UGLY TALK: FOOD & BEV FOUNDERS 2025 LESSONS AND 2026 PREDICTIONS

UGLY TALK: BUILDING AND SCALING TECH COMPANIES IN MIAMI

Recorded live at Mana Tech in downtown Miami, this edition of Ugly Talk pulls back the curtain on the Florida tech boom. While the city is often celebrated for its energy, the panel explores the "unpolished reality" and the specific playbook required to turn local Miami dynamics into global opportunities. The conversation features three founders who have navigated the transition from zero-to-one innovation to scalable product operations: * Nafis Azad (Co-founder, Lucky) details the seven-year journey of building a commerce data platform—from driving product in his own truck during the pandemic to a 2025 acquisition by SPINS. * Bogdan Savonea (Co-founder & CEO, Blindspot) shares how he scaled a platform allowing anyone to buy billboard ads by the hour, famously using an $18 "stunt" in Times Square to land major clients like Netflix. * Guillermo Gonzalez Aleman (Founder & CEO, Litebox) discusses managing a 60-person growth agency across Miami and Argentina, specializing in scaling high-tech startups through branding and advanced strategy. You’ll hear their unfiltered takes on: * The Fundraising Myth: Why "work and dedication" are more critical than capital, and the dangers of marrying the wrong investor. * Vibe Coding 101: How prompting AI is lowering the barrier for non-technical founders to build fully functional prototypes and stand up databases. * The Miami Advantage: How to tap into a community of high-net-worth serial entrepreneurs who have moved to the city for lifestyle but are "wired" to get back to work. * Remote vs. In-Person: The real-world results of a "one day a month" office policy and why forcing a return to the office can actually tank productivity. * The Scale Journey: Why you must detach your personal identity from your company to survive the burnout of a multi-year scaling effort. Chapters 00:00 – The Capital Myth: You don’t need money; you need dedication. 01:00 – Live from Mana Tech: The reality of the Miami tech founder scene. 04:20 – The Stakeholder Game: Learning to tap into the "veteran investor" community in Miami. 06:30 – The Pivot Story: Moving from "hacky" LA logistics to a beauty industry data monopoly. 08:50 – Vibe Coding: Prompting AI to write code and validate ideas instantly. 10:30 – The Reddit Stunt: Using a beer-fueled idea to create the most upvoted post in Reddit history. 15:50 – The Art of Outreach: Why "cold everything" is dead and personal research is the only way in. 24:40 – Visionary vs. Integrator: Using the EOS framework to manage growth and operations. 35:10 – The Burnout Reality: Running away from burnout long enough to reach an outcome. 45:00 – Scaling Talent: The challenges of the local talent pool and the shift to 100% remote teams. 53:20 – Overhyped Advice: Why the traditional "you need a co-founder" rule may be outdated in 2026. 55:30 – Miami 2036: Transforming from a "lifestyle" city into a global business powerhouse. Want to share your Ugly story? Visit uglytalk.com/podcast [https://uglytalk.com/podcast] and send us a message.

UGLY TALK: FOOD & BEV FOUNDERS 2025 LESSONS AND 2026 PREDICTIONS

Recorded live at The Yard in Herald Square, this edition of Ugly Talk dives into the unpolished reality of building and scaling a food and beverage brand in 2025. This isn't about the highlights—it's about the messy formulation tweaks, the grind of "pounding the pavement" in New York City, and the hard-earned lessons that come with trying to move product off a retail shelf. Moderated by Glenn Johnson (Marketing Consultant & Fractional CMO), the panel brings together three founders building their brands in real time: * Joe Rotondo (Founder & CEO, SMEARCASE) shares the journey of turning cottage cheese ice cream into a high-protein sensation, detailing how a chance outreach from Whole Foods turned into a tri-state launch. * Kabir Kurani (Founder & CEO, GetUp Nutrition) discusses the "ugly" side of manufacturing overseas and the sheer hustle required to sell through a nationwide trial at 455 Sprouts locations. * Will Custis (Founder, HoopFuel) breaks down the "Corporate Hooper" persona and his hyper-focused strategy of dominating the basketball category through community events and equity-based creator partnerships. You’ll hear their unfiltered takes on: * The Power of Niching Down: Why speaking to everyone means speaking to no one, and how to identify your "hyper-focused lens". * The "Ugly" Side of R&D: Handling flavor failures, bitter caffeine maskings, and shipping 50 pounds of dry ice across Brooklyn. * Retail Reality vs. Hype: The difference between getting on the shelf and actually hitting the velocity targets required to stay there. * Community as a Growth Engine: Hosting tournaments and "demoing" in unmarked containers to get unbiased feedback from the right audience. * 2026 Strategy: How to move from a "pounding the pavement" founder to a scalable business with smart creator ecosystems and regional dominance. Chapters 00:00 – Intro: The importance of niching down and hyper-focus. 01:00 – Housekeeping: Ugly Talk’s national footprint and host introductions. 02:00 – Sponsor Spotlight: AI-powered operations with Copley. 04:20 – Meet the Founders: Elevator pitches for Smearcase, GetUp, and HoopFuel. 07:13 – The "Corporate Hooper": Building a brand through a social persona. 08:50 – Validation: Testing cottage cheese ice cream in marathon training groups. 10:56 – Finding the Gap: Why basketball players were ignored by traditional nutrition. 14:40 – The Co-Founder Fit: Balancing brand vision with strategy and ops. 16:00 – Creative Expression: Why every entrepreneur should start a clothing brand. 20:50 – Scientific Formulation: Using sweat-tracking patches to design HoopFuel. 23:20 – The Bias Trap: Getting honest feedback outside of friends and family. 26:00 – The Failed Batch: Selling through "disgusting" product to fund the fix. 28:50 – The Super Bowl Moment: Landing Whole Foods via a "janky" website. 34:15 – The New Influencer Model: Moving from one-off posts to equity-based creators. 40:55 – The Network Effect: Using Manhattan dominance to fuel word-of-mouth. 44:30 – Advice to Self: The logistical nightmare of dry ice and being "supply ready" Want to share your Ugly story? Visit uglytalk.com/podcast [https://uglytalk.com/podcast] and send us a message.

Ugly Talk Live: Leveraging AI to Optimize Ecommerce Logistics and Profits

Recorded live, this edition of Ugly Talk dives into the real, unpolished side of scaling ecommerce operations with AI — the messy systems, the tool overload, the margin pressure, and the hard tradeoffs that come with growing fast. Moderated by Manish Chowdhary (Founder & CEO, Cahoot), the panel brings together operators and investors who work at the intersection of logistics, technology, and growth: Brian O’Connor (CEO, Aevisor Solutions) breaks down how founders can turn operations into a self-funding growth engine by freeing up cash, improving margins, and building systems that scale. Mat Kaliski (Principal, Acronym Venture Capital) shares how investors evaluate operational discipline, AI adoption, and resilience when backing early-stage ecommerce and technology companies. Frank Pacheco (Amazon Guru, Nearly Natural) delivers hard-earned lessons from inside Amazon and beyond, revealing how the best brands use AI, data, and logistics strategy to win where “best practices” fall short. You’ll hear their unfiltered takes on: * The highest-leverage improvements brands can make in the next 7 and 30 days * Common scaling mistakes teams repeat — and how to avoid them * Choosing the right tools without creating costly tech sprawl * Practical AI workflows for order management, support, merchandising, and reporting * Simple scorecards to measure speed, accuracy, and cost * Hiring and vendor decisions that keep operations lean and resilient If you’re an ecommerce founder, operator, or leader trying to protect margins while scaling smarter, this conversation cuts through the hype and gets into what actually moves the needle. Want to share your Ugly story? Visit uglytalk.com/podcast and send us a message.

Ugly Talk Live: Building Effective Personal Brand for Founders.

Recorded live, this edition of Ugly Talk dives into the real, unpolished side of building a personal brand as a founder — the cringe, the doubts, the consistency, and the unexpected wins that come from simply showing up online. Moderated by Ben Buaron (Founder & CEO, Windmill Growth), the panel brings together two operators who’ve turned content into a growth engine: Ben Sharf (Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Platter) shares how LinkedIn became his top acquisition channel — driving clients, hires, and even a six-figure inbound investment. Blaine Davis (Co-Founder, Superconnector; GP at Mute Ventures) breaks down how personal brand powers trust, warm intros, and early-stage momentum — even while staying in stealth.  You’ll hear their unfiltered takes on: * Overcoming the fear of cringe and publishing anyway * What authenticity actually looks like online * How founders convert content into revenue, pipeline, and investor interest * Balancing top-, mid-, and bottom-of-funnel content * Why personal brand is becoming non-negotiable in 2025 If you’ve ever wondered whether posting is “worth it,” this conversation pulls back the curtain on how founders really build leverage through content.  Want to share your Ugly story? Visit uglytalk.com/podcast [http://uglytalk.com/podcast] and send us a message.

Ugly Talk Live: Building Profitable eCommerce in a Downward Market

In this live-recorded edition of the Ugly Talk Podcast at NomadWorks, Times Square in New York City, we hosted an open and honest conversation about how eCommerce brands can pivot in today’s downturn. Moderated by Manish Chowdhary, founder & CEO of Cahoot, the panel features three founders & strategists digging into how they’re reengineering growth when old tactics no longer work: Sabir Semerkant (Growth by Sabir) unveils his Rapid 2X Protocol, the model behind $1B+ in revenue across 200+ brands, and warns why many brands won’t survive 2025. Maya Juchtman (Roswell NYC) blends artistry and performance marketing, sharing how to build brand stories that convert, even when consumer attention is fractured. London Glorfield (Kickback) talks culture, product, and community: how to launch a youth-forward electronics brand in a time of shrinking attention spans and rising expectations. 🎙️ Expect real talk on: - What growth tactics are relics now (and need to go) - Fresh playbooks beyond Meta & Google ads: marketplaces, communities, wholesale, B2B pivots - How to build resilient unit economics and margin-first growth - Which experiments are worth backing in a down market Whether you’re still early in your founder journey or navigating your fifth scaling phase, this episode offers the raw behind-the-scenes of how to build profitable eCommerce when everything else seems broken.