Our Future Podcast

Latest Episodes:

#23 He Sold His Adtech Startup To Lyft At Age 21 Dec 13, 2023

Show notes

In #23, Michael Sikand (@michaelsikand) and Simran Sandhu (@_simmy_) talk about Kenan Saleh who built a rooftop advertising startup for rideshare fleets and sold it to Lyft within 7 months of starting it at age 21. Kenan spent the next few years turning Lyft Media into a meaningful revenue division and if its any indicator, Uber aims for its rideshare ads business to do $1B next year. The boys also explore a number of other fascinating adtech startups that carved their slice of the attention economy, one example is an in-game ads platform for Roblox that a 25-year-old sold for $18m!

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Our Future Podcast is a production of Morning Brew.

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#22: Are These Harvard Dropouts The Next Billionaire Siblings? Dec 06, 2023

Show notes

In #22, Michael Sikand (@michaelsikand) and Simran Sandhu (@_simmy_) talk about Rory and Kieran O'Reily, the sibling duo behind several massive internet projects and now co-founders of a new fintech backed by American Express. The brothers dropped out of Harvard and became Thiel Fellows to pursue the mania around GIFs by building a GIF creator website called Gifs.com. Despite being used by huge companies like Netflix, the brothers struggled to monetize it, and pivoted into crypto. Their Ethereum-based coin project was one of the most successful crypto communities until its value plummeted 99.9% in 2018, wiping out $80M in value. Now the brothers are focused on problems in traditional finance, primarily the pain of updating card information across disparate websites. Their new startup Knot API has raised $13M from investors like American Express and Plaid to help people seamlessly update payment information.

0:00 Intro

2:55 Gifs.com Story & Breakdown

08:52 Success and Failure in Crypto

16:32 New Fintech Startup: Knot API

Check out their company: https://knotapi.com/

Follow the show on TikTok: @ourfuturepod

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Message Michael on Twitter: @michaelsikand.

Message Simmy on Twitter: @_simmy_

Our Future Podcast is a production of Morning Brew.

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#21: I Make $1.5M/Year With Sports Videos Nov 29, 2023

Show notes

In #21, Michael Sikand (@michaelsikand) and Simran Sandhu (@_simmy_) talk about Jack Settleman, the 27-year-old founder of Snapback Sports, a sports media brand and community generating seven figures a year in revenue. For this episode, the boys play around with a new format and focus on tactical takeaways for building in media and beyond.

0:00 Intro

1:55 What is Jack's Company?

2:31 How Jack Makes Money

3:57 Discussion: Quality of Revenue

6:37 Jack's Origin Story

7:41 Do Things That Don't Scale

11:42 Challenges in Platform Dependence

15:25 How To Think About Partnerships

21:17 Finding Your Angle

Follow Jack on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacksettleman/

Follow the show on TikTok: @ourfuturepod

Follow the show on IG: @ourfuturepod

Message Michael on Twitter: @michaelsikand.

Message Simmy on Twitter: @_simmy_

Our Future Podcast is a production of Morning Brew.

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#19 He Used Sports Betting To Make $40M By Age 23 Nov 15, 2023

Show notes

In #19, Michael Sikand (@michaelsikand) and Simran Sandhu (@_simmy_) chat with Sam Rattner (@samrattner), Co-Founder of Vigtory, a sports betting app he sold for $40M to FuboTV in 2021 at age 23. Sam is a college dropout who built a snow removal empire as a Chicago teenager before he pivoted to capitalize on the legalization of U.S. sports betting. More recently, Sam became the Co-Founder and CEO of Showroom, a B2C fashion search engine startup that he thinks can beat Google at its own game.

01:00 Sam's Snow Removal Biz

02:28 Don't Build For Silicon Valley People

08:42 Pros and Cons of Service Businesses

11:30 Why Sam Pivoted Into Tech

14:00 Being a Second-Time Founder

24:54 How/Why Sam Started Vigtory

31:30 The Guy Who Made Vigtory Work

45:00 Sam's Golden Rules on Partnerships and Fundraising

56:40 Sam's New AI Company

Follow the show on ikTok: @ourfuturepod

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Message Michael on Twitter: @michaelsikand.

Message Simmy on Twitter: @_simmy_

Our Future Podcast is a production of Morning Brew.

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#18 This High School Dropout Sold His Company for $420M Nov 08, 2023

Show notes

In #18, Michael Sikand (@michaelsikand) and Simran Sandhu (@_simmy_) chat with Mike Fata (@themikefata), Founder of Manitoba Harvest. Mike dropped 100 lbs while sticking to a no fat diet, but it was his discovery of hemp seeds, that prompted him to realize that healthy fat diets were the future. It took him 20 years, but Mike scaled Manitoba's signature hemp heart packets (seeds) into a popular food supplement embraced by mindful eaters across the U.S. and Canada. By 2019, Manitoba had achieved $100M in annual sales and Canadian weed giant Tilray stepped in to buy it for $419M. From reflecting on creating a category from scratch to providing startup advice to young people, Mike brings listeners and viewers into his sharp, tactical mind. His role as an investor and advisor in up and coming CPG brands like Mid-Day Squares and Dream Pops makes him an excellent judge of what young people are bringing to market and if they have a chance at cracking a real market.

Follow Mike on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themikefata/

Follow Mike on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themikefata/?hl=en

Make sure to like, subscribe, or leave a review for Our Future Podcast, the entrepreneurship podcast for young people!

Follow the show on TikTok: @ourfuturepod

Follow the show on IG: @ourfuturepod

Message Michael on Twitter: @michaelsikand.

Message Simmy on Twitter: @_simmy_

Our Future Podcast is a production of Morning Brew.businesses without focusing on just one at a time.

Make sure to like, subscribe, or leave a review for Our Future Podcast, the entrepreneurship podcast for young people!

Follow the show on TikTok: @ourfuturepod

Follow the show on IG: @ourfuturepod

Message Michael on Twitter: @michaelsikand.

Message Simmy on Twitter: @_simmy_

Our Future Podcast is a production of Morning Brew.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#17 He Sold 7+ Multimillion Dollar Companies By Age 30 Nov 01, 2023

Show notes

In #17, Michael Sikand and Simran Sandhu chop it up with 30-year-old millionaire Daniel Snow. He's sold 7+ multi-million dollar businesses in his twenties, spanning agencies, media brands, and ecommerce products. Daniel's most prolific business is RapTV, one of Instagram's biggest media companies (and the launching ground for new rap talent) with 45M+ combined followers across its properties. Last year, RapTV brought in over $4.5M through partnerships with top artists and companies like Spotify. Daniel breaks down his various ventures and discusses how he's been able to build and sell so many businesses without focusing on just one at a time.

Make sure to like, subscribe, or leave a review for Our Future Podcast, the entrepreneurship podcast for young people!

Follow the show on TikTok: @ourfuturepod

Follow the show on IG: @ourfuturepod

Message Michael on Twitter: @michaelsikand.

Message Simmy on Twitter: @_simmy_

Our Future Podcast is a production of Morning Brew,

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#16: The Real Willy Wonka Makes $28M From Healthy Chocolate Oct 25, 2023

Show notes

In #16, Michael Sikand and Simran Sandhu discuss the story of Jake Karls from Mid-Day Squares and David Riggs from Pneuma. Now age 30, Jake has spent the past 6 years building a retail-first chocolate square company with his sister and brother-in-law that aims to disrupt industry giants like Mondelez and Hershey's with functional, nutritious ingredients. It has surpassed $28M in sales and sells its products in over 20,000 retailers. Next up is 25-year-old David Riggs, whose agency, Pneuma, tops $6M a year in revenue, and resembles more of a private equity style roll-up operation than just an SEO and website shop. The secret to his success? Acqui-hiring smaller agencies and using culture as the main draw.

0:00 Intro

1:15 Story of Jake Karls and Mid-Day Squares

16:00 Story of David Riggs and Pneuma

28:37 Outro

Make sure to like, subscribe, or leave a review for Our Future Podcast, the entrepreneurship podcast for young people!

Check out Mid-Day Squares: https://www.middaysquares.com

Check out Pneuma: https://www.pneumallc.co

Follow the show on TikTok: @ourfuturepod

Follow the show on IG: @ourfuturepod

Message Michael on Twitter: @michaelsikand.

Message Simmy on Twitter: @_simmy_

Our Future Podcast is a production of Morning Brew.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#15 How a kid from India became the $10M king of content marketing Oct 18, 2023

Show notes

In #15, Simran Sandhu and Michael Sikand dive into the story of Anirudh Singla, the 24-year-old co-founder and CEO of Pepper. Singla's software platform is productizing the world of content marketing and has notched $10M/yr in revenue helping big companies produce written content at scale. Next up is Sheridan Clayborne, the 24-year-old co-founder of LendTable, a fintech company helping Americans take advantage of their 401K plans. The startup has already helped its users save over $10M and has attracted $35 in funding.

0:00 Intro

0:45 Story of Anirudh Singla (Pepper)

18:50 Story of Sheridan Clayborne (LendTable)

34:30 Outro

Make sure to like, subscribe, or leave a review for Our Future Podcast, the entrepreneurship podcast for young people!

Check out Pepper: https://www.peppercontent.io/

Check out LendTable: https://www.lendtable.com/

Follow the show on TikTok: @ourfuturepod

Follow the show on IG: @ourfuturepod

Message Michael on Twitter: @michaelsikand.

Message Simmy on Twitter: @_simmy_

Our Future Podcast is a production of Morning Brew,

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#14 The unknown student behind 8-figure sex chocolate company Oct 04, 2023

Show notes

In #14, Michael Sikand and Simran Sandhu unpack the stories of Jake Lewin and Allan Maman. Aged 21-year-old, Jake co-founded Tabs with Oliver Brocato, a sex chocolate brand that pioneered UGC TikTok marketing and has many millions of sales to show for it. Now he's dabbling in more vices–finding niche opportunties in retail environments–like liquor stores and cannabis dispensaries. Next, the guys discuss Allan Maman, the 24-year-old CEO and co-founder of Bloom, an app that lets teens invest in the stock market and helps them do by gamifying financial education. Even in the competitive consumer fintech sector, Bloom has racked up 1M+ users in the span of a year. The ironic part? He got his start making memes for Vlad Tenev, co-founder and CEO of Robinhood.

Make sure to like, subscribe, or leave a review for Our Future Podcast, the entrepreneurship podcast for young people!

Check out Tabs: https://tabschocolate.com/

Check out Bloom: https://www.bloomapp.com/

Follow the show on TikTok: @ourfuturepod

Follow the show on IG: @ourfuturepod

Message Michael on Twitter: @michaelsikand.

Message Simmy on Twitter: @_simmy_

Our Future Podcast is a production of Morning Brew

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#13 America's love for crunchy snacks is making this 26-year-old rich Sep 27, 2023

Show notes

In #13, Michael Sikand and Simran Sandhu discuss the stories of Griffin Spolansky and Taylor Hersom. Griffin got his start peddling his grandma's salad dressing to local stores as a teenager. Now he's 26 and owns a snack bar brand called Mezcla that's in Whole Foods stores nationwide and generating $5M/yr in revenue because Americans love "the crunch". Next up is Taylor Hersom, the founder of Eden Data, who turned his small UpWork hustle into a bustling cybersecurity consulting firm that will do $6M in revenue this year. His big realization for starting it? Small companies can't sell to big companies without complying with a long list of security standards.

Check out Mezcla: https://eatmezcla.com/

Check out Eden Data: https://www.edendata.com/about

Follow the show on TikTok: @ourfuturepod

Follow the show on IG: @ourfuturepod

Message Michael on Twitter: @michaelsikand

Message Simmy on Twitter: @_simmy_

Our Future Podcast is a production of Morning Brew.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices