Meet Victor and Steph, Co-founders of Receipts
the app transforming your workouts into rewards.
Meet Victor Ma and Steph Harris, husband-and-wife duo and co-founders of Receipts, With Receipts, you connect your fitness tracker and earn points for hitting certain workout intensities—whether you’re crushing a run, powering through a cycling class, or logging a strength session. You can then redeem for gift cards, exclusive perks, and experiences from premium brand partners.
Victor’s entrepreneurial background spans everything from scaling social media accounts and flipping domain names to launching a Brooklyn restaurant. Steph brings a unique blend of creativity and technical prowess, having split her career between product design and software engineering. “I felt limited just designing—so I learned to build, too,” she shares. Together, they operate as a seamless unit, where work and life blend effortlessly. “There’s no separation for us,” they say. “And that’s our superpower.”
Like any startup journey, theirs has had its pivots. When early iterations of their business struggled to find product-market fit, they took a step back—just weeks before running out of runway. They asked themselves: What does our dream company look like?
The mission behind Receipts evolved from a blend of personal passion and real-life challenges. Steph, an avid runner and community member in NYC’s running scene, saw firsthand how movement fosters motivation and connection. Meanwhile, Victor’s own wellness journey—shaped by overcoming unhealthy habits that led to medical scares—fueled his purpose in helping others achieve healthier lifestyle changes.
The concept of transforming workouts into rewards was sparked by a simple but powerful insight. “75% of U.S. adults are considered metabolically unhealthy, and simultaneously brands in the fitness and wellness industries spend ~$280 billion annually to market to and acquire customers,” Steph explains. What if you could close that gap? Reward people for doing something good for themselves, and make it easier for brands to connect with high-value, engaged consumers? That question led to Receipt’s incentive model, refining challenges, rewards, and community engagement.
With any consumer app, a challenge they’ve had to tackle has been getting users to return to the app daily. They got creative by introducing “drops”—exclusive items that must be claimed at a specific time each day, creating a sense of urgency and excitement. They also launched ”Challenges” in collaboration with premium sports brands, to keep users engaged through structured fitness goals over a specific time period, and a referral bonus program to encourage community-driven growth. These strategies have paid off: Receipts has now raised a successful seed round and gained thousands of active users in just a few months since launch.
Scrappiness has been key to their success. They recall their first challenge in partnership with Salomon—filming a promo reel in their living room, dropping sneakers in front of their iPhones that took off on social media. Their biggest advice for early-stage founders? “Just try things,” they say. “There’s no shame in experimenting and figuring it out as you go.”
And if you’re building a team, make sure you’re climbing the mountain with the right people—those who share your vision, ambition, and values. For inspiration, they turn to YC, Hacker News, and books like When Breath Becomes Air to help them recenter their perspectives.
Meet Robbie Bent,
founder of Othership
Otherworldly sauna and ice bath experiences
If you live in NYC, you’ve probably heard about Othership by now. The beautifully designed sauna and ice baths in the heart of Flatiron is more than just a wellness facility. With its highly anticipated launch last fall, Othership has become a hub for real connections, welcoming over 75,000 people since opening last summer. While it’s well-known among Shipheads and wellness enthusiasts, the story behind Robbie’s journey to building Othership is less publicized.
From Finance to Failure—and Reinvention
Like Othership’s towel-waving guided sauna classes, Robbie’s entrepreneurial journey has been anything but conventional. From finance to tech, meditation to contrast therapy, his path has been marked by reinvention and resilience.
Robbie began his career in investment banking, driven by traditional markers of success. We both related to each other on our middle-class upbringings, chasing financial security, prestige, and competition. Robbie soon realized (sooner than I did) that it wasn’t for him. “I hated it,” he says. “I spent four years chasing something that didn’t align with me, and when the fund I worked for imploded, I was left with nothing.”
With no job prospects in 2009 after the market crash, he pivoted to the tech world. Armed with storytelling skills and a prototype, he raised $25 million for his first startup. But the company ultimately failed. “We spent too much building out a technology that no one wanted. I had to fire 100 people. I lost friends and family money. It was devastating,” he recalls. The collapse of his business left him in a deep depression. He moved back into his parents’ basement, numbing the pain with alcohol and drugs. Searching for a reset, he traveled to Israel, experimenting with different healing resources before immersing himself in Vipassana meditation. “That experience changed everything,” he says. “I got sober, started rebuilding, and met my now-wife. She introduced me to sauna and cold therapy, and I became obsessed. Every Friday, we made it a ritual to cold plunge together—it’s still our weekly tradition, we even got engaged in a sauna.”
Robbie’s journey back to stability resulted from a mix of serendipity and relentless curiosity. While couch-hopping in San Francisco, he got his foot in the door at the Ethereum Foundation by organizing free events for the Ethereum community. Through these gatherings, he found himself rubbing shoulders with tech luminaries. “One thing led to another, and I started meeting all these tech heroes like Andreessen Horowitz. It was a wild time.”
Once he regained his footing, he and his wife spent a few years working remotely in SF, Berlin, Mexico and Thailand, all while maintaining their weekly bathhouse tradition.
The Birth of Othership
Robbie’s passion for contrast therapy deepened when he returned to Toronto. He and his wife began a weekly sauna and ice bath ritual at an old Russian banya. Inspired, he built an ice bath in their backyard. “It started with 20 friends, then quickly grew to a 300-person community. Eventually, we were like, ‘What if we converted the garage?’” That experiment evolved into a full-fledged movement. “We got to a point where 1,000 people were coming through our garage. Strangers were jumping into ice baths together, sharing deeply personal experiences, and forming real connections.”
They experimented with different healing practices. “Sometimes we’d be completely in the dark, doing Hoffman screaming matches, or combining sharing practices we learned at psychedelic retreats.” These early experiments informed the programming that is known at Othership today.
Recognizing the power of communal wellness, Robbie and a few close friends self-funded the first Othership location in Toronto. “We signed a massive lease in the middle of COVID—everyone thought we were crazy. But we believed in it.” The gamble paid off. Othership’s unique classes, combining breathwork, music, and contrast therapy, resonated deeply. “It’s not just about hot and cold; it’s about emotional release, connection, and community.”
Scaling to NYC—A Brutal Challenge
Expanding to New York City was an entirely different beast. “It’s brutal. Regulations here are insane—ice baths are technically illegal unless you build out full scale pools, and we had to suspend tubs into the basement of our space just to get approved.” The buildout costs were astronomical, nearly double what they had budgeted in Toronto. “We burned through our runway, took out loans against our homes, and fought with contractors. At one point, it felt like we’d bankrupted the company.”
Despite the obstacles, the response from the NYC community was electric. “The energy here is different—people really want to connect, and they’re willing to put themselves in uncomfortable situations to do it.” That enthusiasm validated the effort, and with Othership Williamsburg opening this year, Robbie is already looking ahead.
The Future of Othership
With funding secured, Othership has big plans. “We’re planning to open a new location in NYC every year—Upper East, Upper West, Downtown Brooklyn, Midtown, FiDi.” And the vision doesn’t stop there. “We’re looking to expand to Chicago, Boston, SF, Miami and DC—dense, high-stress cities where people need this the most.”
Beyond physical spaces, Othership is also evolving digitally. “Our app is designed to help people form real friendships. We’re hosting ‘Friend(ship)’ socials, where members meet 7-10 new people in a single night. The goal is to create meaningful human connections, not just another fitness class.” As a member in the Othership community WhatsApp, I can attest to the authenticity and engagement of the Shipheads. What Robbie has built is truly life-changing for many people, and the conversations that are unfolding showcase humanity at its finest.
Lessons for Founders
Robbie’s biggest advice for entrepreneurs? Start small, iterate fast, and don’t over-plan. “My first company raised over $20 million and failed. Othership started in my backyard, and now it’s a multi-city business. The good idea is never obvious, its usually emergent—if it were obvious, someone with more resources would’ve done it already.”
He also emphasizes resilience. “It’s not about how smart you are; it’s about how much pain you can take. The hardest part isn’t coming up with an idea—it’s sticking with it through the worst moments.”
Final Thoughts
Robbie will often drop into an Othership session, finding healing in the shared experiences of the group. These moments, often deeply emotional, are a powerful reminder of why he has endured what he has to create this space.
When asked about his most memorable Othership experience, Robbie recalls his 40th birthday in NYC. “We had 150 people in the sauna, my best friends, a magician, and at one point, my co-founder Harry sang a love song. It was pure magic.”
From financial success to failure, from addiction to healing, Robbie’s journey is a testament to resiliency and finding meaning in the human experience. Through Othership, he’s creating spaces for transformation—not just for the body, but for the mind and relationships. As Othership expands, one thing is clear: this isn’t just a wellness trend—it’s a movement.
Meet Max Marchione,
Co-founder of Superpower
Max is not your typical healthcare founder. After dropping out of Australia’s top law school to study mathematics and statistics, he began his serial-entrepreneurial journey while working in venture, and now spends his time in SF thinking about culture, speed, storytelling, creating an A+ team and reimagining healthcare.
His passion spurred from a decade of first-hand misdiagnoses and ineffective treatments, prescribed over 30 doctors and told he’d need medication for life. This experience fueled a relentless curiosity and a belief that conventional healthcare is fundamentally broken.
In 2023, Max founded Superpower.
What is Superpower?
Superpower is a data-driven, holistic, and accessible preventative all-in-one healthcare platform designed to give users truly meaningful insights into their health while helping them easily improve. I got a glimpse of the platform’s beautiful design as Max walked me through its features:
Understanding your body
Members undergo 100+ lab tests (at-home or at-partner clinics) and upload past medical records to create a comprehensive health profile. Results are visualized through an intuitive interface and boiled down to a simple "Superpower Score”.
Pinpointing root causes
Using state-of-the-art data analysis, Superpower identifies potential health issues and provides actionable insights.
Making it simple to take action
From customized recommendations to a healthcare marketplace with suggested products consumer can buy direct, Superpower simplifies the journey to better health.
Membership costs $499 annually, making it an accessible alternative to traditional healthcare models.
A Broken System, a Bold Solution
Max is unapologetically critical of the current healthcare system.
“Healthcare doesn’t test enough, doesn’t use the latest research, and doesn’t get to the root cause of issues. There’s a huge gap in what the ultra rich pay for when it comes to preventative health and what’s available to mainstream consumers”
Given today’s focus on longevity, I was pretty surprised that we as a society haven’t found a solution yet and we explored why it hasn’t been done successfully. “Nobody has tried to create a holistic, preventative solution while looking and feeling like a modern consumer brand. We were told playful youth branding won’t work in healthcare. That’s just not true. Healthcare doesn’t have to be sterile and blue.”
Drawing from the likes of Apple and Nike as inspiration, Superpower’s vibrant branding and user-centric experience are deliberate choices designed to attract the new generation of healthcare consumers.
Max envisions a future where healthcare is seamless, personalized, and data-driven. "In ten years, doctors as we know them won’t exist. AI and algorithms will be better at diagnosing and managing care.” Superpower is building toward that reality.
From 0 to 140,000 Waitlist Members
Superpower’s journey began three years ago, with Max and his team dedicating significant time into research and perfecting the brand and message. Now Superpower has a waitlist of over 140,000 members, grown organically through LinkedIn, Twitter, early adopters, and investors. “We invested heavily in our domain, visual identity, and simple messaging,” Max says. “It’s not just about the product—it’s really about the story you tell”
Challenges, Rewards, and Surprises
Building Superpower hasn’t been without its challenges. “Ignoring the dogma of healthcare experts was tough, but necessary. Experts can tell you why it won’t work and our role as a founder is to ignore them—ignoring dogma as constraints, spending resources wisely to get clarity and building a team that is hyper-focused on speed.”
The most rewarding part? Seeing how much users love the experience. “Hearing people say, ‘This is what healthcare should be like,’ is the ultimate validation.”
And the biggest surprise? “The importance of having a simple message—it’s harder than it looks but absolutely essential.”
On Founder Success
Max attributes founder success to a mix of deep thinking, analytical rigor, grit, and strong networks. "The right idea counts for a lot—and they’re often contrarian.” (You can read his contrarian beliefs here).
As a leader, Max makes decisions based on a mix of analysis and following his gut. “Intuition brings you to the mountain and data helps you climb it”.
Max also emphasizes the importance of building a strong team and investing in brand clarity early on. "People matter more than ideas. And in the early days, you can’t overinvest in brand—it’s the fastest way to create momentum."
He also suggests investing in resources to understand the economy, statistics, psychology... i.e. how the world works — giving a shout out to Charlie Munger’s Poor Charlie’s Almanack, as well as Dune for shaping his mindset to live authentically.
Meet Sam O’Keefe,
co-founder of FLEX
a platform transforming how consumers pay for wellness products using their HSA/FSA funds
For Sam, entrepreneurship has always been about solving meaningful problems and building something enduring. Her journey began in graduate school for civil engineering but took a turn in 2012 when she co-founded Micro Eval, an HR tech company focused on performance reviews and employee engagement. While the venture didn’t pan out, it set the stage for a career in tech where Sam wore many hats: editor at TechCrunch, where she selected and coached hundreds of startups to launch at Disrupt; Chief of Staff at Google; program leader for Google Cloud for Startups; and a stint at a fintech startup. “I’ve always been inspired by startups and drawn to supporting them throughout my career,” she reflects.
Sam’s latest venture, Flex, is the natural evolution of her passions and professional experiences. When starting, Sam asked herself, “Where would I be happy spending the next 10 years? Because startups are a long-term commitment.” As someone who has always prioritized physical and mental health—whether as a four-sport college athlete or a CrossFit enthusiast—she was drawn to the intersection of healthcare and wellness.
Flex helps wellness e-commerce brands accept HSA/FSA payments (a growing $150Bn market). The platform bridges the gap between health and healthcare, offering consumers a seamless checkout experience while supporting brands with compliance. Flex now works with over 250 brands, spanning categories like fitness equipment and memberships, supplements, sleep aids, wearables, women’s health products, and at-home testing kits, while educating consumers on maximizing their health spending.
Building Flex hasn’t been easy. Sam recalls the challenges going from zero to one. “It’s always hard to get your first customers. My whole job was outbound emails for three months. There wasn’t a market for this when we started. We heard a ton of ‘no’s but eventually found a few customers who shared our vision.”
Sam and her team worked extremely closely with early customers to understand what mattered to them and how Flex could help their business. As a result, they've been focused on creating frictionless user experience to optimize checkout conversion.
Ecommerce merchants that work with Flex now see an influx of new customers, higher cart sizes, and improved checkout rate conversions. In just 18 months, Flex has validated its model and is scaling rapidly.
Sam’s advice for early stage founders is to start hyper-focused on validating your hypothesis with data. “People might say nice things about your product, but will they pay for it? That’s the real question,” she emphasizes. “As a founder, you have to give yourself enough reps to test your hypothesis—and then know when to move on if it doesn’t work,” she advises.
Sam prioritizes her wellbeing while building in the health space by investing in her own health and learning from mentors and peers. From Diane Greene, founder of VMware and her former Google mentor, to Paul Graham’s classic essays, Sam draws inspiration from those who’ve paved the way. “The best resource, though, is your peers,” she says. “You’re in the trenches together, learning and building—it’s a powerful community to lean on.”
Meet Nishal Kumar, Founder of No Days Wasted
What began as a hangover prevention pill has evolved into a comprehensive wellness brand offering products for recovery, hydration/immunity, and sleep
Nishal's entrepreneurial journey began on the playground as a kid, where he sold candy, Livestrong bracelets, and even iPhones, always chasing opportunities to turn small ideas into big wins. This spirit stayed with him as he pursued a degree in geophysics and commerce, worked as a geophysicist, and later joined Tesla during its early days, learning the ropes of sales and marketing for a $40B startup.
He took his skills to build a Shopify-based side hustle selling aftermarket parts, brute-forcing his way through manufacturing and scaling to 25 products. The experience paved the way for his passion for e-commerce and eventually led him to launch No Days Wasted in 2018.
Driven by his love for “doing it all”—balancing early mornings with late-night drinks—Nishal set out to create a product that addressed the side effects of alcohol consumption while supporting overall wellness. Living by the mantra “balance not binge”, No Days Wasted launched on Indiegogo in 2018 with a science-backed formula designed to improve liver enzyme performance and metabolize toxins effectively.
After a rebrand in 2020, Nishal made the product retail-ready and expanded the line to include immunity and sleep aids. By 2022, the brand had scaled significantly, selling millions of units and securing shelf space in major retailers, including Walmart, while maintaining a presence in health food stores and online platforms. With 80% of sales coming from online channels, retail growth and plans to launch a new product in spring, Nishal continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible.
Building No Days Wasted hasn't been without its challenges. From navigating iOS changes that disrupted marketing efforts to overcoming cash flow struggles and maintaining adaptability, Nishal has faced his share of hurdles. Yet, it's the rewarding moments that make it worthwhile—receiving messages like "Hey, I got up and crushed my workout!" or seeing strangers from different countries who don't even speak English using products he worked so hard to get onto shelves.
"The most surprising thing," he says, "is how different the reality of building something is from the perceived glamour. Every day you wake up and no two days are the same. You hear no's a hundred times more often than yes's. You're forced to solve problems you've never encountered before. The reality is starkly different from what people imagine."
As a founder, Nishal believes success comes from a mix of timing, grit, and doing things for the right reasons. His decision-making process is rooted in data (80%), balanced by opinion and intuition. He’s learned to iterate quickly, preferring progress over perfection, and emphasizes always putting your best foot forward. Resilience has been key to his journey. Whether it was navigating the challenges of COVID, evolving marketing landscapes, or the steep learning curves of fundraising, Nishal has consistently risen to the occasion.
Building a health-focused business requires personal commitment, and Nishal prioritizes his own well-being by staying active and maintaining balance. Inspired by books like Eleven Rings, Shoe Dog, and Antifragile, he’s shaped a leadership style that’s as thoughtful as it is effective.
Nishal’s biggest advice for founders is to focus on the WHO, not the HOW. Which means, bring in the people who have done it before to expedite growth, don’t try and figure out how do it from scratch. This will save you lots of time and money!
Meet Millie Blumka,
co-founder of STAKT
A D2C fitness brand shaking up the wellness market with its innovative, foldable yoga mats
Millie's background was in sales and partnerships but like many entrepreneurs, always had an itch to create something herself. She worked at a few SaaS tech startups before deciding to pursue STAKT full-time with her co-founder and college friend from Tulane, Taylor Borenstein.
The idea emerged during the pandemic, as Millie and Taylor’s home workouts expanded from yoga to include Pilates, sculpting, and HIIT. Realizing their mats lacked versatility and having to fold their mats for more support, they thought, “Why isn’t there a better solution?” In 2021, STAKT was born.
Neither Millie nor Taylor had any product or experience in starting a business, but with courage, passion, and a lot of networking, they took an idea and put pen to paper, found an industrial designer, manufacture, and have now scaled their business to reach over 75,000 customers, completely bootstrapped.
"Everything was a slow burn, we took things step by step," Millie explains. They launched their proof of concept with 500 units, which sold out immediately. Since then, they’ve hit several key milestones, from a viral TikTok in March 2022 to an appearance on Shark Tank, where they pitched STAKT to Mark Cuban and Mr. Wonderful.
Millie and Taylor's vision for STAKT is to be a holistic wellness brand focused on functional and versatile products that inspire movement. Expanding beyond yoga mats, they recently launched adjustable hand weights that have already received a ton of attention and amazing feedback.
We also talked about the challenges they've faced. Millie admitted "like any business, there have definitely been low points, like getting entire batches of defective inventory that have to be donated, but having an incredible co-founder who helps you bounce back is how we keep moving forward. I really believe now that everything happens for a reason."
Her advice? Celebrate the small wins. “It’s easy to get caught up in big milestones or compare yourself to other founders, but don’t overlook what you’ve accomplished. Those little steps add up to the big picture.” She also highlights the importance of networking which she calls her biggest blessing: “Never be afraid to start a conversation; you never know where it will lead.”
culturally responsive mental health care
Alice is a passionate entrepreneur whose journey into mental health care was shaped by her upbringing in a Chinese-Canadian immigrant family.
In high school, Alice watched a close friend struggle with bipolar disorder—largely due to the stigma surrounding mental health in the Asian community. This experience left a deep mark on her, inspiring her to make a difference. After a successful career in management consulting, healthcare private equity, earning her MBA, and then pivoting into the digital mental health space, Alice’s focus on mental health led her to launch Anise Health with classmates at HBS.
Anise Health is a culturally-responsive mental health platform for underserved communities, with a focus on Asian Americans. What sets Anise apart from other platforms is its holistic approach—addressing the cultural nuances that often get overlooked in mental health care and navigating unique cultural challenges like the "model minority" myth, bicultural stress, intergenerational conflict, guilt, and shame, starting conversations that have long been needed. Anise Health incorporates culture into every step of one's wellness journey in several ways:
Integrating therapy, coaching, and digital resources into a blended care model
Using culturally-informed assessments to better support clients
Training providers to become experts in culturally-responsive care
Hosting thoughtful community events to foster a sense of connection and belonging
Since its launch in 2022, Anise has grown steadily, launching in five states (California, New York, Washington, Florida, and Massachusetts), and securing partnerships with >8 health insurance partners such as Aetna. The team of >70 staff and providers is focused on growing their user base and partnering with insurance providers. Looking ahead, Alice and her team plan to expand services to include couples and family therapy, medication management, and eventually aim to serve Medicaid and adolescent populations, all while continuing to provide culturally informed care.
When we were reflecting on her journey, Alice emphasized the importance of believing in herself and trusting her instincts, especially in the face of early rejection during fundraising. When asked who her role models or most impactful resources are, she didn't name high-profile entrepreneurs, rather she credits the support of early mentors, other startup founders, and angel investors who understood the vision from the start and always inspired her to keep going.
Meet Joe Rotondo, inventor of Frozen Cottage Cheese "FroCo" and founder of Smearcase
disrupting the ice cream industry with unique protein-packed cottage cheese ice cream
Background and inspiration: Joe has always been an entrepreneur at heart eager to learn through building and experience, noting school was just not for him, which turned him to entrepreneurship. His co-founder Drew's academic background lies in finance, corporate strategy, and sustainability, but they both had a shared passion for fashion, running clothing brands before meeting in 2020 in New York.
Joe's journey to Smearcase was driven by a personal craving and a gap in the market. A year ago, after a long run during his marathon training, he was craving a protein-rich ice cream but couldn't find any on the shelves. He went home and ate cottage cheese instead, but it just wasn't as "fun". Disappointed but inspired, he questioned, "Why isn't anyone making a protein ice cream?" The very next day, he ordered an ice cream machine from Amazon, and the rest, as they say, is history :)
Growing up in a family passionate about food, Joe and his sister often experimented in the kitchen. Joe recalls how family meals, from grandma's spaghetti Sundays to helping his dad cook, taught him the value of connection and creativity in the kitchen. With these memories, Joe set out to create an ice cream that wasn't just high in protein but also creamy and delicious, without the icy texture of typical low-fat options.
Building Smearcase and getting on shelves in <6 months: His criteria for success at onset were clear - the product must be disruptive, consumable, and scalable, with a clear path to market dominance.
Over the past year, Joe focused on building the Smearcase brand, conducting market research, and getting feedback from early testers. By November 2023, Drew officially joined, and by June, Smearcase launched as the first cottage cheese ice cream to hit the market.
Joe credits Smearcase's rapid launch to their dedication, intuition, and the ability to adapt quickly. “I had six different projects going on and dropped everything for this,” Joe shares. Their approach was agile, allowing them to fine-tune their product formula in just 3 iterations. Joe believes “there’s always a V2 .. you just gotta put something out there."
Future growth plans, and competitors: In the next six months, the duo aims to be in 300-500 stores along the East Coast, with sights set on expanding to California and then nationwide. When it comes to competitors entering the space, Joe welcomes them with open arms. "You come at the king, you best not miss," he says jokingly (or not). For Joe, every challenge is an opportunity to prove Smearcase's worth.
A scary moment shaping his approach to being a founder: Joe’s journey as a founder has been a test of resilience and self-discovery. His biggest lesson? "Get comfortable being uncomfortable." He believes in pushing personal boundaries, whether through long runs, sauna sessions, or ice baths. "Going through hard situations forces you to dig deep … being ironclad in your personal life then translates to how you approach your business". For Joe, alignment with one’s values is paramount. A year ago, he took the time to reflect on his own values after a life-threatening accident where he was hit by a car. For him, it's health, family, leadership, and personal growth—and these have guided every decision since.
Joe’s a fan of Gary Vaynerchuk’s infectious energy, Tony Robbins' motivational teachings in "Awaken the Giant Within," and the philosophical perspectives of Virgil Abloh. Joe resonates with Abloh’s belief in embracing imperfection: “If I waited for something to be perfect, Smearcase wouldn’t have launched."
Meet Louis Long,
founder of Conquer
Transforming the pickup sports experience
Conquer is an app that lets you play, organize, or find the perfect venue for sports around you. Users can host or join pickup games, matches, or tournaments every week across the city.
Founder Louis Long, a North Jersey native has always had a passion for soccer. He played growing up and into college at Tulane. In 2020, during the pandemic, he moved to NYC to enter the corporate world, but quickly began to miss playing the sport he loved. Alongside his co-founder Matt, a childhood soccer companion, they decided to create a platform to easily facilitate pick-up games in NYC. Despite not knowing how to code, they teamed up with software developer Tanner, and Conquer was launched in January 2022.
While Louis and Matt were itching to play soccer in NYC, they began looking for underutilized fields in NYC, starting off in Chinatown. They struck deals with local establishments: bringing people to their spaces and splitting the profits. This initiative quickly grew into weekly events, revealing a significant demand for organized sports spaces in the city. Eventually, after many reps, they developed a playbook to engage schools, focusing on building community and infrastructure rather than profit, transforming underutilized areas into bustling sports venues.
They decided to build an app to scale this idea. They spent the first year testing their MVP platform to understand what worked and what didn’t, aiming at competitive athletes and high-level sports play. Last summer, they raised capital through Techstars Sports, providing the necessary catalyst for growth. While soccer and pickleball games have been their bread and butter, they're starting to expand into other sports like basketball, volleyball, yoga and more.
Conquer recently underwent a rebrand and is launching Conquer 2.0, a more cohesive and community-driven app with recurring revenue through memberships. They are planning to introduce a subscription model similar to ClassPass, offering credits for memberships towards wellness events.
Retention was a major challenge for Conquer, which pushed them to explore ways to get users to commit upfront, such as monthly game commitments and membership models. Weather-related cancellations, especially for large events, have also been problematic, prompting the exploration of indoor and outdoor venue options. Additionally, the platform requires a critical mass of participants for events to happen, leading to the development of a host program and partnerships with organizations already running games.
One of the most important lessons learned is the importance of focus. It’s easy to have a grand vision, but execution takes time. Initially targeting multiple age groups and offering numerous services proved challenging. Now, they target a specific niche and focus on perfecting one aspect before expanding. "It's something I still struggle with, I've had to learn to say 'No' a lot", Louis admits.
High-quality, committed hosts are crucial to their operating model. Conquer is seeking community leaders to help bring people together. Check out their app today and join a pickup game near you.
Meet Kenza Rkaibi and Malak Raihani, founders of Muse Health
a data-driven approach to hormonal health
Muse offers personalized care for women’s hormonal health. The journey starts with an at home test. Customers receive an in depth hormonal health assessment identifying the root cause for any of their symptoms. Muse then offers a personalized treatment plan leveraging the pillars of functional medicine including supplements, nutrition, and lifestyle changes. This is continuously adapted based on symptoms and evolving needs.
Kenza and Malak joined forces over a year ago in February and bring a diverse set of backgrounds and experiences.
Kenza, with a background in biomedical and biomechanical engineering from Imperial College London and Columbia University, spent five years delving into data science at Oscar Health, focusing on health outcomes and value-based care.
Malak hails from the creative hub of USC, where she combined business studies with cinema arts. Her journey led her through startups like Bird in LA, then across the pond to Europe, launching services in Amsterdam before diving into consumer startups like JOKR Delivery Service and Blank Street.
The 'why' behind their product was due to personal struggles—Kenza battled hormonal issues including PCOS and sought more integrative approaches to health, which laid the foundation for Muse. They recognized a gap in understanding hormonal health and set out with a mission to educate and empower others in the space.
"Our goal with Muse is not just to offer solutions but also to educate people about hormonal health, a topic many are unfamiliar with" - Kenza.
For these ladies, the greatest lesson learned as founders is the importance of user engagement. "Talking to users uncovers so much," says Malak. Understanding customer pain points and needs has been instrumental in refining Muse's offerings, which now has a waitlist for customers.
Kenza and Malak are looking to connect with healthcare professionals, especially medical and functional doctors, to gain insights and refine Muse's approach. Their goal is to collaborate with those who share their passion for improving hormonal health outcomes.