show episodes
 
Welcome to Ten Years Years In The Making - a podcast for operating founders who want to learn how to successfully build and scale a direct-to-consumer e-commerce business. I’m your host, Adam Robinson, Founder and CEO of Retention.com. Over the past 2.5 years, my company has gone from $0-$14M ARR with 6 people and zero funding. Prior to that, I bootstrapped Robly Email Marketing to an 8 figure exit. For over 10 years, I’ve been starting, scaling, and selling companies, and through this podca ...
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show series
 
In this episode, we chat with Josh Lee, founder of Keplr. We reminisce about the early days of Keplr, and what building a Korean Crypto company is like. We also touch on the origin story behind Osmosis, and what Josh has learned from being a co-founder of both Keplr and Osmosis. Josh also shares lessons from building an infrastructure company in Cr…
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In this episode, we chat with Anand Gomes, founder of Paradigm and Paradex, two different crypto derivatives products. We begin with Anand’s journey as a derivatives trader, which led him to build Paradigm, an institutional block trading platform for crypto options. After the FTX crash, Anand was inspired to create a new decentralized exchange – Pa…
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In this episode, we chat with Cem Ozer, founder of Sovereign Labs. We begin with Cem’s personal journey in crypto, and how this experience led him to build Sovereign Labs. We then discuss how developers evaluate the many permutations of rollups and blockchain frameworks available today, and where Sovereign Labs fits into this landscape. We dive int…
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In this episode, we chat with Jacob Arluck, head of strategy at Celestia Labs, and Andrew Huang, founder of Conduit. We cover a number of topics in the modular blockchain space, starting with the impact of DA solutions on the rollup landscape and the budding partnership between Conduit and Celestia, the leading RaaS and DA solutions in the market r…
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In this episode, we chat with Emily and Alvin Hsia, co-founders of Shadow. We begin with their journey working on DeFi, MEV, an early idea to unify on-chain data, and their journey to building Shadow. They walk us through the challenges with events, their solution for developers, users, and data consumers, and other details on the product such as p…
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In this episode, we chat with Ido Ben-Natan and Raz Niv, co-founders of Blockaid, a crypto security firm. They share their journey from the Israeli Defence Force cybersecurity unit to launching Blockaid, discussing their product and the importance of protecting web3 customers. Later, we dig into Blockaid's approach to a stealth launch, fostering a …
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In this episode, we chat with Michael Shaulov, co-founder of Fireblocks. Michael revisits with us the early days of building Fireblocks and finding product market fit by solving customer pain points. We chat through both strategic and tactical approaches to building a B2B product in crypto, exploring lessons learned on early customer relationships …
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In this episode, we chat with Henri Stern, the co-founder and CEO of Privy. We begin with Henri’s personal journey in Crypto, how it led him to build Privy, and how his vision for Privy has changed over time. We then get into Privy’s product mindset, how the primitives it enables benefit both users and developers, and where the product goes from he…
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In this episode, we chat with Neel Somani, the founder of Eclipse. We begin with an overview of Neel's personal journey in Crypto, from exploring Cosmos and appchains, to thinking about Rollups-as-a-service, to now building an L2. We then dig into Neel's dream customer, Eclipse's go-to-market strategy, and how they are building a differentiated eco…
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In this episode, we chat with Yi Sun, founder of Axiom. We begin with an overview of what Axiom does and the core problems it's solving for Ethereum applications. Then, we dig into Axiom's go-to-market strategy, some of the use cases they're supporting, and some of the capabilities they're building for in the future. We also explore the broader zer…
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In this episode, we chat with Andrew Huang, founder of Conduit and Brandon Curtis, a long-time infrastructure builder and investor. We begin with a brief overview of Andrew’s background and what led him to build a Rollup-as-a-Service (RaaS) business. We then speak to the value proposition of RaaS businesses, compare them to previous iterations of b…
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In this episode, we chat with Scott Sunarto, the founder of Argus Labs and former co-creator of Dark Forest. We begin with an overview of the current landscape of Crypto Gaming and the crypto gaming primitives Scott is excited about. We also talk about what most crypto gaming investors are getting wrong and the narratives within crypto gaming he di…
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As AI dominates headlines, eCommerce brands are hard at work trying to figure out how to employ cutting-edge technology to improve their bottom line. For Oren Harnevo’s Feel, however, human touch has been the secret to driving incremental revenue for eCommerce companies. Feel builds 24/7 live sales teams for online businesses, allowing customers to…
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We’re doing things a little differently in this episode as I join Drew Sanocki and Michael Epstein on the Nerd Marketing Ecommerce podcast to discuss what life will look like for DTC companies in a cookieless future. As giants like Google and Apple relay their plans to limit the collection of third-party cookies, eCommerce companies will be forced …
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In this episode, we chat with Aidan Salzmann and Vishal Talasani, the co-founders of Stride, the leading liquid staking protocol in Cosmos. Our conversation is a deep dive into Stride's long-term strategy, their execution-focused culture, and the lessons from building appchains. We also explore why Aidan and Vishal chose to build in Cosmos, lessons…
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For many DTC brands, cracking the big-box retailer code can be a challenge. But for Greg LaVecchia and Bloom, placement on Target and Walmart shelves has been rocket fuel on their way to 9-figure sales in just their 4th year of business. Greg is a member of the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and the CEO of Bloom, a DTC supplement company. Along with his w…
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Entrepreneurs often follow a simple code: zig while others zag. So while the DTC mattress industry adopted the online “bed-in-a-box” model, Saatva co-founder Ricky Joshi took a different approach, prioritizing white glove delivery, 24/7 customer service and brick-and-mortar storefronts to build a $400M mattress giant. In this episode, Ricky tells t…
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For Mike Xhaxho, building an audience of 25,000 followers for his DTC brand WaterBoy means doing one thing: making a few videos. With just seven TikTok videos, Mike grew WaterBoy’s following from 0 to 25,000, earning millions of views on its way to hitting $10M in sales in the brand’s first two years. Today, Mike sits down with me to talk about Wat…
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In this episode, we chat with Rune Christensen, the founder of MakerDAO. We dive into his ambitious Endgame plan, the long-term roadmap for MakerDAO, and the motivation behind these decisions. In particular, we talk about his new stablecoin and governance token, new subDAOs, and his role spearheading these initiatives. This episode offers clarity f…
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When B2B companies find themselves trapped in a cycle of stagnation, one name stands out: Santosh Sharan. Santosh is the president & COO of Apollo.io, the Co-CEO of ContactOut and a current consultant and advisor for me at Retention.com. He has worked with more than 15 B2B companies in major operating roles, including helping ZoomInfo grow from $8M…
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In this episode, we chat with Diogo Monica and Nathan McCauley, the co-founders of Anchorage Digital. We discuss numerous topics, starting with their unique partnership and what they learned from working together at Square and Docker. We then dive into the founding story behind Anchorage Digital, the story of the initial seed round, and scaling the…
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For eCommerce founders, the idea of doubling conversion rates without offering a discount sounds too good to be true. But for Chris Hall, it actually happened. Chris is the Senior Marketing Manager at BRUCE BOLT, a batting glove company that went from the brainchild of its 16-year-old founder to outfitting big names in the MLB. One of the keys to B…
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Josh Taekman began his career co-founding Bad Boy Entertainment. He served as VP of Marketing, spearheading endorsements, cross-promotional opportunities, and partnerships with outside artists (Jay Z, Lauren Hill, Eminem, Busta Rhymes, 50 Cent, and others). Josh also worked closely with P. Diddy and orchestrated his non-music oriented ventures, inc…
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In this episodes, we chat with Christopher Goes, the co-founder of Anoma and Namada. Christopher has a wealth of knowledge about privacy in crypto, and has previously contributed to the Zcash and Cosmos ecosystems. We discuss the different "eras" of privacy dating back to 2017, and how Anoma and Namada builds upon the existing state of privacy rese…
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Olivier Momma is the co-founder of Ekster, a D2C brand that makes “better gear for life on the go.” Think wallets, bags and accessories that aim to save customers time, so they can get back to living life. They’re best known for their breakthrough trackable smart wallets and Forbes named them “The Most Successful Smart Wallet Brand in the World.” O…
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Just over a decade ago, Curtis Matsko told his wife, “Quit your job and I will start up a company selling things on the Internet and we’ll make $100 million.” Today, that proclamation has manifested into reality, with Curtis’s Portland Leather Goods growing from a garage operation to a $120M+ business on pace to make more than 2 million bags in 202…
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Meet Erik Huberman – serial entrepreneur, marketing whiz, and the brain behind Hawke Media—the fastest-growing marketing agency in the US, now valued at more than $150 million! Driven to fill a much needed gap in the market, Erik’s vision was to build an agency that was both accessible and (unlike most agencies) could drive real growth and tangible…
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In a world of social media, programmatic advertising and digital-first marketing, the direct mail market carries an old-school feel. But did you know that U.S. direct mail is a $50 billion market? To dive into this lucrative-but-overlooked market, I grabbed some time with Dave Fink, the CEO and co-founder of Postie, a data and technology platform t…
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In this episode, Larry and I chat with Matteo Leibowitz, Ventures Lead and former Strategy Lead at Uniswap. We discuss Matteo's research into DeFi at The Block, and how that led to his move to Uniswap to 2020. We also dive into what the day-to-day of a Strategy Lead at a major DeFi protocol looks like, and how Uniswap developed a dominant market po…
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Creating an eco-friendly product checks boxes for environmentally conscious consumers. But how do you do it in a way that doesn’t compromise your product? In today’s episode, I sit down with Phoebe Yu and Kat Dey, the co-founders of Ettitude — a DTC bamboo bedding, bath and sleep essentials line that aims to become “the Tesla of bedsheets.” Phoebe …
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After growing up in Uzbekistan and playing Division 1 collegiate tennis, Lolita Petrossov had never worked a job. So for her first gig, she co-founded JetSmarter, an on-demand private jet charter company valued at over $1 billion before its acquisition by Vista Global in 2018. Now, Lolita is the founder and CEO of Evestar, a marketing agency that h…
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In this episode, we chat about the MEV landscape in Osmosis with Dev Ohja, founder of Osmosis, and Barry Plunkett, founder of Skip. Osmosis has had a very unique, first-principles approach to dealing with MEV, attempting to mitigate "bad" forms while allowing the protocol to internalize" good" forms. We discuss how MEV has been an important theme f…
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In Part two of my interview with Jonathan Cronstedt, we dive into how he built the “Kajabi Heroes” program to supercharge growth for what would eventually become a company that’s valued at $2B. In addition to step-by-step advice for building your own community to land referrals and create loyalty, you’ll also hear about … ✔️Creating “North Star” bu…
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With questions around product-market fit, deciding when it’s time to scale, and keeping competitors at bay, the billion-dollar bullseye can often feel tiny to entrepreneurs. Today, Jonathan Cronstedt sits down with me to explain how founders can throw darts that consistently hit the center of their target. Jonathan is the former president of Kajabi…
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You’ve undoubtedly heard the term “From Rags to Riches,” but today’s guest has a story that will blow your mind. This might be one of the most insane “American Dream” success stories I’ve ever heard. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! Moises Sanchez’s path to success certainly wasn’t easy. After leaving Mexico with a 6th-grade education, his family moved…
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As the concept of personal branding continues to explode, many creators have the same question: Where do I start? Today, I’m sitting down with Ari Murray, the VP of Growth at Sharma Brands and creator of Go-to-Millions at Workweek, a marketing and founder-focused newsletter with more than 25,000 subscribers. Ari goes over all things content creatio…
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After working for a marketing agency and helping many companies scale to 7 and 8-figures, Ronak Shah realized he had the blueprint to building a successful brand. So, he decided to launch a company of his own. That company is Obvi, a collagen-focused supplement brand that he co-founded with two of his best friends, and grew to $40M in revenue in le…
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In this episode, we chat with Lakshman Sankar, contributor to Personae Labs, an R&D lab focused on applying zero-knowledge technology to advance digital identity. Lakshman has been a long-time Crypto researcher, and was previously at the Ethereum Foundation. In this episode, we chat about Personae's new private voting tool - HeyAnoun, and the first…
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Today, I’m talking with Jonathan Cronstedt, who took the e-learning software giant, Kajabi, from a $6M revenue business to $100M+ and a $2B valuation in just 5 years. In this episode of Ten Years In The Making, we’re talking about the realities of scaling. When do you know it’s time to grow? What are the hidden downsides? Is it always the right cho…
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Are you an eCommerce founder dreaming of an exit? Well, today’s guest, Los Silva, is here to tell you that it’s a great time to sell your business. Take it from Los, a business advisor and established entrepreneur, who says he and his team are currently in the process of selling $300M worth of companies doing between $2M - $15M EBITDA. Today, Los t…
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After disrupting the billion-dollar men's footwear industry with his premium, Italian-crafted sneaker brand, which was sold to Steve Madden, Ryan Babenzien set out to launch another D2C business. But this time with unmatched thoughtfulness and intentionality. He asked himself a simple question… What criteria does my next product need, in order for …
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In this episode, we chat with Travis Scher, founder of North Island Ventures. Travis has been investing in crypto startups since 2015, and has a wealth of experience across many market cycles. We go into detail about what Travis looks for when evaluating early stage startups, his experience at Digital Currency Group, and the importance of ethics/in…
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For founders starting or growing a social media presence, making progress can often be paralysis by analysis. Which platform should you build on? What sort of content should you post? Should you focus on a personal brand or a business brand? In today’s episode, Triple Whale’s Head of Social, Tommy Clark, answers all these questions — and a whole lo…
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As high-flying tech companies dominate the headlines, Matt Cauble’s approach to startup success took a different approach. He asked a simple question: What do people need? Matt is the co-founder of Soylent and Kin Euphorics, food and beverage companies that solve simple problems for everyday people. Soylent offers meal replacement options, saving t…
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In this episode, we chat with Stani Kulechov, the founder of Aave. We cover the history of Aave, from the transition of ETHLend to Aave, to its current positioning as the leading lending project in DeFi. Aave has had a unique journey, and this episode goes into the nitty-gritty details behind the scenes. We also cover Stani's thoughts on Aave Gover…
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Whether it’s scaling businesses to $100+ million valuations or growing Twitter accounts to millions of followers, Dennis Hegstad has built life-changing income streams across the eCommerce ecosystem. Dennis founded and exited both LiveRecover and OrderBump — companies focused on the Shopify merchant market. In today’s episode, Dennis shares insight…
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Michael Wieder disrupted a $10B industry not by solving a problem, but by solving a feeling – ”overwhelmed.” Michael is the Co-Founder of Lalo, a thriving D2C brand that makes modern day baby and toddler products. He started the company when he noticed a disconnect between legacy brands and consumers in the baby gear industry. By going to stores wh…
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In this episode, we chat with Mike Ippolito and Jason Yanowitz, the founders of Blockworks. Since 2018, they've built Blockworks up into one of crypto's largest and most prominent media companies. We dive into the early history, various product lines today, and where they see Blockworks in the future. They also share valuable feedback on how crypto…
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If you’re trying to build an online audience, creating content is a must. But how do you make content that cuts through the noise and actually gets noticed? Right now, there’s a big opportunity to leverage LinkedIn to gain attention—and those who are taking advantage of it, are winning BIG! Daniel Murray, Founder of The Marketing Millennials, is a …
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Imagine a drink that had all the benefits of booze without the hangover. Well, it exists, and today I’m talking to the founder. Jen Batchelor is the CEO (Chief Euphorics Officer) of Kin Euphorics, which she co-founded with American supermodel Bella Hadid. Launched grassroots in 2017, the non-alcoholic, mood-boosting beverage is made with a combo of…
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