Business

ML134: Warren Shaeffer on Audio First Learning, Launching a Startup and How To Filter Experts

Learn how to launch a startup including how to find a co-founder and build a product, the importance of the audio revolution and why audio first learning has so much potential and how to filter experts on the internet.
By Nasos Papadopoulos


Warren Shaeffer is the CEO and Co-Founder of Knowable, an audio-first learning platform backed by top investors like Andreesen Horowitz, Initialized, and Upfront.

After graduating from Harvard and a brief spell in finance Warren founded a couple of startups with his co-founder Alex including Vidme, a video platform for independent creators that raised $9 million and sold to Giphy in 2018.

He’s now working on Knowable, an audio-first learning platform that brings together world-class experts and storytellers to create audio courses that stimulate and inspire curious minds. In this episode we discuss:

- How to launch a startup including finding a co-founder and building a product
- The audio revolution and why audio first learning has so much potential
- The importance of expertise and how to select for it on the internet

We also talk about how Warren manages his own learning and how he tries to instil a learning culture at Knowable. So whether you’re looking to supercharge your learning or find experts you can trust, this has you covered.

Show Notes

  • Introducing Warren [00:39]
  • What was school like for Warren? [02:23]
  • When did Warren become aware that he was good at something? Which subjects did he enjoy most growing up? [03:52]
  • How did Warren’s entrepreneurship begin? [04:31]
  • Is there value in attending higher education? What future lies ahead for higher education and its place in society? [05:45]
  • What motivated Warren to leave his investment banking career for the startup experience? [07:06]
  • What are common mistakes that startup founders make while building their companies? [10:04]
  • How does Warren’s relationship with his co-founder Alex Benzer work? How do their skills complement? [11:08]
  • How do you come up with a successful startup idea? What lessons did Warren learn from building Vidme? [12:08]
  • How do startup founders know when it is time to exit? What were Warren’s key takeaways from Vidme’s acquisition? [13:55]
  • How did Warren and Alex decide to pivot to creating Knowable after Vidme got acquired? [15:41]
  • What is the philosophy behind Knowable? How did Warren come up with the idea of a self-learning audio education? [16:49]
  • What was the MVP for Knowable? How did Alexis Ohanian’s involvement lay the groundwork for Knowable? [18:48]
  • How do you achieve a prismatic experience with an audio-based learning platform? What philosophies did the founders of Knowable want to highlight? [19:53]
  • With the lack of regulation that comes with online learning, how do you find experts that can bring real value to learners? [21:42]
  • What is Knowable’s business model and relationship with its content creators? [22:47]
  • How is Knowable different from other online learning platforms? [23:56]
  • How does Knowable differ from podcasts? [24:59]
  • What was the decision-making process behind Knowable’s initial courses? What are the top 3 values Knowable wants to impart to their users? [25:55]
  • What are key insights that Knowable has learned so far from their user data? [26:50]
  • Nasos shares his firsthand experience with Knowable courses [28:26]
  • Why is taking risks a necessary and gratifying part of the startup experience? [32:25]
  • What are the things that Warren is currently learning? How does he optimise his learning process? [34:47]
  • What ideas from the book Indistractable by Nir Eyal has Warren applied to his life? [36:34]
  • How does identity-based learning affect one’s learning process? [38:50]
  • How is Knowable facilitating their employees’ personal learning experience and opportunities? [39:38]
  • What is something that Warren has changed his mind about recently? [41:26]
  • What are the tools and practices that Warren implements to manage his time more effectively? [43:14]
  • Warren shares their dream course and their dream instructor for Knowable [45:23]
  • Closing remarks [46:40]

Resources

🖥Knowable - Audio courses that build new skills

🐦@wwshaef

📖The Miracle Morning - Hal Elrod

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