Founders in Motion with Thea Ngo

Thea Ngo
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Unfiltered conversations with early-stage founders who are actually building it - from Sydney to San Francisco. Hosted by Thea Ngo (Wharton grad, early-stage investor), this is where founders talk about what really happens: the fundraising rejections, hiring mistakes, pivots that worked, and mental health struggles nobody posts on LinkedIn. Plus tactical job hunting content for breaking into startups and VC. No hype. No polished narratives. Just what actually works. New episodes every Thursday.

  1. What Harvard Didn't Know: I Was Building an 8-Figure Startup | Stephen Turban, Lumiere Education

    1D AGO

    What Harvard Didn't Know: I Was Building an 8-Figure Startup | Stephen Turban, Lumiere Education

    Stephen Turban was two semesters into his Harvard PhD when he got called into a Zoom room and confronted with his own face on the Lumiere website. The ultimatum was simple: PhD or startup. He chose the company. Four years later, Lumiere is 100 people strong and doing eight figures. We talk about using a startup as an exit strategy from academia, the hidden cost of scattered focus, content tactics that actually work, and why creating belonging matters more than preserving optionality. For: founders, operators, aspiring entrepreneurs, content creators, anyone building globally CHAPTERS 0:00 - Intro 1:10 - Derailing his PhD for Lumiere 5:00 - Research to Startup Mindset 6:30 - Focusing on a Niche 9:00 - Ageism, new kid on the block 11:15 - Why not raise money 13:20 - My Biggest Mistake: The Assistant Company 18:00 - Building a Controversial Public Persona 20:59 - Moving to a New Country 25:50 - Online vs Real Life Persona FOLLOW US https://www.instagram.com/foundersinmotion https://www.tiktok.com/@foundersinmotion  https://www.linkedin.com/in/theango/ ABOUT FOUNDERS IN MOTION Founders In Motion brings you honest, tactical conversations with early-stage founders building companies from the ground up. Hosted by Thea Ngo, the show goes beyond the headlines to reveal the real decisions, trade-offs, and mechanics behind building startups. Past guests include founders from YC-backed companies, edtech leaders, SaaS operators, and global entrepreneurs. Subscribe for the insider playbook on building companies, growth tactics, and founder stories

    30 min
  2. How to Stand Out Without Experience

    FEB 5

    How to Stand Out Without Experience

    If I covered your name on your resume, could it belong to 5,000 other people? If yes, you're playing a losing game. In this episode: → Why you're not getting callbacks: You're indistinguishable, not unqualified → What signaling actually is: Proving you're already doing the job (just not for them yet) → The Signal Equation: Specific + Relevant + Public (miss one = invisible) → The 48-hour challenge: How to build receipts this weekend Best for: Early-career professionals, recent grads, career pivoters who are tired of hearing silence after applications

    9 min
  3. 1000 Oversold Orders at PE Nation Led to This AI Startup | Jevon Le Roux, Keeyu

    JAN 29

    1000 Oversold Orders at PE Nation Led to This AI Startup | Jevon Le Roux, Keeyu

    Jevon dropped out of high school to become a pro surfer, then built Nike's Hurley brand in South Africa, ran PE Nation and Surf Stitch, and now he's building Keeyu, an AI platform that stops ecom complaints before customers even notice problems. This episode covers his pivot from selling a "vitamin" to a "painkiller," why distribution beats product-first, and the customer who said she "wouldn't come to work" without Keeyu. Perfect for ecom founders, ops leaders, and anyone building in AI

    28 min
  4. Mass Applying Is a Dead Strategy in 2026

    JAN 22

    Mass Applying Is a Dead Strategy in 2026

    Mass applying, tweaking resumes, and waiting for callbacks doesn’t work anymore and it’s not because you’re bad at job hunting. In this episode, we break down what actually changed in the job market and the 4-step framework that works in 2026: positioning, proof, distribution, and conversion. Anything I can be helpful with, leave a comment! This is Episode 1 of The 2026 Job Playbook, a mini series on how people actually get hired today

    12 min
  5. Building a Cult Food Brand: The Umami Papi Story

    JAN 8

    Building a Cult Food Brand: The Umami Papi Story

    How do you turn a lockdown side project into a cult food brand? In this episode of Founders in Motion, Ethan Yong, founder of Umami Papi, shares the real story behind building one of Australia’s most talked-about chilli oils. We dive into the origin of the name “Flavor Daddy,” early product experiments, breaking into retail, and what it actually takes to stand out in a crowded food and CPG market. This conversation covers branding, distribution, manufacturing realities, and the mistakes Ethan learned from along the way. Perfect for founders, marketers, brand builders, and anyone curious about consumer startups and food brands.

    29 min
  6. How He Built a $50M Beer Brand… With 0% Alcohol | Heaps Normal

    12/11/2025

    How He Built a $50M Beer Brand… With 0% Alcohol | Heaps Normal

    Andy Miller didn’t just start a beer company, he helped spark a cultural shift. In this episode, he shares how Heaps Normal grew from a lockdown experiment into a $50M non-alcoholic beer brand loved across Australia. We unpack building a product for the “sober curious,” turning pandemic challenges into momentum, landing the first 200 customers, designing a category-defining brand, scaling a premium CPG business, and becoming a B Corp from day one. Perfect for founders, brand builders, CPG operators, marketers, and anyone curious about the mindful drinking movement.

    30 min
  7. When AI Breaks in Production: VibeFlow’s Big Bet (YC S24)

    11/27/2025

    When AI Breaks in Production: VibeFlow’s Big Bet (YC S24)

    Most AI dev tools can write code but they fall apart in production.In this episode, the founders of VibeFlow (YC S24) explain why they bet their entire company on fixing that exact problem. We break down the real bottleneck in AI development (maintainability), how they built a platform that’s ready for real-world use, and how they gained 6,000 users in their first three weeks. Perfect for engineers, product builders, technical founders, or anyone trying to ship faster in the AI era.

    27 min
  8. Inside the Collapse of Australia’s $70M “Theranos” | Joe Zhou, StrongRoom

    11/13/2025

    Inside the Collapse of Australia’s $70M “Theranos” | Joe Zhou, StrongRoom

    StrongRoom AI was once hailed as a healthtech rising star then came the collapse. Joe Zhou stepped in to buy the company out of administration and rebuild from chaos. We dive into the lawsuits, leadership shifts, and the hard lessons behind bringing a broken startup back to life. A must-listen for healthtech founders, investors, and anyone curious about startup resilience.

    26 min
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About

Unfiltered conversations with early-stage founders who are actually building it - from Sydney to San Francisco. Hosted by Thea Ngo (Wharton grad, early-stage investor), this is where founders talk about what really happens: the fundraising rejections, hiring mistakes, pivots that worked, and mental health struggles nobody posts on LinkedIn. Plus tactical job hunting content for breaking into startups and VC. No hype. No polished narratives. Just what actually works. New episodes every Thursday.

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