Go offline with the Player FM app!
Clay Alexander, founder of Ember
Archived series ("Inactive feed" status)
When? This feed was archived on February 04, 2023 06:09 (). Last successful fetch was on November 05, 2022 11:41 ()
Why? Inactive feed status. Our servers were unable to retrieve a valid podcast feed for a sustained period.
What now? You might be able to find a more up-to-date version using the search function. This series will no longer be checked for updates. If you believe this to be in error, please check if the publisher's feed link below is valid and contact support to request the feed be restored or if you have any other concerns about this.
Manage episode 317847784 series 2777297
About this episode
My guest this week is Clay Alexander, the inventor and founder of Ember. Ember is a temperature control brand that seeks to disrupt how the world eats, drinks and lives. Their very first product was a Travel Mug and was launched in 100 Starbucks locations. Since their launch they have expanded to other product lines.
Clay has an incredible founder story that I hope more people discover because I think it brings encouragement and inspiration to so many. Let me be clear, when I say "encouragement" I am not talking about the type of fuzzy-feelings you get when you receive a Hallmark card. I'm talking about the actual meaning of the word "encourage", to place courage inside of. That is what Clay's story will deliver to you, courage to keep moving forward despite the obstacles or challenges you might be up against.
See Clay grew up incredibly poor, in fact to use his words "dirt poor." Aside from his economic challenges he was diagnosed with ADD and dyslexia, and he still is. Yet despite all these challenges he has founded two amazing companies and invented numerous patented products, that I'm sure when the story is over will deliver well beyond $1-billion in revenue. I know this episode will quickly become one of your favorites but like all other founder episodes we need to start at the very beginning.
In this episode, you'll hear
- How Clay's upbringing was not one where entrepreneurship was an inevitable journey for him. In fact, everything about his upbringing would have pointed towards obtaining a steady 9-5 job to help simply put food on the table.
- About how his creative and inventive mind was at work from a young age and how he even replicated the famous Inspector Gadget bicycle, including switches for smoke screens
- The journey through college helped set the stage for him to refine his lighting expertise and led to his inventing the brightest LED bulb in the world
- The steps he took to negotiate a licensing deal with GE for that very bulb he invented
- How cold scrambled eggs became the catalyst for the first temperature controlled coffee mug on the planet
- The reason why the Ember mug, iPhone, Macbook Pro, and Apple iPad all look so good together
- Why any inventor or entrepreneur should never accept the answer of "No" as final and complete
- Clay unpack the future of Ember and the various industries that will benefit from his many temperature control solution ideas
Resources from this episode
Join Grindology: https://grindologymagazine.com/
ExpressVPN: Get 3 Months Free → https://www.expressvpn.com/startupstory
Get Emails: https://app.getemails.com/referrals/newaccount?ref=R18HWW5
The Startup Story Inner Circle: https://www.thestartupstory.co/vip
The Startup Story on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thestartupstory
The Startup Story is now on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/jamesmckinney
The Startup Story on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestartupstory
Ember website: https://ember.com/
Share the podcast
The Startup Story community has been so incredible in sharing our podcast with others, and we thank you! We do have more stories to tell and more people to reach. So please keep sharing!
161 episodes
Archived series ("Inactive feed" status)
When? This feed was archived on February 04, 2023 06:09 (). Last successful fetch was on November 05, 2022 11:41 ()
Why? Inactive feed status. Our servers were unable to retrieve a valid podcast feed for a sustained period.
What now? You might be able to find a more up-to-date version using the search function. This series will no longer be checked for updates. If you believe this to be in error, please check if the publisher's feed link below is valid and contact support to request the feed be restored or if you have any other concerns about this.
Manage episode 317847784 series 2777297
About this episode
My guest this week is Clay Alexander, the inventor and founder of Ember. Ember is a temperature control brand that seeks to disrupt how the world eats, drinks and lives. Their very first product was a Travel Mug and was launched in 100 Starbucks locations. Since their launch they have expanded to other product lines.
Clay has an incredible founder story that I hope more people discover because I think it brings encouragement and inspiration to so many. Let me be clear, when I say "encouragement" I am not talking about the type of fuzzy-feelings you get when you receive a Hallmark card. I'm talking about the actual meaning of the word "encourage", to place courage inside of. That is what Clay's story will deliver to you, courage to keep moving forward despite the obstacles or challenges you might be up against.
See Clay grew up incredibly poor, in fact to use his words "dirt poor." Aside from his economic challenges he was diagnosed with ADD and dyslexia, and he still is. Yet despite all these challenges he has founded two amazing companies and invented numerous patented products, that I'm sure when the story is over will deliver well beyond $1-billion in revenue. I know this episode will quickly become one of your favorites but like all other founder episodes we need to start at the very beginning.
In this episode, you'll hear
- How Clay's upbringing was not one where entrepreneurship was an inevitable journey for him. In fact, everything about his upbringing would have pointed towards obtaining a steady 9-5 job to help simply put food on the table.
- About how his creative and inventive mind was at work from a young age and how he even replicated the famous Inspector Gadget bicycle, including switches for smoke screens
- The journey through college helped set the stage for him to refine his lighting expertise and led to his inventing the brightest LED bulb in the world
- The steps he took to negotiate a licensing deal with GE for that very bulb he invented
- How cold scrambled eggs became the catalyst for the first temperature controlled coffee mug on the planet
- The reason why the Ember mug, iPhone, Macbook Pro, and Apple iPad all look so good together
- Why any inventor or entrepreneur should never accept the answer of "No" as final and complete
- Clay unpack the future of Ember and the various industries that will benefit from his many temperature control solution ideas
Resources from this episode
Join Grindology: https://grindologymagazine.com/
ExpressVPN: Get 3 Months Free → https://www.expressvpn.com/startupstory
Get Emails: https://app.getemails.com/referrals/newaccount?ref=R18HWW5
The Startup Story Inner Circle: https://www.thestartupstory.co/vip
The Startup Story on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thestartupstory
The Startup Story is now on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/jamesmckinney
The Startup Story on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestartupstory
Ember website: https://ember.com/
Share the podcast
The Startup Story community has been so incredible in sharing our podcast with others, and we thank you! We do have more stories to tell and more people to reach. So please keep sharing!
161 episodes
All episodes
×Welcome to Player FM!
Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcasts for you to enjoy right now. It's the best podcast app and works on Android, iPhone, and the web. Signup to sync subscriptions across devices.