Taking Inventory

Snap Mafia Edition: Garrett Rothstein, founder of Queue, the modern day TV guide, on partnering with Zillow’s founder and getting on Chamath's radar

This episode is brought to you by Market. Use AI to chat directly with your marketing and sales channels to get the answers you need to grow your business. Sign-up for Market at https://www.withmarket.ai/. 
———
Garrett Rothstein is the founder and CEO of Queue, an app that helps user keep track of all the content across streaming services and queue movies and shows to watch. Hear Garrett’s story going from Snap to Quibi, and then having the idea for Queue and linking up with famed founder and investor Spencer Rascoff. Garrett tells us the story of starting Queue, going from zero to growth, and where the company is today.
Download Queue on Apple and Android
———
Connect with James and Daniel!
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
If you like Taking Inventory, do us a favor and give us a 5-star rating and review. It’s the best way to help support us. And subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/ and follow Taking Inventory on LinkedIn and Twitter!

Selling Undertone, setting up a family office, and reinventing retail ads with M3’s Michael Cassidy

If you like Taking Inventory, do us a favor and give us a 5-star rating or review. It’s the best way to help support the podcast. 
———
Michael Cassidy is an entrepreneur who has started and exited multiple companies, including founding and serving as Undertone CEO for 14 years (acquired by Perion). Hear his journey from the early 2000’s of tech (the wild west!), to exiting, then creating a family office (August Spark) to make direct investments, including purchasing BVA, the largest Shopify Plus agency in the US (acquired by Accenture). Michael talks about his 3rd act, M3 (Make Merchants Money), where he’s helping retailers unlock new revenue streams while creating impactful opportunities for brands to reach audiences when they're most open to new ideas.
 
Visit M3: https://www.m-three.co/
 
———
Connect with James and Daniel!
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/ and follow Taking Inventory on LinkedIn and Twitter!

AI & Big Tech w/ Big Technology’s Alex Kantrowitz

If you like Taking Inventory, do us a favor and give us a 5-star rating or review. It’s the best way to help support the podcast. 
———
Alex Kantrowitz is an independent journalist that started Big Technology, which has more than 150K newsletter subscribers and is a top 10 tech podcast with more than 1M annual downloads. He jumped on the Taking Inventory podcast to discuss all things AI, from how fast everything is moving, the startup vs. big tech battle, changing corporate culture across tech, the move to self-driving, and more.
 
Big Technology Newsletter: https://www.bigtechnology.com/
Big Technology Podcast: https://pod.link/1522960417/
———
Connect with James and Daniel!
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/ and follow Taking Inventory on LinkedIn and Twitter!

The WTF is Roblox and how brands play in the metaverse episode w/ F84’s Geoffrey Reed

If you like Taking Inventory, do us a favor and give us a 5-star rating or review. It’s the best way to help support the podcast. 
———
Geoffrey Reed is the COO of Floor 84, a digital game and experience studio that that works with brands like the NBA, Disney, Mattel, Lego, and more. Geoff has a stacked background as a lawyer, McKinsey consultant, strategy at Mattel, strategy at Snap, and now COO. He helps us understand what's happening on Roblox, how brands are getting involved, and the future of new digital experiences like Roblox, Fortnite, and others. 
 
Floor 84: https://floor84studio.com/
F84's Roblox NBA Avatar Catalog: https://www.roblox.com/games/15515610365/EARN-FREE-UGC-NBA-Avatar-Catalog
———
Connect with James and Daniel!
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/ and follow Taking Inventory on LinkedIn and Twitter!

Sunil Rayan, CBO of Moloco and former President of Disney+ Hotstar, on growing to 50M+ subscriber, the convergence of media & digital, and why it all comes down to LTV

If you like Taking Inventory, do us a favor and give us a 5-star rating or review. It’s the best way to help support the podcast. 
———
Sunil Rayan is the Chief Business Officer at Moloco, one of the leading mobile DSPs for many years and more recently a leading Retail Media platform and CTV platform. Sunil's background is uniquely fit for Moloco having served as President and Head of Disney+ Hotstar, leadership roles at Google across cloud and mobile app ads, and at McKinsey where he helped dozens of technology companies. Our conversation touches on Sunil's path from consulting, to digital, to media, and now ML serving all of those industries. He also discusses the trends in retail media and CTV, why performance advertisers are slow to adopt the open web, and how ML will help in a cookieless future. 
———
Connect with James and Daniel!
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/ and follow Taking Inventory on LinkedIn and Twitter!

Alex Collmer, the co-founder of VidMob (and Def Jam Rapstar!) talks creative in an AI world and how marketers can adapt

If you like Taking Inventory, do us a favor and give us a 5-star rating or review. It’s the best way to help support the podcast. 
———
Alex Collmer is co-founder and CEO of VidMob, the leading AI creative performance platform for marketers. The company has raised over $200M to date from investors like Adobe, Shutterstock, Shamrock Capital, DraftKings, and others. Listen to our conversation with Alex as he shares how the company has pushed the creative bar forward using creative intelligence, the role of AI and how it will transform the creative environment, and he talks about the need for businesses to give back, which is what they've done with VidMob Gives where a portion of every dollar Vidmob receives is used to fund pro bono creative services for non-profits.
 
Check out VidMob: https://www.vidmob.com/
Vidmob Gives: https://www.vidmob.com/vidmob-gives 
———
Connect with James and Daniel!
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/ and follow Taking Inventory on LinkedIn and Twitter!

Snap Mafia Edition: Ellis Hamburger, founder of Meaning, storyteller at The Browser Co, and the voice of Snap for 7 years

This episode is brought to you by Market. Use AI to chat directly with your marketing and sales channels to get the answers you need to grow your business. Sign-up for Market at https://www.withmarket.ai/. 
———
Ellis was Snapchat’s first writer, building and refining the brand voice and executing it across all channels — from marketing campaigns to press pitches, UX writing, sales narratives, product packaging, and even the receipts from the Spectacles vending machine. Ellis wrote Snapchat’s first TV commercial, and concepted its first global brand campaign, Real friends, solidifying Snapchat’s value proposition to consumers.
Ellis was previously at The Verge and Insider where he wrote about the brightest products of the time, like Mailbox, Path, Paper by FiftyThree, VSCO, Tumblr, Foursquare, and more.
Since Snap he has worked at The Browser Company and is now bringing his experience across marketing, comms, and design to his newly founded Meaning Company where he is helping founders craft holistic product storytelling that moves culture and drives impact.
 
Check out what Ellis is building with Meaning and how he’s helping founders they’ll their story.
———
Connect with James and Daniel!
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
If you like Taking Inventory, do us a favor and give us a 5-star rating and review. It’s the best way to help support us. And subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/ and follow Taking Inventory on LinkedIn and Twitter!

Spotify’s Per Sandell on the business of audio, building a $2B+ ads business, and embracing the hedged garden model

If you like Taking Inventory, do us a favor and give us a 5-star rating and review. It’s the best way to help support
———
Per Sandell is the VP of Product Management at Spotify, which generated $14B+ of revenue last year. He’s leading the development and growth of its ads business. Per has a history of building performant ads systems, having helped build Snap’s ads API, self-service ad tools, and auction which has grown to $5B of annual revenue. Per discusses how Spotify manages its subscription and ads businesses together, why audio is such a powerful tool for brands, and the key innovations happening that will accelerate the growth of audio.
———
Connect with James and Daniel!
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/ and follow Taking Inventory on LinkedIn and Twitter!

Eric Seufert returns to discuss the state of the digital economy

This episode is brought to you by Market. Use AI to chat directly with your marketing and sales channels to get the answers you need to grow your business. Sign-up for Market at https://www.withmarket.ai/. 
———
Eric rejoins the podcast to discus the state of the digital economy. He covers why walled gardens are winning, the existential threats to open web, EU's battle against big tech, TikTok banning in the US, and much more. Eric is a media strategist, quantitative marketer, and author who has spent his career working for transformative consumer technology and media companies. Eric  runs Mobile Dev Memo, a mobile advertising and freemium monetization trade blog, and QuantMar, a knowledge-sharing platform for quantitative marketers. Eric has been featured and quoted in The Information, Business Insider, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and more.
 
Subscriber to MDM Pro: https://mobiledevmemo.com/subscribe/ 
———
Connect with James and Daniel!
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
If you like Taking Inventory, do us a favor and give us a 5-star rating and review. It’s the best way to help support us. And subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/ and follow Taking Inventory on LinkedIn and Twitter!

The Checkmate founders on hustling their way to the top of the App Store, how Gen Z thinks, and what the future of retail looks like

If you like Taking Inventory, do us a favor and give us a 5-star rating and review. It’s the best way to help support
———
Harry Dixon and Rory Garton-Smith are co-founders (2 of 3) of Checkmate, the app that unlocks savings at over 50,000 online stores. During our conversation Harry and Rory share what they saw happening in retail that gave them the realization that online shopping is broken. They also tell us how they grew to over 1M+ users with no paid media, how Gen Z shops vs. everyone else, the fragmented brand market and so much more.
———
Connect with James and Daniel!
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/ and follow Taking Inventory on LinkedIn and Twitter!

Meta Reality Labs’ VP of Marketing, Shachar Scott, on how Meta is building the future in front of our eyes and redefining AR & VR

If you like Taking Inventory, do us a favor and give us a 5-star rating and review. It’s the best way to help support
———
Shachar Scott is the VP of Marketing at Meta Reality Labs. She’s led marketing for some of the most transformative businesses in tech including at Apple, Snap, Bumble, and now Meta. Listen to our conversation with Shachar as she discusses augmented and mixed reality, the importance of strong leadership, marketing a brand new industry category, and the importance of mentorship.
———
 
Connect with James and Daniel!
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/ and follow Taking Inventory on LinkedIn and Twitter!

The Bitcoin Episode w/ @dotkrueger: why it’s up and why he thinks it’s going to change the world

James and Daniel sit down with Fred Krueger, renowned Bitcoin analyst and someone who has years of experience in tech and on wall street, to chat about the recent surge in the price of Bitcoin. Fred explains why he's so bullish on the Bitcoin, examples in history of what we're witnessing, and what the future holds. 
Follow Fred on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dotkrueger
 
Connect with James and Daniel!
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/ and follow Taking Inventory on LinkedIn and Twitter!

Snap Mafia Edition: Dante DiCicco, founder of Zitti AI, and Snap user #10

In this new series we talk to founders that are part of the growing "Snap Mafia", former Snap employees that turned in their corporate badges to become entrepreneurs. These are the inside stories of working at Snap, their journey to become founders, and the companies that they're building to disrupt industries.
 
Connect with James and Daniel!
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/ and follow Taking Inventory on LinkedIn and Twitter!

46: The future of digital privacy with former Google & Meta executive and privacy expert, Rob Leathern

If you like Taking Inventory, do us a favor and give us a 5-star rating and review. It’s the best way to help support
———
Rob Leathern is a respected data and privacy expert. He was most recently at Google as the VP of Product Management leading privacy and security product teams. Prior to that he led the Business Integrity product team at Facebook. He recently founded Trust2ai where he is CEO. Rob sits down with James and Daniel to talk about the evolution of digital data and privacy, the role of AI in privacy, and what he thinks consumer should understand.
———
Connect with James and Daniel!
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/ and follow Taking Inventory on LinkedIn and Twitter!

45: Nick Bell, CEO of Fanatics Live, on Rupert Murdoch, building Snap, leading Google Search, and why the future of media is all about the attention economy

If you like Taking Inventory, do us a favor and give us a 5-star rating and review. It’s the best way to help support
———
Nick Bell, CEO of Fanatics Live, has made a career out of understanding and tapping into the ‘Attention Economy’. He transformed News Corp’s digital media business, changed how people watch content by launching new media at Snap, and led product for the world’s most visited site in Google Search. He’s doing it one more time at Fanatics Live, where he’s bringing social commerce, sports, and media together. Nick explains why the Attention Economy is everything for media businesses, how media has evolved, and what he’s learned at some of the most influential companies in the world.
———
Connect with James and Daniel!
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/ and follow Taking Inventory on LinkedIn and Twitter!

44: Building an ads business around faith with Pray.com's Steve Gatena

If you like Taking Inventory, do us a favor and give us a 5-star rating and review. It’s the best way to help support us!
———
Steve Gatena and his co-founders have built Pray.com into one of the biggest platforms for and prayer and the #1 App for Daily Prayer and Bedtime Bible Stories. They’re now expanding on their mission through the use of ads – a unique experience that pairs religion with advertising. Steve opens up about why he started Pray.com, challenges as they’ve grown (surprisingly similar to mobile apps of all categories), and why ads if done right are a natural fit for religious content and communities. 
Website and app: https://www.pray.com/
Visit Beyond The Brotherhood to support Navy Seals as they transition into the private sector.
———
Connect with James and Daniel!
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/ and follow Taking Inventory on LinkedIn and Twitter!

43: Inside Amazon’s $50B ads biz w/ Adam Epstein

If you like Taking Inventory, do us a favor and give us a 5-star rating and review. It’s the best way to help support us!
———
Amazon had another blowout quarter (Q4) reporting $14.7M of ad revenue and exceeding every analysts’ expectations. Despite being one of the fastest growing ads businesses, it’s still one of the most misunderstood. We brought in Adam Epstein, former President of Perpetua, one of Amazon’s biggest ads partners to explain the inner workings of one of the biggest ads businesses in the world.
 
———
Connect with James and Daniel!
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/ and follow Taking Inventory on LinkedIn and Twitter!

42: Morning Brew’s 2nd employee and Beehiiv CEO dives into the BIG business of newsletters, the truth about building in public, and some surprising data on the power of newsletters

Rate and subscribe to Taking Inventory wherever you listen to the podcast and don’t forget to subscribe to the newsletter.
———
This week on Taking Inventory we were joined by Tyler Denk, CEO and Co-founder of Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth. Tyler helped build many of the early growth tools and strategies at Morning Brew and is now making those available to all creators through Beehiiv. He shares his story of starting the company while at Google, the long-term vision to build an email ad network, and how building in public has helped accelerate innovation at the company. 
Find Tyler on Twitter @denk_tweets and subscribe to his newsletter Big Desk Energy at https://mail.bigdeskenergy.com/.
———
Connect with James and Daniel!
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/ and follow Taking Inventory on LinkedIn and Twitter!

41: Alex Heath, Deputy Editor for The Verge, on interviewing the biggest names in tech, debating the AI wars, what sets the best leaders apart, and more

Don’t forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen – we appreciate all of your support!
———
This week on Taking Inventory we welcome renowned tech reported, Alex Heath. Alex shares his path from iPhone blogging as a 15-year old to interviewing the most powerful names in tech. He talks about what it’s like to cover leaders like Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, and Elon Musk and what all of us have in common. Alex, James, and Daniel debate the future of Snap, what to expect in AI, and so much more.
Alex is a deputy editor for The Verge and the author of Command Line, a weekly newsletter about the tech industry’s inside conversation. Heath has been covering the technology industry for more than a decade in previous roles at The Information, Insider, and other outlets. His work has been cited by Congress and recognized by the Society of American Business Editors and Writers. He has appeared as an expert voice on The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, NPR, among other programs.
 
 
Read Alex’s latest interview with Mark Zuckerberg on Meta’s AI reorg and Google internal memo on their 2024 company goals
Command Line: https://www.theverge.com/command-line-newsletter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexeheath
———
Connect with James and Daniel!
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/ and follow Taking Inventory on LinkedIn and Twitter!

40: CES takeaways & how Shipt went from same-day delivery to building a massive retail media network, and what RMNs can learn from Meta

In this week's episode we cover our highlights from CES and we interview Katie Stratton, the first-ever Chief Growth Officer of retail technology company, Shipt. She discusses her journey from Meta to Shipt and how Shipt's unique consumer services feeds into their media solution for advertisers. Katie shares insights into Shipt’s evolution of retail media platforms, discusses how the customer journey guides their retail curation strategy, and why they prioritize quality partnerships over quantity. The conversation also covers the topic of transparency in retail media networks and the future of last-mile delivery. Tune in to learn more about Shipt’s innovative approach to retail technology and the future of retail media networks.
 
—
Where to find James and Daniel:
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
—
Don't miss an episode of Taking Inventory. Make sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/

39: Breaking down the biggest media company you’ve never heard of, the new age of growth marketing, and all things Mansion Group with John Sutton

John Sutton is the Co-Founder of Mansion Group, a PropTech meets FinTech company focused on building the next great hospitality brand. Prior to founding Mansion Group, John spent 12 years with Red Ventures most recently as President and Chief Digital Officer. Red Ventures is likely the biggest media company that most people have never heard of, but they tout brands such as BankRate, The Points Guy, Healthline, Lonely Planet, CNET and many more. John is also an active investor and advisor, working with companies like Open Door, ZPG, and Venture and Private Equity investors. 
—
Where to find James and Daniel:
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
—
Don't miss an episode of Taking Inventory. Make sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/

38: Looking back at 2023 with guest highlights and industry changes, and predictions for 2024

Thank you to all the listeners that joined Taking Inventory this past year. We could not do this without your support and we’re more excited than ever about what’s still to come. Wishing you a wonderful 2024!
 
This week James and Daniel take a look at the past year, including launching Taking Inventory, publishing 37 episodes, hosting many incredible guests, announcements that changed the industry, launching Market, and much more. The guys also make their predictions for 2024 and share what they’re most excited about.
—
Where to find James and Daniel:
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
—
Don't miss an episode of Taking Inventory. Make sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/

EP: 37 A Taking Inventory Classic: Eric Seufert on the future of ads, ecom, the walled gardens, and more

Eric is a media strategist, quantitative marketer, and author who has spent his career working for transformative consumer technology and media companies. Eric founded Agamemnon, a start-up that built a mobile marketing analytics platform, which was acquired in 2017. Following the acquisition Eric launched Heracles Capital, an early-stage venture capital fund focused on the mobile ecosystem. Eric also runs Mobile Dev Memo, a mobile advertising and freemium monetization trade blog, and QuantMar, a knowledge-sharing platform for quantitative marketers. Eric has been featured and quoted in The Information, Business Insider, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and more.
 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/eric_seufert
MobileDevMemo: https://mobiledevmemo.com/
 
Links:
The profound, unintended consequence of ATT: content fortresses
Eric’s Book Freemium Economics: https://www.amazon.com/Freemium-Economics-Leveraging-Analytics-Segmentation/dp/0124166903
Theseus Growth, open-source cohort analysis and general marketing performance analysis: https://github.com/ESeufert/theseus_growth

36: How investment banks evaluate tech companies, a bull market for ads, and 2024 market outlook with ROTH MKM’s Rohit Kulkarni

In this episode of the Taking Inventory Podcast, Rohit Kulkarni, Managing Director at ROTH MKM, an investment bank, explains the process and game theory involved in evaluating public tech companies. He breaks down everything that goes into good analysis from financial models, buyer and supplier interviews, and even “battle testing” tech. We cover all of that and much more in this week’s episode. And make sure to listen as James finally gets his answer for why The Trade Desk is worth so much; his take may surprise you.
 
–––––––––––––––––––––––
Where to find Rohit
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohitkulkarnilnkd
Learn more about ROTH MKM: https://www.roth.com/
Where to find James and Daniel:
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
—
Don't miss an episode of Taking Inventory. Make sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/

35 - James Borow & Daniel Druger, get interviewed on the Marketecture podcast

In this special episode of 'Taking Inventory', Daniel Druger and James Borow are interviewed by the hosts of the Marketecture podcast. They talk about their ad tech startup, Market, their vision for an AI-driven future of marketing, and share their insights on topics from social commerce to retail media. Additionally, they discuss the inception of the 'Taking Inventory' podcast, the role of personality in business branding, and updates on recent developments in the advertising tech space. The discussion also covers potential strategies suggested for Twitter/X amid recent leadership changes, and a review of Google's new AI model, Gemini. This episode offers a deep dive into the ever-evolving world of marketing technology.
—
Where to find Marketecture:
Website: https://www.marketecture.tv/
Where to find James and Daniel:
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
—
Don't miss an episode of Taking Inventory. Make sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/

34: Building a business with TikTok and the power of UGC with Sapphire Studio’s Anish Dalal

In this episode of the Taking Inventory Podcast, Anish Dalal, CEO and Co-founder of Sapphire Studios, a performance content marketing agency, reveals the surprising power of user-generated content (UGC), especially on platforms like TikTok. Anish discusses Sapphire's strategy behind scripting successful UGC for clients, their innovative work using AI for scripting, the future of the creative space, and the pitfalls brands often encounter. He also reflects on his journey as an entrepreneur, from app development to performance creative. We touch on a bunch of themes including AI assistance for e-commerce marketing, the impact of UGC on social media marketing, and the growth journey of TikTok.
 
–––––––––––––––––––––––
Where to find Anish Dalal:
Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/anish-dalal-1b503472/
Where to find James and Daniel:
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
—
Don't miss an episode of Taking Inventory. Make sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/

33: Ali Manning, Co-Founder of Chalice, on the future of AI and advertising across the open web

In this episode of Taking Inventory Podcast, we sit down with Ali Manning, co-founder and COO of the Chalice Custom Algorithms. Ali shares her insights about the power of AI in e-commerce and how custom algorithms empower brands to make more informed, real-time advertising decisions. She discusses the concept of data as a competitive advantage and the significant impact of AI on ad agencies. Also, explore how Chalice is integrating with open web platforms and third-party data providers to deliver predictive capabilities. Tune in to discover the future of AI in the advertising industry!
 
–––––––––––––––––––––––
Where to find Ali Manning:
Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimanning/
Where to find James and Daniel:
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
—
Don't miss an episode of Taking Inventory. Make sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/

32: James Avery & Andrew Covato on $AMZN playing nice w $SHOP/$META/$SNAP, where $TTD goes next, and how ad platforms are ignoring the measurement realities of 2023.

Andrew Covato (Former Snap & Netflix Exec) and James Avery (CEO of Kevel) join for a special episode to talk all things retail media and measurement. Key topics include $AMZN playing nice with $SHOP/$META/$SNAP, where $TTD goes next, and how most ad platforms are ignoring the measurement realities of 2023. 
 
–––––––––––––––––––––––
Where to find Andrew Covato:
Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcovato
Where to find James Avery:
Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/averyj/
—
Where to find James and Daniel:
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
—
Don't miss an episode of Taking Inventory. Make sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/

31 Ray Ghanbari, the CTO of Index Exchange, talks building for massive scale and how ad tech, fintech and healthcare tech are more similar than you would think.

In this episode of the Taking Inventory, we welcome Ray Ghanbari, the CTO of Index Exchange. As an experienced technologist with a deep understanding of analytics and data-driven value creation, Ray shares his insights into the changing landscape of AdTech. The discussion covers topics including the role of AI in e-commerce marketing, the importance of transparency and efficiency in the AdTech ecosystem, the challenges of managing Internet-scale transactions, combating ad fraud, and the future of the industry. Ray draws on his varied experiences with companies like Solera Holdings, FICO, Yahoo, and many more to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state and future of AdTech.
–––––––––––––––––––––––
Where to find Ray Ghanbari:
Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/rghanbari/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IndexExchange/status/1488538452979240973
—
Where to find James and Daniel:
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
—
Don't miss an episode of Taking Inventory. Make sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/

30: Steven Rosenblatt on going from operator to VC, transforming Foursquare, and launching iAd during the Steve Jobs era

This week, we spoke with Steven Rosenblatt, Co-Founder of Oceans Ventures. As an operator, he launched the iAd platform for Apple under Steve Jobs' leadership. Subsequently, he served as the President of Foursquare, where he spearheaded the company's transformation into a location data powerhouse. Steven shared his thoughts on the transition from ad industry leadership to professional investing and discussed his strategies for collaborating with founders as an operator-turned-investor.
–––––––––––––––––––––––
Where to find Steven Rosenblatt:
Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenrosenblatt/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevenjr76
—
Where to find James and Daniel:
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
—
Don't miss an episode of Taking Inventory. Make sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/

29 - Ali Kashani on why self-driving delivery robots and advertising are going to lower the cost of commerce

This week we talk with Ali Kashani, Co-Founder & CEO of Serve Robotics about the startup's journey from Postmates' special projects team to its acquisition by Uber, and spin-out, and how advertising is a key driver to lowering the costs of commerce.
 
–––––––––––––––––––––––
Where to find Ali Kashani:
Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/alikashani/
—
Where to find James and Daniel:
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
—
Don't miss an episode of Taking Inventory. Make sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/

28: Jessica Yellin tells us why people are turning to news influencers and away from cable news, how political ads really work, and what to expect this election cycle

EPISODE NOTE: This episode was recorded prior to the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and the start of the Israel and Hamas war.
 
This week's guest: Jessica Yellin
Jessica Yellin is the founder of News Not Noise, which brings news to people in new and engaging ways. She breaks down complicated issues, interviews experts, and answers questions with facts and context, all from the phone. Prior to that, Yellin was the Chief White House Correspondent for CNN where she interviewed President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, First Lady Michelle Obama, among others. Jessica is a Peabody, Gracie and Emmy award-winning political journalist and also the author of Savage News, which was published in 2019.
–––––––––––––––––––––––
Where to find Jessica:
Instagram (Jessica also reports directly from this account): https://www.instagram.com/jessicayellin/
X: https://twitter.com/jessicayellin 
News Not Noise: https://newsnotnoise.com/  
—
Where to find James and Daniel:
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
—
Don't miss an episode of Taking Inventory. Make sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/

27: Oren Schauble on the power shift in the creator economy, creating brand content, building brands the right way, and more

This week's guest: Oren Schauble
Oren Schauble is a designer, content creator and entrepreneur. He was most recently the President of public CPG company, Unrivaled Brands. Prior to that, he worked as a product development and marketing executive specializing in regulated and luxury products. Today, Oren runs marketing at consumer electronics company Gel Blaster, writes a newsletter including Product People and Hyper, and he also creates content on Instagram and TikTok breaking down consumer and brand trends.
 
–––––––––––––––––––––––
 
Where to find Oren Schauble:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orenmeetsworld
Website: https://orenjohn.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/orenmeetsworld 
Newsletters:
Product World: https://www.productworld.xyz/
Hyper: https://mail.hyperstudios.us/ 
—
 
Where to find James and Daniel:
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/ 
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/ 
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow 
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
—
Don't miss an episode of Taking Inventory. Make sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/ 

26: Pt 3 of the Creators Strike Back series: Jesse Pujji, founder & CEO of Gateway X on bootstrapping an 8-figure business, his biggest lessons for entrepreneurs, building a following, and more

This week's guest: Jesse Pujji
Jesse Pujii is a self-made entrepreneur who bootstrapped his first business, Ampush, into an 8-figure powerhouse. He's partnered with big brands like Uber and Hulu, and today, he's building Gateway X, a venture studio and investment company. You may also know Jesse from Twitter or LinkedIn where he shares lessons, insights and stories or through his podcast The Crazy Ones. 
–––––––––––––––––––––––
Where to find Jesse:
Gateway X: https://www.gateway.xyz/
X: https://twitter.com/jspujji 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessepujji/ 
Book a 1:1 call with Jesse: https://intro.co/jessepujji 
—
Where to find James and Daniel:
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
—
Don't miss an episode of Taking Inventory. Make sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/ 

25: Meta’s Sr. Global Marketing Director, Jackie Pimentel, tells us about the lead up to launching Threads, why creator authenticity is the key to success, when to start monetizing, and so much more.

This week's guest: Jackie Pimentel
As Sr. Global Marketing Director, Jackie Pimentel oversees Creators, Reels, and Threads, with over 15 years of experience leading product marketing, monetization, and business operations teams at Meta as well as Pinterest. She is a strong advocate for the creator economy with deep expertise in reaching digital creators. Jackie is also a seasoned investor with a focus on e-commerce enablement companies such as CaaStle, Drata, Cents, Odeko, Bolt, and others.
–––––––––––––––––––––––
Where to find Jackie:
Threads: @jaxpim
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-pim/
—
Where to find James and Daniel:
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
—
Don't miss an episode of Taking Inventory. Make sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.takinginventorypod.com/ 

24: An interview with @AdTechGod, the anonymous account that’s taking ad tech and marketing by storm. Listen as we get into the origin of the account, its purpose, and its prophecies.

Where to find @AdTechGod:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/adtechgod
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/adte...
Join the AdTechGod Slack community: https://join.slack.com/t/adtechgodcom...
-----------
Where to James and Daniel:
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldru...
Twitter:
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
-----------
Don't miss an episode of Taking Inventory. Make sure to follow us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/taki...) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/takinginvpod)!

23: From Pencils to Pixels: Transitioning TV measurement to a CTV led world as linear continues to fade, with Matan Bik, Nielsen’s SVP Strategy of TV & Digital

This week's guest: Matan Bik
Matan has spent his career helping advertisers, publishers and platforms make better use of data to power their marketing businesses. He started his career in the early days of ad tech at eXelate where he expanded their 3rd party data marketplace into one of the industry’s leading data management platforms. Helping to position the company for an acquisition by Nielsen, Matan then went on to be an integral part in Nielsen’s digital transformation where he helped the company bridge the gap between TV and digital to productize and commercialize flagship cross channel products across planning, optimization and currency measurement. Today he is the SVP of Strategy and Business Development across TV & Digital where he is working with some of the largest sell and buy side global enterprises to help them maximize their ROI through data and technology. 
 
–––––––––––––––––––––––
 
Where to find Matan Bik:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matanbik/
Nielsen: https://www.nielsen.com/
—
Where to find James and Daniel:
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger

22: Peter Hamilton, Sr. Director of Ad Innovation at Roku on what CTV can learn from mobile, Roku as the OS and what that means for advertisers, streaming as a performance channel, and more

This week's guest: Peter Hamilton
Peter Hamilton is the Senior Director of ad innovation at Roku. He was previously the CEO of TUNE, a global Mobile Measurement Partner that was a leader in performance and measurement across ad platforms including Facebook, Google, and many others. He has spent nearly 20 years in digital marketing and adtech. He is a Techstars mentor as well as an investor, advisor, and board member of numerous companies. 
–––––––––––––––––––––––
Where to find Peter Hamilton:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PeterHamilton
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterryanhamilton/
Peter’s NFT Museum: https://www.seattlenftmuseum.com/
–––––––––––––––––––––––
Where to find James and Daniel:
LinkedIn:
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/
Twitter: 
James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger

21: Marketing Cannabis and other regulated products, how to advertise without Meta and Google, the future of cannabis holding companies, and more with Alex Becker, co-founder and CMO of Amuse

This week's guest: Alex Becker
Alex Becker is the CMO and co-founder of Amuse, a cannabis delivery company that has raised over $60 million. Before Amuse, Alex founded the internet marketing company Highly Relevant and sold it to Wpromote. He was also the VP of Ecommerce and Product at the fashion brand Reformation and prior to that Alex served as the Head of Customer Acquisition & Retention at Atom Tickets. He also advises a bunch of great marketing related businesses, including Attentive, the comprehensive text message solution with over $800 million in funding to date.
 
–––––––––––––––––––––––
 
Where to find Alex Becker and Amuse
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexybecker
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amusenow
Website: https://www.amuse.com/
 
–––––––––––––––––––––––
 
Where to find James and Daniel:
LinkedIn:James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/
Twitter: James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger

20: Alex Reynolds, CEO and Co-founder of Vendelux, on the role of events for stronger business results, how measuring event ROI is not only possible but essential, and ways AI will be incorporated

This week's guest: Alex Reynolds
Alex Reynolds is the Co-founder and CEO of Vendelux, an AI-powered event intelligence platform trusted by event marketers and organizers from companies like Okta, Publicis,Paypal, and more. They help businesses discover the right B2B events, generate more leads, and measure ROI. Prior to founding Vendelux, Alex was the General Manager of Platform Solutions at Shutterstock overseeing a 75 person global team that generated over $30M in ARR and managed partnerships with more than 20K companies.
———
Where to find Alex Reynolds:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexreynolds1/
Website: https://vendelux.com/
———
Where to find James and Daniel:
LinkedIn:James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesborow/
Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldruger/
Twitter: James: https://twitter.com/jamesborow
Daniel: https://twitter.com/ddruger
 

19: Pt 2 of the Creators Strike Back series: Grant Cohen, co-founder of Fan Controlled Sports on the business of sports 2.0, the new role of athletes as creators, TikTok-ification of sports, and more

This week's guest: Grant Cohen
Grant is the Co-founder and Chief growth officer of Fan Controlled Sports and Entertainment, which runs Fan Controlled Football, and the recently announced Fan Controlled Hoops league. They tout team owners that include Quavo, Richard Sherman and Marshawn Lynch and former NFL players Johnny Manziel and Josh Gordon taking the field. Previously Grant was the global head of endemic media at Roku, a $700M business and before that he was the GM at Kochava, a leading mobile measurement company.
 
Fan Controlled Football: https://www.fcf.io/
Fan Controlled Hoops: https://fchoops.io/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/g4cohen 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grantcohen1/ 

18: Eric Seufert on the commerce platform revolution, reverberating effects of Apple’s changing policies, and global data regulation

This week's guest: Eric Seufert
Eric is a media strategist, quantitative marketer, and author who has spent his career working for transformative consumer technology and media companies. Eric founded Agamemnon, a start-up that built a mobile marketing analytics platform, which was acquired in 2017. Following the acquisition Eric launched Heracles Capital, an early-stage venture capital fund focused on the mobile ecosystem. Eric also runs Mobile Dev Memo, a mobile advertising and freemium monetization trade blog, and QuantMar, a knowledge-sharing platform for quantitative marketers. Eric has been featured and quoted in The Information, Business Insider, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and more.
 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/eric_seufert
MobileDevMemo: https://mobiledevmemo.com/
 
Links:
The profound, unintended consequence of ATT: content fortresses
Eric’s Book Freemium Economics: https://www.amazon.com/Freemium-Economics-Leveraging-Analytics-Segmentation/dp/0124166903
Theseus Growth, open-source cohort analysis and general marketing performance analysis: https://github.com/ESeufert/theseus_growth

17: Part 1 of the Creators Strike Back series: Anthony Vennare, founder and CEO of Fitt Insider, on building a media business without paid media or the walled gardens, responsible data usage, and more

This week's guest: Anthony Vennare
Anthony Vennare, founder and CEO of Fitt Insider, the must-read newsletter that comes out every Tuesday and breaks down the most important developments impacting the business of fitness and wellness. Since founding Fitt Insider, Anthony and his brother and co-founder Joe, have expanded the business to include the Fitt Insider podcast, industry jobs board, and Fitt capital where they invest and advise health and wellness companies.
 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vennare 
Fitt Insider Newsletter: https://insider.fitt.co/newsletter/
Fitt Capital: https://capital.fitt.co/

16: Evan Prodromou, co-author of ActivityPub breaks down decentralized social networks and the Fediverse, how this affects monetization for walled gardens, and why users need data portability

This week's guest: Evan Prodromou
Evan is one of the co-editors of ActivityPub and has spent more than 15 years working on distributed social network protocols. He ran an open-source social project called StatusNet, formerly chaired the W3C working group on Social Web standards, and is now the Director of Open Technology at Open Earth, where he builds digital architecture to scale climate action.
 
Fediverse account: https://cosocial.ca/@evan
ActivityPub: https://activitypub.rocks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/evanpro
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evanprodromou/ 
OpenEarth Foundation: https://www.openearth.org/about

15: Conor McKenna, Partner at LUMA Partners on how LUMA’s narrow focus has created outsized value, the corp dev and product team relationship, and threats to incumbents with the shift in data

Conor McKenna is a partner at LUMA Partners, the leading investment bank focused on digital media and marketing. They’ve led some of the most notable M&A transactions in the space. They’re also famous for their LUMAscapes, which everyone from executives to students use to understand digital media and marketing ecosystems. At LUMA, Conor works across a range of focus areas including Ad Tech, CTV, and emerging trends in Commerce Media and Digital Audio.
You can find Conor at:
Twitter: @conorjmckenna
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conor-mckenna-7a079125/
LUMA Partners: https://lumapartners.com/ 
LUMA’s 2023 State of Digital: https://lumapartners.com/presentations/state-of-digital-2023/ 
Use Bitcoin Video: https://lumapartners.com/funny-business/use-bitcoin/ 

14: The how to save X (aka Twitter) episode - James, Daniel and guest co-host James Avery (CEO of Kevel) on how to drive more revenue, rebuild trust, use payments as a lever, and combat Meta.

James and Daniel welcome back James Avery, CEO of Kevel, for a special episode where they discuss all things Twitter (renamed X after recording) in response to the following Tweet from Elon Musk:
“We’re still negative cash flow, due to ~50% drop in advertising revenue plus heavy debt load. Need to reach positive cash flow before we have the luxury of anything else.”
The guys discuss actions that Twitter can take to improve the current situation including:
Using payments as a lever to attract and retain advertisers
Rebuilding trust with advertisers and partners
Eliminating restrictions on accessing the API 
Leaning into integrations with Shopify
How to combat Meta's aggressive push with Threads

EP13: Eric Franchi, GP of AperiamVentures, on selling his business for $180M to a public company, Why there’s a massive opportunity investing in ad/martechs, and his take on Musk vs. Zuckerberg

This week James and Daniel talk to Eric Franchi
Eric Franchi is the General Partner at AperiamVentures, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on transformative ad tech and mar tech companies. AperiamVentures is an investor in Market as well as companies including tvScientific, Iris.tv, ID5, Rembrand, and Kevel (listen to James’ interview with Kevel’s CEO).
Prior to founding AperiamVentures, Eric founded Undertone, which was a leading digital ad network and tech company. Eric built that business to over $100M in revenue before being acquired by publicly traded Perion Network. 
Eric is also co-host of the Marketecture podcast, which covers the latest developments in ad tech and marketing.
 
You can find Eric @ericfranchi and on LinkedIn
Website: https://www.aperiam.vc/
 
Link to Marc Andreesen's take on the Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg fight: https://www.thefp.com/p/marc-andreessen-musk-zuckerberg-cage-fight

EP12 (GUEST) – This week James Avery, the founder and CEO of Kevel, talks about writing books, building APIs to power a new generation of walled gardens

EP12: James Avery, the founder and CEO of Kevel, talks about writing books, building APIs to power a new generation of walled gardens, and why over time retail media is going to get a lot easier to buy.James Avery is the Founder and CEO of Kevel, which offers a set of APIs for retailers, publishers and apps to build and launch their own custom ad platforms. As CEO, he has helped launch over 100 ad platforms using the Kevel APIs, helping businesses of all sizes drive new revenue and take back the Internet from ad tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Facebook.
You can find James on Twitter and Threads @averyj and Linkedin

EP11 (GUEST) – Jenna Menking & Erin Kemp, the founders of Crosswalk, explain why Ariana Grande is both a musical and marketing genius, the problems with traditional market research, and how...

This week's guests: Jenna Menking & Erin KempThe founders of Crosswalk, explain why Ariana Grande is both a musical and marketing genius, the problems with traditional market research, and how selling their first business to IPG led to their next startup idea.
You can find Jenna Menking & Erin Kemp Website: https://www.crosswalknyc.com/

EP10 (GUEST) – Jon Morgenstern, EVP Head of Investment at VaynerMedia, Why agencies have more opportunity than ever, Netflix’s disappointing ads decision, How creators will win in the next 5 years

This week's guest: Jon Morgenstern
Jon Morgenstern is the EVP, Head of Investment at VaynerMedia, the global creative and media agency founded by Gary Vaynerchuk. In his role, Jon oversees the media buying practice globally and works with some of the world’s biggest brands. Jon joined VaynerMedia in 2015 after four years at SocialCode, one of Facebook’s earliest Marketing Partners. Jon is also a strategic advisor for Vayner3 and VeeFriends and is a marketing and digital media thought leader. 
You can find Jon on Twitter @_jonnymo_ and LinkedIn