Unit Economics

The Unit Economics Podcast
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Business
  • Weekly

How businesses actually work. Conversations with founders, operators, and investors about the decisions, economics, constraints, and tradeoffs behind the scenes. Hosted by Josh Stabinsky. 🎧 New episodes every week. 🌐 More at uepod.com Want to get in touch? hello@uepod.com

  1. 5d ago

    [Pangram] Max Spero

    On today's episode, I sit down with Max Spero, co-founder of Pangram, a company developing software to help detect AI-generated content. In this conversation, we talk about why Pangram's first product, built for college essays, initially found no buyers, how they subsequently landed Quora as a marquee customer, and how the self-serve side of the business now accounts for the majority of the company's revenue. We also get into why Pangram indexes on false positives, what it takes to train bigger models and detect AI-generated images, and Max's vision for where it all goes from here. I learned a lot from my conversation with Max, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. This episode is brought to you in part by Rho, a paid partner of the show. Rho is the modern banking platform built for the AI era. Startups and growth-stage companies can open accounts in minutes, issue cards, manage expenses, pay bills, and close the books, all in one connected platform, backed by real human support that founders love. Right now, qualified Unit Economics listeners can get $100 when they open and fund an account at uepod.com/rho. Terms apply.

    [Pangram] Max Spero

  2. Oct 21

    [Primis Imports] Damian Primis

    On today's episode, I sit down with Damian Primis, founder of Primis Imports, a company that brings extra virgin olive oil and other Mediterranean pantry goods to the U.S. Damian is a Juilliard-trained bassoonist who started the business when the pandemic put live performances on hold. What began as a single shipment of olive oil, which he distributed mostly to friends and fellow musicians, has grown into a brand sold in hundreds of stores across the country. In this conversation, we get into what it took to turn that side project into a real importing business, from working with freight forwarders and insuring every shipment to working around the annual olive harvest. Lastly, we discuss how his branding opened doors with retailers, why olive oil, which is expensive to produce and hard to mark up, leaves so little room for error, and why, as he expands into more major retail, keeping up with demand without sacrificing quality becomes a real challenge. I learned a lot during my conversation with Damian, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. This episode is brought to you in part by Rho, a paid partner of the show. Rho is the modern banking platform built for the AI era. Startups and growth-stage companies can open accounts in minutes, issue cards, manage expenses, pay bills, and close the books, all in one connected platform, backed by real human support that founders love. Right now, qualified Unit Economics listeners can get $100 when they open and fund an account at uepod.com/rho. Terms apply.

    [Primis Imports] Damian Primis

  3. Oct 14

    [Miracle Mama] Whitney Rowell

    On today’s episode, I sit down with ⁠Whitney Rowell⁠, founder of ⁠Miracle Mama⁠, a functional food company best known for its lactation cookies, which are designed to help support milk supply for breastfeeding moms. Whitney started the business after discovering that, unbeknownst to her, a cookie recipe she'd posted to her personal blog a year and a half earlier had attracted hundreds of thousands of hits, driven largely by engagement on Pinterest. In this conversation, we get into how she turned that recipe into a business, the challenges of manufacturing and distributing fresh-baked cookies, and how developing a shelf-stable version opened the door to Amazon and traditional retail. We also discuss Miracle Mama’s approach to customer acquisition and retention, the role of gifting in driving repeat purchases, and Whitney’s plans to expand into new products that support women through different stages of their lives. I learned a lot during my conversation with Whitney, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. For a limited time, Miracle Mama is offering listeners of the show 20% off their orders at ⁠miraclemama.com⁠ with code UEPOD. This episode is brought to you in part by ⁠Rho⁠, a paid partner of the show. Rho is the modern banking platform built for the AI era. Startups and growth-stage companies can open accounts in minutes, issue cards, manage expenses, pay bills, and close the books, all in one connected platform, backed by real human support that founders love. Right now, qualified Unit Economics listeners can get $100 when they open and fund an account at ⁠uepod.com/rho⁠. Terms apply.

    [Miracle Mama] Whitney Rowell

  4. Oct 7

    [Mikey's Pies] Mikey Deegan

    On today’s episode, I sit down with Mikey Deegan, founder of Mikey’s Pies, a New York-based business selling frozen savory pies directly to consumers. In this conversation, we get into how Mikey went from running a small sandwich pop-up to building a pie business, why the company’s early drop model worked so well for managing cash flow and demand, and what has to change as he moves toward making the pies available whenever customers want them. We also discuss how Mikey sources ingredients, how working out of a commercial kitchen changes the economics of production, and how he thinks about pricing, margins, and fulfillment as the business grows. Lastly, we talk about how Mikey has built a repeat purchase rate above 50 percent without spending anything on paid marketing, winning at the National Pie Championships, and his long-term ambition to make savory pies a much bigger part of the American diet. I learned a lot during my conversation with Mikey, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. This episode is brought to you in part by ⁠Rho⁠, a paid partner of the show. Rho is the modern banking platform built for the AI era. Startups and growth-stage companies can open accounts in minutes, issue cards, manage expenses, pay bills, and close the books, all in one connected platform, backed by real human support that founders love. Right now, qualified Unit Economics listeners can get $100 when they open and fund an account at ⁠uepod.com/rho⁠. Terms apply.

    [Mikey's Pies] Mikey Deegan

  5. Sep 30

    [TofuGo] Caroline Dai

    On today's episode, I sit down with Caroline Dai, founder of TofuGo, a brand making shelf-stable, savory tofu snacks inspired by Chinese dried tofu, packaged in a jerky-style pouch. TofuGo launched around March of this year, went viral about two weeks in, and has been figuring out how to turn that attention into a product people understand once it hits a real shelf. In this conversation, we talk about why shelf-stable tofu is hard to manufacture, what actually worked in those early weeks of virality, and why aisle placement does a lot of the customer education social media can't do on its own. We also get into packaging constraints, where the business sits today, and what Caroline is aiming for in the category. I learned a lot during our conversation, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. This episode is brought to you in part by ⁠Rho⁠, a paid partner of the show. Rho is the modern banking platform built for the AI era. Startups and growth-stage companies can open accounts in minutes, issue cards, manage expenses, pay bills, and close the books, all in one connected platform, backed by real human support that founders love. Right now, qualified Unit Economics listeners can get $100 when they open and fund an account at ⁠uepod.com/rho⁠. Terms apply.

    [TofuGo] Caroline Dai

  6. Sep 23

    [Matic Robots] Mehul Nariyawala

    On today’s episode, I’m joined by Mehul Nariyawala, co-founder of Matic Robots, a home robotics company building one of the most advanced robot vacuums on the market. Mehul started Matic in 2017 after becoming frustrated with the limitations of existing robot vacuums, but it would take roughly seven years before the company actually began shipping product. In this conversation, we talk about why robotics is so much harder than traditional hardware (which is already hard to begin with), why Matic chose to rely on cameras instead of a more sensor-heavy approach, and what it means to build a product while betting that the underlying technology improves over time. We also get into Matic’s decision to manufacture domestically, how the company thinks about pricing and recurring revenue, and how something as small as a supplier changing the glue inside a motor can throw off an entire production schedule. Lastly, we talk about what Matic has actually learned from having robots inside real homes, why consumers have so little tolerance for mistakes on seemingly simple tasks, and some of the lessons Mehul took from working with Tony Fadell at Nest. I learned a lot during my conversation with Mehul, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. This episode is brought to you in part by ⁠Rho⁠, a paid partner of the show. Rho is the modern banking platform built for the AI era. Startups and growth-stage companies can open accounts in minutes, issue cards, manage expenses, pay bills, and close the books, all in one connected platform, backed by real human support that founders love. Right now, qualified Unit Economics listeners can get $100 when they open and fund an account at ⁠uepod.com/rho⁠. Terms apply.

    [Matic Robots] Mehul Nariyawala

  7. Sep 16

    [Yardsale] Cristina Ashbaugh

    On today’s episode, I sit down with Cristina Ashbaugh, co-founder of Yardsale, an outdoor apparel and equipment brand, and Double Black, its recently opened coffee shop / retail space in San Francisco. Yardsale started with a pair of magnetic ski poles, but in less than three years has expanded into bags, apparel, owned retail, and now coffee. In this conversation, we talk about why something as simple as adding magnets to a ski pole created a surprisingly difficult manufacturing problem, how a viral TikTok and a Fast Company article helped accelerate the company almost immediately after launch, and what Yardsale’s experience on Shark Tank actually did for the business. We get into how their mix of revenue has shifted over time, how Cristina and her co-founder think about expanding into new categories, and why wholesale has become a smaller part of the business than they originally expected. Lastly, we talk about Double Black specifically, how a search for warehouse space turned into a coffee shop and retail store, the economics of operating the space, and why staying independent has given Yardsale more flexibility in deciding where to take the business. I learned a lot during my conversation with Cristina, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. This episode is brought to you in part by ⁠Rho⁠, a paid partner of the show. Rho is the modern banking platform built for the AI era. Startups and growth-stage companies can open accounts in minutes, issue cards, manage expenses, pay bills, and close the books, all in one connected platform, backed by real human support that founders love. Right now, qualified Unit Economics listeners can get $100 when they open and fund an account at ⁠uepod.com/rho⁠. Terms apply.

    [Yardsale] Cristina Ashbaugh

  8. Sep 9

    [Rite of Way] Alex Brands

    On today’s episode, I sit down with Alex Brands, founder of Rite of Way, a Brooklyn-based fragrance brand. Alex spent more than a decade in brand strategy, including time at Gin Lane and Mad Happy, before launching Right of Way about a year ago. In this conversation, we get into how he evaluated fragrance as a category before deciding to enter it, what the process of developing a scent actually looks like, and how he thought about both demand forecasting, and pricing pre-launch. We also get into building brand equity when you’re competing in the premium end of the market, why Rite of Way has deliberately launched new scents at a metered pace, and why Alex has come to see retail as one of the most important parts of the company’s growth. I learned a lot during my conversation with Alex, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. This episode is brought to you in part by ⁠Rho⁠, a paid partner of the show. Rho is the modern banking platform built for the AI era. Startups and growth-stage companies can open accounts in minutes, issue cards, manage expenses, pay bills, and close the books, all in one connected platform, backed by real human support that founders love. Right now, qualified Unit Economics listeners can get $100 when they open and fund an account at ⁠uepod.com/rho⁠. Terms apply.

    [Rite of Way] Alex Brands
See All (68)

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

How businesses actually work. Conversations with founders, operators, and investors about the decisions, economics, constraints, and tradeoffs behind the scenes. Hosted by Josh Stabinsky. 🎧 New episodes every week. 🌐 More at uepod.com Want to get in touch? hello@uepod.com

Information

  • Creator
    The Unit Economics Podcast
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    68
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Unit Economics Podcast
  • Show Website
    Unit Economics

You Might Also Like