Julian Weisser - Why ODF is on a mission of making things for people who make things!

👉🏼 About the Guests:

Julian Weisser is a prominent entrepreneur, investor, and musician, best known as the co-founder and CEO of ODF/On Deck, a platform designed to support startup founders in launching and scaling their companies. Under his leadership, On Deck facilitated the launch of over 1,000 startups, significantly impacting the entrepreneurial landscape by providing resources and networking opportunities for aspiring founders.

Julian is currently building Merge for microgrants, Stamp List to help job applicants who require visa sponsorship, and Builders Who Run, a run club based in SF. 

With a background in Music and Management from Berklee College of Music, Julian entered the startup world, co-founding Within Health, a company focused on using behavioral science to improve the lives of individuals with chronic conditions. 

In addition to his entrepreneurial endeavors, Weisser is an active angel investor, having backed over 50 startups across multiple industries, including decentralized finance and health tech. He is passionate about supporting innovative projects that aim to solve significant societal challenges. 

👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 24,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. He recently sold his second SaaS product, GuestLab, and he is working on a startup idea while hosting this show.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for sponsoring The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/

👉🏼 Description:

Listen in as Sharath and Julian discuss building for people who make things, building community in 2025, how to work at a hypergrowth startup, and more!
 
👉🏼 Timestamps:

• 00:00: Episode Highlight
• 00:44: Shoutout to Acquire.com
• 03:09: Intro to Julian Weisser - Co-founder and CEO of ODF/On Deck
• 04:51: How Julian fell in love with startups
• 10:43: What founders can learn from musicians
• 15:01: How Julian built his very first startup
• 20:41: How On Deck went from a dinner series to a $20M Series A startup
• 27:07: Lessons from a hypergrowth startup
• 34:49: How can we build community in person in 2025?
• 37:33: Julian's project for people with big ideas: Merge
• 47:11: Julian's project for immigrants: Stamp List
• 51:17: How Julian started a run club in SF
• 55:45: Julian's projects in 2025
• 1:00:44: What should founders focus on?
• 1:06:13: Outro and closing thoughts

👉🏼 Resources:

• Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/

👉🏼 Where to find Julian:

• Website: https://weisser.io
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/julianweisser
• Twitter: https://x.com/julianweisser
• Newsletter and Podcast: https://textswithfounders.com/
• On Deck: https://www.joinodf.com/
• Merge: https://merge.club/
• Stamp List: https://landing.club/stamplist
• Builders Who Run: https://weisser.io/runners

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
• Website: https://5harath.com/
• Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
• Founder Gigs: https://foundergigs.com/