The Great Pursuit

Sean Ro, co-founder of Lunar, shares his journey from studying economics and working in tech to launching an innovative craft hard seltzer brand with unique Asian fruit flavors. He discusses the inspiration behind Lunar, challenges in the alcohol industry, and the importance of Asian representation. Sean offers insights into product development, distribution strategies, and the role of community engagement in Lunar’s growth—a valua...

Bryan Mahoney, co-founder of Chord Commerce, shares his journey from launching an internet agency in the late '90s to contributing to Glossier's success and now leading Chord. He reflects on early experiences, like hacking PowerPoint to create e-commerce websites, and key career moves that brought him to New York and Glossier. Bryan discusses the challenges and opportunities in brand building, especially during the pandemic, and ex...

Noah Stern and Ayal Twik, co-founders of Moose Knuckles, share their journey from family fashion roots and degrees in law and business to transforming the premium outerwear market. They discuss their strategic approach to licensing, production, and carving a niche with edgy, fashion-forward designs. The episode highlights their unique marketing tactics, wholesale partnerships, and success in the Asian market. Reflecting on building...

Andrew Lockhead shares his journey from his family’s business to founding Stay22, focusing on solving pain points, building partnerships, and understanding customer needs. He discusses overcoming challenges like complex sales cycles and economic hardships. Andrew also discusses how Stay22 pivoted during the early days of the Covid 19 pandemic, innovated by listening to customer feedback, and implemented a lean strategy to emerge st...

Étienne Mérineau, co-founder of Heyday, shares his journey from the creative industry to launching the conversational commerce platform in 2016. He highlights how hyper-focus and strategic branding drove product-market fit and how a Quebec furniture company embraced conversational commerce during COVID-19. Étienne offers insights on market dynamics, personal finance, pre-seed investing, and B2B SaaS pricing, as well as the importan...

Bill Shufelt, co-founder of Athletic Brewing Company, shares his transition from working in finance to creating a leading non-alcoholic craft beer brand. Recognizing the market gap for non-alcoholic beverages, he founded Athletic Brewing Company while embracing a healthier lifestyle. Bill expands on his journey by discussing the company’s challenges, successes, and their focus on community, authentic experiences, and positive impac...

Rohit Bhadange, co-founder and CEO of ZAMP, discusses the challenges of sales tax compliance for small and medium-sized businesses and shares what led him to enter the tax space. He highlights ZAMP's recent $10 million funding round and how their automated solution helps e-commerce and SaaS companies manage sales tax effortlessly. Rohit provides insights into growing a SaaS business, effective inbound marketing, and building custom...

Fred Campbell, founder of Hooké, discusses his remarkable journey from skateboarding and snowboarding videos to founding the outdoor brand, Hooké. He explains how a pivotal car accident redirected him towards creating an eco-conscious outdoor brand focused on fishing, hunting, and nature preservation. Fred provides insights on business challenges and milestones, his passion, and future vision, touching on recent projects like a boo...

Andrea Morris shares her journey of founding wellness brand B Yoga, now called b, halfmoon. After discovering yoga in Australia, she was inspired a few years later to create high-quality yoga mats that have become the standard in yoga communities worldwide. Andrea discusses setting clear company values and growing her brand over the past 10 years. She also shares her personal wellness routine and views on the future of the wellness...

Bill Graf, founder of Onda, shares his remarkable journey from investment banking to establishing a hospitality brand in Costa Rica. In this conversation, Bill discusses how his transformative travels and the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the creation of Onda. He highlights the brand’s innovative, tech-enabled approach that caters to digital nomads and slow travelers, while emphasizing its strong focus on community. Ga...

Tim and Nick West, the co-founders of Bandit, discuss the company's journey, mission, and vision. They share their personal relationship with running, how the brand started with socks, and has grown into an exciting lineup of running apparel. The co-founders also delve into their focus on building a community-centric brand, the development of a new marathon training app, and the influence of the New York running scene on the brand'...

Katherine Homuth shares her journey from her early days through launching her first business, Shoplocket, to her current ventures SRTX and Sheertex. She reveals the challenges and triumphs of developing unbreakable tights with Sheertex, her textile innovation company. Katherine also provides a behind-the-scenes look at product development, discusses the emotional rollercoaster of exiting a business, and unravels the complexities of...

Randy Hetrick, the founder of TRX, dives into the company's origins, mission, and future direction. He recounts his personal life as a Navy Seal and how it inspired the creation of TRX, initially born from the necessity of staying fit during deployment. Randy shares insights into TRX's evolution from a simple concept to a comprehensive fitness solution, along with the challenges and triumphs along the way. He also dives into his ne...

Laura Low Ah Kee and Shannon Savage, co-founders of Left on Friday, recount their inspiring journey from being Lululemon employees to pioneers of a premium swimwear brand. Recognizing the influence of leadership and empowerment, Laura and Shannon explain their brand’s vision, expanding on how an active lifestyle led them to recognize a market gap for high-quality swimwear. This inspired them to prioritize fabric innovation and fit....

Brian Berger, founder of Mack Weldon, traces his journey from internet media companies to launching a successful direct-to-consumer men’s wear brand. He recounts his early experiences with the internet, motivations behind Mack Weldon, and the challenges in establishing a brand in the basics category. Brian emphasizes the pivotal role of innovation, product quality, and customer connections to grow a brand. Furthermore, he explores ...

Bradley Gifford, the founder of Spoonful, discusses his career trajectory—from early roles in PR and communications to founding Spoonful, a health food business specializing in high-quality overnight oats. He shares how health challenges motivated him to address industry pain points, transition into the health and wellness sector, and navigate business growth through food services and local New York partnerships. Ultimately, Bradle...

Kathleen Chan, founder of Calico, shares her background, starting in tech at Microsoft, before creating and scaling two different brands. She emphasizes that efficient product sourcing and maintaining quality is crucial for scaling businesses. Calico serves as a sourcing and production co-pilot for brands, specializing in apparel, footwear and accessories. Calico offers a vetted roster of ethical and innovative factories and provid...

Alexandre Renaud, co-founder of nolk, introduces his latest venture dedicated to acquiring and nurturing e-commerce brands with a strong sustainability ethos. Previously, Alex was the co-founder of PremiumBeat, a music licensing service that successfully sold to Shutterstock. Alex gives his insights on the challenges and opportunities in the consumer brand landscape, including technological shifts, and the strategic focus on buildi...

Sophie Boulanger, co-founder of BonLook, dives into how the company shook up Canada's eyewear scene. Sophie talks about her entrepreneurial path, inspired by her family and shaped by her experiences at L’Oreal Canada and Luxottica. They delve into BonLook’s inception and strategic decisions, including cutting out middlemen, expanding store presence, and picking prime locations, along with insights on hiring for retail. Finally, Sop...