Own Pain Startups

Chef Sean Sherman founded The Sioux Chef to revitalize Native American culinary traditions, moving away from processed foods and European fine dining toward ancestral recipes and indigenous ingredients like bison, wild rice, and foraged plants. Starting with pop-up dinners and a cookbook, he expanded to a food truck and opened Owamni restaurant in 2021, which won the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant.

Tarte Cosmetics was founded by Maureen Kelly, who left her Ph.D. program in clinical psychology to launch a makeup company with no startup capital, experience, or connections. She relied on relentless door-knocking, maxed-out credit cards, and support from friends and family to turn Tarte into a wildly successful brand.

Hank and John Green started Vlogbrothers in 2007 as a way to stay connected via daily video blogs on YouTube, which became an early viral hit. The success led to the creation of Complexly, a production studio that creates educational content across multiple platforms. The brothers' philosophy of pursuing what's exciting and stressful has driven continuous expansion into books, media, and educational entertainment.

Our Place is a cookware company co-founded by Shiza Shahid in 2019, marking her pivot from nonprofit work with the Malala Fund to the for-profit sector. The company is described as both profitable and impact-driven, reflecting Shahid's commitment to combining business success with social responsibility.

Health-Ade is a kombucha brand founded in 2012 by Daina Trout, Justin Trout, and Vanessa Dew. Starting with homemade brewing and local farmer's market sales, the company grew to produce 120,000 bottles daily and achieve close to $200 million in retail sales within seven years.

The Financial Diet is a multimedia personal finance business founded by Chelsea Fagan in 2014, starting as a simple blog to track her own spending habits after maxing out a credit card in high school. Chelsea transformed her personal finance journey into a content-driven business that prioritizes employee satisfaction and maintains a judicious approach to brand partnerships over aggressive growth.

Kodiak Cakes began as an 8-year-old Joel Clark's door-to-door pancake mix sales operation in a red wagon, which he and his brother scaled into a Mazda sedan business by the mid-90s. After navigating near-bankruptcy from risky decisions, the brand achieved a major turning point by securing distribution in Target. Today, Kodiak Cakes is one of America's best-selling pancake mixes.

Beautyblender is a teardrop-shaped makeup sponge designed by Hollywood makeup artist Rea Ann Silva to solve the problem of makeup touch-ups showing streaks and smudges on HDTV. After generating buzz among actors and makeup artists, Silva cold-called an industry insider and secured partnerships with Hollywood pro shops, Ulta, and Sephora. Today it's a multi-million-dollar beauty brand available in over 50 countries.

Famous Dave's is a barbecue restaurant chain founded in 1994 by Dave Anderson in Hayward, Wisconsin, inspired by his childhood memories of South Side Chicago barbecue. The chain grew quickly and has expanded to over 100 locations across the U.S., becoming one of the largest barbecue chains in the country.

Babish Culinary Universe is a YouTube cooking channel founded by Andrew Rea, a former special effects production professional who pivoted to content creation after struggling with mental health and creative burnout. The channel has grown to nearly 10 million subscribers by creating cooking videos inspired by popular TV shows and movies, blending Rea's passion for film and food.

Tala is a fintech platform founded by Shivani Siroya in 2011 to provide microloans to underserved small business owners globally. The company has disbursed over $3 billion in loans across India, Kenya, Mexico, and the Philippines through a frictionless mobile app that approves loans within minutes. Despite the streamlined vetting process, Tala maintains a high loan repayment rate, demonstrating that creditworthy borrowers exist outside traditional banking systems.

Tomorrow.io is a weather forecasting platform co-founded by former Israeli Air Force pilot Shimon Elkabetz in 2016 to provide better weather prediction data globally. The company helps businesses, governments, and individuals make better decisions in response to increasingly volatile weather and climate-related disasters.

Ooni is a hardware brand that manufactures portable, wood-fired outdoor pizza ovens. Founded in 2012 by Kristian Tapaninaho after he struggled to achieve authentic Neapolitan-style pizza at home, the company raised $26,000 on Kickstarter for its first prototype. The business has grown to $250 million in value, accelerated by the home baking boom during COVID, and is now sold in 90 countries.

MKBHD is a YouTube-based content creation business founded by Marques Brownlee in 2009, starting with product reviews for tech products. The channel has grown to over 16 million subscribers and 3 billion total views, expanding beyond reviews to include interviews with notable figures like Kobe Bryant, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk. Brownlee transformed his passion for technology and desire to educate consumers into a lucrative and sustainable business.

TripAdvisor was founded by Steve Kaufer in 2000 after he struggled to research travel destinations online. The company pivoted from a partnership-based model to a user-generated content platform that aggregated hotel and attraction reviews, monetizing through affiliate fees from travel companies. The platform grew to 400 million monthly visitors and achieved a $210 million acquisition by IAC followed by a multi-billion dollar IPO in 2011.

Bluemercury started as a failing online cosmetics business in 1999 before founders Marla and Barry Beck pivoted to brick-and-mortar retail in Washington, D.C. They differentiated through high-end brand curation and personalized service, strategically locating stores in fashionable urban neighborhoods rather than malls. Today, the company operates nearly 200 locations across the U.S. under Macy's ownership.

Culver's is a quick-service restaurant chain founded by Craig Culver, combining frozen custard and ButterBurgers with a diverse menu. Starting with minimal traffic at a small Wisconsin location, the business franchised rapidly and grew to nearly 900 locations across the country, becoming one of the most profitable quick-service restaurants on a per-location basis.

Cassey Ho built Blogilates into a billion-view YouTube fitness content empire, defying cultural expectations around career fulfillment. She leveraged her creator platform to expand into multiple revenue streams including the POPFLEX apparel brand, Target product lines, and Pilates certification programs, creating a multi-million dollar portfolio in the creator economy.

ButcherBox is a subscription-based meat delivery service founded by Mike Salguero in 2015 after a frustrating personal experience buying grass-fed beef. The company launched via Kickstarter and leveraged partnerships with food and fitness influencers to grow. Today, it generates approximately $500M in annual revenue without any VC funding or bank loans.

HOORAE Media is Issa Rae's production company that emerged from her success creating viral YouTube content ('The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl') and the critically acclaimed HBO series 'Insecure'. The company now produces multiple TV and film projects, including the HBO show 'Rap Sh!t', representing her evolution from content creator to media executive.