5. Dan Morozoff | Vidrovr (video intelligence software)

05/19/20 • 78 min

Dan Morozoff is the Co-Founder and CTO of Vidrovr.
After growing up in the heart of San Francisco and getting early exposure to the boom and bust cycles of Silicon Valley, Dan went to UCLA to study physics and neuroscience and then ultimately pursued a PhD at Columbia to focus on modeling how the brain understands logic. On the side, he worked on a project called News Rover which laid the foundation for what would eventually become Vidrovr three and a half years later.
At Vidrovr, Dan and his team build video understanding systems. What that essentially means is that by using the Vidrovr technology stack, a user is able to search videos just like you or I would search on Google. For example, instead of a YouTube search looking up relevant titles, descriptions and keywords, Dan's platform can actually understand the words spoken or images shown in the video itself and then index them. Vidrovr goes to market today by selling this platform to other companies in spaces like media and entertainment, but it’s easy to imagine the benefit of having access to this technology as a consumer.
This was an eye-opener and really makes you think about what could be possible in the future.
Tune in to hear Dan's inspiring story and leave a review!
EPISODE TOPICS:

(2:12) What does Vidrovr look like today (mission, vision, products, size)?
(4:15) What is your background and what were you working on before starting Vidrovr?
(6:43) Where did the initial spark for the idea come from?
(9:33) What were the early conversations like with potential clients?
(11:39) How did you still down the complexity of the Vidrovr system when selling?
(14:34) How did you design pilots for early adopters?
(21:06) How did you design the product that end customers could use?
(26:59) How did the Vidrovr product evolve?
(30:27) What does the competitive landscape look like?
(34:13) How has the sales process evolved?
(38:33) What were the biggest takeaways from your Techstars experience?
(43:29) Walk us through your funding path thus far?
(53:27) What were some of your investor pitches like?
(56:58) What's the future vision for Vidrovr in the next 5-10 years?
(1:00:09) What do you look for in hiring?
(1:05:52) How do you deal with self-doubt?
(1:09:09) What do you think it takes to be a good founder?
(1:11:43) Why do you think it's so hard to be a founder?
(1:14:16) Dan's startup manifesto
(1:15:10) Dan's founder nomination
(1:16:43) Where should we look to contact you?

Vidrovr - www.vidrovr.com

Follow Vidrovr on LinkedIn
Follow Dan on LinkedIn
Dan's learning and resource recommendations

The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com

Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn // Facebook

(2:12) What does Vidrovr look like today (mission, vision, products, size)?
(4:15) What is your background and what were you working on before starting Vidrovr?
(6:43) Where did the initial spark for the idea come from?
(9:33) What were the early conversations like with potential clients?
(11:39) How did you still down the complexity of the Vidrovr system when selling?
(14:34) How did you design pilots for early adopters?
(21:06) How did you design the product that end customers could use?
(26:59) How did the Vidrovr product evolve?
(30:27) What does the competitive landscape look like?
(34:13) How has the sales process evolved?
(38:33) What were the biggest takeaways from your Techstars experience?
(43:29) Walk us through your funding path thus far?
(53:27) What were some of your investor pitches like?
(56:58) What's the future vision for Vidrovr in the next 5-10 years?
(1:00:09) What do you look for in hiring?
(1:05:52) How do you deal with self-doubt?
(1:09:09) What do you think it takes to be a good founder?
(1:11:43) Why do you think it's so hard to be a founder?
(1:14:16) Dan's startup manifesto
(1:15:10) Dan's founder nomination
(1:16:43) Where should we look to contact you?

Vidrovr - www.vidrovr.com

Follow Vidrovr on LinkedIn
Follow Dan on LinkedIn
Dan's learning and resource recommendations

The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com

Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn // Facebook

Previous Episode

4. John Lee | Loopie (uber for laundry)

John Lee is the Founder and CEO of Loopie.
For John, his obsession has always been to create a dual-benefit venture. He loves the concept of a company that is able to benefit multiple parties, simultaneously. In 2018, he dreamed up the concept for Loopie, a mobile app for laundry that connects people who don’t have the time or desire to do their own with other people who can wash, dry and fold at home for a little extra cash.
John dubs Loopie the "uber for laundry" in the sense that Loopie is the asset light marketplace that connects customers and washers, but doesn't have to own a single laundromat, washing machine or dryer.
Today Loopie has pretty impressive traction in Seattle and is planning to launch to new markets soon.
This was a really interesting interview that sheds light on the path of a first time founder and the climb to product market fit and eventual scale.
Tune in to hear John's inspiring story and leave a review!
EPISODE TOPICS:

(1:48) What does Loopie look like today (mission, vision, products, size)?
(2:29) What is your background and what were you working on before starting Loopie?
(7:08) Where did the idea for Loopie come from?
(11:34) What came first - idea socialization or early prototype development?
(13:28) What was the early feedback on the initial concept for Loopie?
(16:04) How long did it take to go from idea to workable prototype?
(19:03) What did the team look like early on?
(21:45) What are the unit economics on the business?
(23:31) How does the laundry drop-off process work?
(25:20) How did you acquire your early customers?
(26:51) How do you think about growth?
(29:45) What's your bigger constraint, finding customers or washers?
(33:51) How do you think about competition?
(45:25) How do you think about funding?
(53:05) What does your team look like today and what do you look for when you hire?
(57:02) How are you thinking about scaling the business?
(1:04:14) How do you think coronavirus will impact the startup landscape?
(1:08:41) Who was your most underrated hire?
(1:10:09) Did you have an advisory board?
(1:12:36) What books or resources would you recommend?
(1:14:37) What's one thing that you know now that you wish you knew when starting out?
(1:16:47) What do you think it takes to be a good founder?
(1:21:18) What is your morning routine?
(1:24:17) John's startup manifesto
(1:27:25) John's founder nomination
(1:29:35) Where should we look to contact you?

Loopie - www.loopie.io

Follow Loopie (@loopielaundry) on Instagram // Twitter
Follow John on LinkedIn // Instagram
John's learning and resource recommendations

The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com

Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn // Facebook

Next Episode

6. Nis Frome | Alpha (rapid user feedback)

Nis Frome is the Co-Founder and VP Product of Alpha.
After starting his first business in web design and marketing when he was 17, Nis launched a couple of other companies in college and was able secure funding for Hublished, a platform that promised to help content producers market their content through webinars. Although Hublished in 2013 was too early for the webinar craze we’re experiencing today, he was able to meet his Co-Founder, Thor, and launch Alpha in 2014.
At Alpha, Nis and his team are building and scaling a rapid consumer insights platform that allows teams to quickly gather consumer feedback to make more informed product, marketing and innovation decisions. Alpha operates as one of the only on-demand solutions for teams to get real insights when performing consumer discovery research or concept testing different messaging, features or functionality of a digital product. Previously, this type of research might have taken weeks, but with Alpha, it takes just a couple of days. Today, Alpha has over 70 employees and raised over $20M to tackle this rapid insights space.
This was an eye-opening interview that spotlights how traditional industries are getting disrupted by savvy entrepreneurs with tech-enabled solutions.
Tune in to hear Nis's inspiring story!
EPISODE TOPICS:

(2:22) What does Alpha look like today (mission, vision, products, size)?
(3:19) What is your background and what were you working on before starting Alpha?
(6:15) Where did the spark for the idea come from?
(10:08) How did the early product work?
(19:28) How did you find your first initial customers?
(25:19) Why was content marketing so important for Alpha?
(28:19) How do you think about innovation at Alpha?
(30:06) How do you think about competition?
(37:22) What are your words of wisdom around fundraising?
(42:15) What do you look for in companies that you angel invest in?
(46:40) What are your lessons learned around equity?
(51:54) What do you think Alpha looks like in 5-10 years?
(53:48) What do you look for when you hire someone?
(1:00:40) How do you think about self-doubt?
(1:08:04) What sacrifices have you made in founding Alpha?
(1:11:18) What characteristics make a good founder?
(1:13:47) What is your morning routine?
(1:16:13) What resources would recommend to others?
(1:19:07) Nis's startup manifesto
(1:22:47) Nis's founder nomination
(1:24:36) Where should we look to contact you?