55 episodes

On Startup Happy Hour, we highlight the stories of founders, executives, designers, and developers at startup companies in order to inspire big ideas, share what life at a startup really looks like, and show a side to startups and tech that is much more approachable and inclusive than what some might think.

Startup Happy Hour Diana Chen

    • Technology
    • 4.8 • 12 Ratings

On Startup Happy Hour, we highlight the stories of founders, executives, designers, and developers at startup companies in order to inspire big ideas, share what life at a startup really looks like, and show a side to startups and tech that is much more approachable and inclusive than what some might think.

    Episode 55: Driving Instant Pay for the Gig Economy — with Nico Simko from Clair

    Episode 55: Driving Instant Pay for the Gig Economy — with Nico Simko from Clair

    One of the challenges facing gig workers and hourly workers today is to get paid regularly and on time. Nico Simko founded Clair to solve this problem. It’s a platform built to provide instant payment to hourly and gig workers.

    Nico explains what on-demand pay is and how it works, and what Clair’s overall mission is. He dives into some of the tools and features the platform offers to workers and outlines instant payments. He also talks about upcoming new features and how Clair could shape the payments space as a whole.

    Nico also talks about his journey from working for J.P. Morgan to becoming an entrepreneur, the lessons he has learned from being a founder, and what he thinks made Clair a success.

    You can reach Nico on LinkedIn - let him know you found him through the Startup Happy Hour podcast. And don’t forget to check out Clair at the link below!

    Clair: https://getclair.com/

    SUBSCRIBE to Startup Happy Hour to get episodes like this delivered to your device every Tuesday!

    WEBSITE: https://www.startuphappyhourpodcast.com/

    INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/startuphappyhour/

    CONNECT with Diana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianadchen/

    TWEET at Diana: https://twitter.com/ddwchen

    • 39 min
    Episode 54: Building a Better Economy with Crypto with Rafael Cosman from TrustToken

    Episode 54: Building a Better Economy with Crypto with Rafael Cosman from TrustToken

    In this episode of Startup Happy Hour, we’re talking to Rafael Cosman, the founder and CEO of TrustToken. Decentralized finance and cryptocurrency are grabbing headlines all over the world today, and Rafael is here to share his insights about this space and what TrustToken is aiming to do.

    He explains what TrustToken is and how it works, and we talk about the importance of crypto and what it means for the overall economy. Rafael shares some ideas on how decentralized finance can solve many of the problems with today’s financial systems, and outlines some of the advantages of crypto over fiat money.

    Rafael also talks about what compelled him to create TrustToken and tells us what’s next for the project. He gives his predictions on where the decentralized finance space will be in ten years and talks about his journey as an entrepreneur along with some lessons for aspiring founders.

    You can reach Rafael on Twitter - let him know you found him through the Startup Happy Hour podcast. And don’t forget to check out TrustToken at the link below!

    TrustToken: https://www.trusttoken.com/

    SUBSCRIBE to Startup Happy Hour to get episodes like this delivered to your device every Tuesday!

    WEBSITE: https://www.startuphappyhourpodcast.com/

    INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/startuphappyhour/

    CONNECT with Diana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianadchen/

    TWEET at Diana: https://twitter.com/ddwchen

    • 43 min
    Episode 53: Democratizing Video Production with Mike Cheng from Lumen5

    Episode 53: Democratizing Video Production with Mike Cheng from Lumen5

    In this episode of Startup Happy Hour, we’re talking to Mike Cheng. He is the co-founder and CEO of a company called Lumen5, which is one of the fastest-growing companies in Canada right now.

    Their goal is to democratize video production by helping over 700,000 companies, including big brands like Salesforce, SAP, and Forbes, create high-quality and ready-to-publish videos in minutes.

    We talk about Lumen5, how it got started, and what it does, along with how someone can get started making videos on the platform. Mike explains some of the different features and tools, and we discuss who is using the platform right now.

    Mike also gives his views on how this space looks set to evolve over the next ten years, and we dive into the future of VR, and VR social media. Mike shares some of the challenges involved in a company that grows so fast, along with his experiences as a founder and any lessons he learned along the way.

    You can reach Mike on LinkedIn - let him know you found him through the Startup Happy Hour podcast. And don’t forget to check out Lumen5 at the link below!

    Lumen5: https://lumen5.com/

    SUBSCRIBE to Startup Happy Hour to get episodes like this delivered to your device every Tuesday!

    WEBSITE: https://www.startuphappyhourpodcast.com/

    INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/startuphappyhour/

    CONNECT with Diana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianadchen/

    TWEET at Diana: https://twitter.com/ddwchen

    • 37 min
    Episode 52: Fighting Chronic Pain with an App with Celine Tien from Flowly

    Episode 52: Fighting Chronic Pain with an App with Celine Tien from Flowly

    In today’s episode of Startup Happy Hour, we’re talking to Celine Tien, Founder and CEO of Flowly, an app for managing your pain and anxiety.

    Celine takes us through how Flowly works to help people with chronic pain and anxiety, and explains how people can get started with the app. We discuss the types of people who are struggling with chronic pain and how they’re using Flowly to manage it better.

    Celine also shares what inspired her to start working on the app, like her parents’ background in medicine and biotech, and early experiences with pancreatic cancer patients. She talks about her strategies for building a customer base, and how the pandemic impacted both building the app and attracting users.

    We touch on the fascinating topic of biofeedback and VR, and how this combo could be used in the next decade and beyond. Celine talks about Flowly’s exciting plans for the future, about her background in the film industry, and how she transitioned into being an entrepreneur.

    You can reach Celine on Instagram - let her know you found her through the Startup Happy Hour podcast. And don’t forget to check out Flowly at the link below!

    Flowy: https://www.flowly.world/

    SUBSCRIBE to Startup Happy Hour to get episodes like this delivered to your device every Tuesday!

    WEBSITE: https://www.startuphappyhourpodcast.com/

    INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/startuphappyhour/

    CONNECT with Diana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianadchen/

    TWEET at Diana: https://twitter.com/ddwchen

    • 31 min
    Episode 51: The Future of Subscription Businesses with Dan Burcaw

    Episode 51: The Future of Subscription Businesses with Dan Burcaw

    In today’s episode of Startup Happy Hour, we’re talking to Dan Burcaw. He's the co-founder and CEO at Nami ML, which is a service that helps you launch, scale, and optimize your mobile app subscription business.

    Dan talks to us about what Nami ML is, how it works, and what exactly it does. We talk about how to maintain the value alignment between brands and consumers over a long period of time — something even giant brands struggle with.

    Dan shares some of the most common mistakes that he’s seen subscription businesses make, and talks about some communication best practices for a subscription business, like email frequency. He tells us what sets Nami ML apart from similar businesses, and talks about his experiences running a business during the pandemic.

    Finally, we discuss where the subscription space could be in a decade or two, and Dan shares some advice for any young people who aspire to be a founder one day.

    You can reach Dan on Twitter - let him know you found him through the Startup Happy Hour podcast. And don’t forget to check out Nami ML at the link below!

    Nami ML: https://www.namiml.com/

    SUBSCRIBE to Startup Happy Hour to get episodes like this delivered to your device every Tuesday!

    WEBSITE: https://www.startuphappyhourpodcast.com/

    INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/startuphappyhour/

    CONNECT with Diana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianadchen/

    TWEET at Diana: https://twitter.com/ddwchen

    • 55 min
    Episode 50: Leveraging Crypto as an Artistic Medium with David Sun

    Episode 50: Leveraging Crypto as an Artistic Medium with David Sun

    David Sun is the CEO of Proof of Beauty, a community-driven crypto art project that builds commentary on crypto using crypto itself as the artistic medium.

    In this episode of the Startup Happy Hour, David shares insight into how crypto art is allowing creatives to become more creative, empowered, and able to reach wider audiences. He also dives into where he sees blockchain technology and crypto art going in the next ten years, and explains why he believes that blockchain is helping people work together in a way that transcends culture, language, politics, and more.

    Tune in to hear David talk about being interested in creating but not in being a founder. He also shares why he always prioritized working in organizations that push the very idea of work, and discusses how people will be able to understand NFTs more when they lose the tangibility of value.

    You can find David on Twitter or LinkedIn - let him know you found him through the Startup Happy Hour podcast. And don’t forget to check out Proof of Beauty at the link below!

    Proof of Beauty: https://www.pob.studio/

    SUBSCRIBE to Startup Happy Hour to get episodes like this delivered to your device every Tuesday!

    WEBSITE: https://www.startuphappyhourpodcast.com/

    INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/startuphappyhour/

    CONNECT with Diana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianadchen/

    TWEET at Diana: https://twitter.com/ddwchen

    • 43 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
12 Ratings

12 Ratings

ryochiba ,

Diverse and Fascinating Guests, Highly Recommend Listening

If you want to hear the inside stories behind startups, subscribe to this podcast. You won’t be disappointed. Really enjoying the choice of guests and topics covered.

radioestes ,

Powerful impact!

Hearing from startup founders is crucial for my business. Thanks Diana!

Sean @ Unbeaten Path Podcast ,

Great listen and you will learn something!

Love this show! Diana does such a great job guided the conversation, and I always learning some valuable from each guest! Highly recommend

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