Alex Shin is a serial entrepreneur with a resume that’s hard to match. He was a cofounder of Blind, the anonymous workplace chat app used by employees at Uber, Microsoft, and Google, which raised over $50M. He also co-founded Hashed, one of Asia’s leading crypto venture capital firms, managing over $500M in assets.
In this episode, Alex reflects on his early days at DocuSign and Google, where he honed his skills in sales, team building, and venture capital—experiences that paved the way for his success as a multi-time founder. In his own words: “I’ve never been at a company that didn’t do well. It’s not me, it’s the market.”
We dive into the harsh truths of startup life, the hidden advantages of adversity, and Alex’s secret growth hacks for scaling companies and acquiring users. Whether you’re an aspiring founder or a seasoned entrepreneur, this episode is packed with lessons and insights to help you thrive.
Alex credits his journey to luck, but we explore how you can create opportunities to position yourself for success—and maybe even make your own luck.
Highlights:
00:00 - Trailer
03:56 - "Never spoke about this publicly, I grew up in a really rough background"
07:54 - Learning how to crush at sales
19:14 - Acquiring users through dating apps & buying shots
28:18 - Being told that Microsoft CEO uses your app!
30:46 - The initial Blind usage - salaries, cute girls and dating
44:03 - "Crypto was originally about common wealth"
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