S2 E40 Co-founder & CEO of ThirdRetail; Athar Ali

***************************************************************************Created in partnership with: https://orama.tv/Create branded Podcasts & Videos that resonate deeper.email [email protected] and quote "Founders Unplugged" for 50% off your first professionally produced episode!***************************************************************************In this episode of Founders Unplugged, I had the pleasure of speaking with Athar Ali, the Co-founder and CEO of ThirdRetail, an innovative startup aiming to create an affordable omnichannel offline experience for direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands. Athar Ali is a first-time immigrant in the UK, originally from India, who pursued his MBA studies in retail, where he identified the need for a symbiotic relationship between online and offline retail.In this insightful conversation, we covered the following key topics:Athar's journey as an international student and entrepreneur, including the challenges he faced in obtaining the necessary visas and work rights before building ThirdRetail.The business model of ThirdRetail, which involves a marketplace where D2C brands can rent shelf space in physical stores, as well as software solutions to connect with the back-end of e-commerce platforms like Shopify.The importance of building a strong network and resources as a founder, and how Athar leveraged platforms like LinkedIn to connect with advisors and other entrepreneurs in the startup ecosystem.The dynamics of co-founding a startup, with Athar's co-founder bringing expertise in real estate, retail distribution, and sales, complementing Athar's background in economics, product management, and generative AI.The fundraising journey and the progress made so far, including securing their first paying customer and generating initial revenue.Insights into the retail industry, such as the concept of profit per square foot and the need for a symbiotic relationship between online and offline channels.Connect with Athar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connectwithathar/Check out ThirdRetail here: https://thirdretail.com/Want to know about me and ThinkWork? https://www.thinkwork.info/#foundersunplugged #foundersjourney #startupfounder #startupjourney #investment