Meet Parth Patil. He is a builder, a thinker, and former Clubhouse data scientist who reinvented his career multiple times to become one of the leaders of the AI revolution, leading special AI projects for Reid Hoffman.

In this conversation, we cover everything from burning your savings to learn LLMs to the future of AI avatars, the potential need for Universal Basic Income, Parth's advice to his younger self, and so much more.

If you are curious about the future of the labor market, how to weave AI into your workflows, and exercise your ambition, I think you will leave this chat inspired and feeling more equipped to not be replaced.

Connect with Parth or me:

🧠 Connect with Parth on LinkedIn

📲 Follow Parth on IG

🧠 Connect with Cole on LinkedIn

✍️ Read Cole’s Substack

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro of Parth, the AI Pioneer

02:33 The Advent of Vibe Coding

11:08 The Growth of GPT and Self

17:46 The Financial Gamble

33:44 Finding the AI Community

37:05 Creating Courses for Coursera

40:12 Building a Personal Brand

42:27 Working with Reid Hoffman

44:41 Exploring Digital Twin Projects

53:05 The Meaning of Expertise in AI

01:02:30 Future Headlines and Predictions

01:14:04 The Tale of John Henry and AI

01:20:00 Where Do People Fit In

01:22:33 Automation and Universal Basic Income

01:31:00 Parth Philosophy and Advice to 20-somethings

01:44:24 Outro and Final Thoughts

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Email me at colehume1@gmail.com for any feedback, ideas, or notes!

At 25, Adam Novak is building The Fluency Project — a differentiated language-learning platform based in Seoul, South Korea.

Through bold, founder-led marketing stunts, Adam has earned over 60 million views across platforms, using creativity and street performance to reimagine how we approach language learning.

Before The Fluency Project, Adam was the founding design engineer at 222, a Y Combinator–backed social-connection startup in New York, co-founded Good Home, a wellness-focused home-inspection company, and even spent time living as a monk practicing Vipassana meditation.

In this episode, we talk about:
• Adam’s entrepreneurial journey — the wins and the failures
• Going solo vs. building with co-founders
• Finances and focus in your 20s as a founder
• Emotional resilience and mindset
• Philosophies for building and living with intention

If you’re navigating your 20s, questioning the traditional path, or curious about building startups abroad, this conversation will hit home.

Connect & Subscribe:
The Fluency Project – Early Access → https://thefluencyproject.notion.site/

Adam Novak on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/its_adam_novak/?hl=en

Adam Novak on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamvnovak/

Cole Hume on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/cole-hume-a737041b6/

Cole’s Substack – startups, risk & meaning → https://substack.com/@colehume

Subscribe for more conversations on meaning, money and navigating one's 20s.

Time stamps:

00:00 – Intro
02:10 – Why Adam Moved to Seoul
04:50 – Founder-Led Marketing & 60M Views
07:00 – Building Amiko (The AI Language Partner)
11:30 – Early Entrepreneurial Roots
18:30 – Joining YC-Backed Startup 222
24:00 – Lessons from YC & Early Startup Life
29:30 – Leaving 222 & Going Solo
33:30 – Co-Founding Good Home
40:30 – Challenges of Solo Founding
49:00 – Mental Health & Founder Struggles
55:00 – Is Striving a Bug or a Feature?
59:30 – Scarcity, Curiosity & Momentum
01:04:00 – Where to Find Adam
01:06:00 – Outro

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Email me at colehume1@gmail.com for any feedback, ideas, or notes!

Matt has worked all the jobs an economics undergrad considers and idolizes: investment banking, consulting at BCG, & now, big tech at Google.

While working these jobs, he has moonlighted as a content creator and his educational YouTube channel has surpassed 100K subscribers.

Matt is as sharp and kind as they come, and I wish I could have met and learned from him sooner.

We talk professional and financial decisions when one is young as well as our favorite life hypotheses (we are not quite old and wise enough to call them philosophies ;)

Its a long-ass episode, so obviously we talk about a whole lot of other interesting things.

Hope you enjoy and check out the time stamps to navigate the episode!!

00:00 Overcoming Fear and Embracing Content Creation
01:08 Introduction
02:15 Matt Huang's Journey to YouTube Success
06:39 The Motivations for the Channel
10:17 Navigating Career Challenges and Taking Action
18:43 Mentorship and Inspirations
22:03 Reevaluating Career Paths and Finding Purpose
27:36 The Value of High-Octane Jobs
37:01 Exploring Internet Money and Digital Entrepreneurship
43:59 Dealing with Social Risks of Content Creating
51:05 Handling Hate Comments and Negative Feedback
55:37 Viewer Perception and Personal Growth
58:41 Balancing Ambition with Personal Relationships
01:01:21 Philosophy on Planning and Career Direction
01:09:48 Testing the Multidimensional Human Hypothesis
01:17:04 The Scarce Resource of Excellent Performers
01:21:42 Future Content Directions, Closing thoughts

Check out Matt's YouTube channel here: ⁨@matthuang21⁩
Check out Matt's Substack here: https://substack.com/@matthuang1

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Email me at colehume1@gmail.com for any feedback, ideas, or notes!

Sam Freeman went from UCLA student & nightlife promoter to Founder of two fast-growing ventures doing $1M+ in revenue — all before turning 24.

→ MTRNM: A global house music brand throwing sold-out shows in airplane hangars, Japanese temples, and even the LA Natural History Museum — across 10+ countries.

→ Flair Collective: A creative marketing agency helping brands like Coca-Cola and Monster connect authentically with Gen Z on college campuses.

In this episode, Sam and I unpack:

• How club promotion at 19 opened real business doors
• Building and balancing two businesses at once
• How he built a global house music event brand with venues like the Natural History Museum of LA
• Turning nightlife into a global brand and a marketing agency
• Money as a young entrepreneur — income, clever tax moves, investing in the business
• Unconventional but effective networking frameworks
• Delegation, building leverage, and the true scarce resource for ambitious young people

Here is Sam on Linkedin

⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 — Introduction
03:09 — Sam’s Absurd Calendar
07:30 — What is Metronome? Changing Club Culture
14:00 — Balancing Metronome with Flair Collective
22:00 — Leveraging Nightlife for Networking
26:50 — How "Seeming Valuable" Builds a Network
30:35 — The Philosophy of Networking
35:00 — How to Network When You Have No Leverage
46:23 — The Art of Persistence in Networking
55:55 — Breaking the Financial Taboo: Sam Talks Money, Income, and Financial Strategy
01:07:40 — Advice for Younger Sam: The Power of Delegation
01:12:00 — The Ultimate Scarce Resource

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Email me at colehume1@gmail.com for any feedback, ideas, or notes!

At 22, Alex Michaelsen quit his job to chase a startup dream.
At 24, he was nearly broke.
At 26, his beverage brand, Leisure Hydration, is now stocked in every Whole Foods nationwide.

In this episode of Young, Smart, & Battling Broke, Alex shares what it really looked like to build a consumer product in a saturated market — from zero income and credit card debt to standing beside Coke and Pepsi on store shelves.

We talk about:

• 💳 Surviving two years with no income and how he made it work
• 🧃 Cracking the code to standing out in the ultra-competitive beverage space
• 🤯 The mental load of entrepreneurship — and what he wishes he’d learned earlier

This episode is full of sharp insights and hard-earned advice. I learned way too much from Alex.

🎧 If you’re neck deep in building something, wondering what entrepreneurship actually looks like, or just want some wisdom on your walk to class — this one’s for you.

Try a Leisure for free with this link: https://try.gotoaisle.com/leisure-hydration-onefree

Follow the show on Substack at Young, Smart, & Battling Broke, and find me on LinkedIn or Instagram @colehume.
Let me know what you think — I’m always trying to make the show better.

Time Stamps:

00:00 – Intro
02:47 – What it really means to launch in Whole Foods
08:49 – How Leisure stands out in a sea of lookalike drinks
12:40 – The genius strategy of getting stocked in tech fridges
19:24 – Competing with giants without getting crushed
27:20 – Entrepreneurial traits that actually make a difference
34:50 – Alex’s favorite failure and what it taught him
39:18 – What he’d shake into his younger self
42:11 – Personal finance lessons from 2 years with no income
51:17 – Is meaning worth more than money or stability?
59:05 – How to choose the *right* cofounder (and build trust)
1:05:39 – The most undervalued resource no one talks about
1:11:52 – Final thoughts + my takeaways

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Email me at colehume1@gmail.com for any feedback, ideas, or notes!

What does it take to break into the world’s top consulting firms when the odds aren’t in your favor?

What does the consulting path actually entail for young people?

How do you balance other passions and an entrepreneurial fire when working a 9-9?

This episode, I sat down with Edward Collinson, an Associate Consultant at Bain & Company, who carved his own path to success—and in the process, made history as the first Cal Poly San Luis Obispo student to land a role at one of the MBB firms (McKinsey, Bain, BCG) straight out of undergrad.

Ed is sharp, funny, and refreshingly honest about his journey. We dig into:

💡 How to stand out and secure a consulting role—even without a “target school” background.

✍️ How his “Why Consulting” answer would be different after two years in the industry.

🧐 A candid look at what’s true (and false) about the consulting world and what it looks like for youngin at a firm.

🌱 How Ed balances the drive for success with building a meaningful, holistic life.

Ed’s thoughtful approach to life and career is one I’ve learned a lot from, and I think you’ll find it equally valuable. Whether you’re exploring consulting, looking for career strategies, or just love an inspiring story, you won’t want to miss this one.

🎧 Tune in to the episode and take away tools you can apply today.

TIME STAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:10 How Ed would revise his "why consulting" answer

07:00 How to overcome the odds of entering MBB from a "non-target university" or non-traditional background

16:30 The 80-20 framework applied to consulting recruiting... what matters most in the process

21:30 Where do people go after consulting?...understanding the high attrition rate in the industry (people typically only spend 2 years at major consulting firms)

25:10 How does consulting work in terms of specialization and working in different industries

28:15 How to "horcrux your life" and keep your other identities alive when in a high-octane professional setting

32:10 Does flexibility exist in consulting...how much do you control your calendar?

34:50 Important things that dictate your sustainability and happiness as a young adult

38:00 Where Ed thinks he will be in 5 years and how he will reflect on his current self

41:30 What is the ultimate scarce resource?!

46:00 Ed flips the script and asks me what I think the ultimate scarce resource is

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Email me at colehume1@gmail.com for any feedback, ideas, or notes!

At 21, Jake Santaniello has already built a 7-figure business empire with e-commerce brands like UCLA Vintage and Martino Milano, a real estate investment fund, and a protein gummy company, Thrive Candy. And he’s done it all without a single internship—proving that building can sometimes beat the traditional path.

In this episode, we uncover the strategies behind Jake’s rapid success, including:
⚡ The key business partnership that fueled his growth
🔄 How he’d restart his entrepreneurial journey if beginning tomorrow
🎯 Whether it’s possible to build businesses as a substitute for internships and still land elite jobs like his role at Boston Consulting Group

Jake’s story is a masterclass in balancing ambition, action, and innovation. Tune in to hear how he’s rewriting the rules—and how you can too.

02:15 - All the different ventures and projects Jake takes on
06:42 - Jake's views on building over planning
08:30 - Jake's first slime "business"
09:30 - Jake's powerful business partnership
11:40 - What Jake optimizes for
12:30 - Jake takes on consulting
15:00 - The power of optimism, radical self-belief, and bad things
22:00 - Mentors, inputs, and how success changes things
26:00 - Jake's best investment
29:00 - How Jake landed a consulting job with no internships
34:00 - How Jake would restart his entrepreneurial journey tomorrow
38:00 - What is the ultimate scarce resource

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Email me at colehume1@gmail.com for any feedback, ideas, or notes!

Welcome to the very first episode of Young, Smart, and Battling Broke! I’m your host, Cole Hume—young, beginning to be a little less broke, and as for smart...well, the jury’s still out on that one. But I hope to have a loving impact, with financial savviness and mindfulness as my guiding cornerstones.

For this inaugural episode, I sit down with Tejes Srivalsan, the dynamic CEO and Founder of Poppin, a social networking app that connects users to local parties, which has already raised $2.4M in funding. Tejes isn’t just building a business; he’s building a product that integrates his passions—all while finishing his studies in computer science and cognitive science at UCLA.

Tejes is a thinker and doer while being admirably honest and happy. From getting a job offer from Tik Tok through a single LinkedIn meme to almost manifesting a Trippie Redd performance at UCLA, Tejes brings an infectious energy and refreshing perspective to creating and running with opportunity.

Here’s some of what we dive into:
✨ How Tejes charted his own course.
📩 The power of unconventional cold messaging.
💡 Frameworks for navigating self-doubt & embracing delusion.
💭 New definitions for entrepreneurship
🙌 Practical advice for high-ambition individuals who are determined to chart their own course.

I absolutely loved recording this conversation. I am terrifyingly new to podcasting so any feedback means the world 💙

Time Stamps:

03:00 - Intro & how to battle doubt as a young entrepreneur

13:00 - Advice for high ambition young people

35:00 - How to take feedback and critically assess advice

41:00 - Tejes almost gets Trippie Redd to perform at UCLA

50:00 - Unconventional cold messaging strategies & having an online presence

01:22:00 - How to know yourself better & the double-edged sword of authenticity

01:32:00 - Tejes’ framework for when he meets someone who sucks at something

01:44:00 - What is the ultimate scarce resource?

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Email me at colehume1@gmail.com for any feedback, ideas, or notes!