When Ted Xenohristos and two childhood friends opened their first sit-down Greek restaurant in 2006, they had no idea it would eventually grow into CAVA, a sprawling national chain that serves stuffed pita sandwiches and salads. Raised by Greek immigrants, the three founders understood how to make great food, but were rookies at running a restaurant–maxing out their credit cards, and learning the hard way that you should never write dinner orders on sticky-notes. As the restaurant tried to raise its profile by selling its hummus and tzatziki to grocery stores, it continued to lose money. But eventually the founders decided to hire Brett Schulman as their boss. Brett had invaluable experience in the snack food industry, and predicted that CAVA’s Mediterranean cooking would take off among health-conscious diners. He was right. Today, CAVA is a publicly-traded company with over 280 restaurants across the country.

This episode was produced by Sam Paulson with music by Ramtin Arablouei and Sam Paulson.

Edited by Neva Grant, with research from Rommel Wood.

Our engineers were Gilly Moon and Patrick Murray.

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Waymo Co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov is convinced that his company’s vehicles are better at driving than any human. Dmitri has spent thousands of hours riding in them, and recently Guy had the chance to try one out as well...

This week on How I Built This Lab, Dmitri recounts the decade-plus journey of building Waymo into the world’s first company to operate a fully-autonomous ride hailing service. Plus, how Waymo’s approach differs from Tesla’s, and Dmitri’s take on when we’ll see more AV’s on the roads than human-driven cars (spoiler: sooner than you may think!)

This episode was produced by Kerry Thompson with music by Ramtin Arablouei.

It was edited by John Isabella with research help from Chris Maccini. Our audio engineer was Neal Rauch. 

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When Michael Preysman founded Everlane, he knew nothing about fashion–he just wanted to see if he could build an online platform that would generate buzz around anything. He started with a cotton T-shirt, and taught himself every stage of production, from sourcing the fabric, to cutting, dyeing, and finishing. When Michael realized that some luxury brands charged as much as seven times the actual cost of a T-shirt, he decided to sell his for $15, and soon caused a stir by telling the world exactly what it cost to make. Eventually the brand shifted its focus to sustainability and social responsibility, a strategy that invited harsh criticism, especially during the Covid era. Today, Everlane is a multi-million dollar business that has expanded to sweaters, denim, outerwear, and accessories.

This episode was produced by J.C. Howard, with music by Ramtin Arablouei

Edited by Neva Grant, with research help from Sam Paulson.

Our audio engineer was Gilly Moon.

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When it comes to carbon emissions, there’s a major culprit you might not have heard about: cement. The production of cement emits almost as much carbon dioxide as cars do - but Brimstone CEO and co-founder Cody Finke says they’ve found a way to change that.

This week on How I Built This Lab, Cody explains where all that carbon dioxide is coming from, and how swapping out a key ingredient in the production of cement could take it from carbon-intensive … to carbon-negative.

This episode was produced by Alex Cheng with music by Ramtin Arablouei. 

It was edited by John Isabella with research help from J.C. Howard. Our audio engineer was Patrick Murray. 

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Priority Bicycles founder Dave Weiner quit his job as a software CEO to pursue a risky idea: building a new kind of bike. In 2014, he started sourcing parts to make his first low-maintenance model, with a rust-proof aluminum frame and a carbon fiber belt drive instead of a chain. Dave was able to keep costs down by selling DTC, but had to scramble to meet demand when his first Kickstarter campaign yielded 1500 orders. From there, Priority pedaled forward steadily, adding new models, and partnering with hotels to provide low-maintenance bikes for guests. Today, after weathering the extreme whiplash of Covid and a debilitating bike accident, Dave is optimistic that Priority will keep growing, with 25 current models and sales of roughly 25,000 bikes a year.

This episode was produced by Josh Lash with music by Ramtin Arablouei.

Edited by Neva Grant, with research from Carla Esteves .

Our engineers were Gilly Moon and Robert Rodriguez.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steve Ells changed the restaurant industry once when he founded Chipotle in 1993. His idea for fast, freshly prepared food became the model for today’s “fast casual” format. It’s a story he told when he was first on the show back in 2017. Now, he hopes to revolutionize the industry again with a new chain of small, highly automated, vegan restaurants called Kernel. 

This week on How I Built This Lab, Steve Ells returns to reflect on stepping away from the company he spent decades building and how his concern for climate change inspired his new restaurant concept. Plus, how he thinks that robotic restaurants could be good for workers, customers, owners and the environment. 

This episode was produced by Chris Maccini with music by Ramtin Arablouei.

It was edited by John Isabella with research by Casey Herman. Our audio engineer was Neal Rauch.

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Kona Ice founder Tony Lamb had a knack for sales since he was a teenager - a skill that served him well when he decided to sell Hawaiian-style shaved ice in Kentucky, where people had barely heard of it. After thirteen successful years as a vacuum cleaner salesman, Tony launched his first shaved ice truck in 2007. Fueled by a bad experience buying freezer-burned popsicles off a battered ice cream truck, he built a custom-made vehicle with a tropical vibe and a built-in “Flavorwave” that let customers dispense their own syrups. Two decades after surrendering his salesman’s suit for a Hawaiian shirt, Tony has grown Kona Ice into a sprawling franchise with 1500 trucks across North America.

This episode was produced by Casey Herman with music by Ramtin Arablouei.

Edited by Neva Grant, with research from Katherine Sypher.

Our engineers were Ko Takasugi-Czernowin and Robert Rodriguez.

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How does a brand live on after its founders leave the company – especially one that was inspired by their family and their culture? That’s the question Vincent and Andrew Kitirattragarn have had to answer since their original appearance on How I Built This in January 2022. 

This week on How I Built This Lab, Vincent and Andrew share their aspirations for Dang Foods after a difficult and heartfelt departure. Plus, how they navigated changes in consumer demand post-pandemic and the resources that helped buoy their mental health in the face of consequential entrepreneurial decisions.

This episode was produced by Carla Esteves with music by Ramtin Arablouei.

It was edited by John Isabella with research by Carla Esteves. Our audio engineer was Neal Rauch.

This episode is brought to you in part by Canva, the easy-to-use online design platform for presentations, social posts, videos, websites, and more. Start designing today at Canva – the home for every brand.

You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram, and email us at [email protected].

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Rob Kalin founded Etsy for people like him: makers and hobbyists. In 2005, he was kicking around New York trying to find buyers for his hand-made furniture, when he noticed that other craftspeople had the same need. So he and a few friends built a website where makers could sell a wide range of goods. Rob named it after an Italian phrase he heard in a Fellini film, and within three years, Etsy passed $10 million in sales. But as a young founder, Rob struggled to manage the rapidly-growing company; and in 2011, after being fired without warning, he returned to a quieter life as a maker and small-businessman. Meanwhile, Etsy has become one of the most popular online marketplaces in the world, with $2.5 billion in revenue.

This episode was produced by Kerry Thompson with music by Ramtin Arablouei.

Edited by Neva Grant, with research from Sam Paulson.

Our engineers were Gilly Moon and Maggie Luther.

You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at [email protected].

This episode is brought to you in part by Canva, the easy-to-use online design platform for presentations, social posts, videos, websites, and more. Start designing today at Canva – the home for every brand.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The past few years have challenged Whitney Wolfe Herd like never before. The Bumble CEO kept the company afloat as the pandemic halted in-person meetups, then became the youngest female founder ever to take a company public...all while in the throes of first-time motherhood! 

This week on How I Built This Lab, Whitney offers perspective on leading and learning in extraordinary times. Plus, how social media may be fueling a loneliness epidemic and Whitney’s current obsession: harnessing the power of artificial intelligence in the name of love. 

And check out Bumble’s origin story told in October 2017.

This episode was produced by Sam Paulson with music by Ramtin Arablouei.

It was edited by John Isabella with research by Sam Paulson. Our audio engineer was Neal Rauch.

You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram, and email us at [email protected].

This episode is brought to you in part by Canva, the easy-to-use online design platform for presentations, social posts, videos, websites, and more. Start designing today at Canva – the home for every brand.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.