Studying Success

In today’s episode, we are joined by Frank Licea, founder and CTO at Howdy, the service that allows US tech companies to hire and manage software developers in Latin America. Beginning as a Y-Combinator students, Frank Licea and his co-founder, CEO Jacqueline Samira, have grown Howdy from an idea to a $105M valuation. In this episode, we discuss how Frank and his co-founder built Howdy’s network of software engineers, how Y-Combinator influenced his startup process, and what insights the Y-Combinator experience gave Howdy and Frank. Stick around to the end to hear what Y-Combinator thinks is the biggest cause of company deaths, and it’s not a bad business strategy. Please subscribe to Studying Success to hear more from the best entrepreneurs and investors!Also check out our website at www.studyingsuccesspodcast.com.Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube – @studyingsuccesspodcast

In today’s episode, we are joined by Elie Seidman. Elie is the interim CEO of Fast Growing Trees where he is leading the scale up. Elie is the former CEO of Tinder where he led Tinder’s hyper growth scale-up and internationalization with revenue growth from $350M/year to $1.3B/year. Prior to Tinder, he was the CEO of OkCupid where he led a turnaround - focused on reinventing the product and brand. Elie also sponsored and co-led Match Group’s acquisition of Hinge. Before OkCupid and Tinder, Mr. Seidman was an entrepreneur for 15 years. In 2007, he founded Oyster, an online travel business acquired by TripAdvisor in late 2013. At the start of his career, Elie was the co-founder and CEO of Epana, a telecom and money remittance business that he led through hyper growth. He is a member of the Advisory Board of Cove Hill Partners, L.P., a private equity fund. He has previously served as an advisor at both General Atlantic Partners and Lime Rock Partners. He is a member of the Board of Governors of Tel Aviv University.Elie received his BSE in Materials Science Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. He is an active supporter of Penn’s school of engineering where he has lectured on entrepreneurship and leadership. In this episode, we discuss Elie’s biggest learnings from his time at Fast Growing Trees, the keys to Tinder’s fast growth, Elie’s philosophy on consumer marketing, and how Elie was able to make Tinder an international brand. Stick around to the end to hear Elie’s advice for young people who want to be successful in business. Please subscribe to Studying Success to hear more from the best entrepreneurs and investors!Also check out our website at www.studyingsuccesspodcast.com.Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube – @studyingsuccesspodcast

Es un honor tener mi primer podcast en español con alguien tan impresionante e inteligente como Peter Lozano Alcolea. Peter es el cofundador de Imascono, una empresa que ayuda a otras empresas con su transformación digital mediante tecnologías como la realidad virtual y la inteligencia artificial. Después de tener una carrera destacada en el fútbol, jugando para el Real Zaragoza, sufrió una lesión que puso fin a su carrera profesional. No obstante, justo después, fundó Imascono, que en ese momento era una empresa que vendía ropa profesional. Sin embargo, después de conocer a su cofundador, cambió la orientación de su empresa para enfocarse en la realidad extendida. Ahora, Imascono cuenta con clientes como Adidas, Disney y Marvel, y gracias a su trabajo en Imascono, Peter ha sido reconocido como una de las 100 personas más creativas en los negocios por Forbes. Hoy hablaremos sobre su experiencia como jugador profesional de fútbol, cómo fundó Imascono y cuáles son las cosas más importantes a tener en cuenta al hacer marketing. Please subscribe to Studying Success to hear more from the best entrepreneurs and investors!Also check out our website at www.studyingsuccesspodcast.com.Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube – @studyingsuccesspodcast

In this episode, we are joined by Piers Thackray, founder and CEO at Theone, the AI content creator and manager for businesses. After seeing his mother work tireless hours trying to promote her different small businesses, Piers wanted to build a solution that would help smaller businesses with the marketing. So, after founding and building a marketing agency when he was just 19 years old, Piers started his new venture, Theone. In this episode, we discuss actionable steps for building a superstar startup team, how Piers was able to validate the idea for Theone before launching, and the marketing strategy responsible for $100k in pre-orders after just one week. Please subscribe to Studying Success to hear more from the best entrepreneurs and investors!Also check out our website at www.studyingsuccesspodcast.com.Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube – @studyingsuccesspodcast

In today’s episode, we are joined by Matt Pru, co-founder and managing partner at Stackmatix, the startup and scaling growth partner. Prior to co-founding Stackmatix, Matt was the Head of Sales at MightyHive which he helped grow from 10 to more than a hundred employees and which ultimately sold to S4 Capital for $150M. In addition, Matt has worked as a startup advisor to a number of companies including a company called MovingLake, a YCombinator startup. In this episode, we discuss how Matt ran a $30M sales operation at MightyHive, how Matt built Stackmatix, and the tactics Stackmatix uses to grow a startup’s sales. Stick around to the end to hear what most startups get wrong and how Matt suggests to fix this. Please subscribe to Studying Success to hear more from the best entrepreneurs and investors!Also check out our website at www.studyingsuccesspodcast.com.Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube – @studyingsuccesspodcast

For our 30th episode, I am honored to be joined by the Amanda Hesser, Founder and Executive Chair at the Food52, the online culinary community. After working at the New York Times as a food reporter, writer and editor, and columnist, Ms. Hesser felt that she was missing something in her life – entrepreneurship. Shortly after leaving the New York Times, Ms. Hesser used an advance on a book that she was writing to launch Food52. Now, 14 years later, Ms. Hesser discusses with us how she built a customer experience, what she thinks the key to Food52’s growth was, and what she would do differently if she were to start all over again. Stick around to the end to Ms. Hesser’s biggest takeaways from her startup journey with Food52. Please subscribe to Studying Success to hear more from the best entrepreneurs and investors!Also check out our website at www.studyingsuccesspodcast.com.And follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube – @studyingsuccesspodcast

Today, we are joined by Abby Miller Levy, Managing Partner and Founder at Primetime Partners. After realizing the lack of opportunities for retired people when her father retired, Abby set out to build a business or businesses to give retired people a more vibrant and healthy life. After writing out several business plans, Abby realized that she would not be able to start all of these businesses herself, and pivoted to thinking about starting a venture fund. Partnering with her co-founder, Alan Patricof, the two founders launched Primetime Partners, a venture fund dedicated to investing in early stage companies that cater to older adults. Prior to Primetime Partners, Abby was a senior executive at SoulCycle and the co-founder of Thrive Global which she started with Arianna Huffington. In this episode, we discuss how the startup industry for older adults is a growing and exciting industry, how Abby started Primetime Partners, and what Abby looks for when she invests in startups. Stick around to the end to hear Abby's advice for those looking to do big things in business. Please subscribe to Studying Success to hear more from the best entrepreneurs, CEOs, and investors!Also check out our website at www.studyingsuccesspodcast.com.And follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube – @studyingsuccesspodcast

In this episode, we are joined by Paul Hedrick, Founder and Executive Chairman at Tecovas. In 2015, after having worked more traditional business roles at private Equity firm L Catterton and consulting firm McKinsey, Paul took the leap to build the direct to consumer, western-style boot brand, Tecovas. After launching the original Shopify store in 2015, Tecovas has sold at least one boot everyday, and has grown into a 9 figure boot empire with almost 30 stores nationwide. Today Paul tells us how Tecovas went from a small boot shop located in the back of Paul’s Toyota Forerunner to the massive brand that it is today and what advice he would have for those trying to build a brand and a customer experience. Please subscribe to Studying Success to hear more from the best entrepreneurs and investors!Also check out our website at www.studyingsuccesspodcast.com.And follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube – @studyingsuccesspodcast

Today we are joined by Kathryn Cavanaugh, founder and managing partner at Capstar Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in early stage startups. In this episode we discuss how Kathryn raised the first fund for Capstar, what it was like to go through COVID with Capstar, and what Kathryn looks for in founders. Stick around to the end to hear Kathryn’s advice for anyone looking to pursue a career in VC.Please subscribe to Studying Success to hear more from the best entrepreneurs and investors!Also check out our website at www.studyingsuccesspodcast.com.And follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube – @studyingsuccesspodcast

In this episode we are joined by Brian O’Malley, Managing Partner at Forerunner, a venture capital firm that invests in consumer businesses such as Away, Chime, and Glossier. In this episode, we discuss what businesses make Brian most excited to invest, how to market to the consumer, and Brian’s biggest challenges both as a VC and at Forerunner. Please subscribe to Studying Success to hear more from the best entrepreneurs and investors!Also check out our website at www.studyingsuccesspodcast.com.And follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube – @studyingsuccesspodcast

Today we are joined by Josh Bowen, Co-founder and COO at Simba, a platform that provides affordable money transfer services for immigrants sending funds home. Prior to Simba, Josh was a Co-founder and head of business development and product at CrowdTwist. CrowdTwist sold to Oracle in 2019 and had more than $10 million in revenue. In this episode, we discuss how Josh and his Co-founder started Simba, why it’s so important to stay focused as a startup, and Josh’s learnings from CrowdTwist. Stick around to the end to hear Josh’s advice for Gen Z. Please subscribe to Studying Success to hear more from the best entrepreneurs, CEOs, and investors!Also check out our website at www.studyingsuccesspodcast.com.And follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube – @studyingsuccesspodcast

In this episode, we are joined by Chris Cabrera, founder and CEO at Xactly, a SaaS company that helps businesses manage aspects of their sales force including compensation and sales forecasting. Today we discuss how Mr. Cabrera built Xactly, the lessons he learned from his experiences working with VCs, and why Xactly was able to grow from $5 million in revenue in their first year to $20 million in revenue by their third year. Stick around to the end to hear Mr. Cabrera’s best advice for being effective in sales.Please subscribe to Studying Success to hear more from the best entrepreneurs and investors!Also check out our website at www.studyingsuccesspodcast.com.And follow us on Instagram @studyingsuccesspodcast.

Today we are joined by Ben Lerer who is a Managing Partner at Lerer Hippeau, an early stage investment fund that targets New York based businesses and that has invested in the seed rounds of companies like Casper, Venmo, and Warby Parker. Before Lerer Hippeau, Ben was a founder at Thrillist Media Group which provides city guides to nightlife and restaurants in cities like New York and LA. Thrillist later acquired media businesses such as Now This and the Dodo to form the holding company Group Nine Media where Ben was the CEO. Group Nine Media was acquired by Vox in 2022. In this episode we discuss how Ben built Thrillist, what it was like to run Group Nine Media, and how Ben meets great entrepreneurs. Stick around to the end to hear Ben’s stories about his close friend, Gary Vaynerchuk. Please subscribe to Studying Success to hear more from the best entrepreneurs and investors!Also check out our website at www.studyingsuccesspodcast.com.And follow us on Instagram @studyingsuccesspodcast.

In this episode, we are joined by Kim Dowling, Founder and CEO at Ride Indoor Cycling. Founded in Austin, Texas, Ride offers customers a fun workout experience filled with dancing, music, and colorful lights. In today’s episode, we discuss the power of word of mouth marketing for Ride’s success, how Kim creates a world class experience for Ride’s customers, and how Ride was able to pivot during COVID. Stick around to the end to hear Kim’s suggested reading list for high school and college students interested in business. Please subscribe to Studying Success to hear more from the best entrepreneurs and investors!Also check out our website at www.studyingsuccesspodcast.com.And follow us on Instagram @studyingsuccesspodcast.

Today we are joined by Cyrus Massoumi, founder and CEO at Dr. B, a telehealth platform that offers affordable online medical consultations with doctors. Prior to Dr. B, Cyrus was the founder and CEO at ZocDoc, a platform that allows you to book appointments with Doctors in your area online. On top of Dr. B, Cyrus is also the founder and managing partner at Humbition, a VC firm. In this episode, we discuss how Cyrus founded Dr. B, why Cyrus is so passionate about providing affordable medical services, and why past founders are the best types of investors. Stick around to the end to hear how Cyrus evaluates businesses as a Managing Partner at Humbition.Please subscribe to Studying Success to hear more from the best entrepreneurs and investors!Also check out our website at www.studyingsuccesspodcast.com.And follow us on Instagram @studyingsuccesspodcast.

For our 20th episode, Studying Success is honored to be joined by someone as accomplished and successful as Reed Taussig. Taussig, in his epic career, has raised a total of $155 million and has returned to his investors $1.6 billion – yes, that’s billion with a b. From June 1997 to July of 2008, Taussig served as Chairman, President, and CEO of Callidus Software, a sales compensation management software provider, which he led from its inception to IPO. Callidus was later acquired by SAP for $2.4 billion. After Callidus, Taussig went on to become the President and CEO of ThreatMetrix, an online fraud mitigation company, which processes over 3 billion transactions per month and has over 6 thousand customers. In 2018, ThreatMetrix was acquired by LexisNexis Risk Solutions for $830 million. Reed is currently the CEO at an identity authentication company called AuthenticID.In this episode, Reed shares his wisdom on why it’s so important as a startup to stay focused on the principal service that it provides, what “bad” CEOs do, what he thinks has been the key to his success, and his thoughts on running a public vs. private company. Please subscribe to Studying Success to hear more from the best entrepreneurs and investors!Also check out our website at www.studyingsuccesspodcast.com.And follow us on Instagram @studyingsuccesspodcast.

Jason Burchard is the CEO and co-founder at a SaaS (Software as a Service) company called RootNote. RootNote provides content creators such as youtubers, musicians, twitch streamers, podcasters, etc. with a single platform that houses all of their relevant data like follower count, streams, plays, etc. so that these content creators can make better informed decisions on which form of content to release. In this podcast, Jason explains his ideation process with RootNote, the implications of raising capital and how they can be potentially stressful, and how social media is changing how businesses market to their consumers. Listen to the end to hear what Jason thinks is the most important thing to keep in mind when thinking about sales. Please subscribe to Studying Success to hear more from the best entrepreneurs and investors!Also check out our website at www.studyingsuccesspodcast.com.And follow us on Instagram @studyingsuccesspodcast.

Today we are joined by Rob Taylor who has founded and operated 5 vc-backed startups over the past 20 years including BlackLocus which sold to Home Depot in 2012 and TrueCar which went public in 2014. Most recently, Rob Co-founded and was the CEO of a B to B SaaS company called Convey which was acquired by Project44 in September of 2021 for $255M. In addition to being a founder, Rob has done mentorships at Capital Factory and TechStars, and he currently is a board member at LawnStarter. In this episode, Rob shares his expert insight on what is important to focus on in the growth stage of a business, what he thinks is the most important part of a pitch to venture capitalists, and how he and his co-founders were able to grow Convey. Stick around to the end to hear what his two best pieces of advice for growth stage CEOs. Please subscribe to Studying Success to hear more from the best entrepreneurs and investors!Also check out our website at www.studyingsuccesspodcast.com.And follow us on Instagram @studyingsuccesspodcast.

Mucker Capital is a venture capital firm that invests largely in preseed, seed and series A rounds. In today’s episode, Jon tells us why he likes “unsexy” software companies, what makes a company desirable to invest in in early rounds, and what are the characteristics of a great CEO. Please subscribe to Studying Success to hear more from the best entrepreneurs and investors!Also check out our website at www.studyingsuccesspodcast.com.And follow us on Instagram @studyingsuccesspodcast.

In this episode, we are joined by Klaus Wegener who is a Co-Founder and Managing director at 35up, a company that provides ecommerce sites with cross selling software. Prior to 35up, Klaus Co-founded a custom laptop and phone case company called Caseable where he was the CEO. In today’s episode, we dive into how Klaus and his team launched 35up, how to reach out to investors, and why it’s so important to hire the right people. Stick around to the end to hear Klaus’ advice on business in general. Please subscribe to Studying Success to hear more from the best entrepreneurs and investors!Also check out our website at www.studyingsuccesspodcast.com.And follow us on Instagram @studyingsuccesspodcast.