"We started a little 10-foot by 10-foot tent at a farmer's market to test out our ideas for improving on salad."

In this episode of Founders in LA, Dan Londono, co-founder and co-CEO of Alfalfa takes us behind the scenes of his unique eatery that blends salads and gluten-free donuts. Dan recounts Alfalfa's origins at a Hoboken farmers' market, where a 10x10 foot tent served as a test bed for their salad concepts.

The idea stemmed from a gap in the local market for healthy options, combined with co-founder Dan Sobsey's insights from his family's produce business. Initially, the team juggled their day jobs with this venture, personally preparing and selling salads every Saturday. This hands-on approach allowed immediate customer feedback, shaping Alfalfa's menu and customer experience.

Their breakthrough came when they took over a 1930s diner, adapting the space into Alfalfa’s first brick-and-mortar outlet. This transition enabled them to incorporate donuts into the menu, reflecting their philosophy of balance in eating. Dan emphasizes the importance of customer experience, a lesson ingrained from their market days, which plays a pivotal role in their operations and team culture.

Alfalfa's expansion to Los Angeles was a blend of opportunity, hard work, and serendipity. Despite the logistical challenges of operating bi-coastally, the brand's Southern California-inspired aesthetic and philosophy resonated well in the new market. Dan highlights the critical role of community engagement and staff hospitality in establishing Alfalfa's presence in Santa Monica.

The episode encapsulates Alfalfa's entrepreneurial spirit, showcasing how a simple farmers' market stall evolved into a distinctive and successful brand, deeply connected to its community and committed to a unique culinary experience.

In this episode of Founders in LA, Tuan Ma, the Founder and CEO of PlayersOnly, shares insights into his AI-powered sports social network, designed to be the LinkedIn for the sports industry. Ma discusses the platform's role in helping athletes, especially college students, navigate the new Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) landscape, emphasizing the need for a professional online presence beyond casual social media platforms.

Ma describes the challenges young athletes face in brand building in the era of NIL and explains how Players Only assists athletes and their parents in managing their sporting and branding responsibilities, highlighting the platform's initial success and its strategic focus on both college-level and professional athletes.

Ma also delves into the parental involvement in athletes' careers, the evolving dynamics of athlete branding, and the potential of partnerships with pro athletes to enhance their social media presence.

"Can I also invest? So when somebody who is critical to your equation resoundingly says yes, and believes enough to put their own capital behind it, that's a moment of unbelievable encouragement."

In this episode of Founders in LA, the guest is Ilias Beshimov, the co-founder of Class Hour. Ilias reveals the pressing challenges facing higher education today, including the exponential increase in the number of high school graduates each year and the shortage of universities to accommodate them. He emphasizes that by 2040, we will be graduating a staggering 200 million students annually. To address this issue, Class Hour has devised a revolutionary platform that connects top educators with learners worldwide, utilizing the power of artificial intelligence for personalized learning experiences. Ilias also shares insights into signals he received that helped inform his decision to co-found Class Hour. Spoiler alert, in addition to a brotherly shove, he also found that potential stakeholders were asking to be investors.

In this episode of Founders in LA, we had the pleasure of speaking with Rachael McCrary, Founder and CEO of Gather Labs. Rachael describes Gather Labs as a modernized clinical diagnostic laboratory with a unique twist – it offers a spa-like experience for patients while providing a wide range of tests, from wellness panels to traditional blood tests. They're all about taking the stigma out of testing and making it a comfortable, human-centered experience. Rachael's journey from the fashion industry to healthcare entrepreneurship is both fascinating and inspiring. Tune in to learn how she's disrupting the healthcare industry and making diagnostics more accessible and enjoyable.

In this episode of Founders in LA we dive into the world of digital media security with Eric Wengrowski, the Founder, and CEO of Steg AI.

Eric introduces us to the innovative realm of Steg AI, where invisible forensic watermarks are crafted to protect and authenticate digital media assets. Discover how these hidden signatures are employed to combat the rising threat of deepfakes, ensuring the integrity of content in the age of generative AI.

Explore the journey that led Eric from academia to entrepreneurship, and how Steg AI emerged as a solution to the growing challenges of trust and authenticity in the digital landscape.

In this episode of Founders in LA, we sit down with Nick Loui, the co-founder and CEO of PeakMetrics, a company at the forefront of battling online disinformation. Nick explains how PeakMetrics utilizes machine learning to measure and predict the spread of online narratives, particularly those with harmful intent. With insights into their work with the Department of Defense and election security, Nick discusses the escalating threat of deepfakes and the global reach of information manipulation. Learn how Nick's journey, from hacking school networks to influencer marketing, led him to create a platform dedicated to defending the truth in the digital age.

In this episode of Founders in LA, we welcome Ego Alpay, a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of multiple companies, including AllTi Alloys, Unita Club (podcast sponsor and host location), and ApeRyder. Ego's focus is on businesses that directly or indirectly make a positive impact. AllTi Alloys specializes in aerospace recycling, with a focus on titanium and nickel alloys, contributing to environmental sustainability. ApeRyder, an e-bike company, encourages people to reduce their carbon footprint by using electric bicycles for short commutes. Unita Club serves as a hub fostering a community that collectively strives for positive change for all of the company's that have been founded by and employ its members. Ego shares his journey, emphasizing the importance of impact-driven entrepreneurship and community engagement. He also discusses how South Bay's unique atmosphere and his commitment to doing the right thing played crucial roles in overcoming challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Ego's story is a testament to the power of community, ethics, and environmental consciousness in business.