In this epic roundup episode, we took our favorite moments from every interview this year and combined them to create our most jam-packed episode yet: Foundr Best of 2020!

That’s right, in this very special episode, you’ll hear valuable insights from: 

• Drew Houston, CEO and founder of DropBox: On problem-solving, his formula for success in business, and how he— as a billion-dollar CEO — still learns every single day. 
  
• Dylan Mullen, Founder, and Director of Happy Skin Co. Mullen reveals how he built a $20 million dollar company in 24 months, and how they’re acquiring their customers. 
  
  
• Alexa Von Tobel, Founder of Learnvest, & Inspire Capital: Why you shouldn’t spend a dollar on marketing, and what it takes to be a ‘good entrepreneur’. 
  
  
• Gretta Van Riel, 4x Multi-Milion Dollar Founder. Van Riel discusses why she would spend $500k on a post from Kylie Jenner, and her $1.3m manufacturing horror story. 
  
  
• Henrik Werderlin, founder and CEO of Barkbox, and the strategy that Apple and Amazon have used to build global, beloved brands. 
  
  
• You’re about to learn the mistake that every new entrepreneur makes, as discussed by Alex Osterwalder, the Swiss business theorist who developed the “business model canvas”. 
  
  
• Author Kamal Ravikant reveals why you don’t need a mentor (from someone who’s been down the road a few times).
  
  
• Christina Stembel, founder of Farmgirl Flowers on how she managed to turn $49,000 into almost a million dollars in 3 years— all thanks to the success of her company.
  
  
• Here’s Skillshare founder Malcolm Ong… who’s about to reveal the one word that will make you a better entrepreneur. 
  
  
• Thor Ernstsson, Founder of Strata. The 2 tips that every single entrepreneur needs to hear.
  
  
• One of the internet’s greatest pioneers, cofounder of WordPress Matt Mullenweg on what motivates him. 
  
  
• GT’s living foods founder, GT Dave. He reveals to us the key to staying on your path, and not losing your identity. 
  
  
• Andy Frisella, founder of 1st Phorm with one of the most fired up conversations of the year. Enjoy this snippet where he’s going to tell you why building a brand is important, and the issue with comparing yourself to Steve Jobs.

Ever wondered what traits and characteristics Google looks for in a founder?

Wonder no more, because in this interview, Nathan Chan sits down with CapitalG Founder, David Lawee, to discuss the journey of finding the next $1B Unicorn Business. David is Google's Lead Investor, and has over 13 years of experience under his belt working for one of the largest companies on the planet. 

Prior to joining Google, Lawee has been a serial entrepreneur. His biggest takeaway from the experience was how to successfully scale companies, and during the interview he finally reveals exactly how to do it. 

Lawee shares what he believes it takes to create a billion-dollar company. Lawee reveals all the traits and characteristics he looks for in founders when it comes to investing billions of dollars, and exactly what the company needs to look like.

Key Takeaways

• How David Lawee found himself working for Google, CapitalG, and what he learned during his time as a serial entrepreneur
• The characteristics and traits that he looks for when it comes to investing
• The difference between an ordinary company, and the billion dollar unicorn
• Lawee’s advice for those looking to open more doors 
• The change in the market, and an insider's view into Google investment world
• Lawee discusses how to align your company with investors’ needs

Meet Thor Ernstsson.

The founder of global giants such as Alpha, Strata, and lead architect for Zygna responsible for Farmville, Ernstsson knows business and products. 

In this interview, Nathan sits down with Ernstsson to discuss his journey from Zynga game developer, to creating a company that serves half of the Fortune 500. Honest and candid, Ernstsson reveals his decision-making processes behind some of the company's largest pivots, changes, and challenges.  

While most people would shy away from the idea of launching a business during a global crisis, Ernstsson is perhaps living proof that not only is it a good decision, it’s the best business decision one can make.

Key Takeaways

• Thor Ernstsson discusses how he first began working at Zygna, and how he felt about the global success of Farmville
• His next business ventures, including Alpha and Strata
• Why he decided to pivot the company
• The importance of “now”, and why starting a business during a crisis is a good idea
• The decision to launch a business that aimed to connect people, while it was the start of the pandemic 
• How to change the world, and why you should always aim to solve a problem that won’t change
• The importance of customers and why they need to be invested in your business’ success

Faced with 104 rejections, zero-funding, and the prospect of launching a new business during an economic downturn, Christina Stembel has not only grown her company Farmgirl Flowers to a $65m empire, she has also done it completely bootstrapped. 

Stembel’s journey from bootstrap to business mogul is nothing short of inspiring. What began as $46k savings and a 2-year window to achieve her goal, her ecommerce flower business saw 5x growth in the first 2 years. As Stembel says,  “the fact that I was able to bootstrap without running out of money is the biggest accomplishment of my life”

In this interview, listen in to discover how Stembel marketed and advertised her brand on a shoestring budget, the importance of word-of-mouth and how that helped her achieve her first million, and why she views FarmGirl Flowers as the workhorse among unicorns.

Key Takeaways

• How Stembel started FarmGirl Flowers, and why she gave herself 2 years
• Marketing on a shoestring budget
• Complications she faced selling perishable products
• Why she views FarmGirl Flowers as a workhorse among unicorns
• The importance of product-quality, and why she believes that a good quality product will outsell any level of marketing
• The future of FarmGirl Flowers and reaching her first billion