Founding DC

Shark Tank success doesn't happen by accident — it takes 50 failed ideas first. Justin Baer built a $75 million men's lifestyle brand after his 7-year-old daughter told him to post a TikTok video. What followed: a deal with Mark Cuban and Peter Jones, a refusal to sell on Amazon and a habit of cold calling his own customers. Don’t miss him break down his direct-to-consumer playbook for Collars &am...

Sarah Chen-Spellings knows venture capital — and she’s helped redefine where it flows. As the driving force behind the former Beyond the Billion, the world’s first and largest consortium of VC funds committed to investing in women-founded companies, she played a pivotal role in closing one of the industry’s biggest gaps. In under nine months: $1B pledged, $1B+ deployed, 1,300+ companies funded, an...

Apothékary sells one tincture every 90 seconds on TikTok. That's not luck — it's nine months of disciplined investment before a single dollar came back. Shizu Okusa is the founder of Apothékary, a nature-based wellness brand she built from zero to $40 million in revenue and into 1,800 retail doors in six years. But her origin story is not what you'd expect. She walked away from a Wall Street tradi...

Think of Gov. Wes Moore as Maryland’s chief entrepreneurial officer. He didn't take a traditional path to the top. He served in a combat zone in Afghanistan, built an edtech company, wrote multiple bestselling books and became Maryland's first Black governor by running as an anti-establishment Democrat, initially polling at less than 1%. In this episode, the governor leaves the politics...

Reinvention isn’t a setback. It’s a strategy. Award-winning chef and beloved TV personality, Carla Hall, shares the mindset that helped her pivot careers, build an authentic brand and keep growing. For her, success isn’t linear. It’s built through intentional choices, learning from failure and trusting your voice. This episode is packed with practical insights, including why failure is just experi...

Raised in Washington, D.C., amid hustle and ambition, KJ Hughes turned life lessons into what the world was missing: Manifest is a cultural connector that blends barbershop, speakeasy, restaurant and high-end fashion into a new model for belonging. As founder and CEO, KJ reveals how his early life shaped his entrepreneurial mindset and why relationships have become his greatest business asset. We...

Forget overnight success. David Trone built Total Wine & More into a $6 billion, category-defining retailer spanning 30 states — without outside investment. In this episode, he breaks down the deliberate strategies behind pricing innovation, regulatory navigation, operational rigor and people-first systems in one of America’s most complex retail industries. It’s a masterclass for entrepreneurs...

Michael O’Neil, Founder, Get Well Business opportunities sometimes hide in plain sight. This founder had a vision, from his hospital bed, and capitalized on it — big time. This episode is about transforming fear into purpose and how one life-altering moment became the reason to build something that would help millions and make millions. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Californi...

From washing dishes at a Tenleytown D.C. restaurant to founding one of the region’s most successful insurance firms, Alan Meltzer’s entrepreneurial arc is anything but predictable. In this episode of Founding DC, host Dan Simons explores how a local restaurateur became a titan in the insurance world. Alan shares how he built The Meltzer Group from the ground up, what drove his early-morning hustle...

From co-founder of one restaurant in Rockville, Maryland, to CEO of a multibillion-dollar public company with 400-plus locations nationwide, Brett Schulman’s journey with CAVA is anything but ordinary. On this episode of Founding DC, host Dan Simons sits down with Schulman to unpack how a local entrepreneur scaled a Mediterranean fast-casual concept into a national powerhouse. From investment bank...

In this special episode of Founding DC, we’re flipping the script. Our usual host, Dan Simons — restaurateur and co-owner of the Founding Farmers Restaurant Group — takes a turn in the hot seat. Guest host Joe Ferraro, creator of the acclaimed One Percent Better podcast, steps in to lead the conversation. Joe dives deep into Dan’s journey, uncovering how he rebounded from his first restaurant fail...

What comes after Olympic gold? For Dominique Dawes — three-time Olympian, trailblazing gymnast and now founder of a growing gymnastics academy — the answer is greater purpose. In this episode, host Dan Simons sits down with Dominique to unpack her remarkable transition from elite athlete to mission-driven entrepreneur launching a youth-focused business, scaling it with intention and redefining suc...

Looking for a crash course in what to do when your young business takes off and you want to build a national brand without selling out? Then, this is the episode for you. Host Dan Simons sits down with Katherine Kallinis Berman and Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne, the sisters who co-founded and co-own Georgetown Cupcake and starred in the popular TV series, “DC Cupcakes.” They share the unfrosted truth...

Live in the future. It’s a core belief for David Gardner, who founded The Motley Fool in 1993 with his brother, Tom. David likes best to be known as the financial services business’s chief rule breaker. That and his absolute belief that the future will be bright — “optimism is the rational call” — make him a bit unique in the investment world. Discover why this drives his approach to investing, bo...

Disruptive framing. Yes, indeed. Susan Tynan launched Framebridge as an online custom framing business in 2014. Today, with 3 million custom frames produced, Framebridge has grown into an omnichannel company with some 40 storefronts — and more than 600 employees. Find out how Susan keeps pushing forward, figuring out when to say yes and also, critically, no. She reveals how she maintains her passi...

What does it take to start an organic ice tea company — twice? In our inaugural episode, we find out from activist entrepreneur Seth Goldman. Seth was a co-founder of Honest Tea (kin to Honest Kids), which Coca Cola bought and then discontinued. Seth and his partners, Spike Mendelsohn and Barry Nalebuff, have come back strong with Just Ice Tea. Seth is also the chairman of the board of Beyond Meat...

Mark Ein has two passions: sports and helping launch companies. We dig into both to discover how he created, invested in and bought several companies over the course of his 30-year career. Mark is one of the founding partners in the team that acquired the Washington Commanders NFL franchise. He founded Washington Kastles Tennis. And he’s executive chairman of Kastle Systems. Mark shares what entre...

Get inside the brains (and hearts) of local founders of some of the most successful business ventures in and around the nation’s capital. What didn’t happen? What did? What would they like a do-over on? What failures and flops led to something better than imagined? What’s their next move?  These candid conversations — led by entrepreneur and restaurateur Dan Simons — reveal the highs, lows and in-...