The Disruptors - Innovation, Startups and Growth

Social commerce is a rapidly emerging industry, reaching over $600B annually in China and rapidly emerging in the US. The leading platform for social commerce in the US is WhatNot. They recently raised a $260M Series D, and might be the fastest growing marketplace ever.

In this conversation we chat with Whatnot founder Grant Lafontaine about the origins of Whatnot, his approach to product, his experience in Ycombinator, how he thinks about network effects and the dynamics of marketplace businesses, how he finds talent, and much more.

Learn more about Whatnot here: http://whatnot.com

If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a review! https://kite.link/disruptors-whatnot

PODCAST INFO:

Podcast website: https://manifold.group/podcast
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3EbkMEk
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3nqwNiD
RSS: https://bit.ly/3ntcFw1
Full episodes playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdnqR-lZH65HqCM09dwh6otuU7TArkq8J
Clips playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdnqR-lZH65HrrlaeQZnf1sicFkprjpqk

SOCIAL:

- Sean Johnson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/intentionally
- Sean Johnson on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanjohnson
- Sean Johnson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intentionally_

- Manifold on Twitter: https://twitter.com/manifold_group
- Manifold on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/m/company/manifold-group
- Manifold on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themanifoldgroup
- Manifold on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manifold_group/
- Manifold on Medium: https://medium.com/build-better-products

The components manufacturing industry is the perfect example of a legacy niche ripe for disruption. But it has some interesting nuances to it, ones that Gearflow has worked hard to understand. 

Initially setting out as a two-sided marketplace business leveraging long-tail search to drive distribution, they quickly learned that rather than going around or cutting out the middlemen, they needed to partner with them very closely and solve their problems as well.

Their willingness to listen and adapt worked, and today Gearflow plays an increasingly large role in the space. 

In this conversation with Gearflow cofounder Ben Preston, we discuss the origins of Gearflow, what he’s learned about how to stay close to customers and build businesses satisfying multiple constituencies, how he pivoted to use his strength in organic search to drive marketing qualified leads versus sales, and much more.

Learn more about Gearflow here: http://gearflow.com
Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benpreston1/

If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a review! https://kite.link/disruptors-gearflow

PODCAST INFO:

Podcast website: https://manifold.group/podcast
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3EbkMEk
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3nqwNiD
RSS: https://bit.ly/3ntcFw1
Full episodes playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdnqR-lZH65HqCM09dwh6otuU7TArkq8J
Clips playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdnqR-lZH65HrrlaeQZnf1sicFkprjpqk

SOCIAL:

- Sean Johnson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/intentionally
- Sean Johnson on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanjohnson
- Sean Johnson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intentionally_

- Manifold on Twitter: https://twitter.com/manifold_group
- Manifold on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/m/company/manifold-group
- Manifold on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themanifoldgroup
- Manifold on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manifold_group/
- Manifold on Medium: https://medium.com/build-better-products

The stigma around couples therapy is largely gone. People are more willing than ever to talk with someone who can help them process their issues. And yet many couples reserve it for then things get really bad. While they might recognize the benefits of a more proactive approach to couples counseling, the logistical headaches and cost make it something they never quite get to.

Ours is out to change that. With their unique hybrid delivery model and novel approach to delivering group counseling sessions remotely, they seek to eliminate the headaches associated with getting help.

In this episode we chat with Ours cofounder Adam Putterman about the origins of the idea, how he found the right cofounders, how they’ve intentionally iterated on the product, how they approach marketing and much more.

Learn more about Ours here: https://www.withours.com
Follow Chris on Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamputterman/

If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a review! https://kite.link/disruptors-ours

PODCAST INFO:

Podcast website: https://manifold.group/podcast
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3EbkMEk
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3nqwNiD
RSS: https://bit.ly/3ntcFw1
Full episodes playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdnqR-lZH65HqCM09dwh6otuU7TArkq8J
Clips playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdnqR-lZH65HrrlaeQZnf1sicFkprjpqk

SOCIAL:

- Sean Johnson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/intentionally
- Sean Johnson on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanjohnson
- Sean Johnson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intentionally_

- Manifold on Twitter: https://twitter.com/manifold_group
- Manifold on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/m/company/manifold-group
- Manifold on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themanifoldgroup
- Manifold on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manifold_group/
- Manifold on Medium: https://medium.com/build-better-products

Almost every organization would benefit from having better processes. But for most companies getting standard operating procedures, handbooks and other materials documented is firmly in the category of important but never urgent. The barriers of getting that content created, organized, and in front of the right people at the right time is no small feat.

Trainual is trying to help with that. A software platform that makes the creation and management of SOPs and other training materials simple, Trainual has scaled to thousands of organizations. In this conversation with Trainual founder Chris Ronzio, we discuss the origins of trainual, some best practices for documenting processes inside organizations, lessons he learned about building and scaling SaaS businesses, how he thinks about community building and deliberately crafting culture, and much more.

Learn more about Trainual here: http://trainual.com
Follow Chris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/chrisronzio

If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a review! https://kite.link/disruptors-trainual

PODCAST INFO:

Podcast website: https://manifold.group/podcast
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3EbkMEk
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3nqwNiD
RSS: https://bit.ly/3ntcFw1
Full episodes playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdnqR-lZH65HqCM09dwh6otuU7TArkq8J
Clips playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdnqR-lZH65HrrlaeQZnf1sicFkprjpqk

SOCIAL:

- Sean Johnson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/intentionally
- Sean Johnson on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanjohnson
- Sean Johnson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intentionally_

- Manifold on Twitter: https://twitter.com/manifold_group
- Manifold on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/m/company/manifold-group
- Manifold on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themanifoldgroup
- Manifold on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manifold_group/
- Manifold on Medium: https://medium.com/build-better-products

Nearly 1 in 6 adults struggle with some form of infertility. And yet while the pregnancy journey is pretty well defined and understood, the process of conceiving is not. It is full of misinformation, often magnifies the feelings of shame, inadequacy, and loneliness that many people already are struggling with, and starts from the incorrect premise that infertility is a woman’s health issue. In short the process is an opaque, emotionally-taxing nightmare for millions of men and women.

Lauren Berson Sugarman is trying to change that. An accomplished senior executive and former Venture capitalist at Andreessen Horowitz, Lauren has set out to make the make the process of navigating infertility simpler, more empathic, and ultimately more effective.

Lauren is the founder of Conceive, a health tech startup bringing community, coaching and education together to influence infertility outcomes. In this conversation we discuss the origins of Conceive, what Lauren learned about building effective communities from her previous experience, dig into some of the biggest misconceptions about infertility, and how Conceive is helping solve these issues.

Learn more about Conceive here: https://weconceive.com
Follow Lauren on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurenBerson

If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a review! https://kite.link/disruptors-conceive

PODCAST INFO:

Podcast website: https://manifold.group/podcast
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3EbkMEk
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3nqwNiD
RSS: https://bit.ly/3ntcFw1
Full episodes playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdnqR-lZH65HqCM09dwh6otuU7TArkq8J
Clips playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdnqR-lZH65HrrlaeQZnf1sicFkprjpqk

SOCIAL:

- Sean Johnson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/intentionally
- Sean Johnson on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanjohnson
- Sean Johnson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intentionally_

- Manifold on Twitter: https://twitter.com/manifold_group
- Manifold on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/m/company/manifold-group
- Manifold on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themanifoldgroup
- Manifold on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manifold_group/
- Manifold on Medium: https://medium.com/build-better-products

While most industries have already realized the benefits of assembly-line-based, automated manufacturing processes, home building continues to be slow, built one-at-a-time, using largely the same materials we’ve used for decades.

Boxabl is looking to change that. By creating a factory borrowing from many of the principles of automotive manufacturing, Boxabl has created a foldable house that can be manufactured in a day and assembled on-site in around an hour. They are fireproof, water-proof, energy efficient, and modular, eventually allowing for infinite customization.

Boxabl has managed to raise over $100 million primarily through their crowd-funded model, and their customers include the Department of Defense and Elon Musk.

In this conversation we chat with Galiano Tiramani, cofounder of Boxabl. We discuss the origins of the company, why building a foldable house was essential to scale, how they rapidly iterated on the product, how they’ve navigated building codes and compliance issues, how they plan to scale internationally and much more.

Learn more about Boxabl and view their offering circular here: https://invest.boxabl.com/

If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a review! https://kite.link/disruptors-boxabl

PODCAST INFO:

Podcast website: https://manifold.group/podcast
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3EbkMEk
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3nqwNiD
RSS: https://bit.ly/3ntcFw1
Full episodes playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdnqR-lZH65HqCM09dwh6otuU7TArkq8J
Clips playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdnqR-lZH65HrrlaeQZnf1sicFkprjpqk

SOCIAL:

- Sean Johnson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/intentionally
- Sean Johnson on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanjohnson
- Sean Johnson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intentionally_

- Manifold on Twitter: https://twitter.com/manifold_group
- Manifold on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/m/company/manifold-group
- Manifold on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themanifoldgroup
- Manifold on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manifold_group/
- Manifold on Medium: https://medium.com/build-better-products

Only 4 in 10 employees use all of their Paid Time Off each year, leaving over 750 million days unused annually in the US. 

Unused PTO either sits on the balance sheet of companies as a liability, or is forfeited by employees - representing a staggering $65B in lost compensation each year.

PTO Exchange is out to fit this problem. Through their platform organizations are able to offer their employees easy ways to convert unused PTO into retirement plans, charitable contributions, wellness programs and more.

In this conversation, we chat with the founder of PTO Exchange, Rob Whalen. We discuss the massive impact this problem has on both employees and companies, how the landscape has shifted as a result of COVID, what the future of employee benefits looks like and much more.

If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a review! https://kite.link/disruptors-ptoexchange

PODCAST INFO:

Podcast website: https://manifold.group/podcast
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3EbkMEk
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3nqwNiD
RSS: https://bit.ly/3ntcFw1
Full episodes playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdnqR-lZH65HqCM09dwh6otuU7TArkq8J
Clips playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdnqR-lZH65HrrlaeQZnf1sicFkprjpqk

SOCIAL:

- Sean Johnson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/intentionally
- Sean Johnson on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanjohnson
- Sean Johnson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intentionally_

- Manifold on Twitter: https://twitter.com/manifold_group
- Manifold on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/m/company/manifold-group
- Manifold on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themanifoldgroup
- Manifold on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manifold_group/
- Manifold on Medium: https://medium.com/build-better-products

Creating a new company in the food and beverage space is no small feat. While it’s relatively easy to get started, securing shelf space, managing margins, and outmaneuvering extremely large and resourced incumbents create considerable barriers to entry. 

Lemon Perfect has been bucking that trend, having raised over $37M and achieving national distribution in 5 short years. Founder Yanni Hufnagel was in some ways an unlikely first time founder, a former division I college basketball coach with no background in the CPG space. But in this conversation it quickly becomes clear why he’s been able to succeed where so many others have failed. We chat about the origins of Lemon Perfect, how he’s applied his unique skill set to team building and vision casting, how he’s instilled a culture of velocity and relentless execution, and much more. 

If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a review! https://kite.link/disruptors-lemonperfect

PODCAST INFO:

Podcast website: https://manifold.group/podcast
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3EbkMEk
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3nqwNiD
RSS: https://bit.ly/3ntcFw1
Full episodes playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdnqR-lZH65HqCM09dwh6otuU7TArkq8J
Clips playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdnqR-lZH65HrrlaeQZnf1sicFkprjpqk

SOCIAL:

- Sean Johnson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/intentionally
- Sean Johnson on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanjohnson
- Sean Johnson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intentionally_

- Manifold on Twitter: https://twitter.com/manifold_group
- Manifold on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/m/company/manifold-group
- Manifold on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themanifoldgroup
- Manifold on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manifold_group/
- Manifold on Medium: https://medium.com/build-better-products

Forward Health is a heavily tech-enabled concierge healthcare provider that is reimagining the way healthcare is provided. I’ve been a member for several years, and routinely have used them as an example of creating delightful customer experiences. There’s no waiting room. The physician isn’t typing into a laptop but is focused on you. As you talk with them, the stuff you say gets automatically added to a giant custom screen in the room. Everything about it feels better.

So when Forward founder Adrian Aoun agreed to chat, I was looking forward to diving into the mechanics of the concierge model and how they think about the patient experience. But what quickly became clear was Adrian’s ambition goes far beyond providing creating a successful concierge business. His aims are nothing less than the complete reimagining of how healthcare is provided. In this colorful interview we discuss Adiran’s vision for Forward, why the current healthcare system is broken, and how he envisions for the future.

Learn more about Forward at http://goforward.com

If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a review! https://kite.link/disruptors-forward

PODCAST INFO:

Podcast website: https://manifold.group/podcast
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3EbkMEk
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3nqwNiD
RSS: https://bit.ly/3ntcFw1
Full episodes playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdnqR-lZH65HqCM09dwh6otuU7TArkq8J
Clips playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdnqR-lZH65HrrlaeQZnf1sicFkprjpqk

SOCIAL:

- Sean Johnson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/intentionally
- Sean Johnson on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanjohnson
- Sean Johnson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intentionally_

- Manifold on Twitter: https://twitter.com/manifold_group
- Manifold on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/m/company/manifold-group
- Manifold on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themanifoldgroup
- Manifold on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manifold_group/
- Manifold on Medium: https://medium.com/build-better-products

Companies have rapidly embracing the idea of a truly distributed global workforce, and opportunities to work from anywhere are now common. But access to great training and education remains unevenly distributed, so while digital nomads and people living in developed economies are able to benefit, many people from emerging economies lack similar opportunities.

Microverse is hoping to change that. Ariel Camus is the Founder and CEO of Microverse, a YCombinator alum that has raised over $17M to create an online school that helping anyone become a software developer. And through the use of an Income Share Agreement revenue model, students don’t pay a cent until they’re employed in a meaningful programming job. 

In this episode we talk about the origins of Microverse, the nuances of ISA based models, how Ariel sees globally distributed teams working in the coming years and much more.

Learn more about Microverse at https://microverse.com

If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a review! https://kite.link/disruptors-microverse

PODCAST INFO:

Podcast website: https://manifold.group/podcast
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3EbkMEk
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3nqwNiD
RSS: https://bit.ly/3ntcFw1
Full episodes playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdnqR-lZH65HqCM09dwh6otuU7TArkq8J
Clips playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdnqR-lZH65HrrlaeQZnf1sicFkprjpqk

SOCIAL:

- Sean Johnson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/intentionally
- Sean Johnson on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanjohnson
- Sean Johnson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intentionally_

- Manifold on Twitter: https://twitter.com/manifold_group
- Manifold on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/m/company/manifold-group
- Manifold on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themanifoldgroup
- Manifold on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manifold_group/
- Manifold on Medium: https://medium.com/build-better-products