Hardware Podcasts

How I Built Resilience: Taha Bawa of Goodwall

How I Built This · 30 Jul 2020 · 18m

What this episode covers

Taha Bawa, co-founder of Goodwall, explains how his social networking platform connects high school and college students with scholarships, colleges, and job opportunities. He discusses the company's mission to level the playing field for underprivileged youth, its pivot to offer virtual work experience during the pandemic, and advice for Gen Z graduates navigating a shrinking job market. Bawa also shares insights on managing young talent and the importance of resilience and entrepreneurial thinking in times of economic crisis.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
LinkedIn, UNICEF, U.S. Bank, NASA, Oxford
Products
Goodwall

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • People of Packaging · 29m

    275 - Sadie B is changing the game for Gen Z girls!

    Sadie Bowler, co-founder of Sadie B Personal Care with her sister Abby Bowler, explains how the brand targets Gen Z girls with salon-quality products and empowering messaging, rejecting 'fix me' narratives. The sisters leveraged their Utah entrepreneurial network, including mentors like Davis Smith and Mackenzie Bauer, to secure a distribution deal with Target, launching in over 500 stores. They emphasize sustainable packaging, using recycled plastics and achieving Public Benefit Corporation status, while aiming for B Corp certification to align with their social impact mission.

    Packaging designStarting a product company
    7 chapters

  • The Manufacturing Executive · 42m

    The Real Reason Manufacturers Are Missing with Gen Z w/ Jacob Sanchez

    Jacob Sanchez, a Gen Z advocate for manufacturing and founder of MFGKids.com, explains why industrial companies are failing to recruit young talent by ignoring existing pools of interest like FIRST Robotics. He argues that manufacturers must move beyond passive visibility to active engagement, offering autonomy and clear growth paths to retain Gen Z workers who often leave due to poor onboarding or toxic environments. Sanchez also details his new platform, MFGKids.com, designed to centralize resources and curriculum for automation and CNC machining, while emphasizing the importance of personal branding and mental health awareness for career longevity.

    Hiring & workforceIndustrial & consumer product design
    8 chapters

  • Oxide and Friends · 1h 10m

    Trolltron, Assemble!

    Bryan Cantrill and Adam Leventhal of Oxide Computer Company, joined by Antranig Vartanian, Dan Cross, Ian, jasonbking, Jason Ozolins, Ken, and Drew Vogel, critique a Sam Altman tweet proposing to give tenured salaries to smart 18-year-olds in exchange for future earnings. The speakers argue that isolating young people from experienced mentors deprives them of crucial learning opportunities and that the financial model resembles exploitative income share agreements like those used by Lambda School. They discuss the psychological dangers of praising innate ability over effort, citing the story of a math prodigy who cheated because he never learned to struggle, and highlight how privilege and lack of adversity often lead to poor outcomes in young entrepreneurs.

    Careers & educationFundraising & investors
    10 chapters

  • Manufacturing Happy Hour · 35m

    Cybersecurity Apprenticeships, Upskilling, and Startups with gener8tor's Cole Shearer

    Cole Shearer, Vice President of the Skills Accelerator at gener8tor, discusses the company's evolution from a startup accelerator to a platform offering free skills training and apprenticeships. He details the launch of a 10-week cybersecurity apprenticeship program designed to upskill existing staff and address the severe talent shortage in the industry. Shearer also shares his non-linear career path, including founding a last-mile delivery startup and working as a digital marketer, emphasizing the importance of taking risks and continuous learning.

    Hiring & workforceCareers & education
    7 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 45m

    Founder Fundraising Journey: Victor Guardiola, Bawi

    Victor Guardiola, Founder and CEO of Bawi, a sparkling agua fresca brand, details his journey from a UT Austin entrepreneurship practicum to scaling a beverage company in Texas and California. He explains how he overcame the lack of a 'rich uncle' by selling on tap at farmer's markets, cold-emailing hundreds of investors, and leveraging a 'golden follow-up' from a notable investor to unlock his first equity round from backers like Patrick Terry and Mike Rypka. Guardiola also discusses Bawi's strategic pivot to food service distribution to drive retail velocity, the challenges of early production contamination with breweries, and his mission to increase representation for Latino founders in CPG.

    Fundraising & investorsDirect-to-consumer & e-commerce
    8 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by How I Built This. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.