EP 121 (FULL RECORDING) | Alex Emmanuel | Co-Founder Of 1v1me (VC-Backed, Mobile Gaming Platform)

Alex Emmanuel is a UK-born, Canadian Expat living in New York City who went to work his way up at several start-ups (Skillshare, Grailed, etc.) before going all in with some friends to co-found a gaming app called 1v1me (@1v1meapp) that successfully raised a Series A while also being profitable.

He joins Ara to discuss topics including:
Growing his business 77% MoM (Month over Month) over the first 13 months of operations ($14,000 in sales for the first month to over $3 million in a recent month).
Prioritizing education over compensation early on in his career.
Wanting to have gone to culinary school.
How engineering was a tool that allowed him to pursue his passion of creating technology.
Why he opted to raise money vs bootstrapping.

Timestamps

00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Alexander Emmanuel
01:28 - Alex speaks on growing up in Ottawa; moving to bigger cities like NY
02:37 - The impact of his parents working for Nortel/in the tech scene
03:48 - Growing up in a tight-knit family; cousins are like siblings
04:19 - Getting laid off and moving to New York within a span of two weeks
06:14 - How the first iPhone sparked Alex’s passion for engineering
09:14 - Carleton having an underrated engineering school
10:50 - Could he have achieved the same success in Toronto that he’s seen in NY?
13:44 - Staying at multiple companies for long periods before starting his own venture
16:30 - The moment he decided to start his own company
23:37 - How his company’s staking model works
24:11 - Biggest factors that have contributed to his company’s success
27:54 - The game titles he works with (Madden, NBA 2K, Call of Duty)
29:16 - Not needing licensing due to fair use laws
30:51 - Why Alex opts for raising money over bootstrapping
34:09 - His learning habits operating a 24/7 business; doing
36:11 - How he handles having to be switched on all the time; being intentional
38:39 - Learning lessons during the course of his career; why timing is everything
41:36 - The Tamil community in New York; and food spots
43:59 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self; from lazy to disciplined
45:09 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by friends and family
46:03 - Creator Confessions
52:19 - The Wrap Up

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