other Startups

Pete McLeod launched NoCS Degree in July 2019 after quitting a minimum wage job to become an indie hacker. The blog interviews successful developers without computer science degrees, generating $70 in first-week revenue and 48,000 page views through a viral Hacker News launch. Within months, Pete scaled to ~$2,000/month MRR primarily through newsletter sponsorships from coding bootcamps and SaaS companies, applying high-ticket B2B sales tactics rather than pursuing low-value subscriptions.

Shaheed Khan is the co-founder of Prologue, a holding company encompassing Product Hunt and Hyper, a $60M early-stage accelerator fund. Hyper invests $300K for 5% equity in startups, differentiating itself from Y Combinator through hands-on mentorship, access to Product Hunt distribution, and focus on three core needs: product, distribution, and recruiting. Khan previously co-founded Loom, which scaled to 14 million users by leveraging network effects and benefiting from pandemic-driven remote work trends.

Keith Wasserman and his cousin Damian started Gelt in December 2008 by purchasing a single fourplex in Bakersfield for $150,000 with just 2.5% down ($5,000 borrowed, $10,000 credit card cash advance) during the financial crisis. Over the next decade, they grew to manage over $1 billion in real estate assets by focusing on value-add multifamily properties through strategic renovations and raising capital from 700+ accredited investors. Galena Wasserman runs Sky, a parallel real estate development company that acquires and renovates buildings through ground-up construction and adaptive reuse, with both operating on the principle of 'making money on the buy' by identifying undervalued properties and creating value before exit or hold.

Quiet Light Brokerage is an online business brokerage founded in 2007 by Mark Daust that helps entrepreneurs buy and sell online businesses (e-commerce, SaaS, content sites, affiliate sites). The firm has grown from 3 to 10 team members and closed approximately 50 transactions in 2018, with average deal sizes growing from $225k in 2013 to $2M in 2018. They differentiate through education-focused content, deep financial analysis, and trust-building with both buyers and sellers rather than aggressive sales tactics.

Mike Brown founded an oil and gas mineral rights aggregation company in May 2013 with his former naval flight officer friend. Operating in the Midland Basin/Permian Basin, they bought fragmented mineral rights from private owners and packaged them for sale to private equity funds. With only 5 employees at peak and completely bootstrapped using other people's money to fund acquisitions, the company grew to handle 45-50 deals annually and eventually achieved an eight-figure exit.

Tiny Capital is a long-term holding company for profitable internet businesses founded by Andrew Wilkinson. The company acquires majority stakes in established, cash-flowing internet businesses across multiple verticals including design firms, SaaS products, job boards, and content platforms. Operating with a hands-off approach and conservative financing, Tiny Capital has grown to manage approximately 20 companies with 350-400 employees generating double-digit millions in revenue.

Greg Eisenberg built "You Probably Need a Haircut" during the COVID-19 quarantine as a virtual barbershop connecting people with stylists. Launched on Product Hunt with deliberate seeding to journalists, the service generated 150,000 unique visitors in the first 24 hours and facilitated over 1,000 haircuts. The product went viral, appearing on the Today Show and ABC News.

David's Tea was founded in 2007 by David Segal and his distant cousin to make tea fun and accessible to mainstream North American consumers. The company grew to a $200 million revenue business with a $1 billion market cap at its peak before going public on the Nasdaq. Segal sold his stake in 2016 after internal management conflicts made the company lose focus on its core business.

f.ink is an emerging tech incubator founded by Furcon (former CTO of AppLovin, which IPO'd at ~$20B valuation) that invests in young engineers building on cutting-edge technologies. Rather than a traditional startup with revenue metrics, f.ink operates as an investment/mentorship vehicle where Furcon provides capital, technical expertise, and intensive hands-on collaboration through a Discord community of founders exploring hardware+ML, crypto/DeFi, and other frontier technologies.

Ben & Jerry's was founded in 1978 by two former friends who met in PE class as poor runners and reunited when one was rejected from medical school. Starting with a $5 ice cream making course and $12,000 in seed funding, they initially struggled in their Vermont shop during winter but pivoted to selling pints directly to restaurants and convenience stores. When Pillsbury strong-armed distributors to drop Ben & Jerry's in favor of their Haagen-Dazs brand, the founders turned adversity into their greatest marketing opportunity, launching the viral 'What's the Dough Boy Afraid Of?' campaign that generated massive PR, consumer awareness, and growth.

Community Coders was a marketplace that connected high school students seeking work experience with local businesses needing web development and digital marketing services. Founded by Kaito Cunningham in 2018, the company generated approximately $20,000 in revenue against $35,000 in expenses before shutting down after 2 years (1 year full-time, 1 year part-time). The business failed due to lack of product-market fit, inability to sustainably acquire customers, team misalignment, and Kaito's inexperience in leading the venture.

Chuck Marting, a retired law enforcement officer with 20 years of drug detection expertise, founded Colorado Mobile Drug Testing in 2012 after identifying a market gap where employers needed on-site drug testing services. Starting with an $8,000 prize from a business competition, he bootstrapped the business to $30,000 MRR by leveraging website optimization (which increased inquiries by 500% in the first month), SEO, email marketing, and copywriting strategies. Today the company operates two brick-and-mortar offices in Colorado with plans to expand to other regions.

Career Sidekick is a job search advice website founded by Biron Clark in 2013 that grew from a failed, unfocused blog into a multiple six-figure annual revenue business by niching down to focus exclusively on job search content and prioritizing organic search optimization. The business generates revenue through a mix of products (courses and e-books), affiliate marketing, and display advertising (via Mediavine), with 85%+ profit margins and over 1 million monthly visitors, 80% of which come from organic search. Biron bootstrapped the operation, remains the only full-time employee, and operates it as a fully remote, location-independent business while traveling.

Design In DC is a Washington-based digital design agency founded by Ziad Foty, a former university professor, and Rob, an experienced web designer. The agency grew from zero funding by focusing on storytelling and layered narratives to differentiate itself in a saturated market. With revenue in the $100k-$500k/month range, they acquired customers primarily through intent-based directory listings and organic search, while building a strong reputation that generated referrals.

Star Sync was a marketplace that allowed fans to purchase experiences with their favorite streamers and content creators, taking a 20% cut of each transaction. Founder Jonny Boyarsky spent $95,000 on development and roughly $100,000 total including marketing, but the startup failed to gain traction, acquiring only ~100 customers with poor retention and ultimately generating just a couple thousand dollars in revenue before shutting down.

Growth Ninja is a performance-based Facebook ads agency founded by Vincent Nguyen in 2015. Vincent built the company after apprenticing with Empire Flippers, leveraging his experience in performance marketing. The episode focuses on Vincent's journey navigating social pressures while building his business, including hiding his college dropout status from his family.

Michael Girdley runs Girdley Enterprises, a diverse holdco with over $100M in revenue across 8-10 businesses including Alamo Fireworks (20-30M+ revenue), Dura Software (a rollup generating multiple millions), a coding bootcamp (low eight figures in revenue), a drive-through coffee chain, and hirewithnear.com. His philosophy emphasizes finding good operators to run businesses while he focuses on strategy, partnerships, and capital allocation rather than day-to-day operations.

Flying Mag is a high-end aviation media publication acquired by Craig Fuller (founder of freight data company FreightWaves) that pivoted to content-to-commerce by launching a presale for an aviation-focused real estate community in Atlanta. The community features homes around a landing strip (country club model with private aviation). The publication leveraged its wealthy, niche audience of aviation enthusiasts to presell residential plots, generating at least $25 million in pre-sales, demonstrating successful monetization of engaged media audiences.

Missouri Star Quilting Company is a bootstrapped, family-owned e-commerce business co-founded by Al Doad and his mom Jenny that generates nine figures in annual revenue. The company started when Al's mom discovered a six-month waitlist for machine quilting services, leading Al to buy a machine and launch a service business. Growth accelerated dramatically when they launched a YouTube channel featuring Jenny teaching quilting (now nearly 1M subscribers) and implemented a daily deal strategy inspired by Woot.com, combined with turning their manufacturing facilities into a tourist destination called the "Disneyland for quilters" that attracts 100,000+ visitors annually.

Maitab is a 29-year-old independent sponsor who acquires distressed D2C e-commerce brands and turnarounds them using operational excellence and rapid cash recovery strategies. Starting from a health issue at 17, he built several seven-figure e-commerce businesses in guitars and pedals before pivoting to private equity-style investing. His current portfolio includes three majority-owned platform companies (SoloWood Flowers, a succulent company, and an apparel brand) worth mid-eight figures in revenue, plus minority stakes in 8-10 other companies.