Your network is your first go-to-market strategy

Alltroo co-founders Kyle Rudolph and Jon Walburg share how they transformed their pro-athlete star power into a fundraising platform that allows their community the ability to donate to a variety of organization and win high-value prizes. In this episode of Build Mode, they reveal how they leveraged their networks to disrupt the charitable giving industry, from raising half a million dollars for the NFL in their first year to learning hard lessons about scaling too fast. They discuss the pivot from $10,000 golf tournaments to $10 sweepstakes entries, building trust with both celebrities and fans, and why your network is your greatest competitive advantage.

Chapters: 
00:00 Intro 
00:58 Meet the Founders: From NFL to Tech Startup 
03:53 The $10,000 Golf Tournament That Sparked Everything 
06:14 Navigating the Nonprofit-Tech Startup Hybrid Model 
11:44 Leveraging Star Power: The NFL Partnership Win 
15:34 Getting Athletes to Say Yes: The Trust Factor 
19:06 When Identity Crisis Hits: Scaling Too Fast 
27:59 The Mistake of Outsourcing Your Vision 
30:00 Founder Market Fit: Your Network Is Your Net Worth 
32:52 Key Takeaways: Building Thought Leadership Without Celebrity Status 

New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday. Isabelle Johannessen is our host. Build Mode is produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience Development is led by Morgan Little. And a special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.