This week on Same Same but Tech, we’re going back to our roots to cover an - if not THE most - important buzzword in tech: Startups. 

We’re all familiar with Harvard dorm room or Silicon Valley garage idols - but now, in 2021, a new wave of startups is booming even bigger. Money is pouring in as startups that were accelerated due to the pandemic - from audio social networks to video conferences to ghost kitchens!

Anyone who’s tried knows how hard it is to start any sort of new project, not to mention the funding, confidence, and team needed to bring it all together and put it out in the world. And while it launched back in 2013, a little known parking assistant company called ParkJockey shows off the perfect case study to see how the magic of startups comes together. 

After successfully launching an app that would help users find parking spaces nearby to concert venues and sporting events, a single Phil Collins show sent the entire operation spiralling, jeopardizing the entire business model. What’s the best thing to do when you hit a major setback? Pivot! 

In this episode, we track the story behind the startup who created a product for finding parking spots, eventually growing it to become an urban revolution in the making: the rise of the ghost kitchen and “proximity as a service.” We’ll get the inside scoop of all the ups and downs from Philippe Saint-Just, Co-Founder of REEF Technology, formerly ParkJockey.

We’ll also hear expert insight from longtime startup investor and veteran entrepreneur Brad Feld, Co-founder of Techstars and Managing Director of the Foundry Group.

You might just walk away with the emboldened drive to go start your own venture. To the moon!

Hosted by Máuhan M Zonoozy, Head of Innovation at Spotify, Partner-alum at BCG Digital Ventures, and NYC-based angel investor and entrepreneur.

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https://www.samesamepodcast.com