E097 - The New Way to Make Your First $100,000 Online (Whop)

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Cameron Zoub and Steven Zhang, co-founders of Whop join the show to discuss the mechanics of building a high-growth startup from the ground up. Whop has quietly become one of the most efficient digital marketplaces online, doing over $100M in GMV without relying on paid ads or loud marketing.

We talk about the early days of building out of hacker houses, the decision to focus deeply on product before anything else, and the operational challenges that came with rapid scale. They also reflect on leadership, team dynamics, and what most founders underestimate when trying to build in public.

00:00 Introduction
02:00 Meeting at age 13 and bonding over sneaker reselling
04:05 Building their first sneaker bot app and selling it on Facebook
06:40 Dropping out of school and going all-in on internet startups
07:55 Pivoting into websites for Twitch streamers during COVID
10:29 Early experiments, failed apps, and lessons in product-market fit
14:20 How WAP solved problems they faced as software sellers
18:18 Expanding from software to Discord access and digital memberships
20:17 Payments infrastructure and why it’s central to their platform
25:28 Chasing shiny objects like NFTs and learning to refocus
30:42 Co-founder dynamic, intense pressure, and emotional moments
36:01 Competitors, cyberattacks, and the cost of success
39:31 Staying out of the spotlight despite massive revenue
44:30 Taking investment from figures like Peter Thiel and Tinder’s founder
49:11 Making WAP the internet’s go-to for work and income
54:25 Rethinking creator monetisation beyond courses or content

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