Samuel Donner - Host - Finding Founders Podcast

Samuel Donner is a digital storyteller, entrepreneur, and podcast producer known for his high-production interviews and viral social media content. He has carved out a niche by blending deep-dive entrepreneurship stories with fast-paced comedy and lifestyle content.Donner is the creator and host of Finding Founders, a podcast that uses immersive sound design and narrative storytelling to explore the origins of successful entrepreneurs.Production Style: The show is frequently praised by industry veterans (like John Lee Dumas of EOFire) for its "MasterClass-level" production quality, utilizing music and pacing to create a cinematic listening experience.Notable Guests: He has interviewed a wide range of founders and experts, including Gail Simmons (Top Chef), Andrew Rea (Babish Culinary Universe), Jim Kwik, and Dave Asprey.Beyond the podcasting world, Donner has a massive social media presence, particularly on YouTube and TikTok.OKOP Show: He co-hosts the OKOP podcast alongside John, where they read and provide comedic commentary on wild internet stories and "AITA" (Am I the Asshole) Reddit threads.Cooking Content: He is the face of the popular "Cook For Me?" series, where he approaches strangers or creators to cook a meal together, blending culinary exploration with lighthearted interviews.Education: He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA.Entrepreneurial Pivot: While at UCLA, he began managing a remote team of over 40 people to scale his podcasting business, eventually deciding to pursue storytelling full-time rather than a traditional engineering path.Impact: He is an advocate for Effective Altruism, having publicly taken the "10% Pledge" to donate a portion of his lifetime income to high-impact charities.Finding Founders PodcastDigital Media & Content CreationBackground & Philosophy