Building a consumer app’s MVP and how to fundraise with Zest’s Jake Gutstein | E1889

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Today’s show:

Zest's Jake Gutstein joins Jason to discuss his journey in creating the cooking app Zest (1:37). The two dive into how the Zest team formed (10:29), finding the right tools for your startup (25:24), Jake's experience in the Launch Accelerator program (33:27), and more!

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Timestamps:

(0:00) Zest’s Jake Gutstein joins Jason

(1:37) What prompted the creation of Zest and the initial concept and MVP for Zest

(9:22) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist

(10:29) The product development, initial testing, and finding a technical co-founder

(17:21) The decision to go full-time with Zest, the process of raising initial funding, and the importance of overcoming ambiguity and uncertainty

(20:54) MEV - Get $30,000 off your first three months at http://mev.com/twist

(22:05) Demo of Zest’s product

(25:24) Finding the right tools and mentors and the value propositions of Zest discovered through user research

(32:35) Paintbrush - Visit http://getpaintbrush.com to see if you qualify for a $50K startup loan in less than 2 minutes

(33:27) Product launch, approach to fundraising, and experience with the Launch Accelerator program

(46:48) Future plans and goals for Zest

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Check out the Launch Accelerator: https://launchaccelerator.co

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Mentioned on the show:

https://www.respondent.io

https://therewiredgroup.com

https://twitter.com/bmoesta

https://twitter.com/nealsales

https://twitter.com/jasonfried

https://twitter.com/dhh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LK6lKCKMQM

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Follow Jake:

X: https://twitter.com/GutsteinJake

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-gutstein

Check out: https://zestapp.co

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Follow Jason:

X: ⁠https://twitter.com/jason⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jason⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

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Thank you to our partners:

(9:22) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist

(20:54) MEV - Get $30,000 off your first three months at http://mev.com/twist

(32:35) Paintbrush - Visit http://getpaintbrush.com to see if you qualify for a $50K startup loan in less than 2 minutes

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Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

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