Nick Nanakos | CEO - Ziki

ZIKI factory - produces modular restaurants with unstoppable unit economics.

ZIKI factory-produce modular restaurants with unstoppable unit economics. The cuisine we operate is Greek-Mexican fusion that uses zero seed oils, soy, or vegetable oils. We opened 10 locations in just 7 months, and closed our seed round ($6.7M) which was led by Gigafund, the same group that invested $1B+ into SpaceX.

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🎵 Intro song by: Dyve

⁠⁠⁠@onlyDyve on Instagram⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/Dyve-Team⁠⁠⁠

🎥 Video edit by: Umar Brimah

⁠⁠⁠@umarbrimah on Instagram⁠⁠⁠

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The Why We Strive Podcast sits down with successful startup founders, investors, and professional athletes to learn about what they strive for and why.  Visit us at ⁠⁠⁠whywestrive.com⁠⁠⁠ to read watch interviews, learn more about the companies, and check out discounts from our sponsors.

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Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠twitter.com/whywestrive⁠⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/whywestrivepod

Alon Grinshpoon | CEO - Echo 3D

3D asset management for games, 3D apps, and AR/VR experiences

echo3D (www.echo3D.com) is a cloud platform for 3D/AR/VR asset management that provides tools and network infrastructure to help developers & companies quickly build and deploy 3D apps, games, and content.

echo3D serves over 40,000 developers using our SDKs to create real-time 3D experiences (for healthcare, entertainment, retail, gaming, training, and more) and have deployed AR+5G projects with both Verizon and AT&T. echo3D signed partnerships with Unity3D, the world's leading game engine, and NextNav (Nasdaq: NN).

echo3D is backed by Qualcomm Ventures, Konvoy Ventures, Remagine Ventures, Space Capital, and Techstars, and received grants from Y Combinator, Verizon, and NYC Media Lab. We were named AR/VR finalists for SXSW 2020, won the DevProject Award 2019, named among the 2019 Most Fundable Companies, named one of the Top 25 finalists in Sir Richard Branson's Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) 2019, and featured on VentureBeat, The Hill, XRToday, Bold TV, Ynet, Calcalist, and Mako.

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🎵 Intro song by: Dyve

⁠⁠@onlyDyve on Instagram⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/Dyve-Team⁠⁠

🎥 Video edit by: Umar Brimah

⁠⁠@umarbrimah on Instagram⁠⁠

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The Why We Strive Podcast sits down with successful startup founders, investors, and professional athletes to learn about what they strive for and why.  Visit us at ⁠⁠whywestrive.com⁠⁠ to read watch interviews, learn more about the companies, and check out discounts from our sponsors.

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Twitter: ⁠⁠twitter.com/whywestrive⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠instagram.com/whywestrivepod

Ankith Hathari | Co-Founder - Macro

Adding Identity and Expression to Zoom

Zoom fatigue is never going to be solved by making meetings more 'productive'. Automatic transcriptions, notes, and integrations don't address the core issues of why virtual meetings drain our energy more than in-person interactions. Interactions in real life had more depth, meaning, and dimension - an expression of who we each individually are.

Over Zoom, we've all lost a dimension, quite literally. Communicating within our little 2D box constrains our personality and limits our interactions with others. Macro existed to help you break out of that box. To bring your full self over video. With customization and video-native expression features.

In providing its status-quo breaking experience, Macro built the first true 3rd party Zoom client. You could use Macro to join any Zoom meeting, even if everyone else on the call was still on Zoom.

It's technology coupled with the company's mission of elevating people's digital expression over video led to it's eventual acquisition by mmhmm - a company by Phil Libin (of Evernote fame) founded to give communication superpowers, backed with over $140M  from Sequoia, Softbank, and more.

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🎵 Intro song by: Dyve

⁠⁠@onlyDyve on Instagram⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/Dyve-Team⁠⁠

🎥 Video edit by: Umar Brimah

⁠⁠@umarbrimah on Instagram⁠⁠

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The Why We Strive Podcast sits down with successful startup founders, investors, and professional athletes to learn about what they strive for and why.  Visit us at ⁠⁠whywestrive.com⁠⁠ to read watch interviews, learn more about the companies, and check out discounts from our sponsors.

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Twitter: ⁠⁠twitter.com/whywestrive⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠instagram.com/whywestrivepod

Smriti Zaneveld | Co-Founder - Lazarus 3D

Using 3D printing we can take your patient's scans and rapidly validate, manufacture and deliver a high quality model of their anatomy in a matter of days. We offer a full turn-key solution: physician only needs to provide the DICOM image and Lazarus 3D takes care of the rest!

Each patient is unique, we strive to establish personalized medicine solutions for patients and physicians alike. Our Pre-Sure® (PRE-operative SUrgical REhearsal) models are made with soft silicones and hydrogels that mimic human tissue making them ideal for practicing incisions and sutures. They allow you to practice on a 3D printed, patient-specific replica before operating. Personalized patient care improves patient experience, maximizes safety and drives better outcomes.

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🎵 Intro song by: Dyve

⁠@onlyDyve on Instagram⁠

⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/Dyve-Team⁠

🎥 Video edit by: Umar Brimah

⁠@umarbrimah on Instagram⁠

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The Why We Strive Podcast sits down with successful startup founders, investors, and professional athletes to learn about what they strive for and why.  Visit us at ⁠whywestrive.com⁠ to read watch interviews, learn more about the companies, and check out discounts from our sponsors.

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Twitter: ⁠twitter.com/whywestrive⁠

Instagram: ⁠instagram.com/whywestrivepod

Sam Chason | CEO - Storage Scholars

https://www.whywestrive.com/episodes/storage-scholars-sam-chason

Storage Scholars is the nation's premier provider of student storage, moving, and shipping solutions, with operations on 60 college campuses across the country. They are a young, sharp company obsessed with innovation and service quality. Their proprietary technology documents every step of their process with updates sent in real-time. Their customer service leads the industry with a 4.8-star rating. True to their mission, they employ a new group of students each year to learn the foundations of business, training and serving their peers as the leaders of their respective campus operations. They have employed over 1,000 students and will continue creating on-campus jobs and paid internship opportunities for years to come.

Here is how it works: students receive packing supplies on campus, pack up, and leave. Thanks to their partnership with the University, after the campus closes, everything is moved into storage for the summer. The best part is everything is ready and waiting in their new rooms when they return to campus.

Having been bootstrapped since inception by founder Sam Chason out of his freshmen college dorm at Wake Forest back in 2017, the company's trajectory has changed since appearing on Shark Tank on October 14th in 2022. Since then, they have solidified their integration with StarRez, the largest student housing platform in the world. They partnered with SIRVA, the largest relocation company on the planet, responsible for the majority of the moves for all fortune 500 companies. SIRVA will not only serve as the backbone of Storage Scholar's entire logistics network, but their presence on the E&I cooperative allows us to bypass the RFP process and shoot for global expansion...quickly. All parties involved are incredibly excited. It is like the Crest vs. Colgate decision. Once you pick one, you often use that brand for the rest of your life. Once Storage Scholars moves students from some of the most elite Universities in America to school, during their four years at school and then to their first job when they graduate -- who do you think these same kids (now adults) will be calling to move into their first home or when they need to downsize the offices in their new company that they run? Finally, partnering with Universities often involves Storage Scholars becoming an approved storage and moving vendor, allowing them to bid on or simply accept large-scale commercial jobs to supplement the seasonality of the business. There is no doubt that Storage Scholars will be a globally recognized brand in the next five years.

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🎵 Intro song by: Dyve

⁠@onlyDyve on Instagram⁠

⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/Dyve-Team⁠

🎥 Video edit by: Umar Brimah

⁠@umarbrimah on Instagram⁠

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The Why We Strive Podcast sits down with successful startup founders, investors, and professional athletes to learn about what they strive for and why.  Visit us at ⁠whywestrive.com⁠ to read watch interviews, learn more about the companies, and check out discounts from our sponsors.

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Twitter: ⁠twitter.com/whywestrive⁠

Instagram: ⁠instagram.com/whywestrivepod

Jon Werner | CEO - Bones In Motion, Co-founder - Koya Cherie Werner | CEO - Fiesta, Co-Founder - Koya

https://www.whywestrive.com/episodes/bones-in-motion-koya

Your phone is your fitness device. This episode covers the journey of Bones in Motion (acquired by Adidas) and the growth of a new startup - Koya. Bones in Motion - Mobile lifestyle services company acquired by adidas that developed mobile phone applications and web services to monitor and track outdoor enthusiasts in real-time and create a dynamic online journal of their distance, pace, calories burned, and route taken.Won Best Global Location-based App 2005 from Navteq and Best Location-based App 2005 from ESRI. Awarded multiple US and global patents covering a wide-range of mobile fitness innovations. Koya - Canceling loneliness one connection at a time. KOYA Innovations develops products rooted in connection. KOYA for Business helps companies show gratitude to their employees and customers through a relationship-first experience using one-to-one personal videos and optional gifts. KOYA Connect turbo-charges networking events for attendees and provides ROI metrics for sponsors creating a win/win for all.

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🎵 Intro song by: Dyve

⁠@onlyDyve on Instagram⁠

⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/Dyve-Team⁠

🎥 Video edit by: Umar Brimah

⁠@umarbrimah on Instagram⁠

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The Why We Strive Podcast sits down with successful startup founders, investors, and professional athletes to learn about what they strive for and why.  Visit us at ⁠whywestrive.com⁠ to read watch interviews, learn more about the companies, and check out discounts from our sponsors.

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Twitter: ⁠twitter.com/whywestrive⁠

Instagram: ⁠instagram.com/whywestrivepod

Daniel Hinojosa - CEO | Lift ATX #24

The best gym in Austin, Texas

Strength in Community | Community in Strength

Lift ATX is a gym with a primary focus of serving the community. In addition to providing an affordable, welcoming, inclusive environment to promote health and wellness, Lift ATX engages the community by hosting fundraisers, drives, and awareness events that center East Austin.​

Our gym is a showcase for local artists, and we frequently feature local Austin vendors at our events and on busy weekends.  And one of our best features- Lift ATX is dog friendly!

Looking for trainers? We also have diverse array of trainers that we're proud to have working with us! Our certified and talented trainers are here to help you become the best version of yourself. Whether you are looking to change your lifestyle, bodybuild, or compete in a powerlifting competition, they are here to help you.

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🎵 Intro song by: Dyve

@onlyDyve on Instagram

https://www.youtube.com/c/Dyve-Team

🎥 Video edit by: Umar Brimah

@umarbrimah on Instagram

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The Why We Strive Podcast sits down with successful startup founders, investors, and professional athletes to learn about what they strive for and why.  Visit us at whywestrive.com to read watch interviews, learn more about the companies, and check out discounts from our sponsors.

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Twitter: twitter.com/whywestrive

Instagram: instagram.com/whywestrivepod

John Andrew Entwistle | Founder - Wander

We’ve all been there: you’re in desperate need of time away. The countdown is on. The bags are packed. You arrive at your vacation rental and…

It’s disappointing. It looks nothing like it did online. The WiFi is spotty. You can’t get a hold of your host. You’re left with a list of rules, from amenities that are off-limits to cleaning instructions before you check-out. Suddenly, you’re missing home. You reminisce about your own bed. You’re wishing you had booked a hotel.

Life has enough stress. Traveling should be an escape. We built Wander to help you find your happy place. We built Wander for you to create memories with the people you care about. We built Wander because the infrastructure to experience the world is broken, and you deserve better than that. We built Wander so that you could skip straight to the good part.

It starts with owning every single home on our platform, which means we have 100% control over the quality (high), the technology (smart), and the locations (inspiring). It means putting total home control at your fingertips through the Wander app, from unlocking the door and turning on the lights to accessing the Tesla in the garage.

It means getting the best of both worlds: the guarantees of a luxury hotel paired with the comforts (and space) of a home. It means peace of mind with 24/7 concierge service, so if you have questions – you’ll get answers, instantly. It means being able to unwind without having to unplug, with state-of-the-art workstations and super fast WiFi.

We believe humans are meant to explore the world, and that these experiences are best when shared. We believe a pioneering spirit – a call to blaze new trails and broaden our horizons – is embedded in our DNA. And we believe that, together with our customers, we can build a network of Wanders across the globe you can access with the push of a button.

When stunning settings and smart technology collide in just the right way, the result is something magical. An adventure that’s unexpected. An environment that stokes creativity and resets the mind. A sense of freedom and possibility that sticks with you long after you’ve checked out. Our product isn’t our app or inventory, but the feeling we deliver to our customers.

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🎵 Intro song by: Dyve

@onlyDyve on Instagram

https://www.youtube.com/c/Dyve-Team

🎥 Video edit by: Umar Brimah

@umarbrimah on Instagram

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The Why We Strive Podcast sits down with successful startup founders, investors, and professional athletes to learn about what they strive for and why.  Visit us at whywestrive.com to read watch interviews, learn more about the companies, and check out discounts from our sponsors.

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Twitter: twitter.com/whywestrive

Instagram: instagram.com/whywestrivepod