# Advice Line with Tony Xu of Doordash

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2025-10-02
- Length: 49m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-10-02-advice-line-with-tony-xu-of-doordash

## Summary

Tony Xu, co-founder and CEO of DoorDash, joins Guy Raz to answer questions from three early-stage entrepreneurs: Ron Kormai of Steelport Knife Company, Catherine Shaw of Spring and Mulberry, and Yori Gabe of Route 22 Meats. Xu advises Kormai on managing the trade-offs of expanding Steelport's product line to cutting boards, Shaw on navigating fundraising and cash flow strains for her date-sweetened chocolate bars, and Gabe on educating consumers about grass-fed beef traceability. The episode highlights Xu's strategies for maintaining high agency, validating product-market fit through experiments, and selecting the right investors based on milestone alignment.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-10-02-advice-line-with-tony-xu-of-doordash#t=0) Introduction: Tony Xu and DoorDash's Evolution
- [8:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-10-02-advice-line-with-tony-xu-of-doordash#t=491) Steelport Knife Company: Expanding Product Lines
- [20:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-10-02-advice-line-with-tony-xu-of-doordash#t=1233) Spring and Mulberry: Fundraising and Cash Flow
- [35:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-10-02-advice-line-with-tony-xu-of-doordash#t=2138) Route 22 Meats: Consumer Education and Traceability
- [47:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-10-02-advice-line-with-tony-xu-of-doordash#t=2873) Xu's Advice to Young Founders

## Topics

- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- DoorDash (company)
- Steelport Knife Company (company)
- Spring and Mulberry (company)
- Route 22 Meats (company)
- Uber Eats (company)
- Y Combinator (other)
- HexClad (company)
- Lily's (company)
- ChocZero (company)
- Chipotle (company)

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