Ryan interviews Dan Novaes, co-founder and CEO of Mode Mobile. Dan shares his entrepreneurial journey from childhood hustles to building a multimillion-dollar tech company.
The conversation explores Mode Mobile’s innovative model of rewarding users for engaging with their phones, the challenges of launching hardware, and the shift from rapid growth to sustainable profitability.
Dan discusses the attention economy, micro-gig opportunities, and Mode Mobile’s partnerships with major brands, offering insights into the future of mobile technology and consumer engagement.
(00:00:00) The Value of Attention and Data
(00:00:31) Podcast Introduction & Guest Welcome
(00:01:41) Mobile, Technology, and the Attention Economy
(00:02:04) Relocating from Chicago to Florida
(00:02:59) Early Entrepreneurship: eBay, Pokemon, and Arbitrage
(00:04:26) Cultural Differences: Brazil vs. US Hustling
(00:05:42) First Job Experience and Realization
(00:06:57) Scaling Arbitrage to a Real Business
(00:08:26) Nature vs. Nurture in Entrepreneurship
(00:09:47) Realizing Entrepreneurship as a Calling
(00:11:11) Lessons in Scaling and Motivation
(00:12:14) Founding Mode Mobile: The Pivot Story
(00:13:25) Building the Business Model and Growth
(00:14:18) Launching a Phone: Risks and Learnings
(00:16:18) Proving the Model and Licensing Technology
(00:17:02) Market Shifts: Growth vs. Profitability
(00:17:24) Explaining the Business Model: Attention as Currency
(00:18:33) The Arbitrage for Brands and Publishers
(00:19:55) Expanding Audience and Investor Base
(00:21:24) Marketing Channel or Trial Channel?
(00:23:51) Micro-Gigs and the Gig Economy
(00:25:32) Future Vision: OS, App, and Partnerships
(00:27:02) Trademarks and Brand Expansion
(00:28:23) Closing Remarks and How to Get Involved
(00:29:24) Show Wrap-Up and Outro
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