Proof of Concept

Isar Saxena and Austin Kennedy
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Revealing this generation’s hidden success stories - Use them to write yours

  1. Ep. 40 How to Actually Reach your Goals

    09/15/2024

    Ep. 40 How to Actually Reach your Goals

    On Episode 40 of Proof of Concept, we sat down and recorded our thoughts about why we have a podcast. We spent most of our time talking about where our motivation for the podcast comes from and why do it. We also reflected a little bit on ourselves and why we continue with Proof of Concept. We also spent some time talking a little bit about things that keep us moving forward. Tune in and enjoy :)

    27 min
  2. Ep. 39 From Reselling Birds in Ghana to Making Millions by 23 (w/ Sharif Caesar)

    08/23/2024

    Ep. 39 From Reselling Birds in Ghana to Making Millions by 23 (w/ Sharif Caesar)

    On Episode 39 of Proof of Concept, we had Sharif Caesar. A current 23-year-old Sharif was raised in Ghana and came over to the States with his dad when he was a child. After being bullied for not wearing name brand (when he came over he didn't even know what a name brand was), he decided to make money a priority. After years of scaling his brand, @realmelaninking, to over 5.4 million followers, he's been able to generate 6 figures a month. This has allowed him to retire his girl and build a 13-bedroom house for his family in Ghana. I know you guys will all enjoy this one :)

    1h 32m
  3. Ep. 38 How Noticing a Netflix Lip-Sync Problem Led to Thousands in Revenue (w/ Shrikar Lekkala)

    07/22/2024

    Ep. 38 How Noticing a Netflix Lip-Sync Problem Led to Thousands in Revenue (w/ Shrikar Lekkala)

    On episode 38 of Proof of Concept, we had Shrikar Lekkala, an incoming junior at UIUC and Co-Founder of Metafrazo, which provides an AI Dubbing and Translation solution for educators. Since their founding, they’ve secured 5,000 MRR and have worked with content creators like Mr. Beast and Mr. Nightmare If you want to hear How Metafrazo has allowed him to take a gap semester, how it all started when he was watching an episode of Netflix’s Moneyheist, Why freestyling is important and Shrik’s past rap career, the impact being around other founders has had on him through UIUC’s iVenture program, how Metafrazo just recently closed a big deal from the school, and all of Shrikar’s predictions for Metafrazo’s future as well as how own, I’ll know you’ll enjoy this episode

    52 min
  4. Ep. 37 Behind the Scenes of Growing Chicago's Largest Highschool-Sports Page (w/ Derrick "Sloche" Echols)

    05/07/2024

    Ep. 37 Behind the Scenes of Growing Chicago's Largest Highschool-Sports Page (w/ Derrick "Sloche" Echols)

    On this week of Proof of Concept we had Derrick Echols, founder of Sloche. Beginning with just his camera and him at a highschool basketball game, Sloche has since scaled to a 136K follower community. "Community" is used intentionally; Derrick has not only scaled followers, but true relationships as well, making him beloved and an icon in the highschool basketball community. If you want to hear how he did it all, how "YouTube University" played a pivotal role, how hard it was to leave his NBA dreams behind and turn to media, how at times he almost thought about quitting, and how it all came together, I know you all will enjoy. Thank you :)

    1h 17m
  5. Ep. 36 How a Former UIUC Student Signed 34,000 Artists and Raised 390K in Funding (w/ Avi Patel)

    04/28/2024

    Ep. 36 How a Former UIUC Student Signed 34,000 Artists and Raised 390K in Funding (w/ Avi Patel)

    This week on Proof Of Concept, we welcomed back Avi Patel, founder of Nitrility. The solution artists and creators have been waiting for. We talked about his recent experiences with VCs, how he’s been able to raise hundreds of thousands in funding, signed over 34,000 artists, and even how he met one the staples of his childhood, Vikkstar, on a recent trip to Europe. Since dropping out, Avi has stacked experiences on experiences, and in doing so has powerful insight about the venture capital space, entrepreneurship, and how important building a brand can be. I know you all will enjoy :)

    1h 5m
  6. Ep. 35 Creating AI Generated Podcasts as a UMICH CS Student (w/ Miles Low)

    04/21/2024

    Ep. 35 Creating AI Generated Podcasts as a UMICH CS Student (w/ Miles Low)

    Hello everybody on this episode 35 of Proof of Concept we had Miles Low. Miles, a junior at the University of Michigan, explained to us what exactly is an LLM, how to build an AI that sounds just like Thomas Jefferson, why computer science can be an inside-the-box career but also an outside-the-box career, how finding the University of Michigan entrepreneurship community opened his eyes to what is possible, and much more This episode is our final release from our recent trip to Michigan and we wanted to say it was an amazing experience. Big Thank You’s to Tommy Potter and Bobby Housel for helping us put this all together. With all that being said, I know you’ll enjoy the show :)

    25 min
  7. Ep. 34 How to Actually Get The Job You Want (w/ Roshen Karavattuveetil)

    04/12/2024

    Ep. 34 How to Actually Get The Job You Want (w/ Roshen Karavattuveetil)

    To Subscribe To Roshen's Newsletter: https://thepartner-newsletter.beehiiv.com/p/partner-newsletter?utm_source=thepartner-newsletter.beehiiv.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=the-partner-newsletter To Reach Out Directly To Roshen: rkaravat2@gmail.com This week on Proof of Concept, we welcomed Roshen, a UIUC alumni and now venture capitalist. We began by exploring his diverse college experiences; Internships in Venture Capital, Private Equity and the NBA , and how they all lead him to his current positon, working for the Chicago Cubs VC fund, Marquee Ventures. We also discussed why Roshen looks for “empathy, resilience, and execution” when talking to founders, and how he actually screens for them. And most importantly, Roshen shared insights on how to leverage a network and how to build it, tips and strategies he’s learned from sitting in both seats of the interview chair, and how to actually craft a resume. We wrapped up by emphasizing being genuine and “chasing responsibility” in your 20s. Finally, he provided valuable advice on personal growth and always choosing the right room to be in. Thank you and I hope you all enjoy :)

    53 min
  8. Ep. 33 Why You Aren't Growing on Social Media (LIVE TALK) w/ Casper Capital

    04/08/2024

    Ep. 33 Why You Aren't Growing on Social Media (LIVE TALK) w/ Casper Capital

    Hello everyone, this audio is from a recent presentation given by Casper Capital. He has scaled this brand to over 3 Milliion Followers and has been in the content creation game since he was 12. Here, he lays out the tactics and strategies you can use to accomplish that same feat.

    1h 7m
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Revealing this generation’s hidden success stories - Use them to write yours

Information

  • Creator
    Isar Saxena and Austin Kennedy
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2024
  • Episodes
    40
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Proof of Concept 2024
  • Show Website
    Proof of Concept