Startup Savant

#55: Annafi Wahed joins Ethan to discuss her political newsletter and social media platform, The Flip Side, which uses “equal bias” in order to explore both liberal and conservative perspectives. The pair chat about the polarization of American politics today, cultivating an audience by utilizing incentives as well as self-created luck, and the dire need for balanced discussion in America’s divided political landscape. 

In this episode we dive into: 

• Annafi's journey from corporate America to politics
• How The Flip Side is actively combatting political divisiveness in the US
• Why creating your own luck is crucial for founders

The Flip Side Links: 

• https://www.theflipside.io/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/annafiwahed/

Startup Savant Links: 

• https://startupsavant.com/podcast
• https://www.instagram.com/startupsavantpodcast/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-savant/
• https://www.tiktok.com/@startupsavantpodcast

#54: Jeremy Barnett sits down with Ethan to discuss his martech startup Rad AI. A startup that utilizes influencers or what Jeremy calls, “key opinion leaders,” and artificial intelligence to assist companies on their marketing journeys. The pair discuss the makings of a strong content marketing strategy, how AI has impacted the martech space, and how to leverage influencer marketing to grow your business. 

In this episode we dive into: 

• What you need to know about influencer marketing for your business
• What content marketing is and how you should  deploy this kind of strategy
• How much you should anticipate spending with a marketing agency

Rad AI Links: 

• [email protected]
• https://www.radintel.ai/
• https://wefunder.com/rad

#53: Adam Nash is the co-founder and CEO of Daffy. With an extensive background in Silicon Valley, Nash previously served as CEO of Wealthfront, VP at LinkedIn as well as Dropbox, and Director at eBay. In addition to his role at Daffy, he is also an angel investor and board member at companies such as Acorns and Shift.

Visit Daffy.org/AdamNash/invite for a discount at Daffy!

In this episode we dive into: 

• How business model influences company culture
• The key differences between founder and leadership roles
• How Adam uses Twitter and blogging to ideate 

Daffy Links: 

• https://www.daffy.org/
• https://twitter.com/adamnash
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamnash/

Startup Savant Links: 

• https://startupsavant.com/podcast
• https://www.instagram.com/startupsavantpodcast/
• https://www.youtube.com/@StartupSavantPodcast
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-savant/

#52: Founder and CEO, Sufian Chowdhury joins the podcast to discuss his fast growing and essential startup, Kinetik. Committed to serving the underserved, Kinetik is a non-emergency medical platform which connects patients on medicare or medicaid with transportation services. Sufian dives deep into the logistics of Kinetik, including the origins of Kinetik, how he gained his clientele and the funding of his business. He also proves valuable insight into the significance of mentorship, networking, and removing ego from the process of building a business.

In this episode we dive into: 

• The fundraising power of being a mission-driven startup
• Why relationship building is crucial for founders 
• Kinetik's hiring strategy during economic turmoil 

Kinetik Links: 

• https://kinetik.care/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/sufian-chowdhury/ 

Startup Savant Links: 

• https://startupsavant.com/podcast 
• https://www.instagram.com/startupsavantpodcast/
• https://twitter.com/StartupSavant
• https://www.youtube.com/@StartupSavantPodcast

#51: Co-Founder and CTO, Simone May joins the podcast to discuss her innovative digital marketing freelancing platform, Clutch. Clutch connects businesses who need social media marketing and web design support to college student creators who are able to easily keep up with trends and assist clients meet their marketing goals. Simone breaks down the mission of Clutch, the future of the gig economy, how to make a killer survey, and more!

Clutch Links:

- https://www.thatsclutch.com/

- https://www.instagram.com/thatsclutch_com/

Startup Savant Links:

- https://startupsavant.com/

- https://www.instagram.com/startupsavantpodcast/

- https://www.youtube.com/@StartupSavantPodcast/featured

#50: Ethan is joined by founder and CEO David McFarland to chat about his cutting edge business insurance company, Coterie. Coterie is committed to providing high quality insurance policies for small businesses who may not have been approved by other companies. David discusses his impassioned decision to start Coterie, how the company is funded, the importance of making insurance simple for entrepreneurs and more. 

Coterie Links: 

https://coterieinsurance.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmcfarland23/

Startup Savant Links:

https://startupsavant.com/

https://www.instagram.com/startupsavant/

https://www.tiktok.com/@startupsavant

https://www.youtube.com/@StartupSavantPodcast

#49: Andrew Hollar and Max Rebarber are co-founders of the startup, Fig. After discovering their own dietary restrictions, they realized the frustration and isolation associated with not knowing what brands of foods they could eat without flaring up symptoms. Dedicated to helping others with the same plight, the pair started Fig. With the help of TikTok and word of mouth, they have grown to over five hundred thousand users in two and a half years. 

In this episode we dive into: 

• How the co-founders have overcome challenges
• Fig's customer acquisition strategy
• The importance of consumer feedback

Fig Links: 

https://foodisgood.com/

https://www.instagram.com/foodisgoodco/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/fig-food-is-good 

Startup Savant Links: 

https://startupsavant.com/

https://www.instagram.com/startupsavant/

https://www.tiktok.com/@startupsavant

https://www.youtube.com/@StartupSavantPodcast

Startup Savant Links: 

#48: Olive oil enthusiast and startup founder Katina Mountanos sits down with Ethan to discuss her exceptional company, Kosterina. A startup that is dedicated to making quality extra virgin olive oil (EVOO for short), the Mediterranean lifestyle, and its associated health benefits accessible to Americans. Kosterina is a lifestyle brand that has gained overwhelmingly positive reviews, leading Whole Foods to reach out to Mountanos for partnership!

In this episode we dive into: 

• The power of 'launching what you know'
• Why Katina believe's in rapid prototyping 
• The choice to take on venture capital 

Kosterina Links: 

https://www.kosterina.com/

https://www.instagram.com/kosterina/

Startup Savant Links: 

https://startupsavant.com/

https://www.instagram.com/startupsavant/

https://www.tiktok.com/@startupsavant

https://www.youtube.com/@StartupSavantPodcast

#47: Suki Mulberg Altamirano  is the founder and CEO of Lexington Public Relations. She initially began doing PR in the beauty industry  at KENZO and Elizabeth Arden, but after a period of burnout, Suki decided to go independent and start her own company. In addition to Lexington PR, Suki is also a partner at PressReady, which works to provide newer companies and startups with the tools they need to craft their brand and begin DIY PR. 

In this episode we dive into: 

• The importance of PR and how your startup should start telling its story
• Establishing your value proposition and finding your target audience
• How to ensure your outreach messages are being read

Lexington PR Links: 

https://lexingtonpr.com/

Startup Savant Links: 

Transcripts, episode summaries, and more can be found at https://startupsavant.com/podcast! 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StartupSavantPodcast 

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/StartupSavant 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@startupsavantpodcast

#46: Tony Tran  is the founder and CEO of Lumanu, a company working to build the financial infrastructure needed for our modern day creative economy. Lumanu currently has over 40,000 users and has raised $12 million in their Series A. Tony studied computer science at MIT and initially began working for big name companies like Google, McKinsey, and Booz Allen, but after learning about the difficulties freelancers and creatives face when billing for their  work, Tony changed gears and created Lumanu. 

In this episode we dive into: 

• Why billing can be challenging for freelancers and contractors
• How to make a rejection valuable
• The importance of growing your network and making meaningful connections

Lumanu Links:

https://www.lumanu.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hieumanity/

Startup Savant Links:

Transcripts, episode summaries, and more can be found at https://startupsavant.com/podcast!

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