Sobremesa

Ouriel, co-founder of crypto wallet ZenGo, provides a master class on starting a company during a bear market, current crypto wallet landscape and what are the best options to secure your coins after the collapse of FTX and other centralized exchanges, including the pros and cons of “not your keys, not your coins”. As a serial entrepreneur in many of the big tech eras, Ouriel provides tips on how to achieve top-notch customer service and a relentless focus on user experience. We also have an interesting back-and-forth on crypto’s 2022 catastrophes, how to avoid them in the future, what are the next big things in crypto, and the winners and losers in media coverage. Enjoy!

ZenGo is an MPC crypto wallet started in 2018, focused on safety and simplicity. 

(00:05) Introducing Ouriel and ZenGo

(02:07) Ouriel as an entrepreneur in the web 1, 2, and 3 eras

(04:48) Crypto has been a centralized industry so far

(08:51) What’s it like starting a company during a bear market?

(14:33) Current crypto wallet landscape 

(18:18) “Not your keys, not your coins” vs “Your keys, your problem”

(22:57) MPC wallets as a 3rd way for safety and simplicity

(29:50) The future of crypto wallets

(36:13) How to achieve top-notch customer service

(42:51) Ban on crypto advertising on Google and FB

(45:17) Top 3 pieces of advice on customer acquisition

(49:46) Which areas of crypto will regulation affect next?

(50:17) Who was responsible for the FTX collapse? 

(53:20) What should the role of the media be in this scandal?

(57:10) Next trends in crypto 

(58:42) Where to find out more

Shownotes

https://news.bitcoin.com/current-crypto-bear-market-set-to-become-the-longest-ever/

https://crypto.news/learn/what-is-a-seed-phrase/

https://zengo.com/mpc-wallet/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXGIUtA4OXc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qOEg4LbdTU

https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2021/04/05/twenty-years-later-the-lasting-lessons-of-enron/

https://www.coindesk.com/layer2/2022/11/30/ftxs-collapse-was-a-crime-not-an-accident/

Today we sit down with Omair Ansari, co-founder at Abhi, a fintech startup focused on Emerging Markets. Omar had a stellar career in finance, working both for the sell side and buy side before deciding to start his own company. Omair gives very concise and practical advice on what NOT to do when raising debt, how to win in a recession, the best way to keep innovating within a fast-growing company, and much more. We discuss the SBM opportunity, the recent valuation crash, and the megatrend of financial inclusion and well-being. 

Abhi is a fintech startup that provides earned wage access to employees at the click of a button

(00:00) - Coming next

(01:00) Introducing Omair and Abhi

(02:00) Starting a company in emerging markets

(05:36) Being an entrepreneur after being an investor and a banker

(08:36) Why did he choose the Earned Wage Access model?

(13:42) The role of fintech in financial inclusion 

(21:26) Focusing on the SMB side vs becoming a neobank for employees

(27:41) The challenges with access to local currency debt

(30:34) Top 3 pieces of advice for founders raising in emerging markets

(36:09) How to improve your credit engine before a recession?

(38:02) Why is the SMB segment so attractive?

(44:50) What’s next for Abhi

(47:55) Top advice to keep innovating within a startup

(50:15) What's your view on inflation?

(54:58) Valuation: are we going to see multiples going up again?

(57:55) Where to find out more

Shownotes

https://www.meritechcapital.com/benchmarking/historical-trading-data/ev-ntm-revenue

https://www.youtube.com/@ycombinator/videos

https://abhi.com.pk/

https://twitter.com/abhikaropk

#entrepreneurship

#business 

#businessadvice 

#fintech 

#neobank 

#money

#startup

Today we have Andre Kazimierski, founder and CEO of Improovy, an online marketplace that makes residential painting extremely easy for homeowners and contractors. Andre is a serial entrepreneur and a true insider in the proptech and home improvement industry. We sit down and discuss practical advice on monetization, SEO marketing, geo expansion, and how to navigate a recession as a fast growing startup. We also debate pros and cons of taking VC money vs bootstrapping your company, verticalization of marketplaces, and many other interesting topics. Join us in this sobremesa!

(00:00) Sobremesa Podcast

(01:01) Introducing Andre and Improovy

(01:40) The start as an entrepreneur

(06:21) Bootstrapping vs taking VC money

(08:50) Understanding the home improvement industry

(10:13) What’s the status quo and where’s the opportunity?

(12:54) The industry is set up for contractors to fail

(17:41) How to apply tech to a 100-year-old industry

(20:53) Future of work thesis

(22:58) Should you charge for features on the supply side?

(25:22) How to manage a low-recurrence business

(29:00) Most important local SEO marketing tips

(32:17) Playbook for national expansion

(35:11) Best 2 ways to deal with demand seasonality

(38:42) Verticalization of marketplaces

(41:33) Home improvement market given looming recession

(47:05) Closing and where to find out more about Improovy

👌Go ahead and subscribe to be part of our next Sobremesa discussion! https://www.youtube.com/@sobremesapodcast

Spotify -- https://open.spotify.com/show/4z9e5b1xVbUWZSCSm2fc1C

Apple Podcast – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sobremesa/id1657215663

Twitter -- https://twitter.com/matiasbarbero13

FJ Labs -- https://www.fjlabs.com/

#entrepreneurship

#business

#businessadvice

#money

#startup

#homeimprovement

#homerenovation

In this interview, Nikolaus Volk, co-founder at Kyte, talks about his early days at Uber, what it was like to work under Travis Kalanick, when to pivot your business, and the story behind his company Kyte. We discuss what’s necessary to win in an asset and operations-heavy business, and the plan to become the next trillion-dollar company. He also shares his views on electric vehicles, AI, and autonomous vehicles. We wrap up with the culture shift in tech companies embodied by Elon Musk’s initiatives at Twitter, tech layoffs, and hustler mentality.

Kyte is an online car rental application that delivers cars straight to your door.

(00:00) Introducing Nikolaus and Kyte

(02:30) Iterating on your business and when to pivot

(08:10) Lessons from the golden days of Uber

(14:25) What's Kyte's secret sauce 

(18:18) Customer obsession 

(24:45) Bits and atoms: asset-light vs vertical integration 

(28:50) The future of marketplaces

(34:30) Growing the business

(38:00) Advice on making unit economics work

(40:50) When do you really find product-market-fit

(46:54) Electric and autonomous vehicles 

(56:34) Tech layoffs, culture shift, and Elon's Twitter

(65:32) Where to find out more

Kyte's Website -- https://www.drivekyte.com/

📚Show notes:

 https://money.cnn.com/2015/07/31/technology/uber-50-billion-valuation/index.html 

https://money.cnn.com/2017/06/21/technology/uber-ceo-travis-kalanick-timeline/index.html 

https://about.bnef.com/electric-vehicle-outlook/ https://www.piratewires.com/p/surviving-and-thriving-in-techs-new

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/11/16/musk-twitter-email-ultimatum-termination/ https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/uber-needs-transition-from-pirate-navy-reid-hoffman/

👌Go ahead and subscribe to be part of our next Sobremesa discussion! 

https://www.youtube.com/@UCqNp-A1WqEbnqQ4b8_BYwSQ   

Spotify -- https://open.spotify.com/show/4z9e5b1xVbUWZSCSm2fc1C

Twitter -- https://twitter.com/matiasbarbero13

FJ Labs -- https://www.fjlabs.com/ 

#technews #startupstories #carrental

Interviews with tech founders who share their stories together with current learnings and challenges as they scale their businesses. You will also hear about their views on the latest news and trends in their industries. Your host, Matias Barbero @ FJ Labs will run the show in the authentic sobremesa style, with relaxed and informal conversations.

Logo credits: Ine Manfredi