DiscoverThe Turning Pro Podcast#081: From Comedy Cellar to Tech CEO: How Jon Laster Built Blapp from Scratch
#081: From Comedy Cellar to Tech CEO: How Jon Laster Built Blapp from Scratch

#081: From Comedy Cellar to Tech CEO: How Jon Laster Built Blapp from Scratch

Update: 2025-05-22
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Jon Laster is a stand-up comic, MC at the Comedy Cellar, and now founder and CEO of Blapp, an app that maps and sells Black-owned businesses.

In this powerful episode, Jon shares how the murder of George Floyd led him to shift gears from punchlines to product-building. What started as an idea during lockdown is now a growing tech platform with real impact: helping Black-owned businesses get discovered, generate revenue, and stay alive.

Jon opens up about what it really takes to build a startup with no traditional tech background, how he convinced names like Chris Rock and Tiffany Haddish to invest, and why he sees comedy as the ultimate founder bootcamp.

This is a conversation about resilience, reinvention, and staying scrappy — no matter how many nights you bomb on stage.

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#081: From Comedy Cellar to Tech CEO: How Jon Laster Built Blapp from Scratch

#081: From Comedy Cellar to Tech CEO: How Jon Laster Built Blapp from Scratch