The Seen

From Snapchat to building the future of AI dating

Eric McHugh quit his consulting job with no backup plan and went all-in on crypto back before most had even heard of Bitcoin. Since then, he’s built in Web3, worked inside one of the world’s top startup incubators, and is now building Dataing- an AI-powered platform changing the way modern dating will work entirely. In this episode of The Seen, we dive into: - The secret LinkedIn strategy that brings you jobs and investors (without even applying) - Why data will become the most valuable resource of the next decade (and how he’s building around it) - The one mindset shift that separates high-performers from everyone else - What advising bankrupt Fortune 500 companies taught him about growth Follow Eric: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericdouglasmchugh/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericdouglasmchugh/] Dataing - https://dataing.io [https://dataing.io]

He Built & Sold 3 Startups… While Working Full-Time

In less than 16 hours, Troy Munson went from idea to 12 companies ready to pay. He’s gone on to build and sell multiple startups, navigating six-figure exits while still working full-time. But now he’s gone all-in on the latest side gig, scaling it from 15 companies to over 1,000 requesting access in under five months. If you think you move fast, this will truly break your frame. In this episode of The Seen, we dive into: - Exactly how YOU can make $15k/month in profit RIGHT NOW - How he grew his LinkedIn to drive 90% of his revenue - The real math behind scaling and selling a SaaS company - How to get companies to pay before you even have a platform - The worst mistake you can make when getting acquired (and how to avoid it) Follow Troy: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/troymunson/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/troymunson/] TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@eatwithtroy [https://www.tiktok.com/@eatwithtroy] Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/eatwithtroy/ [https://www.instagram.com/eatwithtroy/]

... and that's a wrap

In this closing episode of 2025, Kaia breaks down the biggest lessons from every founder, builder, and operator, who was on the show this year. She dives into: - The common threads every top performer shared - The moments (and mess-ups) behind the scenes that you've never heard - The takeaways you need to hear before 2026 - The secret sauce of The Seen (AKA how the magic happens) Thank you everyone for being here this year. We'll see you in 2026 ;) Kaia's LinkedIn that she kept mentioning - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaia-tham/

She’s managed $5B in ads for Target, Walmart, Hulu… here’s what actually works (and what doesn’t)

As the founder of the Dumont Project (now acquired by Cart.com [http://Cart.com], valued at $1.6B), Dawn Perdew has managed over $5B in ad spend for some of the biggest brands in the world. In this episode of The Seen, we dive into: - The one metric every company should be watching daily - How Fortune 500 companies and startups should think very differently about scale - The early warning signs that your company is going to fail - The biggest mistakes founders make when scaling paid media - The most underrated forms of advertising (that you probably haven’t even heard of) Follow Dawn: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawndumontperdew/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawndumontperdew/]

The $30M Serial Founder Helping Parkinson’s Patients Walk Again

Take one look at Rupert Barksfield’s LinkedIn and you’ll wonder how one person has done all that he has.  A serial entrepreneur who has founded companies across Web3, AI, fintech, medtech, crypto, and more, Rupert is someone whose career looks almost impossible on paper, until you hear the story behind it. In this episode of The Seen, we dive into: - The fundraising mistakes that kill startups, and how Rupert avoided them while raising $30M - The exact playbook he uses to build a startup from scratch across any industry - The validation test that every founder should do right away - How to build momentum in the first 6-12 months - The one signal that tells him a founder is going to make it Follow Rupert: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rupert-barksfield/