Making friends as an adult is tough and Sam built Butter to change that. With over 10,000 young adults already using, Butter makes it easy to find new friends through dinners, coffees, runs, and real-world social plans. In this episode, Sam shares her founder story: why existing friend-making apps don’t work, how she shipped fast to build community, and Butter’s bold vision to solve modern loneliness.

Perfect for founders, product builders, and anyone curious about adult friendships.

Ever wonder how a late-night party idea can become a startup that sells out in 48 hours? That’s exactly what happened with Sip Hrd, the Asian-inspired alcohol brand whose lychee vodka seltzer vanished after its first 150 cases.

In this episode, Phung, Daniel and Hanson share how they built from scratch: recipe testing, dodging alcohol regulations, branding and packaging hurdles, and creative go-to-market strategies.

Perfect for founders building physical products, marketers tackling regulated industries, or anyone curious about turning a wild idea into a fast-selling startup.

They got into Y Combinator with an idea that the partners disliked?

In this episode, the Affil founders share what really happens inside YC, the surprising power of doing things that don’t scale, and how they’re solving compliance pain points in financial affiliate marketing with AI.

Perfect for early-stage founders, builders in regulated industries, and anyone wondering if their startup idea sucks

We accidentally started a podcast and now we can’t stop. In this behind-the-scenes episode, we reflect on how a random shower thought turned into a real startup media brand. From perfectionism to metrics obsession, quitting fantasies to growing ambitions, we unpack the chaos of building something from scratch while trying to stay sane. If you're curious how media gets made, this one's for you.

He brought cutting-edge AI from Stanford to Vietnam — and flopped. But after just 3 months of rebuilding, he's now leading one of Vietnam’s most exciting edtechs, with 40,000 users and entering 23,000 schools. In this episode, we dive into how he redesigned the product around students' real stressors and learned to ship unpolished versions without shame. We also chat founder psychology, what it takes to bounce back, and why education innovation must center local context.

🎯 Perfect for early-stage founders, edtech builders, and anyone recovering from a messy launch.

Floriye Elmazi, co-founder of Sisterwould, didn’t mean to start a haircare brand - she just wanted to help her dad’s skin. Fast forward: she’s stocked in Revolve and Chemist Warehouse, with celeb fans like Lindsay Lohan and Dua Lipa. In this episode, Flo shares how she bootstrapped a business as a single mom, landed retail deals, and built a community-first brand centered on inclusion and purpose - before launch

Topics: Celebrity marketing, inclusive product design, bootstrapped beauty brands, CPG manufacturing, community-led growth, accessible packaging, and retail expansion

Perfect for: Beauty founders, DTC builders, brand marketers, and anyone starting with nothing but conviction

Brian Pham, founder of LiteCard, is betting big on your Apple Wallet. In this episode, he shares how he turned a niche idea into a global platform by ditching loyalty apps and using what’s already in your pocket. We dive into his agency-first GTM strategy, global expansion lessons, and how AI is transforming how brands engage customers.

Topics: Digital marketing transformation, mobile wallet strategy, global scaling, agency partnerships, and rapid-fire founder insights.

Perfect for entrepreneurs, marketers, and retail executives.

Robert Huynh built Nook, a blue-collar job marketplace in Vietnam, through Y Combinator. He hit 50,000 users, raised at a $20M valuation, then watched it all crumble. This is his brutally honest post-mortem.

In this raw conversation, Robert reveals:

• The growth hack that got 50K users FAST

• Why a $20M valuation couldn't fix broken unit economics

• The cultural blindspots that killed the business

• How to tell your team you're shutting down

• His mental health struggles during the crisis

• Why co-founder selection makes or breaks everything

• His comeback story with Reforged Labs

This isn't another success story. It's the unfiltered truth about startup failure, the hidden costs of building in unfamiliar markets, and what it really takes to bounce back.

Perfect for entrepreneurs, startup employees, or anyone curious about what happens when the Silicon Valley dream meets harsh reality.

Guest: Robert Huynh - Harvard MBA, 2x Y Combinator alum, Co-Founder of Nook (acquired users but failed) and Reforged Labs (AI marketing agents)

Ben Wood, co-founder of Waste in Progress, joins us to talk about how a random old tent sparked a design business built on upcycling, sustainability, and community partnerships. In this episode, we explore how creative founders can scale impact, balance craft with cash flow, and turn circular design into a viable business model—without burning out. Whether you're building a mission-led brand or bootstrapping a product business, this one’s for you

⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction to WipWrk and Textile Upcycling01:25 - Backstory: How WipWrk Was Born02:51 - First Product: Chalk Bags for Rock Climbers04:33 - Partnership with Off Track and the Second Life Project06:36 - From Prototype to Commercial Business09:04 - Two Pillars of the Business: Consumer & Commercial10:41 - Biggest Challenge: Maintaining Mental Balance12:29 - Creative vs Business: Working with a Partner14:44 - Why Technical Textiles Are Hard to Recycle16:55 - Advice for Creative Entrepreneurs18:49 - Balancing Creative Vision with Business Needs20:44 - Quick Fire Questions23:34 - Preventing Burnout as a Founder24:34 - Ben's Question for the Next Founder25:32 - Closing Thoughts

💡 If you enjoyed this episode, follow Founders in Motion and leave us a rating — it really helps us reach more future founders like you.

How do you build a fintech startup in Vietnam—where regulation is murky and trust in new financial products is low? In this episode of Founders in Motion, we sit down with Nhi Nguyen, CEO of MaiMoney, to talk about her journey from personal frustration to building a platform that now manages over $2M in investments and serves thousands of everyday users.

If you're into emerging markets, fintech innovation, or female founder stories, this one’s for you.

⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 – Intro & Why Banks Aren’t Enough

01:00 – How Vietnamese People Invest Today

02:00 – Vietnam vs. Australia: Key Market Differences

05:00 – The Real Gap in Vietnam’s Financial System

06:00 – Financial Literacy & Retail Investing

09:00 – MaiMoney’s Flagship Products: MaiCash & MaiGreen

12:00 – Why Financial Literacy Matters

14:00 – Nhi’s Personal Story & Founding Inspiration

19:00 – How Nhi Secured Major Fund Partnerships

21:00 – Challenges Building a Fintech Startup in Vietnam

23:00 – What’s Next for MaiMoney in 2025

26:00 – Outro & Final Reflections

💡 If you enjoyed this episode, follow Founders in Motion and leave us a rating — it really helps us reach more future founders like you.