Our Future

I haven't released a podcast in nearly a month, and in this episode I offer a comprehensive status update, discussing why I paused production on the podcast and why I'm going full-time on TikTok and how I've done 1.7M views in the past 28 days. Get ready for Our Future to become a household name!

In #151 futurists learn from Everett Kohl, the 22-year-old founder of Dbillia, a platform that provides digital memorabilia & collectables for influencers and the emerging creator economy. The platforms allows artists and influencers to create a limited edition "Dbilia" for their new album, video, merch, project or even one of yourself. Fans can keep Dbilias in their collection, trade them with other users or resell them on our marketplace. Dbillia is like a hybrid between Patreon, Discord, and traditional NFT marketplaces, and sits squarely in the middle of the emerging creator economy and hot trends underlying fandom, blockchain, and alternative investments. In this podcast, Everett discusses the "why" behind NFT's, how he first started thinking about them way back in 2017, the challenges in building his company, and his advice to other aspiring entrepreneurs. Connect with Everett on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/everett-kohl/ Apply for Michael's upcoming podcast course on July 9-11: https://learntogether.world/how-to-build-podcast/https://learntogether.world/how-to-build-podcast/ Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter: https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Purchase Our Future Merch: http://bit.ly/ourfuturemerch Follow us on IG: http://bit.ly/ourfutureig Follow us on TikTok: http://bit.ly/ourfuturetiktok

In #150, Michael Sikand sits down with Charles Huang, co-founder of Red Octane, the company behind the legendary Guitar Hero franchise. Starting the company alongside his brother Kai in the early 2000's, the gaming startup began by designing hardware for music and dancing games like “Dance Dance Revolution” and “In The Groove”. Soon however, the brothers realized a massive opportunity in delivering music games to an American audience (they were primarily popular in Asia) that were deeply rooted in culture. Despite having to re-mortgage their houses to make it work, the brothers launched Guitar Hero in November 2005. The game was an instant success and within a year of launching the game, Red Octane was acquired for $100M by Activision. Guitar Hero went on to be the second-ever game to reach $1B in sales, being the world's best-selling game in both 2007 and 2008. In this episode, Charles shares lessons, stories, and insights from an entrepreneurial journey building a product that rocked the world. He also explains why Guitar Hero faded away from its massive success and provides career advice to young entrepreneurs. This is a must listen! You Can Now Watch Interviews on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3hAS9IE Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter: http://bit.ly/ourfuturenewsletter Purchase Our Future Merch: http://bit.ly/ourfuturemerch Attend Our Weekly Entrepreneurship Events: http://bit.ly/ourfuturecommunity Follow us on IG: http://bit.ly/ourfutureig Follow us on TikTok: http://bit.ly/ourfuturetiktok

In #149, Michael Sikand interviews Calix Huang, a 16-year-old entrepreneur, high school student, and engineer who has built and sold two startups in the edtech space! His most recent startup, Hours, was a virtual study tool that allowed students to join rooms and do school work together in real-time, setting timers for different work sprints and exchanging messages. Through a crazy user acquisition strategy, Calix grew the platform to over 20k users from high schools and universities around the world, and in 2021, Hours was acquired by venture-backed edtech company Fiveable, where he currently serves as a lead of product. In this podcast, Calix inspires you with his startup story, from idea to sale, and will help you think about building your own exciting product that people will love. No matter what you want to build, this interview will fuel your ambition, so don't miss it. Connect with Calix on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calix-huang/ You Can Now Watch Interviews on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3hAS9IE Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter: http://bit.ly/ourfuturenewsletter Purchase Our Future Merch: http://bit.ly/ourfuturemerch Attend Our Weekly Entrepreneurship Events: http://bit.ly/ourfuturecommunity Follow us on IG: http://bit.ly/ourfutureig Follow us on TikTok: http://bit.ly/ourfuturetiktok

In #148, futurists learn from Sheridan Clayborne, a 21-year-old entrepreneurial sensation and the co-founder of Lendtable, a YC backed fintech startup tackling the retirement savings crisis that's raised over $6M from investors like Josh Richards, Bryce Hall, and SoftBank. The mission of Lendtable is simple: make everyone a millionaire, regardless of income level. They do this by giving no-interest loans to employees across America to help them take FULL advantage of their 401(k) match (or ESPP pools). In exchange, they take a small (5-10%) cut of the match. Some background on Sheridan: he was the youngest person to get into Northwestern at age 15, started his first million-dollar company when he was was 17, has worked at Dropbx and Goldman Sachs, and has done over $10mil in sales across his startups. I think Lendtable is the next unicorn and it's obvious that Sheridan is extremely passionate about the massive problem they're solving: people are not taking advantage of free money! Lendtable is a genius idea and an awesome interview, don't miss this crazy Gen Z founder story. Connect with Sherdian on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheridan-clayborne-77723a119/ You Can Now Watch Interviews on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3hAS9IE Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter: http://bit.ly/ourfuturenewsletter Purchase Our Future Merch: http://bit.ly/ourfuturemerch Attend Our Weekly Entrepreneurship Events: http://bit.ly/ourfuturecommunity Follow us on IG: http://bit.ly/ourfutureig Follow us on TikTok: http://bit.ly/ourfuturetiktok

In #147 futurists tune into a conversation with high school students and soon to be graduates Sims Wilson and Daniel Greenberg, the co-founders of ViralLEDS, a startup they founded in 2020 which produces and sells an array of in-home lighting products through social media. After Sims posted a TikTok showing how he made LED light strips for his bedroom and it went viral, he and Daniel decided to turn a hobby they learned in their AP Computer Science into a business that to date has cleared more than $500,000 in revenue, with almost 100% of their sales coming through TikTok! It's insane to see entrepreneurs building businesses out of the immense reach afforded by TikTok's platform, and Daniel and Sims share an awesome story about how they scaled and optimized the company, how Addison Rae discovered and reposted their product, how they both got into Ivy league schools (Sims is going to Cornell and Daniel is going to Brown), and their career advice to young entrepreneurs. Go buy some ViralLEDS: https://viralleds.com/ You Can Now Watch Interviews on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3hAS9IE Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter: http://bit.ly/ourfuturenewsletter Purchase Our Future Merch: http://bit.ly/ourfuturemerch Attend Our Weekly Entrepreneurship Events: http://bit.ly/ourfuturecommunity Follow us on IG: http://bit.ly/ourfutureig Follow us on TikTok: http://bit.ly/ourfuturetiktok

In #146, futurists learn from Matthias Metternich, Co-Founder & CEO of Art of Sport, a CPG skincare brand he co-founded alongside the late Kobe Bryant and Brian Lee in 2018. Art of Sport produces a range of daily essentials from body wash to deodorant to soap optimized for the lifestyles of athletes and has consistently ranked as the fastest growing men's skincare brand in the country since it was founded. In just three years, Matthias and the team have scaled Art of Sport from 0 to 15,000 retail locations and have partnered with some of the world's biggest and best athletes including: James Harden, Juju Smith-Schuster, Javi Bayez, Sage Erickson, and Ken Roczen. In this podcast, Matthias breaks down the company's vision to be the "Nike of Skincare", his learnings as a business builder (this is his 5th business), how he convinced Kobe Bryant to help start the company, the truth about working with influencers, and his career advice to the young and hungry. Don't miss this one! You Can Now Watch These Interviews on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3hAS9IE Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter: http://bit.ly/ourfuturenewsletter Purchase Our Future Merch: http://bit.ly/ourfuturemerch Attend Our Weekly Entrepreneurship Events: http://bit.ly/ourfuturecommunity Follow us on IG: http://bit.ly/ourfutureig Follow us on TikTok: http://bit.ly/ourfuturetiktok

In #145, futurists learn from Kenan Saleh, co-founder of Halo Cars (acq. Lyft) and Head of Product at Lyft Media. As a 19 year-old at UPenn, Kenan and his co-founders set out to create a digitally connected, rooftop display for rideshare drivers to capture a massive outdoor advertising opportunity and provide drivers with supplemental income. Within 7 months of launching the product, the company was acquired by Lyft and became the basis for what is now the rideshare giant's advertising division–which Kenan now leads. Kenan shared some amazing insights about entrepreneurship, his love for "The Social Network" movie, how he found his first supplier in China, the story of the Lyft acquisition, and why we will see more and more of advertising-subsidized-transportation in the future. This one is epic don't miss it! Follow Kenan on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenansaleh/ You Can Now Watch Interviews on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3hAS9IE Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter: http://bit.ly/ourfuturenewsletter Purchase Our Future Merch: http://bit.ly/ourfuturemerch Attend Our Weekly Entrepreneurship Events: http://bit.ly/ourfuturecommunity Follow us on IG: http://bit.ly/ourfutureig Follow us on TikTok: http://bit.ly/ourfuturetiktok

In #144 futurists tune into an EPIC podcast diving deep into the film industry with Hollywood legend, producer, and entrepreneur Jon Glickman, who is making his second appearance on Our Future since first coming on the show last summer. Glickman is the former President of MGM Studios, where he guided a bankrupt company into a thriving studio amd oversaw production on Eon’s Skyfall and Spectre, the two highest grossing installments of the James Bond franchise, as well as the forthcoming No Time to Die, Daniel Craig’s final outing in the series. Other notable highlights of his tenure include overseeing the production of the Rocky spinoff Creed, and the sequel Creed 2, starring Sylvester Stallone and Michael B Jordan, as well as the 2019 animated hit recreation of The Addams Family. Notably, during Glickman’s term at MGM, he was ahead of the industry’s diversity hiring initiatives, with 24% of his slate featuring female filmmakers and 27% featuring directors of color, far exceeding the industry average. Jon is now the Founder & CEO of Glickmania, where he is on a quest to build out a formidable library of IP in the entertainment world through myriad forms of content. He describes his current company as a next generation incubator focussing on established and emerging storytellers across all platforms – including franchise films, television, music, podcasts, comics and new media – in order to make high quality productions while creating an IP rights library. DO not miss this episode–it's full of gleaming takeaways like when Jon convinced Joe Roth to give him an internship in an elevator when he was at USC Film School. He talks everything from nearly getting blown up on the set of James Bond to how young people can break into entertainment. Follow Jon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/glickmania?lang=en Check out Glickmania: https://glickmania.com/#about Get 50% off Verb Energy's caffeinated energy bars, which have just 90 calories and pack the same punch as a cup of coffee, coming in delicious flavors like Vanilla Latte, Double Chocolate, and Peppermint Mocha. You, the Our Future listener, can get 16 Verb energy bars for just $12 by purchasing through our unique link here: https://www.verbenergy.com/ourfuture Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2htIc3-njRI5BKTJ2QqNfA Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter: https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #143, futurists learn from Henrik Werdelin, Co-Founder of BarkBox (now referred to as BARK), the $1.6 billion dog subscription service company that recently announced its plans to go public via SPAC with Northern Star Acquisition (STIC). In the past pandemic year, people have spent over $99B on their pets, a trend that has powered BARK to historic heights, with over 1.7M paying subscribers and FY2020 revenues of nearly $400M. The company maintains several monthly dog product shipments, ranging from toys and treats to food and even health/wellness products, all of which contribute to a 60% gross margin. BARK is a fascinating business and there is so much to learn from Henrik on this podcast–he discusses everything from how breaking the law at MTV resulted in him getting a promotion to how he and his co-founder met on a cruise while sharing the same bed. Henrik dives into why young entrepreneurs should ask for money to test products, how to be confident as a young person in business, why BarkBox was able to succeed, his advice to young entrepreneurs, and so much more. Get 50% off Verb Energy's caffeinated energy bars, which have just 90 calories and pack the same punch as a cup of coffee, coming in delicious flavors like Vanilla Latte, Double Chocolate, and Peppermint Mocha. You, the Our Future listener, can get 16 Verb energy bars for just $12 by purchasing through our unique link here: https://www.verbenergy.com/ourfuture Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2htIc3-njRI5BKTJ2QqNfA Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter: https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #142 futurists celebrate Our Future's 1 year anniversary and join a group of Michael’s closest friends, family, and team members to reflect on an idea that went from quarantine podcast to a full-scale media brand producing business content for young people. A huge thanks to all of you who come out and listen to Our Future every week, you mean the world to me and this brand. Here are the guests on this episode in order that they appear: Catherine Dunne, Michael’s Mom, reflects on seeing her son find his passion and build something from nothing during COVID-19 Shiv Sikand, Michael’s Dad, reflects on what he enjoys most about Our Future and the second-ever episode of the podcast he recorded with Michael Jonah Rubin reflects on when Michael first told him about his podcast idea and being the first and only producer of the show. Matt Kocsis, remembers when Michael first started running with the idea and how he has seen him grow as a person building up Our Future Peyton Cahn, discusses the inspiration of seeing Michael do something different and how when you find something you love it doesn’t have to feel like work Sia Anand, Head of Communications at Our Future reflects on sending Michael a DM to join the team in the fall and what she sees for the future of the platform Jimmy Sikorovsky, Digital Product Manager at Our Future reflects on how his skills have grown working for a startup and why flexibility is key At the end of this episode, everyone shares their favorite episode of the pod, so stay tuned for those recommendations! Here's to one year everyboy! Get 50% off Verb Energy's caffeinated energy bars, which have just 90 calories and pack the same punch as a cup of coffee, coming in delicious flavors like Vanilla Latte, Double Chocolate, and Peppermint Mocha. You, the Our Future listener, can get 16 Verb energy bars for just $12 by purchasing through our unique link here: https://www.verbenergy.com/ourfuture Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2htIc3-njRI5BKTJ2QqNfA Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter: https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #141, futurists hear from Swish Goswami, CEO & Co-founder of Trufan, an audience engagement platform that helps brands and influencers generate segmented first and third party data. Basically, it's a social intelligence platform that helps identify one's valuable followers by going through the world's largest database of social profiles: Social Rank. Trufan services businesses of all sizes, many of which you've heard of, such as VaynerMedia, NBA, Sony Music, Now This, FC Dallas, and more! By teaming up with large brands, Trufan offers a value exchange to users for their data, such as the ultimate gaming experience from Bud Light or free G Fuel for a year. Swish believes people should be compensated for their data and that Google, Opera, and Mozilla should take note of the way Trufan's customers are being rewarded. Check out Trufan: https://www.trufan.io/ Get 50% off Verb Energy's caffeinated energy bars, which have just 90 calories and pack the same punch as a cup of coffee, coming in delicious flavors like Vanilla Latte, Double Chocolate, and Peppermint Mocha. You, the Our Future listener, can get 16 Verb energy bars for just $12 by purchasing through our unique link here: https://www.verbenergy.com/ourfuture Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2htIc3-njRI5BKTJ2QqNfA Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter: https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #140, futurists hear from Sridhar Ramaswamy, Co-founder of Neeva and Venture Partner at Greylock. Sridhar unpacks the need for Neeva, a search engine that scrounges through information in personal files and on the web without showing advertisements or compromising (or profiting off of) user data. His ad-free search engine, as he puts it, aims to "do right by the customer" and offer full security through any searches. Ironically, he is the fomer Google Ad Chief, and he discusses his change in mindset that led him to be the 'ads guy creating an ads-free company'. In this podcast, Sridhar also dives into his position at Greylock and plays a quick-fire round of overrated/underrated where he judges avocado toast, Tesla, Amazon and Bitcoin! Join Neeva here: https://neeva.com/ Get 50% off Verb Energy's caffeinated energy bars, which have just 90 calories and pack the same punch as a cup of coffee, coming in delicious flavors like Vanilla Latte, Double Chocolate, and Peppermint Mocha. You, the Our Future listener, can get 16 Verb energy bars for just $12 by purchasing through our unique link here: https://www.verbenergy.com/ourfuture Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2htIc3-njRI5BKTJ2QqNfA Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter: https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

in #139, futurists hear from Luke Breon, a 20-year-old Nebraska-based entrepreneur who has built a multi-million dollar business flipping sports card packs through social media. Luke, who's been an entrepreneur since he was 11, previously ran a marketing agency which he started in his junior year of high school, helping local Nebraskan businesses target customers and understand social media. In this podcast, Luke discusses why sports cards have made a massive resurgence, unpacking the alternate investments trend, and explains how he makes money on collectibles. He's also expanding his warehouse and plans to recruit a team. Don't miss this one! Check out Luke's website: https://bangersportscards.com/ Get 50% off Verb Energy's caffeinated energy bars, which have just 90 calories and pack the same punch as a cup of coffee, coming in delicious flavors like Vanilla Latte, Double Chocolate, and Peppermint Mocha. You, the Our Future listener, can get 16 Verb energy bars for just $12 by purchasing through our unique link here: https://www.verbenergy.com/ourfuture Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2htIc3-njRI5BKTJ2QqNfA Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter: https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #138, futurists tune into an epic conversation with Dr. Mike Barger, a former fighter jet pilot, co-founder of JetBlue Airways, and a professor at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. Dr. Barger began his career in the military, recieving his commission as an Officer in the United States Navy and serving for thirteen years, completing three, six-month deployments as a pilot and TOPGUN flight instructor flying the F/A-18 Hornet aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Dwight David Eisenhower. Dr. Barger left the US Navy in 1999 to be founding member of JetBlue Airways. He created JetBlue University, the award-winning corporate training function that provides learning and development to all members of the JetBlue workforce. He received his Master’s Degree in Learning Leadership in 2008 and his Doctor of Education degree in 2009. In this conversation, Mike and I discuss his learnings from flying fighter jets and how they apply to business, his experience helping to start JetBlue and explaining why the airline startup was able to succeed in a crowded market, and his career advice to young people. Don't miss this one! Get 50% off Verb Energy's caffeinated energy bars, which have just 90 calories and pack the same punch as a cup of coffee, coming in delicious flavors like Vanilla Latte, Double Chocolate, and Peppermint Mocha. You, the Our Future listener, can get 16 Verb energy bars for just $12 by purchasing through our unique link here: https://www.verbenergy.com/ourfuture Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2htIc3-njRI5BKTJ2QqNfA Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter: https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #137, futurists learn from Rob Dong, a UCLA junior and the CMO of Duffl, a Y Combinator backed e-scooter delivery company that claims to be the world's fastest delivery service. On college campus, e-scooter riding "racers" deliver their fellow college students everything from gatorades to snacks to vapes in less than ten minutes. Since starting in 2019, Duffl now serves two college campuses (UCLA) and is quickly expanding to a third, leveraging a unique model where the company buys wholesale products and owns a warehouse to delivver them around the local area through their network of racers. Rob and the CEO of Duffl, David Lin, have raised over $1.3 million since starting the business and are now gearing up for another round of funding to beat out the competition. Listen to learn about this crazy student startup, don't miss it Get 50% off Verb Energy's caffeinated energy bars, which have just 90 calories and pack the same punch as a cup of coffee, coming in delicious flavors like Vanilla Latte, Double Chocolate, and Peppermint Mocha. You, the Our Future listener, can get 16 Verb energy bars for just $12 by purchasing through our unique link here: https://www.verbenergy.com/ourfuture Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2htIc3-njRI5BKTJ2QqNfA Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter: https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #136 futurists tune into an Our Future social impact episode, co-hosted with Jess Schmitt, featuring Sarah Goody, a 16-year-old climate activist and the founder of Climate Now. Sarah gained national attention from outlets like NBC, LA Times, and Good Morning America when in 8th grade, she protested in front of San Francisco City Hall for 50 consecutive Fridays to raise awareness for climate change. Since her initial campaign, Sarah has founded Climate Now, an organization focused on providing young people an introductory experience into the issue of climate change and the ways in which they can participate in reversing the planet's trajectory toward increased temperatures and natural disasters. Jess and I were blown away by Sarah's poise, professionalism, and incredible confidence as just a 16-year-old, and it's absolutley unreal the work she's doing to raise awareness for an issue she feels endlessly passionate about. Don't miss this powerful and inspirational episode. Check out Climate Now's website: https://www.climatenow.solutions/ Get 50% off Verb Energy's caffeinated energy bars, which have just 90 calories and pack the same punch as a cup of coffee, coming in delicious flavors like Vanilla Latte, Double Chocolate, and Peppermint Mocha. You, the Our Future listener, can get 16 Verb energy bars for just $12 by purchasing through our unique link here: https://www.verbenergy.com/ourfuture Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2htIc3-njRI5BKTJ2QqNfA Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter: https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #135, futurists tune into an epic conversation with legendary entrepreneur, Marc Randolph, the co-founder and first CEO of Netflix who walks us through the origin story of one of the most legendary startup stories in Silicon Valley history. When Marc and his co-founder, Reed Hastings, wanted to start a business in the late 90's they didn't have a clue where to start, and even thought they might do a shampoo or dog food company! In fact, Netflix's first name was Kibble.com (not kidding) until five months in, the team knew they would need a better name, with Randolph selecting the moniker that now defines modern entertainment. Marc scaled Netflix from a crazy idea into one of the most disruptive businesses in history, being responsible for the company's early user interface, branding, and data analytics system. After guiding the company through its 2002 IPO, Marc left the company, claiming to have been more interested in the startup phase. Since then, he's founded several successful companies, one of which is Looker, a multi-billion dollar data analytics company that was acquired by Google. In this podcast, Marc shares some incredible startup advice, participates in an underrated/overrated segment on hot business topics, and laughs remembering that Blockbuster rejected their offer to merge with the company for a mere $50M. Don't miss this crazy episode. Get 50% off Verb Energy's caffeinated energy bars, which have just 90 calories and pack the same punch as a cup of coffee, coming in delicious flavors like Vanilla Latte, Double Chocolate, and Peppermint Mocha. You the Our Future listener can get 16 Verb energy bars for just $12 by purchasing through our unique link here: https://www.verbenergy.com/ourfuture Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2htIc3-njRI5BKTJ2QqNfA Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter: https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #134, futurists learn from Arvid Ali, a 27-year-old entrepreneur and celebrity startup advisor, who claims to be financially retired at the age of 26. In middle school, Arvid was a coding prodigy, and in high school, he took college classes alongside his schoolwork, graduating at age 17 and going onto UCLA to study math and getting his bachelor's degree at age 19. After college, Arvid worked at several Fortune 500 companies before starting a recruiting consulting firm, helping venture-backed startups hire the right talent to their business, and in his early twenties, he served as Global Head of Talent for unicorn pharmacy startup: Alto. Arvid's next professional adventure was in the celebrity startup management space, and he landed his first role with Olympic gold-medalist Shaun White's portfolio of businesses, and later with Jordan Belfort, the Wolf of Wall Street. In this podcast, Arvid drops some insane networking advice and some fascinating information about trends towards celebrity startups, as well as his financial advice for young professionals. Get 50% off Verb Energy's Starter Pack: https://www.verbenergy.com/ourfuture Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2htIc3-njRI5BKTJ2QqNfA Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter: https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #133, futurists tap into an electric conversation with Irene Wu, a 21-year-old venture capitalist investing with Blue Collective, Harvard student, and Founder at The YX Foundation. Irene trained for half her life being the coxswain for Men's rowing teams, committing to Harvard as a student athlete before suffering a concussion that resulted in her taking a gap year. It was Irene's interest in rowing that led her to become obsessed with a streetwear startup called Rowing Blazers, and she ended up cold-emailing the CEO and moving to NYC before she had completed her first year of college to work full-time at a startup. Following her three-year stint at Rowing Blazers, Irene became an investor at Blue Collective, and she's invested in several companies including Doola, Parlor, and Teleportal. In 2019, Irene founded The YX Foundation, a hybrid coalition-design lab dedicated to prototyping at the intersection of deep technology (AI/ML) and critical race theory. On this episode, Irene and Michael discuss her journey in the startup world, lessons learned, and then dive headfirst into a conversation about the intersection of race and startups. Don't miss this one. Get 50% off Verb Energy's Starter Pack: https://www.verbenergy.com/ourfuture Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2htIc3-njRI5BKTJ2QqNfA Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter: https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #132, futurists learn from world-famous designer Andrew Winch, Founder & Creative Director at Winch Design, one of the world's preeminent design studios based in London, England. Throughout his career, Winch has designed some of the world's finest sailboats, 300 ft+ superyachts, private jet cabins, and luxury residences in the world, running a fantastical design business which he refers to as "delivering dreams". One of Winch's more notable projects included designing Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich's private jet, which was expected to cost as much as $300 million USD. In this podcast, Winch discusses how he got his start in one of the world's most niche businesses, and touches on some key lessons all young entrepreneurs should carry forth in the business world, like the art of never saying no. Winch did an incredible job of coloring each of his points with sage wisdom, and this podcast is a must listen for any entrepreneur or young professional looking to uncover their passion and dive headfirst into their vision. Don't miss this one! Get 50% off Verb Energy's Starter Pack: https://www.verbenergy.com/ourfuture Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2htIc3-njRI5BKTJ2QqNfA Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter: https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #131, futurists learn from University of Michigan sophomore, Rahul Khatti, Co-Founder & CEO of Uniflow, a student engagement software seeking to transform the way students find organizations and communities on campus that best fit their personal and professional goals. When club recruiting went fully-virtual at Michigan in the fall, Rahul and the team created a prototpye in less than a month and landed a pilot program with Michigan Ross. Since that time, the company has secured contracts with five businesss schools, including USC Marshall and Penn State Smeal, and is now targeting High Schools to help students find opportunities at not only the local, but also national level to gain access to better co-curricular activities. Get 50% off Verb Energy's Starter Pack: https://www.verbenergy.com/ourfuture Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2htIc3-njRI5BKTJ2QqNfA Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter: https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

NEW SERIES: Our Future in Social Impact. We're launching a new interview vertical focused on young entrepreneurs in the social impact space with guest co-host Jess Schmitt, co-founder of Electric Potential. In #130 and the inaugural episode of this series, listeners learn from 23-year-old CEO Mary Hadley, CEO at MakerGirl, a nonprofit with the mission of educating the next generation of female makers to be unstoppable forces that say “Yes!” to the challenges of tomorrow. MakerGirl does this through STEM education sessions led by University women and men, educating girls on how to 3D print and CAD, focusing on girls aged 7-10. In this interview you'll learn about how Mary went from chemistry major to nonprofit CEO, the importance of STEM education, and why you should consider working at a startup out of school. Don't miss this inspiring episode! Get 50% off Verb Energy's Starter Pack: https://www.verbenergy.com/ourfuture Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2htIc3-njRI5BKTJ2QqNfA Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter: https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #129, futurists tune into an epic interview with Mike Evans, the co-founder of GrubHub and founder of Fixer.com. A few years after graduating M.I.T., Mike didn’t understand why there wasn't an aggregated list of restaurants nearby that delivered to you. So on a bus ride home from his job as a software developer, he coded up the GrubHub MVP, and went out to sell it, restaurant by restaurant. Mike had a blast scaling GrubHub from an MVP to a $3 billion company and he shares some incredible stories about lean startup methodology, selling your first customers, understanding competititon, and why the Gig economy is severely flawed. Exiting the business after its 2014 IPO, Mike is now the founder of Fixer.com, which trains and employs tradespeople (electricians, plumbers) and hires them out to homeowners. If you like what Mike has to say, check out his new book, “Hangry” which documents his journey building GrubHub and his insights on the Gig Economy. This one was insane, don't miss it. Get 50% off Verb Energy's Starter Pack: https://www.verbenergy.com/ourfuture Pre-Order Mike's Book: https://www.mikeevans.com Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2htIc3-njRI5BKTJ2QqNfA Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter: https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #128, futurists get their mind blown by Colorado high-school student and finance wizard, Jack Fox, founder of Foxy Capital LLC. At age 16, Jack has started a hedge fund with an initial raise of $250,000 from some of the most successful investors in the world, which after 6 months is surging over 30% in returns. This young genius started investing when he was 11 years old, and got addicted to the world of finance before he was out of sixth grade, blasting through Benjamin Graham's "The Intelligent Investor" and all of Warren Buffet's writing. While most kids were getting excited about going to see the newest Disney movie, Jack was buying stock in the company because he was optimistic about the company's future. It's absoltuley unreal what Jack is doing at such a young age and he's a decade ahead of his peers, but he needs to get more sleep. On this podcast, Jack discusses managing a fund while in high school, his ethos on investing, some of his favorite stocks, and his advice to anyone that wants to start investing.

In #127, futurists learn from Marc Baghadjian, Co-Founder and CEO at Lolly, the new Gen-Z dating app combining TikTok and Tinder. As a cross between those two platforms, Lolly asks users to upload short videos to their profiles for potential matches to scroll through in a vertical feed that feels strongly reminiscent of TikTok. So far, Marc and the team have raised over $2M, from investors like Former Ticketmaster CEO John Pleasants, Former Apple CEO John Sculley, SV Angel, So-Fi cofounder Daniel Macklin, Wired Ventures cofounder Jane Metcalfe, former SV Angel General Partner Kevin Carter, Correlation Ventures and Next Coast Ventures. On this podcast, Marc drops some crazy entrepreneurial wisdom and details his plan to build the next great dating app, covering how he secured investors, why he saw a disconnect with Tinder, his advice to othher young entrepreneurs. Don't miss this wild episode with the next big 21-year-old entrepreneur. Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #126, futurists learn from Pat Meignan, Founder & CEO of TheArsenale, the world's leading online marketplace for micro industrial and independent builders, as well as a media brand and social medium showcasing the future of mobility. Anything you might see James Bond driving, you can find at TheArsenlae–everything from skateboards, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, drones, boats, planes, timepieces and high end art pieces. TheArsenale has offices and showrooms across the world, including in Miami, Macau, and Paris. In this interview, Pat discusses how he built "the most insane garage in the world," his experience flying around China in a classified drone, and his advice to young entrepreneuurs. Check out TheArsenale: https://thearsenale.com/pages/shop Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #125, futurists learn from Rahul Rana (@rrana03), is a sophomore at Rutgers University, an associate at Lux Capital (a VC firm specializing in deeptech), and the 20-year-old author extraordinare of new book "Making Moonshots," a deep-dive into the mindsets, philosophies, and strategies that are conducive to building moonshot companies—deeptech + radical solution + solving huge problems. I was lucky enough to speak on a panel with Rahul, and I was struck by something he said: "creating content maximizes serendipity," which I thought was an amazing way to capture the magic of being a content creator and public-facing personality. By writing a book about his passion for deep-tech companies and "moonshot" startups, countless doors opened for Rahul, including countless introductions, meetings, podcast features, and a job offer at his dream company. As a sophomore in college, Rahul is an associate at the venture capital firm that specializes in the very companies he wrote about in his book, and by becoming a creator, Rahul rode straight into his dream position, skipping any kind of traditional application process. This podcast is a fantastic summary of what a "moonshot" company is, features some great conversations about space companies and the cold war, details the process of writing a book + Rahul's new VC gig, and why creating content = the key to exponential growth and opportunity in the business world. You've got to listen. Check out Rahul's book: https://www.amazon.com/Making-Moonshots-Rahul-Rana/dp/163676620X Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #124 of Our Future Careers, listeners hear from Shruti Venkat, a sophomore at Princeton University and an incoming Investment Banking Summer Analyst at Goldman Sachs. Shruti has some incredibly impressive experiences in the world of finance under her belt as just a sophomore, and on this electric episode, she shares her career advice for recruiting banking, the interview process, her mindset going into her internship search, and why it's important to believe in yourself and shoot your shot. This interview was a blast, so tune into hear Shruti's elite mindset as one of the most ambitious young professionals to grace our weekly careers series. Don't miss it! Connect with Shruti on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shrutivenkat17/ Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #123 listeners hear from Shelby Clark, Founder of Turo, the world's largest peer to peer, car-sharing marketplace where you can book any car you want, wherever you want it, from a vibrant community of trusted hosts across the US, Canada, and the UK. Most recently, the company was valued at over $1 billion, giving it Unicorn status, as it looks to put the world's 1.5 billion vehicles to better use as the "Airbnb" for cars. Shelby founded the company as a student at Harvard Business School, realizing he could decentralize the Zipcar model by making every vehicle accessible to anybody wherever they are. After stepping down as CEO in 2019, Shelby continues to advise the company as it charges on to reinvent the peer-to-peer model. It's an incredible entrepreneurial story, so don't miss this one! Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

Listener of the Week is a series where we bring a member of the Our Future audience up to the podcast stage to share with the community how they are building their future, in context of our future. In #122, futurists hear from listener of the week, Michelangelo Valtancoli, a graduate of Cass Business School and the Founder of Almost Founders, an ed-tech startup with the goal of revolutionizing how young student founders learn to be founders. Almost Founders consists of a podcast for aspiring founders, with practical 15-minute topic-specific episodes, as well as free networking events to meet other aspiring founders, free chats with successful founders, member-only internships, and access to a strong network of partners and VCs. When Michelangelo and his co-founder Kourosh Ghaffari Ghazi Said first came to me with their plan to build this company, I was floored by their ambition and drive. Since that time, they've built an extremely vibrant community and some awesome media products that add value to the lives of young builders, don't miss this episode! Check out Almost Founders Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6EMNZGQ0jbyMJdAQRyFn40?si=3n7xEEBcT7WoKcqYrKFL6w Book your slot to be Listener of the Week: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E42XO3jIQE3rGuOqtlh7IYuFBTW7v-b0dH6R5QMiI/edit?usp=sharing Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #121, futurists hear from Krishna Koka, the Founder & CEO of PWR4 (previously PPE4All) and a 19-year-old Biomedical Engineeing Student at the University of Michigan. As COVID began to rear its ugly head on U.S. soil, Krishna couldn't bear to watch the atrocities occurring, so he spun up a non-profit enterprise run by students creating face-shields and other PPE, and routing it to the hospitals that needed it the most. Krishna's organization has delivered over 34,000 PPE products across the country, and now he has a big, bold vision way beyond the current pandemic. He wants to reinvent giving and bring startup culture to the non-profit space, and he tells us all about it on the podcast, don't miss this one! Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #120, futurists meet Jason Raznick, the Founder & CEO of Benzinga, a financial news and content ecosystem that serves over 25 million readers a month in 125 countries. Jason has started and run several successful businesses, his first in college, when he launched an online textbook store for University of Michigan students, but behind the scenes of operating startups, Jason has always been excellent at finding high-growth small-cap stocks. He founded Benzinga in 2010 to bring media coverage to an asset class underlooked by more established media outlets, and he's built a thriving media company based on his vision to create content for small-caps. Listen to this interview to learn the full story behind Benzinga and some incredible lessons in entrerpreneurship. Oh and did I mention Jason is looking for college kids obsessed with the stock market to come on board to write about finance and get paid for it? Apply to this Our Future exclusive internship below! Apply to Benzinga Writer Internship: https://forms.gle/XDpZr3G4TAe9Jf9x9 Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

Listener of the Week is a new series where we bring a member of the Our Future audience up to the podcast stage to share with the community how they are building their future, in context of our future. In the fourth-ever episode in this series and #119 listeners hear from Aaron Gill, an Our Future superfan, a high school student from the UK, and a voracious consumer of knowledge. Aaron discussses how he listened to 97 episodes of Our Future in one weekend, why he's addicted to growth and learning, and how he's looking at his future. Book your slot to be Listener of the Week: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E42XO3jIQE3rGuOqtlh7IYuFBTW7v-b0dH6R5QMiI/edit?usp=sharing Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #118 futurists learn from Grant Telford, the 22-year-old founder of The Backyard Athlete, an outdoor products/sports startup that has gone completely viral on TikTok and generated a die-hard community of customers. When I first discovered Grant a month ago he was at just over 100K followers on TikTok, and now he's at 370K, growing through his hilarious, entertaining videos of his products, and more recently a skit called "The Best Hands on TikTok" where Grant lathers his hands with a slippery lubricant and catches a football with one hand. Grant has created a business out of TikTok, and his sports product, most notably the Backyard Chip has been purchased by over 20,000 people. It's crazy what Grant has built and it's clear how passionate he is about the unique brand he's created! Don't miss this wild interview with a crazy Gen Z founder. Follow The Backyard Athlete on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebackyardathlete?source=h5_m Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter to join our community of young entrepreneurs at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/our-future/id1511226610 Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #117, futurists learn about a career in consulting (and a founder story) with Pascal Cévaër-Corey, a graduate of Stanford University who spent two years as an analyst at McKinsey & Company's NYC HQ, working on over 16 projects across industries like telecom, banking, airplane manufacturing, and even healthcare. Pascal graduated his senior year of college with offers from BCG, Uber, in addition to McKinsey, and has several impressive internships under his belt which include Tom Ford and Gap Inc., and he shares some powerful career advice and insights from his experiences as a young professional. Now he's founding a fintech company called Pave Finance. Pascal's vision for Pave is delivering hedge fund style wealth management to retail investors through a mobile app, a market experience that has long been reserved for insitutitional invesotrs. Sign up for Pave Finance's non-binding waitlist: https://www.pavefinance.com/ Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter to join our community of young entrepreneurs at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/our-future/id1511226610 Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #116, futurists learn from Hugh Thomas, CEO & Co-Founder of Ugly Drinks, a CPG drinks startup he founded in London in 2016 after a long stint working at major beverage companies. Hugh was sick of a world where big brands were marketing pure sugar concoctions and telling an aspirational story about consuming unhealthy products. To disrupt the status quo, Hugh launched Ugly Drinks, which aims to bring transparency to the beverage market through zero-sugar, zero-calorie carbonated drinks delivered DTC with buzzy, retro-styled packaging and gorgeous marketing. Since launching the company in the UK, Ugly has expanded into the U.S. and despite having a strong focus on DTC subscriptions, is available in retail locations! In this episode, Hugh discusses why he was crazy enough to launch the company, some of the wacky flavors he's thinking about like Pizza and Rain, and shares powerful lessons on the entrepreneurial journey. Don't miss this bubbly episode. A lucky Our Future listener is getting one free month of Ugly Drinks delivered to their doorstep. To be considered to win, repost this episode on your Instagram story and tag @ourfuturehq and @uglydrinks! Winners will be announced this week. Follow Hugh on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/uglyhugh/ Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter to join our community of young entrepreneurs at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

Listener of the Week is a new series where we bring a member of the Our Future audience up to the podcast stage to share with the community how they are building their future, in context of our future. In the third-ever episode in this series and #115 listeners hear from Rebecca Ma, a big fan of Our Future, a student at MSU, a former Supply Chain Intern at Kellogg's, and an incoming Supply Chain Intern at Microsoft. Rebecca discusses why she's passionate about the supply chain industry and how she went about recruiting the awesome internships she has been able to land. Book your slot to be Listener of the Week: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E42XO3jIQE3rGuOqtlh7IYuFBTW7v-b0dH6R5QMiI/edit?usp=sharing Connect with Rebecca on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marebecc/ Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #114, listeners hear from Cheri Alexander, Former Executive Director of Global HR at General Motors and Faculty at Michigan Ross, about her 10 C's of Leadership framework she has developed as a world-renowned thought leader in the executive education space and how they apply to young professionals as they begin their journeys as global leaders and change-makers. In this episode you'll learn the ingredients for successful leadership, no matter what stage you at in your career or startup, don't miss this one! Connect with Cheri on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheri-alexander-36859710/ Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #113, listeners hear from Ian Borthwick, Senior Director of Influencer Channels at Seatgeek, the mobile-focused ticketing platform that’s known for helping people find great seats at mega events, but maybe even more so for their strokes in genius in influencer marketing. Ian has propelled Seatgeek to the highest level of the public conscious through some of the most successful influencer marketing campaigns, most famously with superstar David Dobrik (a Ferrari may or may not be included). Enjoy this mini masterclass on influencer marketing. Follow Ian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ianrborthwick Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

Listener of the Week is a new series where we bring a member of the Our Future audience up to the podcast stage to share with the community how they are building their future, in context of our future. In the second-ever episode in this series and #112 listeners hear from Milan Ehrhardt, a native of South Africa, a second-year student at Westminster Universty in London, and the newly minted podcast host of Foundrs House. Milan and I had a brief conversation a few weeks ago after he discovered Our Future on TikTok, and since then, he's produced over 5 podcast episodes, where he's telling stories from other successful young professionals who have landed into the industry of their choice. He has a killer mindset, don't miss this episode. Book your slot to be Listener of the Week: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E42XO3jIQE3rGuOqtlh7IYuFBTW7v-b0dH6R5QMiI/edit?usp=sharing Check out Milan's podcast: https://linktr.ee/foundrshouse Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #111, futurists learn from Bennett Byerley (CFO) and André Monterio (CTO), co-founders of Verb Energy, an innovative CPG startup that produces delicious and nutritious energy bars that combine the substance of real food with the buzz of caffeine. What's most fascinating about Verb is not that it is 100% e-commerce or that the company's products are sold through subscription, but how the founders have built radically human relationships with their customers by managing the business almost entirely through SMS text-messaging. In this episode, Bennett and André discuss how the idea started when they were coffee-addicted students at Yale University, why they thought they could launch into the crowded snack bar market, how tthe chose text-message as a platform to build a business on, and their career advice to other builders. Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #110 futurists learn about a career in entertainment with Haley Kellogg, whose job is to cast reality TV shows! Haley is currently a casting associate producer at Fremantle working to cast ABC's "To Tell The Truth," and in the past she's helped cast and produce shows like Mission Unstoppable with Miranda Cosgrove on CBS, Quibi's "Sexology with Shan Boodram", HBO Max's "Karma", and more. In this episode, Haley discusss how she has began her career in entertainment, what it means to be in casting, and her career advice to young people looking to break into entertainment. Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #109, listeners hear from media executive Dan Robbins, VP of Ad Marketing & Partner Solutions at Roku, whose job sits squarely in the future of media and advertising as Roku becomes the operating system for modern-day TV. Roku began as the "dongle" you plugged into your TV to make it "smart," getting access to a wide variety of streaming services, and it also integrates with various TV manafacturers and is now producing audio products to enhance your pandemic-friendly home viewing experience. What fascinates me about Roku and Dan's job specifically, is how the $50B streaming company is transitioning from a hardware/software business and becoming a services business, selling ads to the closest thing to a cable audience in 2021 (and with way more data). The company is now developing its own content since the Roku channel, which is a mainstay on all connected-TVs, is being watched by tens of millions of people a month. This is explains why the company acquired the content of now defunct media startup, Quibi, to provide free, ad-supported content, the rationale of which Dan touches on in this episode. The interesting part to me is how brands that live and breathe TV ads that go out to massive, undefined audiences are now turning to Roku to acheieve the same messaging. The genius at Roku is how consumers pay for the product twice, and the company has been extremely intelligent as it thrives in a hyper-competitive and ever-evolving media landscape, seizing upon multiple lines of revenue to become the future of TV. Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

NEW SERIES! Listener of the Week is a new series where we bring a member of the Our Future audience up to the podcast stage to share with the community how they are building their future, in context of our future. In the inaugual episode in this series and #108, listeners hear from Peter Aldapa, a college student from Santa Barbara and 19-year-old entrepreneur, about how he's building a brand called Unmatched, which is fueled by his desire to be the hardest worker in the room...to be truly unmatched as a young leader. Book a your slot to be Listener of the Week: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E42XO3jIQE3rGuOqtlh7IYuFBTW7v-b0dH6R5QMiI/edit?usp=sharing Check out Peter's podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1516530243 Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #107, futurists learn from Michael Marra, Founder & CEO of Entre, and Ryan Solomon, Digital Marketing Manager at Entre, about their 20,000+ user strong social networking startup built exclusively for entrepreneurs. Entre helps connect entrepreneurs to each other and the right resources to start and grow their businesses through a web interface, mobile app, and live events. Entre has raised over 60K to date on their crowdfunding campaign, and their scrappy digital marketing presence, most notably on TikTok (25K+ followers) has earned the platform tens of thousands of users. Building community seems to be the trend of this pandemic/remote era, and it's extremely difficult. I'm excited for you to listen in and learn about how Michael and Ryan have built a destination for the modern entrepreneur, integrating so many moving parts into a hollisitc movement that sits dead center in the future of work. I would highly recommend the Entre platform to any builder who seeks a supportive community and a hub of content + opportunity. Join Entre: https://joinentre.com/ Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #106, futurists learn about careers in marketing with Alexander Ferenczi, a 25-year-old marketing whiz, who has been deeply immersed in the world of agencies, media buying, and digital advertising since graduating from Babson College in 2018. His first gig out of college was at Gary Vee's legendary marketing agency, VaynerMedia, where he was trained in the art of modern media buying and modern-day advertising, and claims he learned more in three months there than during four years of business school. After leaving VaynerMedia, Alex led social strategy at JetFuel Studio, and he just made the decison to pursue entrepreneurship by launching his own agency, Advocaczi. In this interview, Alex provides kickass insights and perspective on any young person looking to be successful in a marketing career, or any industry for that matter. This interview took place live on Clubhouse, so follow me @michaelsikand to tune into upcoming Our Future recordings on the platform, with the ability to ask questions to me or my audience members after the episode wraps up. Connect with Alex on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-ferenczi/ Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #105, futurists learn about the business of sports with pro soccer exec Matt Goodman, Chief Commercial Officer & COO of New York City Football Club: the big apple's high-caliber MLS team. Matt is a true sports veteran, and prior to signing on with the NYCFC, he was Senior Vice President at the NBA, and before that VP of Corporate Partnerships at the Cleveland Browns. When COVID-19 shocked the sporrts world, Matt and the team were forced to innovate, and the result has been creative campaigns devoted to virtual fan experience and small business, and of course increased attention to the soccer team's e-sports division. On this episode, Matt brings us years of wisdom, working across baseball, basketball, football, and now soccer, and shares winning career advice for anyone that wants to work in sports. GIVEAWAY INSTRUCTIONS: To be entered to win an NYCFC jersey and hat, all you have to do is subscribe to Our Future Newsletter by entering your email at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/, and winners will be announced on 2/3 across all our channels. ENTER GIVEAWAY by subscribing to our email newsletter: https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Book a Time to Get Interviewed as Listener of the Week: calendly.com/michaelsikand Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

SATURDAY SPECIAL! In #104, listeners learn from Alex Sikand, a Master's in AI Candidate at Boston University, Founder of Photofix.AI and Silk Labs (AI Startup fro Retail & Fashion), who also happens to my brother! This live episode took place in my studio, and Alex and I discuss his young and legendary days as a high school hacker, notoriously breaking through our school's network and getting up to some high-tech tomfoolery, as well as his current projects that revolve around harnessing the power of AI as it relates to image classification and analysis. It's been really exciting to see my brother lock in on some amazing projects, and I couldn't let him go back to Boston without bringing him on the podcast to share his knowledge in one of the hottest and least-understood fields in the business world. If you're interested in careers in AI and ML, reach out to Alex at Alex@Sikand.org. Check out Alex's photo restoration site to reimagine an old photo of a loved one for $1: https://www.photofix.ai/ Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

Wall Street is in the midst of revolution. In #103, futurists run the numbers with Drexel University students, Michael Warshowsky, Gav Blaxberg, and Ben Kestenbaum, co-founders of Wolf Financial, a new viral social investing app that's blowing up in the midst of an investment revolution. To give a quick recap, internet cyber bulls have banded together to spite the "man in the suit", making hedge funds bleed on their short positions in companies like GameStop and AMC Theatres, by aggressively buying the stock. All the crazy news you've heard this week comes down to a core fact in that we're seeing millions of everyday investors enter the stock market, and the founders of Wolf are building the one stop shop app for these newly-minted investors to network with eachother and research the best investments. Their core focus is making investment research more digestible, and their app, which you can download now, is an incredible mixture of Twitter and SeekingAlpha! This was a crazy conversation with the founders of what I beleive to be the next big social network. Don't miss out. Join Wolf Financial: https://apps.apple.com/bz/app/wolf-financial/id1518313068 and follow me @ourfuture_ceo Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq

In #102, futurists tune into a conversation with Matt Ladis, who's worked in the music industry since cold-emailing a music executive after he graduated from Michigan and landed his dream job in the industry. As a music business manager and accountant, Matt helps some of the most well-known artists and entertainers manage their finances, and he's currently in the process of launching his own business management company - Mad Lettuce (get it, Matt Ladis)! This is a fantastic episode for anyone looking to tap into the mindset necessary to break into your dream job, especially in an industry like music with notoriously high barriers to entry. Get in contact with Matt: Matt@MadLettuce.co Book a Meeting with Michael to Get Featured as Listener of the Week: calendly.com/michaelsikand Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq