Founders in Motion with Thea Ngo

Nathan Yun built Paire into an eight-figure brand by doing almost everything the DTC playbook said not to: engineering fabric from scratch, opening a physical store, and turning Shark Tank into a sales channel rather than a funding pitch. This is the story of building an iconic brand from the least sexy product in fashion.We talk about manufacturing from the yarn up, pricing strategy, the Shark Tank pivot, and why DTC doesn't mean online.For: consumer brand founders, DTC operators, early-stage product builders, and anyone who's wondered if boring products can build great companies.FOLLOW US⁠https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersInMotion⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thea.yaps⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@foundersinmotion⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/theango/⁠ABOUT FOUNDERS IN MOTIONHi, I'm Thea. I started this series because I wanted to find out how to build incredible companies from the ground up. If you like this content, hit subscribe, that's the best way to support me and it means more than you know.Subscribe for the insider playbook on building companies, growth tactics, and founder stories.

Celeste Amadon left Stanford, cancelled her job offers, and raised her seed round in four days before Known had a single paying user. Her thesis: dating apps aren't broken by accident. They're engineered to keep you swiping, paying, and single.We talk about the loneliness epidemic and why it's already your problem too, how Known uses voice inference to understand personality beyond what you say, the business model flipping dating on its head, and what it took to raise from Forerunner as a 21-year-old first-time founder.For: founders building consumer products, anyone exhausted by dating apps, operators thinking about AI and matching problems, people considering leaving school to build.CHAPTERS0:00 - Intro & Cold Open1:13 - Meet Celeste4:33 - Dating Is a Political Problem6:50 - Seed Round in 4 Days8:05 - Pitching Forerunner at 2111:34 - Why Apps Keep You Single16:36 - Leaving Stanford22:13 - The Marina Green MomentFOLLOW UShttps://www.instagram.com/thea.yapshttps://www.tiktok.com/@foundersinmotionhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/theango/ABOUT FOUNDERS IN MOTIONFounders In Motion brings you honest, tactical conversations with early-stage founders building companies from the ground up. Hosted by Thea Ngo, the show goes beyond the headlines to reveal the real decisions, trade-offs, and mechanics behind building startups. Past guests include founders from YC-backed companies, edtech leaders, SaaS operators, and global entrepreneurs.Subscribe for the insider playbook on building companies, growth tactics, and founder stories.

Nam got told to come back in 5 years by major law firms. A year later he was YC-backed, had raised $4M in 48 hours, and was serving some of the biggest law firms in the world. But the harder story is what it took to get there, January in Poland, rejections piling up, a parental deadline looming, and 20 something selling AI governance to people with decades of experience.We talk about how to sell to the most risk-averse buyers in the world, why their first customer came from a cold LinkedIn comment, what actually changed between YC application #1 and #4, and why speed alone is no longer a startup advantage.For: early-stage founders, legal tech builders, aspiring YC applicants, anyone who's been told they're too early.CHAPTERS0:00 - Intro5:16 - Selling as a 21-Year-Old7:07 - First Customer13:12 - The YC Journey15:05 - The Fundraising Sprint18:12 - Hardest Founder MomentFOLLOW US⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/foundersinmotion⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@foundersinmotion⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/theango/⁠⁠ABOUT FOUNDERS IN MOTION Hi, I'm Thea. I started this series because I wanted to find out how to build incredible companies from the ground up. If you like this content, like and subscribe, that's the best way to support me and it means more than you know!!

I walked into a top consulting firm interview fully prepared and lost the room in 15 seconds. Six months later, same resume, same experience, I got the offer. The only thing that changed was how I showed up.We talk about reading the room in real time, how to research your interviewer like a journalist, and what to do in the 24 hours after the interview.For: early career job seekers, career pivoters, anyone stuck in final-round purgatoryCHAPTERS0:00 - Intro: The Rejection1:00 - Before the Interview5:26 - During the Interview7:30 - After the InterviewFOLLOW UShttps://www.instagram.com/foundersinmotionhttps://www.tiktok.com/@foundersinmotionhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/theango/ABOUT FOUNDERS IN MOTIONFounders In Motion brings you honest, tactical conversations with early-stage founders building companies from the ground up.Hosted by Thea Ngo, the show goes beyond the headlines to reveal the real decisions, trade-offs, and mechanics behind building startups. Past guests include founders from YC-backed companies, edtech leaders, SaaS operators, and global entrepreneurs.Subscribe for the insider playbook on building companies, growth tactics, and founder stories.

Same resume. Same background. First time: didn't make it past screening. Six months later: six-figure consulting job in New York. The difference was five invisible mistakes.CHAPTERS0:00 - Intro1:15 - Mistake 1: Your Story Doesn't Add Up2:40 - Mistake 2: You're Too Late3:35 - Mistake 3: Wrong People, Wrong Questions5:27 - Mistake 4: Bad Relationship Management7:35 - Mistake 5: You Do Nothing SpecialFOLLOW UShttps://www.instagram.com/foundersinmotionhttps://www.tiktok.com/@foundersinmotionhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/theango/ABOUT FOUNDERS IN MOTIONFounders In Motion brings you honest, tactical conversations with early-stage founders building companies from the ground up and occasionally tactical career advice. Hosted by Thea Ngo, the show goes beyond the headlines to reveal the real decisions, trade-offs, and mechanics behind building startups. Past guests include founders from YC-backed companies, edtech leaders, SaaS operators, and global entrepreneurs.Subscribe for the insider playbook on building companies, growth tactics, and founder stories.

Finnlay raised $6M from Excel VC weeks after landing in the US, no deck, no data room, just two pages. But the bigger story is what Fluency is actually building: a platform that maps how work gets done inside enterprises, heading toward AI models that can predict your business before it happens.We talk about US fundraising, product-market fit vs. the pivot that came before it, and whether AI will displace more jobs than it creates.For: early-stage founders, enterprise SaaS builders, anyone building with or around AI agents.CHAPTERS0:00 - Intro1:48 - Raising From Facebook Investors5:51 - What Does Fluency Do?9:17 - World Models & AI Vision12:45 - Agentic AI Hot Take14:23 - The Pivot17:24 - Tall Poppy Syndrome20:07 - Unicorn Pressure21:20 - What It's Cost22:35 - If You Could Start OverFOLLOW US https://www.instagram.com/foundersinmotion https://www.tiktok.com/@foundersinmotion https://www.linkedin.com/in/theango/ABOUT FOUNDERS IN MOTION Hi, I'm Thea. I started this series because I wanted to find out how to build incredible companies from the ground up. If you like this content, like and subscribe, that's the best way to support me and it means more than you know!!

If you've been sending applications and hearing nothing back, you're not unqualified, you're just invisible. In this episode, why the job application is a dying channel and what to do instead: from crafting outreach that actually gets responses, to having conversations that make hiring managers remember you, to building a personal brand that makes opportunities come to you. Three concrete strategies, no fluff. For students, recent grads, and anyone trying to break into a competitive industry without starting from zero.CHAPTERS00:00: Intro00:59: The Networking Lie03:12: Warm Introductions04:50: Direct Outreach06:30: Passive Distribution07:52: Your Weekly AssignmentFOLLOW UShttps://www.instagram.com/foundersinmotionhttps://www.tiktok.com/@foundersinmotionhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/theango/ABOUT FOUNDERS IN MOTIONFounders In Motion brings you honest, tactical conversations with early-stage founders building companies from the ground up. Hosted by Thea Ngo, the show goes beyond the headlines to reveal the real decisions, trade-offs, and mechanics behind building startups. Past guests include founders from YC-backed companies, edtech leaders, SaaS operators, and global entrepreneurs.Subscribe for the insider playbook on building companies, growth tactics, and founder stories.

Stephen Turban was two semesters into his Harvard PhD when he got called into a Zoom room and confronted with his own face on the Lumiere website. The ultimatum was simple: PhD or startup. He chose the company. Four years later, Lumiere is 100 people strong and doing eight figures. We talk about using a startup as an exit strategy from academia, the hidden cost of scattered focus, content tactics that actually work, and why creating belonging matters more than preserving optionality.For: founders, operators, aspiring entrepreneurs, content creators, anyone building globallyCHAPTERS0:00 - Intro1:10 - Derailing his PhD for Lumiere5:00 - Research to Startup Mindset6:30 - Focusing on a Niche9:00 - Ageism, new kid on the block11:15 - Why not raise money13:20 - My Biggest Mistake: The Assistant Company18:00 - Building a Controversial Public Persona20:59 - Moving to a New Country25:50 - Online vs Real Life PersonaFOLLOW UShttps://www.instagram.com/foundersinmotionhttps://www.tiktok.com/@foundersinmotion https://www.linkedin.com/in/theango/ABOUT FOUNDERS IN MOTIONFounders In Motion brings you honest, tactical conversations with early-stage founders building companies from the ground up. Hosted by Thea Ngo, the show goes beyond the headlines to reveal the real decisions, trade-offs, and mechanics behind building startups. Past guests include founders from YC-backed companies, edtech leaders, SaaS operators, and global entrepreneurs.Subscribe for the insider playbook on building companies, growth tactics, and founder stories

If I covered your name on your resume, could it belong to 5,000 other people? If yes, you're playing a losing game.In this episode:→ Why you're not getting callbacks: You're indistinguishable, not unqualified→ What signaling actually is: Proving you're already doing the job (just not for them yet)→ The Signal Equation: Specific + Relevant + Public (miss one = invisible)→ The 48-hour challenge: How to build receipts this weekendBest for: Early-career professionals, recent grads, career pivoters who are tired of hearing silence after applications

Jevon dropped out of high school to become a pro surfer, then built Nike's Hurley brand in South Africa, ran PE Nation and Surf Stitch, and now he's building Keeyu, an AI platform that stops ecom complaints before customers even notice problems. This episode covers his pivot from selling a "vitamin" to a "painkiller," why distribution beats product-first, and the customer who said she "wouldn't come to work" without Keeyu. Perfect for ecom founders, ops leaders, and anyone building in AI

Mass applying, tweaking resumes, and waiting for callbacks doesn’t work anymore and it’s not because you’re bad at job hunting.In this episode, we break down what actually changed in the job market and the 4-step framework that works in 2026: positioning, proof, distribution, and conversion.Anything I can be helpful with, leave a comment!This is Episode 1 of The 2026 Job Playbook, a mini series on how people actually get hired today

How do you turn a lockdown side project into a cult food brand?In this episode of Founders in Motion, Ethan Yong, founder of Umami Papi, shares the real story behind building one of Australia’s most talked-about chilli oils. We dive into the origin of the name “Flavor Daddy,” early product experiments, breaking into retail, and what it actually takes to stand out in a crowded food and CPG market.This conversation covers branding, distribution, manufacturing realities, and the mistakes Ethan learned from along the way.Perfect for founders, marketers, brand builders, and anyone curious about consumer startups and food brands.

Andy Miller didn’t just start a beer company, he helped spark a cultural shift. In this episode, he shares how Heaps Normal grew from a lockdown experiment into a $50M non-alcoholic beer brand loved across Australia. We unpack building a product for the “sober curious,” turning pandemic challenges into momentum, landing the first 200 customers, designing a category-defining brand, scaling a premium CPG business, and becoming a B Corp from day one.Perfect for founders, brand builders, CPG operators, marketers, and anyone curious about the mindful drinking movement.

Most AI dev tools can write code but they fall apart in production.In this episode, the founders of VibeFlow (YC S24) explain why they bet their entire company on fixing that exact problem. We break down the real bottleneck in AI development (maintainability), how they built a platform that’s ready for real-world use, and how they gained 6,000 users in their first three weeks.Perfect for engineers, product builders, technical founders, or anyone trying to ship faster in the AI era.

StrongRoom AI was once hailed as a healthtech rising star then came the collapse. Joe Zhou stepped in to buy the company out of administration and rebuild from chaos. We dive into the lawsuits, leadership shifts, and the hard lessons behind bringing a broken startup back to life.A must-listen for healthtech founders, investors, and anyone curious about startup resilience.

What if AI could take over the most painful parts of fraud detection?In this episode, Satya Tumati, co-founder and CTO of Socratix AI, shares how he went from tuning cars with code to building AI coworkers that automate fraud analysis for banks and fintechs.We unpack the early MVP that landed his first customers, how they got into Y Combinator with nothing, and why confidence isn’t required to start up.Perfect for: founders, engineers, and anyone curious about how AI is quietly transforming the financial crime industry.

Hamish McKay built a Shopify app for MrBeast and turned it into one of Shopify’s fastest-growing startups. In this episode, he shares the scrappy early days, his 3 pillars to hit $1M ARR FAST, and building in public on LinkedIn.Perfect for founders, personal brand builders and just anyone obsessed with e-commerce growth and startup building.

Jason Ma turned down offers from Google and Meta to build Dyna Robotics, a $600M startup making AI robots that actually work. We cover the 800-napkin breakthrough, taking robots from lab demos to laundromats, and what it means to power the physical economy. Perfect for founders, operators, and anyone curious about applied AI beyond the hypeIf you want a live demo, check out the full episode on youtube

Making friends as an adult is tough and Sam built Butter to change that. With over 10,000 young adults already using, Butter makes it easy to find new friends through dinners, coffees, runs, and real-world social plans. In this episode, Sam shares her founder story: why existing friend-making apps don’t work, how she shipped fast to build community, and Butter’s bold vision to solve modern loneliness. Perfect for founders, product builders, and anyone curious about adult friendships.

Ever wonder how a late-night party idea can become a startup that sells out in 48 hours? That’s exactly what happened with Sip Hrd, the Asian-inspired alcohol brand whose lychee vodka seltzer vanished after its first 150 cases.In this episode, Phung, Daniel and Hanson share how they built from scratch: recipe testing, dodging alcohol regulations, branding and packaging hurdles, and creative go-to-market strategies.Perfect for founders building physical products, marketers tackling regulated industries, or anyone curious about turning a wild idea into a fast-selling startup.

They got into Y Combinator with an idea that the partners disliked?In this episode, the Affil founders share what really happens inside YC, the surprising power of doing things that don’t scale, and how they’re solving compliance pain points in financial affiliate marketing with AI.Perfect for early-stage founders, builders in regulated industries, and anyone wondering if their startup idea sucks

We accidentally started a podcast and now we can’t stop. In this behind-the-scenes episode, we reflect on how a random shower thought turned into a real startup media brand. From perfectionism to metrics obsession, quitting fantasies to growing ambitions, we unpack the chaos of building something from scratch while trying to stay sane. If you're curious how media gets made, this one's for you.

He brought cutting-edge AI from Stanford to Vietnam — and flopped. But after just 3 months of rebuilding, he's now leading one of Vietnam’s most exciting edtechs, with 40,000 users and entering 23,000 schools. In this episode, we dive into how he redesigned the product around students' real stressors and learned to ship unpolished versions without shame. We also chat founder psychology, what it takes to bounce back, and why education innovation must center local context.🎯 Perfect for early-stage founders, edtech builders, and anyone recovering from a messy launch.

Floriye Elmazi, co-founder of Sisterwould, didn’t mean to start a haircare brand - she just wanted to help her dad’s skin. Fast forward: she’s stocked in Revolve and Chemist Warehouse, with celeb fans like Lindsay Lohan and Dua Lipa. In this episode, Flo shares how she bootstrapped a business as a single mom, landed retail deals, and built a community-first brand centered on inclusion and purpose - before launchTopics: Celebrity marketing, inclusive product design, bootstrapped beauty brands, CPG manufacturing, community-led growth, accessible packaging, and retail expansionPerfect for: Beauty founders, DTC builders, brand marketers, and anyone starting with nothing but conviction

Brian Pham, founder of LiteCard, is betting big on your Apple Wallet. In this episode, he shares how he turned a niche idea into a global platform by ditching loyalty apps and using what’s already in your pocket. We dive into his agency-first GTM strategy, global expansion lessons, and how AI is transforming how brands engage customers.Topics: Digital marketing transformation, mobile wallet strategy, global scaling, agency partnerships, and rapid-fire founder insights.Perfect for entrepreneurs, marketers, and retail executives.

Robert Huynh built Nook, a blue-collar job marketplace in Vietnam, through Y Combinator. He hit 50,000 users, raised at a $20M valuation, then watched it all crumble. This is his brutally honest post-mortem.In this raw conversation, Robert reveals:The growth hack that got 50K users FASTWhy a $20M valuation couldn't fix broken unit economicsThe cultural blindspots that killed the businessHow to tell your team you're shutting downHis mental health struggles during the crisisWhy co-founder selection makes or breaks everythingHis comeback story with Reforged LabsThis isn't another success story. It's the unfiltered truth about startup failure, the hidden costs of building in unfamiliar markets, and what it really takes to bounce back.Perfect for entrepreneurs, startup employees, or anyone curious about what happens when the Silicon Valley dream meets harsh reality.Guest: Robert Huynh - Harvard MBA, 2x Y Combinator alum, Co-Founder of Nook (acquired users but failed) and Reforged Labs (AI marketing agents)

Ben Wood, co-founder of Waste in Progress, joins us to talk about how a random old tent sparked a design business built on upcycling, sustainability, and community partnerships. In this episode, we explore how creative founders can scale impact, balance craft with cash flow, and turn circular design into a viable business model—without burning out. Whether you're building a mission-led brand or bootstrapping a product business, this one’s for you⏱️ Chapters:00:00 - Introduction to WipWrk and Textile Upcycling01:25 - Backstory: How WipWrk Was Born02:51 - First Product: Chalk Bags for Rock Climbers04:33 - Partnership with Off Track and the Second Life Project06:36 - From Prototype to Commercial Business09:04 - Two Pillars of the Business: Consumer & Commercial10:41 - Biggest Challenge: Maintaining Mental Balance12:29 - Creative vs Business: Working with a Partner14:44 - Why Technical Textiles Are Hard to Recycle16:55 - Advice for Creative Entrepreneurs18:49 - Balancing Creative Vision with Business Needs20:44 - Quick Fire Questions23:34 - Preventing Burnout as a Founder24:34 - Ben's Question for the Next Founder25:32 - Closing Thoughts💡 If you enjoyed this episode, follow Founders in Motion and leave us a rating — it really helps us reach more future founders like you.

How do you build a fintech startup in Vietnam—where regulation is murky and trust in new financial products is low? In this episode of Founders in Motion, we sit down with Nhi Nguyen, CEO of MaiMoney, to talk about her journey from personal frustration to building a platform that now manages over $2M in investments and serves thousands of everyday users.If you're into emerging markets, fintech innovation, or female founder stories, this one’s for you.⏱️ Chapters:00:00 – Intro & Why Banks Aren’t Enough01:00 – How Vietnamese People Invest Today02:00 – Vietnam vs. Australia: Key Market Differences05:00 – The Real Gap in Vietnam’s Financial System06:00 – Financial Literacy & Retail Investing09:00 – MaiMoney’s Flagship Products: MaiCash & MaiGreen12:00 – Why Financial Literacy Matters14:00 – Nhi’s Personal Story & Founding Inspiration19:00 – How Nhi Secured Major Fund Partnerships21:00 – Challenges Building a Fintech Startup in Vietnam23:00 – What’s Next for MaiMoney in 202526:00 – Outro & Final Reflections💡 If you enjoyed this episode, follow Founders in Motion and leave us a rating — it really helps us reach more future founders like you.

Quit your job to start food brand? Build in public? Grow 10k followers in months? That’s exactly what Kiki and Elan did. These Stanford besties left private equity and big tech to launch Beny Yogurt. From co-founder dynamics to pop-up strategies and shelf-life nightmares, this convo is startup gold (and a whole lot of fun).💡 If you enjoyed this episode, follow Founders in Motion and leave us a rating — it really helps us reach more future founders like you.

In this episode, Nate Spiteri, co-founder of Shopfront, shares his experience raising $800K for an AI-powered secondhand fashion tool — including what it’s like to pitch 1,000 investors and close a round over Christmas (while getting engaged). We talk founder resilience, the power of accelerators like Antler, and the future of sustainable resale. If you're fundraising or building in ecomm, this one’s for you.💡 If you enjoyed this episode, follow Founders in Motion and leave us a rating — it really helps us reach more future founders like you.

In this episode of Founders in Motion, we dive into the startup journey of Selina Li, founder of Gymii.ai, an AI-powered nutrition tracking platform revolutionizing the way we log food. As a former pro golfer turned AI founder, Selina shares how she built her MVP in just 2 months, the power of open-source LLMs in software development, and the real struggles of bootstrapping a tech startup.Whether you’re an early-stage founder, an aspiring entrepreneur, or an avid listener of startup journeys, this episode is packed with insights on AI, building in in the consumer space, and finding the right co-founder.⏱️ Chapters:00:00 Intro 00:31 Overview of gymii.ai 02:40 Motivation behind gymii.ai 04:48 Making nutrition logging social 08:52 The impact of AI in health & wellness 12:24 Transition from non-tech to coder 16:36 Startup funding journey 22:55 Solo entrepreneurship vs co-founding 26:46 Tips for finding the right co-founder 30:55 Launching gymii 32:57 Marketing strategies for startups 34:49 Outro💡 If you enjoyed this episode, follow Founders in Motion and leave us a rating — it really helps us reach more future founders like you.

Abby Huang, founder of Dime Inc., joins Founders In Motion for her first-ever podcast appearance. Dime is a marketing agency that has helped brands like Casetify, Lulu’s, ByteDance, and more connect with Gen Z consumers. Abby shares insights on Xiaohongshu, social media trends, landing her first big brand deal, and iterating on Dime’s products💡 If you enjoyed this episode, follow Founders in Motion and leave us a rating — it really helps us reach more future founders like you.