What happens when a founder who took a taboo health topic mainstream decides to reinvent pet care? In this Spotlight episode of The Startup Podcast, former Hims co-founder Joe Spector faux-pitches his startup, Dutch, a telemedicine platform making veterinary care accessible, affordable, and convenient.
Most founders fear tough questions from investors, this episode shows what happens when they face them live. Discover how Joe applies lessons from scaling a billion-dollar company to a completely different market, and how understanding regulation, timing, and storytelling can make or break your pitch.
In this episode, you will:
* Discover what makes a founder “fundable”, beyond just a good idea
* Understand how Joe Spector scaled Hims and is now using those insights to disrupt pet telehealth with Dutch
* Explore how regulatory insight can become a startup’s biggest competitive moat
* See why subscription-based business models drive valuation and recurring growth
* Find out how Dutch makes pet care up to 10x cheaper while creating flexible jobs for veterinarians
* Hear expert commentary from Chris and Yaniv on storytelling, founder credibility, and investor psychology
Discover Dutch (telepetcare): https://www.dutch.com/
Learn about Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joespector
Timestamps
00:00 Coming Up
00:48 Today's Spotlight
02:12 Joe Spector and Dutch
03:18 The Journey of Hims and Hers
05:31 Learnings from Telemedicine
07:48 Building Dutch: Strategy and Execution
14:45 Veterinary Telehealth Economics
21:03 Market Dynamics and Competitive Advantage
29:27 Recruiting Veterinarians and Market Penetration
31:41 Challenges and Anti-Competition Concerns
33:27 Partnerships and Business Models
35:50 Customer Acquisition Strategies
38:46 Comparison with Uber
40:44 Traction, Growth and Product Roadmap
47:59 Founder Insights and Mistakes
50:31 H1Bs, Immigration and Entrepreneurship
57:36 Closing Thoughts
The Pact
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Key links
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The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/
Learn more about Chris and Yaniv
Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/
Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/
Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/
Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur
Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/
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