Our guest today is on a mission to revolutionize the advertising industry and the way Gen Z spends money and spends time with one another.

Sam Obletz is the co-founder of Claim, which he launched with his classmate Tap Stephenson while at Harvard Business School.

The Claim app seeks to build a new way for friends to connect and for brands to reward their customers. This is done not with more screen time, likes and reposts, but through fostering authentic, in-person connections and experiences among peers around a brand.

And investors have taken notice, including the venture capital firm Sequoia Capital which announced its partnership with Claim last year.

In today’s episode, Sam will dive into Claim and share his insights on entrepreneurship, raising capital, and generational attitudes towards spending, among other topics.

In the episode we will learn:

• (2:01) – How did Sam’s upbringing influence his work ethic?
• (3:15) – How did Sam catch the entrepreneurial bug?
• (5:27) – What did Sam’s parents do to help him on his business journey at the age of 12?
• (7:35) – What was the journey like from Sam’s early business ventures to setting up Claim?
• (10:29) – What problem does Claim solve?
• (13:12) – What’s the long-term opportunity for Claim?
• (14:46) – How does Sam approach team building and leadership?
• (16:09) – What would Sam change if he could turn back the clock?
• (18:06) – What advice does Sam have for entrepreneurs looking to raise capital?
• (21:01) – What insight does Sam have on Gen Z spending habits?
• (23:35) – What kind of impact does Sam want Claim to have on the world?
• (25:56) – What is the why behind Sam's entrepreneurial mindset and work ethic?