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The Undefeated Underdogs

The Undefeated Underdogs

Written by: Sharath Kuruganty
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About this listen

 The Undefeated Underdogs is a podcast unpacking the underdog stories you never heard of! It highlights the underdog mentality and brings authentic conversations with people who play the long game, take action with a chip on their shoulders, and convert obstacles into opportunities! Buckle up, as I will be bringing some authentic founders, VCs, community builders, and content creators who got underestimated their whole life, and yet they beat the odds and became insanely successful!© Hedgehog Studios LLC Economics Leadership Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Andrew Yeung - How to build a million-dollar events company from scratch!

    Andrew Yeung - How to build a million-dollar events company from scratch!
    Feb 6 2025

    👉🏼 About the Guests:

    Business Insider dubbed Andrew Yeung as The Great Gatsby of startups. Andrew moved to the US as an immigrant in 2020 and after a brief stint at Facebook, Google he founded his events company Fibe, generated millions of dollars in revenue, hosted more than 40K tech folks, became a partner at Next Wave NYC, grew his personal brand - all this happened in the last 4yrs.


    👉🏼 About the Host:

    Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 24,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. He recently sold his second SaaS product, GuestLab, and he is working on a startup idea while hosting this show.

    👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

    Shoutout to Acquire.com for sponsoring The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/


    👉🏼 Description:

    Listen in as Sharath and Andrew discuss networking, succeeding in America as underdogs, why NYC is awesome, and more!

    👉🏼 Timestamps:

    • 00:00: Episode Highlight
    • 00:46: Shoutout to Acquire.com
    • 03:14: Intro to Andrew Yeung - the Great Gatsby of startups
    • 04:30: Why Andrew chose NYC and events over San Francisco and product-building
    • 09:00: How Andrew entered tech
    • 10:47: How Andrew built his network in tech
    • 13:34: How to network as a founder vs a VC
    • 17:31: Building a network in 2025
    • 19:37: Cold Outreach 101
    • 21:43: Andrew's favorite cold outreach template
    • 24:41: Navigating cultural shock as an immigrant
    • 29:10: How Andrew found gaps to build his business around
    • 31:07: How to build a business for people's needs
    • 34:06: Andrew's playbook on how underdogs can succeed in America
    • 36:16: Behind the scenes of Fibe - Andrew's event-hosting business
    • 41:12: What's next for Fibe
    • 43:55: How to host better events
    • 46:28: Andrew's favorite event-hosting format
    • 47:15: Outro and closing thoughts

    👉🏼 Resources:

    • Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/

    👉🏼 Where to find Andrew:

    • Website: https://www.andrewyeung.co/
    • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyeung
    • Twitter: https://x.com/andruyeung

    👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

    • Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
    • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
    • Website: https://5harath.com/
    • Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
    • Founder Gigs: https://foundergigs.com/
    Show More Show Less
    48 mins
  • Julian Weisser - Why ODF is on a mission of making things for people who make things!

    Julian Weisser - Why ODF is on a mission of making things for people who make things!
    Dec 19 2024

    👉🏼 About the Guests:

    Julian Weisser is a prominent entrepreneur, investor, and musician, best known as the co-founder and CEO of ODF/On Deck, a platform designed to support startup founders in launching and scaling their companies. Under his leadership, On Deck facilitated the launch of over 1,000 startups, significantly impacting the entrepreneurial landscape by providing resources and networking opportunities for aspiring founders.

    Julian is currently building Merge for microgrants, Stamp List to help job applicants who require visa sponsorship, and Builders Who Run, a run club based in SF.


    With a background in Music and Management from Berklee College of Music, Julian entered the startup world, co-founding Within Health, a company focused on using behavioral science to improve the lives of individuals with chronic conditions.


    In addition to his entrepreneurial endeavors, Weisser is an active angel investor, having backed over 50 startups across multiple industries, including decentralized finance and health tech. He is passionate about supporting innovative projects that aim to solve significant societal challenges.


    👉🏼 About the Host:

    Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 24,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. He recently sold his second SaaS product, GuestLab, and he is working on a startup idea while hosting this show.

    👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

    Shoutout to Acquire.com for sponsoring The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/


    👉🏼 Description:

    Listen in as Sharath and Julian discuss building for people who make things, building community in 2025, how to work at a hypergrowth startup, and more!

    👉🏼 Timestamps:

    • 00:00: Episode Highlight
    • 00:44: Shoutout to Acquire.com
    • 03:09: Intro to Julian Weisser - Co-founder and CEO of ODF/On Deck
    • 04:51: How Julian fell in love with startups
    • 10:43: What founders can learn from musicians
    • 15:01: How Julian built his very first startup
    • 20:41: How On Deck went from a dinner series to a $20M Series A startup
    • 27:07: Lessons from a hypergrowth startup
    • 34:49: How can we build community in person in 2025?
    • 37:33: Julian's project for people with big ideas: Merge
    • 47:11: Julian's project for immigrants: Stamp List
    • 51:17: How Julian started a run club in SF
    • 55:45: Julian's projects in 2025
    • 1:00:44: What should founders focus on?
    • 1:06:13: Outro and closing thoughts

    👉🏼 Resources:

    • Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/

    👉🏼 Where to find Julian:

    • Website: https://weisser.io
    • Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/julianweisser
    • Twitter: https://x.com/julianweisser
    • Newsletter and Podcast: https://textswithfounders.com/
    • On Deck: https://www.joinodf.com/
    • Merge: https://merge.club/
    • Stamp List: https://landing.club/stamplist
    • Builders Who Run: https://weisser.io/runners

    👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

    • Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
    • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
    • Website: https://5harath.com/
    • Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
    • Founder Gigs: https://foundergigs.com/
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 7 mins
  • Founders of Defang - Building the easiest way to develop, deploy and debug cloud apps in minutes!

    Founders of Defang - Building the easiest way to develop, deploy and debug cloud apps in minutes!
    Dec 11 2024
    👉🏼 About the Guests:Prakash and Lionello are the co-founders of Defang, a radically simpler way to develop, deploy, and debug production-ready cloud apps. Lionello is CTO at Defang, as well as an engineering lead and community organizer with EE and CS background and 20 years of international industry experience doing software and hardware. He has lived in Eindhoven, Bucharest, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and recently moved to Vancouver BC. In 1997, he founded a virtual-reality software company, acquired by a multinational company for their real-time 3D rendering technology. In 2019, Workday acquired Trusted Key, the blockchain digital identity startup he helped found. Lio is active in the local maker communities, having been a staff member in China's first makerspace Xinchejian since its founding. Prakash serves as CEO at Defang. He co-founded & served as Chief Technology Officer, President & Board Member at Trusted Key Solutions. He brings experience from previous roles at Amazon Web Services (AWS), Workday, and Trusted Key. 👉🏼 About the Host:Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 24,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. He recently sold his second SaaS product, GuestLab, and he is working on a startup idea while hosting this show.👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:Shoutout to Acquire.com for sponsoring The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/👉🏼 Description:Listen in as Sharath, Prakash, and Lio discuss building for builders, how frustration helped them create Defang, growth tactics, and more! 👉🏼 Timestamps:00:00: Episode Highlight00:44: Shoutout to Acquire.com03:10: Intro to Lio and Prakash - co-founders of Defang, a radically simpler way to develop, deploy, and debug production-ready cloud apps. 05:29: Why Defang's mission is to help builders move faster09:19: How frustration led to building Defang15:01: Why big brands like AWS don't focus on builders17:02: How to go from idea to MVP for a complex product23:09: How Defang launched in the market and iterated using feedback28:40: Defang's growth tactics to reach users32:33: What made Prakash go from being a technical and engineering lead to a CEO?34:55: Defang's Product Hunt launch38:10: How Defang harnesses the power of AI44:22: How to differentiate yourself from the competition48:00: Important lessons from corporate and startups50:56: Where is the app-creating environment going?53:55: Outro and closing thoughts👉🏼 Resources:Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/Defang's Product Hunt Launch: https://www.producthunt.com/posts/defang👉🏼 Where to find Defang:Product Hunt Launch: https://www.producthunt.com/posts/defangWebsite: https://defang.ioLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/defanglabs/Twitter: https://twitter.com/DefangLabsYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@DefangLabsDiscord: https://discord.com/invite/nNjaJcJ25vReddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/DefangLabs/Github: https://github.com/DefangLabs👉🏼 Where to find Prakash:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakashsundaresan/👉🏼 Where to find Lio:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lionello/Twitter: https://x.com/LioLunesu👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harathYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harathWebsite: https://5harath.com/Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/Founder Gigs: https://foundergigs.com/
    Show More Show Less
    55 mins
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