaelson, Spencer Price, and Gabriel Nipote, Halla is the only human preference engine built for groceries. In other words, the trio raised $10M to build a white-labelled recommendation algorithm that powers the e-commerce storefronts of some of the world's largest grocery chains. A few months ago, Halla was acquired by Wynshop for an undisclosed amount. Next up is DeepScribe, an AI-powered clinical documentation platform started by Akilesh Bapu and Matthew Ko which has saved doctors millions of minutes taking notes when treating patients. The company has raised over $35M from investors like Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang and Figma CEO Dylan Field. 0:00 Intro 01:14 Story of Halla 18:04 Story of DeepScribe #podcast #entrepreneurship #startups Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    35 mins
  • #42: He Built A $25M/Year Business By Age 25

    #42: He Built A $25M/Year Business By Age 25
    May 15 2024
    In #42, Michael Sikand (@michaelsikand) and Simran Sandhu (@_simmy_) discuss the founders of Swimply and Distribute. Founded by 25-year-old Bunim Laskin, Swimply has raised $50M to be the "Airbnb for Pools". So far the platform has served over 1M bookings across three countries and is now expanding into other categories like pickleball courts. Next up is Andy Mewborn, who built and sold a Linkedin SaaS tool called Taplio within 9 months of launching and has now raised millions for Distribute, a software platform best described as Canva for GTM teams. Andy has raised millions to shrink the GTM tech stack and mash multiple different products into one killer platform. 00:00 Intro 0:42 Story of Swimply 16:14 Story of Distribute #podcast #entrepreneurship #startups Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    35 mins
  • #41: He Built No-Code Software Making $2M By Age 23

    #41: He Built No-Code Software Making $2M By Age 23
    May 1 2024
    In #41, Michael Sikand (@michaelsikand) and Simran Sandhu (@_simmy_) discuss the founders of LANDED and Krepling. Founded by Vivian Wang, Landed is a recruitment platform helping fast food and retail establishments hire top-notch hourly workers faster and cheaper. So far, the platform has raised over $7M and counts 700K+ users as well as clients like Taco Bell and Chick-Fil-A. Next up is Krepling, which was started by two brothers in their early 20's, Liam (23) and Travis Gerada (20). The duo is behind no-code e-commerce software which solves for the increasing engineering complexities sellers face past the $5M revenue mark. So far they've raised $3.3M and were doing $1.7M ARR in August 2023. 0:00 Intro 0:40 Story of LANDED 19:20 Story of Krepling #podcast #entrepreneurship #startups Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    33 mins