42. Rishi Mandal | Future (1-on-1 remote personal training)

Rishi Mandal is the Co-Founder & CEO of Future.
Rishi is a second-time founder, having previously launched Sosh, a recommendation engine that curated the must-do activities in a given city. Sosh was beloved by millions as a concierge on the cutting edge of culture and sold to Postmates in 2015.
Future is revolutionizing fitness by enabling remote 1-on-1 personal training. New members are carefully matched with a world-class trainer who creates personalized workouts each week. While trainers aren't physically with users in person, Future’s app enables continuous dialogue through text and voice notes pre-recorded in workouts. Future’s retention and Net Promoter Scores are off the charts, signaling low churn and high customer loyalty.
Future raised a $24M Series B in October 2020 led by Trustbridge Partners. 
Tune in to hear Rishi’s story!
EPISODE TOPICS

• Sections
  • (18:04) – The Origin Story
  • (27:53) – The Build
  • (55:04) – The Founder
  • (1:00:41) – The Brainstorm
• Topics
  • (2:40) Rishi’s background
  • (4:34) The power of working with the smartest people you can find
  • (6:22) Knowing when you’re ready to start a venture
  • (8:42) Analyzing the opportunity for Sosh, the recommendation engine for culture
  • (15:14) Entrepreneur in Residence at Khosla Ventures
  • (18:04) Why was Future compelling enough to chase it?
  • (27:53) Why start with fitness?
  • (31:42) Why is Future more effective than other fitness solutions?
  • (39:20) Biggest bets that haven’t panned out?
  • (47:17) Rishi’s Startup Manifesto
  • (55:04) Words of advice to 18 year old
  • (1:00:41) The Brainstorm – Cameo for business, future of retail, expert vision/AR in sports broadcasting

Watch this episode on YouTube
Future – future.co

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