In #45, Michael Sikand (@michaelsikand) and Simran Sandhu (@simmy) discuss the founders of Folk and ConvertWire. First up is Simo Lemhandez, a late-twenties entrepreneur from France, who is building Folk, a next-gen CRM designed to manage all types of relationships—sales, recruiting, partnerships, and investors. With a sleek, Notion-like UI, Folk has raised millions from top investment firms like Accel and has even won product of the year on Product Hunt. Next is Jack Sory, a 28-year-old entrepreneur who runs ConvertWire, a lead generation business for real estate. Jack's business model focuses on providing high-quality leads through a team of cold callers based in the Philippines. By emphasizing quality over quantity, Jack has built a subscription-based service that generates between half a million and a million dollars annually.
00:00 - Introduction to Our Future Podcast
00:32 - Overview of Featured Entrepreneurs
01:27 - Folk: Venture-Backed CRM Tool from France
03:16 - Unique Features of the CRM Tool
04:38 - Importance of Internal Database for Companies
05:20 - Fundraising Strategy and Operator Involvement
06:10 - White Glove Onboarding Approach
07:34 - Debate on Demos vs. Self-Serve Platforms
09:27 - Personal Experience with Software Onboarding
11:11 - Atlassian's Product-Led Growth Strategy
12:47 - Impressive Entrepreneurs from France and Canada
14:39 - Building a Holding Company in Sales Tech
16:29 - Next Story: Jack Sory - Real Estate Lead Generation
18:35 - Importance of Quality in Lead Generation
20:33 - Challenges in Real Estate Lead Generation
22:12 - Protecting Cold Callers from Being Poached
24:04 - Loyalty and Treatment of Overseas Contractors
25:57 - Services Offered by Jack Sori's Team
27:06 - Finding New Opportunities in Real Estate
30:14 - Long-Term Strategy in Lead Generation
31:01 - Creative Signals for Targeting Leads
31:49 - Closing Remarks and Outro
#startups #podcast #entrepreneurship
