How Jay Fujiwara Leveraged 13M Followers to Build Bigbean, an AI Language Learning App

How Actress Jennifer Garner and John Foraker Built a $724M Baby Food Brand That Just IPO'd

John Foraker is the co-founder and CEO of Once Upon a Farm, a fresh organic baby and kids food brand co-founded with Hollywood actress Jennifer Garner that recently IPO'd at a $724 million valuation on the New York Stock Exchange. John wasn't one of the original founders. Cassandra Curtis and Ari Raz started the company in 2015, and John came on as an early angel investor after spending nearly 15 years as CEO of Annie's, taking it public in 2012 and selling it to General Mills for $820 million. When Jennifer Garner's team reached out in 2017, she and John met for what was supposed to be a 30-minute call. It lasted four hours. By the end, they both said the same thing: I'm in, if you're in. Jennifer Garner isn't the type of celebrity co-founder who shows up for the photo shoot and disappears. She's on weekly leadership calls, she has buyer phone numbers saved in her phone, and she follows up on sales calls at 11pm from a makeup chair on set. John breaks down why he chose to go public instead of selling to a strategic buyer despite years of acquisition interest, how they went from 300 to 10,000 distribution points in a single year, and why building a public benefit corporation with a mission to drive systemic change in childhood nutrition has been central to every decision they've made since day one. He explains: * How Jennifer Garner became a co-founder and what made her the authentic fit for Once Upon a Farm * Why word of mouth is still the number one discovery channel for the brand after nine years * How they went from 300 to 10,000 distribution points in one year and why that strategy is too risky for most brands * Why going public was the best path to stay independent and execute their mission rather than selling to a strategic buyer * His number one advice for founders working with celebrity co-founders: cultural fit and long-term commitment matter more than anything else Chapters: CHAPTERS * 00:00:00 Introduction: From Jennifer Garner to a IPO * 00:01:08 The Founding Story: When Two Founders Met and Created Once Upon a Farm * 00:02:20 The Jennifer Garner Partnership: Finding Authentic Celebrity Product Market Fit * 00:04:56 The Mission Statement: Building a Public Benefit Corporation * 00:08:09 Leveraging Celebrity Platform: How Jennifer Shows Up Every Single Day * 00:11:55 Product Development: From Baby Food to Age 12 and Beyond * 00:14:24 The IPO Journey: Four Years of Preparation and a Government Shutdown * 00:19:19 The Celebrity Brand Landscape: What Makes Some Succeed and Others Fail * 00:22:43 The Jennifer Garner Model: Joining Existing Companies vs Building from Scratch * 00:24:01 Retail Strategy: Going from 300 to 10,000 Doors in One Year * 00:25:38 What's Next: Fresh Organic Meat Products and 2027 Innovation Pipeline * 00:26:54 Advice for Celebrity Brand Founders: The Marriage Analogy and Long-Term Commitment HotStart VC Subscribe to the HotStart VC newsletter: https://hotstart.beehiiv.com/ [https://hotstart.beehiiv.com/] Become a HotStart Angel and co-invest with us in celebrity-founded brands starting from $5,000: https://www.hotstart.vc/hotstart-angels/ [https://www.hotstart.vc/hotstart-angels/] Check out our fund: https://www.hotstart.vc/ [https://www.hotstart.vc/] Scott van den Berg LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-van-den-berg-22b534150/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-van-den-berg-22b534150/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottvandenberg_/ [https://www.instagram.com/scottvandenberg_/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@scottvandenbergvc [https://www.youtube.com/@scottvandenbergvc] John Foraker Once Upon a Farm: https://onceuponafarmorganics.com/ [https://onceuponafarmorganics.com/] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-foraker-0061732/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-foraker-0061732/] HotStart VC is a fund that exclusively invests in brands founded by celebrities and creators. We're the go-to platform for celebrities and creators launching brands, providing capital, strategic support, and the infrastructure to scale.

How This Creator Built an AI Hiring Platform Used by the World's Biggest YouTubers | Sherry Wong

Sherry Wong is a creator entrepreneur with hundreds of thousands of followers across social media and the founder of Roster, an AI hiring platform for the creator economy trusted by some of the world's biggest creators like the Stokes Twins, Jesser, and Preston. She's been creating content since 2011, back when being a YouTuber wasn't even considered cool. But while scaling her platform, Sherry kept running into the same problem. Hiring. Finding the right video editor, thumbnail designer, or producer was a real headache. So she decided to solve the problem herself. Unlike traditional hiring platforms like Upwork or Fiverr, Roster uses AI to analyze the type of content you make, your niche, your style, and instantly recommends the best candidates to hire. But the real innovation is the hiring challenge feature. Creators dump raw footage onto the platform, set a timeline, and let thousands of applicants compete by submitting test edits. The winner gets the job offer and a cash prize. When Jesser ran a challenge, he offered a $100,000 job and $2,000 cash to the winner. Over 3,000 people applied. Sherry breaks down how she added YouTuber to her resume before it was common and how it landed her a job in Singapore, why she's expanding beyond creators to work with B2B companies like Stripe, and how hiring challenges are lowering barriers for hidden talent across 150 countries to get discovered by the world's biggest creators. She explains: * Why she started creating content in 2011 and how it became the reason she got hired at a $50 million creator economy fund * How Roster's AI analyzes portfolios, niches, and software to match creators with the perfect hires in seconds * Why hiring challenges generate over 3,000 applicants and how they turn hiring into content * How Stripe and other B2B companies are now using Roster because every company is becoming a production house * Why AI is changing job descriptions but not eliminating creative roles entirely * Her number one advice for creators launching companies: just start and don't overthink it Chapters: CHAPTERS * 00:00:00 Introduction: From Creator to Building Roster * 00:00:45 The Early Creator Journey: Starting Before YouTube Was Cool * 00:02:25 The Resume That Changed Everything: Adding YouTuber to Her CV * 00:07:22 The Hiring Pain Point: Why Creators Struggle to Find Talent * 00:09:07 What is Roster: AI-Powered Hiring for the Creator Economy * 00:10:17 How the AI Matching Works: Portfolio, Niche, and Style Analysis * 00:12:15 The Hiring Challenge Feature: Democratizing Opportunity * 00:14:20 Results and Impact: 3,000 Applicants and Life-Changing Opportunities * 00:18:58 Working with the Biggest Creators: From Stokes Twins to Dude Perfect * 00:19:25 AI's Impact on Creative Jobs: Evolving Roles, Not Eliminating Them * 00:26:02 Balancing Creator and Founder: The Reality of Wearing Two Hats * 00:22:06 Expanding Beyond Creators: Bringing Roster to Brands and Agencies * 00:24:38 The Creator Advantage: Distribution vs Decision Making * 00:34:32 What's Next for Roster: Bigger Campaigns and Productions * 00:35:10 Final Advice: Just Start and Capitalize on Naive Ambition HotStart VC Subscribe to the HotStart VC newsletter: https://hotstart.beehiiv.com/ [https://hotstart.beehiiv.com/] Become a HotStart Angel and co-invest with us in celebrity-founded brands starting from $5,000: https://www.hotstart.vc/hotstart-angels/ [https://www.hotstart.vc/hotstart-angels/] Check out our fund: https://www.hotstart.vc/ [https://www.hotstart.vc/] Scott van den Berg LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-van-den-berg-22b534150/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-van-den-berg-22b534150/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottvandenberg_/ [https://www.instagram.com/scottvandenberg_/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@scottvandenbergvc [https://www.youtube.com/@scottvandenbergvc] Sherry Wong Roster: https://www.joinroster.co/ [https://www.joinroster.co/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sherrybyw/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/sherrybyw/?hl=en] HotStart VC is a fund that exclusively invests in brands founded by celebrities and creators. We're the go-to platform for celebrities and creators launching brands, providing capital, strategic support, and the infrastructure to scale.

How This Creator Turned 400K Followers Into an AI Startup | Ghita El Haitmy building Eli

Ghita El Haitmy, known online as TechBible, is a creator entrepreneur with over 400,000 followers teaching technology on social media and the founder of Eli, an AI-powered platform that auto-detects your entire tech stack, eliminates software waste, and recommends the right tools for your business. It started during COVID. Ghita was building a computer vision startup and needed users fast, so she started creating content under the brand TechBible to bring them in. But the content took on a life of its own. TechBible grew way beyond the original startup, and founders kept asking her the same question: what tools should I use for my business? The problem was that Ghita couldn't answer. Every company runs on a different tech stack, and without knowing what was already in it, no recommendation made sense. So she built Eli, a platform that solves exactly that. Companies connect their email and accounting tools, Eli reads their invoices and payment data automatically, and within 60 seconds they have full visibility into every dollar spent on software. One customer cut 25% of their software spend in a single week by identifying tools they had forgotten they were paying for. Ghita breaks down how she uses AI agents to track 3,000 tools daily so Eli stays current on every change in the software market, how public tech stack profiles on TechBible generate a million monthly impressions, and why she walked away from affiliate marketing despite it being profitable because she saw where the internet was heading. She explains: * How TechBible started as a user acquisition tool for her computer vision startup and evolved into a platform of its own * Why email is still the best source of truth for understanding a company's tech stack * How one company cut 25% of their software spend in a week by identifying unused tools * The AI agents she built to scrape 3,000 URLs daily and track every change in the software market * How public tech stack profiles generate a million monthly impressions and why other creators share their stacks * Her number one advice for creator entrepreneurs: detach your identity from the business so you can pivot freely Chapters: CHAPTERS * 00:00:00 Introduction: From Computer Vision Startup to Building Ellie * 00:00:48 The Early Tech Journey: Why Ghita Fell in Love with Technology * 00:02:56 The Content Creation Origin: Building TechBible During COVID * 00:06:57 The Problem Discovery: Why Founders Kept Asking the Same Question * 00:09:19 What is Eli: Auto-Detecting Your Entire Tech Stack * 00:10:42 The Cost Savings: 25% Reduction in Software Spend * 00:12:16 Staying Updated: How Eli Tracks 3,000 Tools Daily with AI Agents * 00:15:44 The Creator Advantage: Leveraging Personal Brand for Distribution * 00:19:39 The Public Tech Stack Strategy: Million Monthly Impressions * 00:24:37 Balancing Creator and Founder: Time Blocking and Efficiency * 00:26:23 What's Next: Financial Infrastructure and AI Agent Spending * 00:28:36 Advice for Creator Entrepreneurs: Detach Identity from Business HotStart VC Subscribe to the HotStart VC newsletter: https://hotstart.beehiiv.com/ [https://hotstart.beehiiv.com/] Become a HotStart Angel and co-invest with us in celebrity-founded brands starting from $5,000: https://www.hotstart.vc/hotstart-angels/ [https://www.hotstart.vc/hotstart-angels/] Check out our fund: https://www.hotstart.vc/ [https://www.hotstart.vc/] Scott van den Berg LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-van-den-berg-22b534150/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-van-den-berg-22b534150/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottvandenberg_/ [https://www.instagram.com/scottvandenberg_/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@scottvandenberg_ [https://www.tiktok.com/@scottvandenberg_] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@scottvandenbergvc [https://www.youtube.com/@scottvandenbergvc] Ghita El Haitmy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/techbible.ai/ [https://www.instagram.com/techbible.ai/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tech.bible [https://www.tiktok.com/@tech.bible] Eli: https://www.eli.work/ [https://www.eli.work/] HotStart VC is a fund that exclusively invests in brands founded by celebrities and creators. We're the go-to platform for celebrities and creators launching brands, providing capital, strategic support, and the infrastructure to scale.

How Haven Lough Turned 5 Million Followers Into a Skincare Brand That Sold Out in 24 Hours

Haven Lough is a 19-year-old creator entrepreneur with over 5 million followers across social media and the founder of Haven, a skincare brand built for sensitive, acne-prone skin with ingredients you can actually trust. It started with his sister. She was spending all her money on skincare, but she only cared how popular and cool the brand looked, not how healthy the ingredients were. At the same time, Haven was studying to become a dermatologist after leaving high school two years early to start college. He realized he had the knowledge, the audience, and the solution to a problem no one else was solving: skincare that's actually healthy and looks cool at the same time. Unlike most creator brands that rush to market with white-labeled products, Haven spent two years working directly with lab chemists and manufacturers to create formulations that won't make you break out. The brand launched exactly one year ago, sold out 1,000 units in 24 hours, and he was on a yacht with friends when it happened. Haven has since expanded to three lip balms with a gentle daily facial cleanser coming next, and just announced a partnership with Dr. Dendy Engelman, one of the top dermatologists in New York City, who now recommends and approves every product. Haven breaks down why celebrity brands are secretly failing and why people can now spot cash grabs immediately, why he named the brand after himself even though everyone told him not to, and how he turned a puppy yoga studio into his most profitable side venture. He explains: * Why he left high school two years early and how watching pimple popping videos as a kid sparked his obsession with skin * How his sister's spending habits became the catalyst for Haven * Why he spent two years in product development instead of rushing to market like most creator brands * How Haven sold out 1,000 units in 24 hours and what those first moments felt like * Why partnering with AI influencer Granny Spills taught him that relatability is everything and AI can't replace real human connection * His number one advice for creator entrepreneurs launching companies Chapters: CHAPTERS * 00:00:00 Introduction: From 5M Followers to Building Haven Skincare * 00:00:47 The Content Creation Journey: From COVID Thirst Traps to Documenting Life * 00:03:24 Building with Your Audience: The Power of Validation and Story * 00:04:30 The Puppy Yoga Business: A Profitable Passion Project * 00:06:58 What is Haven: Creating a Safe Sanctuary for Sensitive Skin * 00:08:49 The Passion Behind the Product: From Pimple Popping Videos to Dermatology Dreams * 00:11:10 Why Haven Named the Brand After Himself: The Strategic Decision * 00:12:25 What Makes Haven Different: Targeting Sensitive Skin with No Compromises * 00:14:13 The Launch: Selling Out 1,000 Units in 24 Hours on a Yacht * 00:15:56 Leveraging Creator Advantage: Viral Content Over Ads * 00:18:09 The AI Influencer Experiment: Partnering with Granny Spills * 00:25:47 Bootstrapping Strategy: Why Haven Hasn't Raised Capital Yet * 00:30:27 Advice for Creator Entrepreneurs: Build Your Foundation Before You Scale HotStart VC Subscribe to the HotStart VC newsletter: https://hotstart.beehiiv.com/ [https://hotstart.beehiiv.com/] Become a HotStart Angel and co-invest with us in celebrity-founded brands starting from $5,000: https://www.hotstart.vc/hotstart-angels/ [https://www.hotstart.vc/hotstart-angels/] Check out our fund: https://www.hotstart.vc/ [https://www.hotstart.vc/] Scott van den Berg LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-van-den-berg-22b534150/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-van-den-berg-22b534150/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottvandenberg_/ [https://www.instagram.com/scottvandenberg_/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@scottvandenberg_ [https://www.tiktok.com/@scottvandenberg_] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@scottvandenbergvc [https://www.youtube.com/@scottvandenbergvc] Haven Lough Haven Skincare: https://shophavenskin.com/ [https://shophavenskin.com/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haven.lough/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/haven.lough/?hl=en] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@havenlough [https://www.tiktok.com/@havenlough] HotStart VC is a fund that exclusively invests in brands founded by celebrities and creators. We're the go-to platform for celebrities and creators launching brands, providing capital, strategic support, and the infrastructure to scale.

How The European Kid Is Building a New Currency | Aris Yeager Storytime

Aris is a creator entrepreneur with over 3 million followers and 3 billion views, best known for his viral skits as a French rich kid on his account The European Kid. That platform became the foundation for Storytime, a hyper-local marketplace matching businesses with creators in their neighborhood, where creators pay with content and businesses pay with experiences, effectively creating a new currency for the creator economy. It started with a simple frustration. As a creator, Aris was spending hours in DMs with shops and bars trying to set up brand deals that should have taken minutes. He realized the entire partnership industry was broken. So he built the solution himself. Storytime now operates in over 1,000 locations across New York City, just expanded to Miami, and has onboarded some of the hottest food and beverage chains in America including Cava, Joe & The Juice, and Oakberry. Unlike traditional influencer marketing platforms that focus on macro creators and six-figure campaigns, Storytime redefines who qualifies as a creator. A college student with 4,000 followers in NYU's neighborhood is more valuable than someone with 100,000 followers in Brazil. Aris breaks down why being a creator gave him unfair advantages most tech founders don't have, how he closed deals with Oakberry and Sweetgreen by DMing their founders directly, and why nano and micro creators are the future of influencer marketing. He explains: * Why his viral Parmesan cheese video was filmed in two minutes and how low production often outperforms polished content * How one video outside a New York nightclub went so viral it made French news and people thought he was related to the founder of LVMH * Why Storytime focuses on nano and micro creators with 3,000 to 10,000 followers instead of celebrities * How being The European Kid opened doors to founders of Oakberry and Sweetgreen that traditional founders could never access * His number one advice for creators: it's a quantity game, and posting relentlessly beats perfection Chapters: CHAPTERS * 00:00:00 Introduction: From The European Kid to Building Storytime * 00:00:42 The Origin Story: From TikTok Curiosity to Viral French Character * 00:01:37 The Parmesan Video: When Low Production Meets Maximum Virality * 00:04:32 Realizing the Value: How Content Creation Became a Real Business * 00:05:32 What is Storytime: Building a Marketplace for Creator-Business Connections * 00:07:24 How Storytime Works: The Mechanics of Paying with Content * 00:07:59 Creating a New Currency: Content as Payment * 00:08:45 The Competitive Edge: Quality Over Quantity in Marketplace Partners * 00:10:34 The Target Creator: Redefining Influence from Nano to Micro * 00:11:47 Authenticity in Influencer Marketing: Friends Over Celebrities * 00:12:28 The Creator-Product Fit: Why Aris Is the Perfect Founder * 00:17:51 The Hidden Superpowers: Beyond Social Media Followers * 00:19:25 The Acquisition Strategy: Organic Growth Through Network Effects * 00:21:56 Global Expansion Plans: From Miami to Istanbul * 00:24:50 Why Creators Choose CPG Over Tech Companies * 00:27:07 Balancing Creation and Building: The 90-10 Split HotStart VC Subscribe to the HotStart VC newsletter: https://hotstart.beehiiv.com/ [https://hotstart.beehiiv.com/] Become a HotStart Angel and co-invest with us in celebrity-founded brands starting from $5,000: https://www.hotstart.vc/hotstart-angels/ [https://www.hotstart.vc/hotstart-angels/] Check out our fund: https://www.hotstart.vc/ [https://www.hotstart.vc/] Scott van den Berg LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-van-den-berg-22b534150/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-van-den-berg-22b534150/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottvandenberg_/ [https://www.instagram.com/scottvandenberg_/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@scottvandenberg_ [https://www.tiktok.com/@scottvandenberg_] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@scottvandenbergvc [https://www.youtube.com/@scottvandenbergvc] Aris Yeager Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theeuropeankid/ [https://www.instagram.com/theeuropeankid/] Storytime: https://storytime.io/ [https://storytime.io/] HotStart VC is a fund that exclusively invests in brands founded by celebrities and creators. We're the go-to platform for celebrities and creators launching brands, providing capital, strategic support, and the infrastructure to scale.