🎙 Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube.
Before Zoog was an app, it was a bet: kids light up when Grandma’s the hero. Yoav Oren had the track record to try—opened China for Similarweb, closed landmark enterprise deals, produced Netflix’s Krav Maga episode, then got tiny Zoog onto Snap’s Camera Kit next to Disney. DreamWorks and Paramount followed. $1M+ ARR. 20,000+ five-star reviews. Two-minute, AR-powered stories that put family in the frame.
Then came the hits: a 17-hour deal that died at midnight. Investors ghosting after Oct 7. And on Oct 8, his wife’s cancer diagnosis. With sirens in the stairwell and two months of runway, Yoav kept shipping—monetizing early, using AI to speed scripting and animation, and doubling down on partnerships that actually moved the needle.
What you’ll hear
• Why 2-minute stories beat PDFs—and when AR is the product, not a gimmick
• Monetize early, learn faster: toward profitability without stalling growth
• Inside the Snap win + Hollywood IP (DreamWorks, Paramount)
• Scaling content with AI without tanking quality
• Fundraising in headwinds (and why he’d build a U.S. presence sooner)
• Operating under pressure: rituals, team design, mindset
Connect with Yoav:
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Sponsors:
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Inquiries:
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🎙 Podcast: DM on Instagram
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