"The idea that we cannot leverage our most intimate and valuable space in any way to recoup any value while we're gone is insane." In this episode of Founders in LA, we sit down with Bo Abrams, Co-Founder of kommu, a groundbreaking home-sharing network. Bo shares his journey from a determined business school applicant to a visionary entrepreneur revolutionizing the rental market.  kommu leverages trusted personal networks to unlock home-sharing opportunities that traditional platforms overlook. Bo discusses the challenges millennials face with rising living costs and how k ..read more

"If you can really be the lowest risk, highest return option, people will get it. The experts in that industry will get it and they will sign up." We sit down with Rachael Nelson, the Founder and CEO of Brandy, in this episode of Founders in LA. Rachael shares her journey from aerospace manufacturing to leading a groundbreaking app that democratizes influence by allowing everyday consumers to earn meaningful money through simple endorsements of their favorite brands. She describes the inception of Brandy, highlighting the importance of passive income and the power of word-of-mouth marketing ..read more

"You need a great lawyer and you need a great accountant. Those two things are inevitable. But they look at me and I go, 'Oh, you've never looked at your cap table." Joshua Lee, CEO and Founder of Ardius explores the vital importance of cap tables in managing startups and guiding investment decisions, in this episode of Founders In LA. With his deep background in accounting and building ventures, Joshua sheds light on the typical challenges and the strategic value of keeping cap tables clean and detailed. He outlines potential issues entrepreneurs may encounter, such as dilution ..read more

"Cold calls are the base of our entire business. The first three months we spent in Flick's basement, cold calling, and it's still the best tool that we have. We still do it every day." Flick Moradian and Louis Pascal Walsh, Co-Founders of Tequio, a premium canned tequila cocktail brand, share their entrepreneurial journey, highlighting their persistent cold-calling efforts to establish connections, secure partnerships, and obtain valuable insights from industry experts on this episode of Founders In LA. Key Takeaways: The importance of persistence and not taking "no" for an answer, as dem ..read more

"It's these knowledge graph relationships that tie all these episodes together and enable users to discover each other's new content somewhat serendipitously or organically." This episode with Lucas Dickey, CEO and Co-Founder of Deepcast.fm, explores the platform's mission to revolutionize podcast discovery and engagement through AI-driven indexing and structuring of audio content. Lucas shares his extensive background in software product management and passion for podcasting, discussing the challenges faced by both listeners and podcasters in navigating the vast podcast landscape. He emphasiz ..read more

"I've talked to founders who have been in LA for years and never felt like they had a sense of community within like a group of other founders who were doing the same things." In this episode, we sit down with Zack Oliver, the innovator behind Founders Table, a community initiative that connects LA founders over intimate dinner settings. Zack shares his journey from finance in New York to creating a network in LA through curated gatherings, aiming to foster relationships and exchange knowledge among local entrepreneurs. As Zack details the evolution of Founders Table from casual meetups to st ..read more

"We specialize in creating experiences that are immersive and spatial." Jack Gerrard and Jake Sally of Jadu AR take us into the development of their groundbreaking augmented reality game on this episode of Founders In LA. They describe the innovative challenges and creative solutions involved in bringing a mobile AR fighting game to life. Jack and Jake discuss their philosophy of creating immersive, spatial experiences that push the boundaries of traditional gaming, using augmented reality to enhance player interaction with their environment. They also delve into the iterative process that sh ..read more

"Customer feedback is gold. Whether it's good, bad, ugly- whatever the feedback is- that's gold." We welcome back Sumeet Rana, the CEO and Founder of Prodhub.ai, in this episode of Founders In LA. Sumeet shares progress on prodhub.ai and how it has continued its mission to serve as a co-pilot for product managers, automating routine tasks to allow for the creation of superior products more efficiently. Beyond merely speeding up product development processes, Prodhub has significantly broadened its scope to include strategic elements like product discovery and ideation tools, enabling product m ..read more

"One of the biggest problems we see, at least on the physician side, is that any other kind of disease that you have, you always get a quantitative test. So if you have heart disease or high cholesterol, you get that blood panel back with concrete numbers on it. and if it's diabetes, it might be A1C, it might be glucose, but for musculoskeletal disorders, it's always in either an x-ray or an MRI, which is considered qualitative" We sit down with Rebecca Zheng, the mind behind Calcu, a groundbreaking company at the forefront of medical device technology for musculoskeletal disorders in&nb ..read more

"Failing is the best way to learn" In this episode of Founders in LA, Jason Vego, CEO and Co-Founder of Bevz, shares insights into the journey of revolutionizing retail operations for independent liquor and convenience stores through innovative SaaS solutions. With a focus on simplifying inventory management and enhancing e-commerce capabilities, Vego illuminates the challenges and triumphs of catering to a sector often overlooked by technology advancements. The conversation navigates the intricacies of understanding customer needs, adapting to industry shifts, and leveraging persona ..read more