Key insights

• 👩‍💼 Usha's introduction as the founder and CEO of Gobble
• 📈 Depiction of Gobble's growth on a revenue graph
• 🎢 Highlighting the ups and downs of the startup journey as 'Wiggles of hope' and 'Snakes and ladders'
• 🍲 Usha's personal struggles with unhealthy eating and the influence of her family's home-cooked meals
• ⏱️ The motivation behind starting Gobble as a solution to time-consuming cooking
• 📝 Posted ad on Craigslist for home-cooked meals at $8, received 70 responses
• 🤝 Joined Y Combinator as a lifeline for struggling company
• 💪 Emphasizing the importance of grit, running experiments, and believing in the mission for startup success

Q&A

• What was emphasized as key to startup success by the founder?

  The founder emphasized the importance of grit, running experiments, and believing in the mission for startup success. The journey was compared to a game of snakes and ladders with challenges and obstacles.

• How did Gobble overcome its struggles?

  Gobble joined Y Combinator as a lifeline, focused on a back-to-basics approach, hired key team members, learned from customers, faced public criticism, and adopted a new cooking concept for families.

• What led to the significant revenue growth for Gobble?

  After facing financial challenges and investor pushback, the founder came up with a personalized dinner subscription idea, which led to significant revenue growth. Joining Y Combinator for support also played a crucial role in the company's revival.

• What challenges did Gobble face in its early stages?

  Gobble faced challenges such as food poisoning, finding a co-founder, attracting investors, and hiring engineers. The company also had manual customer acquisition efforts and failed attempts at on-demand services.

• How did Gobble start?

  Gobble started when the founder posted an ad on Craigslist for home-cooked meals at $8, which led to the discovery of talented chefs in the Bay Area. What started as a dinner hack evolved into a business.

• Who is the founder of Gobble?

  Usha is the founder and CEO of Gobble.

• 00:06 Usha, founder of Gobble, shares the startup journey and the challenges faced. The company's growth is depicted on a graph, and she emphasizes the day-to-day struggles in contrast to the smooth perception of success. Personal experiences with unhealthy eating habits and a longing for home-cooked meals led to the creation of Gobble.
• 04:23 The speaker posted an ad on Craigslist to have home-cooked meals for $8, which led to the discovery of talented chefs. What started as a dinner hack evolved into a business. Despite challenges, the speaker pursued the idea, attracted investors, and faced setbacks before the launch.
• 08:46 Struggles in launching a startup, challenges with investors, manual customer acquisition efforts, failed attempt at on-demand service
• 12:57 After facing financial challenges and investor pushback, the founder came up with a personalized dinner subscription idea, which led to significant revenue growth. Despite initial difficulty, they decided to join Y Combinator for support and to keep the company alive.
• 17:11 Joined Y Combinator, lifeline for struggling company, back to basics, hired key team members, learned from customers, faced public criticism, adopted new cooking concept for families.
• 21:24 The founder of Gobble shares the journey of the company from its humble beginnings to raising Series A funding, emphasizing the importance of grit, running experiments, and believing in the mission for startup success.