Dorm Room to Board Room

Hosted by Madison Rifkin

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Apr 2024

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About the show

Welcome to Dorm Room to Boardroom, the podcast that delves into the incredible journeys of entrepreneurs who kickstarted their companies while navigating college life. I'm your host, Madi Rifkin. I started my company, Mount, when I was 12, raised $4M to date, and am your guide on this entrepreneurial expedition. Join me as we dive deep into the stories of our accomplished guests, discovering the pivotal moments, challenges overcome, and the strategies that propelled them to success or, ultimately, failure. This is Dorm Room to Boardroom, where the journey from campus to corporate isn't just a story—it's a roadmap for the next generation of game-changers.

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15 recent

April 18, 202435 min

David Lin | Starting Duffl as a Sophomore at UCLA

David Lin, the CEO and founder of Duffl, a company focused on enabling students to start their own snack delivery business, joins Madi in today's episode. Starting the company in his sophomore year at UCLA, David navigated challenges including raising $13 million in funds, pivoting business models, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The conversation explores David's entrepreneurial journey, from the initial struggles to its current success. David shares insights into his philosophy on education, entrepreneurship, and passion, highlighting the value of personalized education over traditional paths. Connect with David on LinkedIn Check out Duffl! Connect with Madi on LinkedIn Check out Mount!

April 11, 202433 min

David Zamarin | Founder of DetraPel, Forbes 30 Under 30 Recipient, & Shark Tank Alum

This week, Madi is interviewing David Zamarin, the young CEO and founder of DetraPel, who shares his journey of launching a successful startup at the age of 15. DetraPel is recognized for creating chemical coatings making materials perform extraordinarily while being sustainable. David discusses his initial venture, Lick Your Soul, a shoe cleaning company, his strategies for overcoming challenges, and his experiences on Shark Tank. He covers the importance of mentorship, the difference between being a CEO and an entrepreneur, and offers advice to young and aspiring entrepreneurs. Connect with David on LinkedIn Connect with Madi on LinkedIn Check out Mount!

April 4, 202434 min

Connor Paton | Turning His Capstone Project into Noshable

Connor Paton, CEO of Noshable, is a fellow founder in the short-term rental industry. This conversation dives into Connor's unique journey of founding Noshable, while completing his senior year of college at Miami University, Ohio. Connor shares insights into addressing food insecurity initially, pivoting to the short-term rental space, and creating Noshable to revolutionize grocery access for guests. Madi and Connor explore the challenges and opportunities of startup life, including fundraising strategies, the importance of community, and leveraging college resources. Connect with Connor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connormpaton/ Check out Noshable: https://www.shopnoshable.com/ Connect with Madi on LinkedIn Check out Mount!

March 28, 202434 min

Bryan Perla | Launching Little ELF as a Stanford Student-Athlete

Bryan Perla, the founder and CEO of Little ELF Products, joins Madi on this episode to share the story of how a simple high school project evolved into a successful business, sparking interest and funding through a Kickstarter campaign and a memorable appearance on 'Shark Tank.' Starting as a Stanford University student, Bryan juggled academics, entrepreneurship, and being a D1 athlete, developing Little ELF in his dorm room. The discussion delves into the challenges and triumphs of being a solo founder, the impact of 'Shark Tank,' and the strategic use of social media, particularly TikTok, to propel Little ELF into a market-leader position in the gift-wrapping industry. Connect with Madi on LinkedIn Check out Mount! Connect with Bryan Perla: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-perla-8b4061158/ Website: https://www.littleelfproducts.com/

March 21, 202432 min

Shiven Khera | Co-Founding Linkbase, Utilizing University Resources & Pivoting the Business

Shiven Khera, the CEO and co-founder of Linkbase, joins Madi on this episode. Shiven shares his journey from moving to Canada as an international student to founding Linkbase during his business management program at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan. Shiven talks about how Linkbase stumbled into the short-term rental (STR) space almost by accident. This pivot dramatically shifted their business focus towards developing a platform that helps STR hosts automate operations, increase their ratings through enhanced guest experiences, and improve profitability with upselling features. Shiven also discusses the importance of university resources and mentorship in their entrepreneurial journey, as well as the challenge and lessons learned from a failed funding attempt. Connect with Madi on LinkedIn Check out Mount! Connect with Shiven: LinkedIn Website: https://linkbase.ca

March 14, 202431 min

Luka Lamaj | Biochemistry Student Turned Docere Health Founder

Luka Lamaj, CEO and co-founder of Docere Health, shares his journey from being a biochemistry student to founding a healthcare technology company aimed at reducing burnout among healthcare professionals. Luka shares his personal connection to the problem through his mother's early retirement due to burnout and discusses the role of artificial intelligence in revolutionizing patient care and administrative efficiency in clinics. Luka explains his entrepreneurial journey, including customer discovery, team building, navigating challenges with selling to physicians, and leveraging government partnerships for funding and support. Connect with Luka on LinkedIn Connect with Madi on LinkedIn Check out Mount!

March 7, 202431 min

Blake Mischley | Meet Your Class Co-Founder & Current College Student

In this episode, Blake Mischley, the CEO and co-founder of Meet Your Class, shares his entrepreneurial journey while still attending University of Michigan. Blake discusses the creation of Meet Your Class, a social networking platform for students with around 250,000 users across 750 colleges. He also talks about the experience of balancing studies with starting a business, learning from startup accelerators like Techstars, using resources available in college, and continually improving their platform for better community engagement. Connect with Blake on LinkedIn Check out Meet Your Class Connect with Madi on LinkedIn Check out Mount!

February 29, 202422 min

Madi's Entrepreneurial Journey & Building Mount

In this episode of Dorm Room to Boardroom, Madi is sharing her own entrepreneurial journey. She begins by detailing her background where entrepreneurship rooted in her family, and her path of founding her company, Mount, while studying entrepreneurship at Northeastern University. Madi discusses her experiences over the years, including overcoming adversities such as getting hit by a car at 16, dealing with rejection, and fundraising challenges. She offers advice for new founders about building a startup team, emphasizing careful selection and fostering growth. Madi's story is an inspirational journey of determination, resilience, self-belief, and an ambition to change the world. Connect with Madi on LinkedIn Check out Mount!

February 22, 202434 min

Josh Gray | CEO and co-founder of Artemis

In this episode, Madi chats with Josh Gray, the CEO and co-founder of Artemis, a platform that helps prepare one's data for AI applications. Josh was recognized as a 30 under 30 entrepreneur by the League of Innovators in 2023. Throughout this conversation, Josh shares his journey from founding and exiting his first business while still in school at Carleton University, to the funding and scaling of his second company, Artemis. Josh’s key advice for student founders includes understanding that careers are long and the importance of building relationships rather than burning bridges. Connect with Madi on LinkedIn Check out Mount! Connect with Josh on LinkedIn

February 15, 202438 min

Peter & Misha | College Teammates to Co-Founders of Earth Brands

In this episode, Madi chats with Peter and Misha, co-founders of Earth Brands. Earth Brands has raised over 6 million dollars from investors, including Mark Cuban, and aims to transform sustainability and environmental impact. The co-founders discuss their path from college roommates to eco-entrepreneurs and how they built an eco-friendly cup business. Encouraging community-building and fostering an ambassador program, Earth Brands has managed to amass a following of several thousand college students. The company has been expanding their product line, moving most of their manufacturing to the U.S., and partnering with material science companies to create more sustainable products. Connect with Madi on LinkedIn Check out Mount! Check out Earth Brands