# VICE: Suroosh Alvi

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2016-10-10
- Length: 35m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2016-10-10-vice-suroosh-alvi

## Summary

Suroosh Alvi, co-founder of VICE Media, recounts how he launched a small alternative magazine in Montreal after recovering from heroin addiction, eventually growing it into a multi-billion dollar media company. He details the early bootstrapping phase with co-founders Gavin McInnes and Shane Smith, including a pivotal $250,000 investment from Richard Solwinsky that allowed them to move to New York and expand into fashion and e-commerce. Alvi explains how the dot-com bubble burst forced the company into bankruptcy, leading to a dramatic buyback of the company for pennies on the dollar, and how they pivoted to video content to survive and thrive in the modern media landscape.

## Chapters

- [0:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2016-10-10-vice-suroosh-alvi#t=25) Introduction: Suroosh Alvi and the origins of VICE
- [3:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2016-10-10-vice-suroosh-alvi#t=195) Alvi's addiction, rehab, and entry into publishing
- [9:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2016-10-10-vice-suroosh-alvi#t=564) Founding Voice of Montreal and recruiting co-founders
- [15:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2016-10-10-vice-suroosh-alvi#t=901) Rebranding to VICE and securing the first investment
- [21:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2016-10-10-vice-suroosh-alvi#t=1307) Moving to New York, fashion expansion, and the dot-com crash
- [25:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2016-10-10-vice-suroosh-alvi#t=1535) Bankruptcy, buying back the company, and debt reduction
- [29:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2016-10-10-vice-suroosh-alvi#t=1746) Pivoting to video content and global reporting

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- VICE Media (company)
- Voice of Montreal (product)
- Richard Solwinsky (other)
- Gavin McInnes (other)
- Shane Smith (other)
- AutoDesk (company)
- LaPress (company)
- MTV (company)
- CNN (company)
- Viacom (company)

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## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2016-10-10-vice-suroosh-alvi. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to How I Built This.