E42: Lucas Netz - Pudgy Penguins Will Be The N°1 NFT Project In The World
Luca Netz is a serial entrepreneur and the owner and CEO of Pudgy Penguins, the leading Web3 IP Company. After a tough childhood and 10 years of homelessness, Luca dropped out of high school at 16 to "go make some money." He started his first company at 18 and, just one year later, was raking in millions from his dropshipping empire, leveraging influencers on Instagram. In 2022, Luca acquired Pudgy Penguins for $2.5M and completely turned the brand around by applying his "secret playbook"—just like he did with Von Dutch a few years before that, eventually bringing the struggling vintage brand to $100M in annual revenue in less than 1 year! After just a year at the helm of the Pudgy Penguins brand, the Luca magic has struck again: he has not only managed to get 2,000 Walmart stores to sell Pudgy toys, but he has also created the ultimate community of Web3 builders. In this episode, we talk about Luca's blueprint for entrepreneurial success, imposter syndrome, how complacency leads to failure, his Web3 "aha" moment, people-pleasing in business, and of course, his mission with Pudgy Penguins: to become the number one NFT project in the world, the face of Web3, and one of the world's most beloved characters and hot IP brands. Chapters [00:00:00] Meet Luca Netz [00:02:00] Grew up homeless, bouncing around homes. [00:03:00] Dropped out of high school at 16. [00:04:00] Became millionaire at 19 through influencer marketing. [00:07:00] Pioneered influencer marketing on Instagram. [00:08:00] Sees big opportunity for crypto marketing. [00:14:00] Grew vintage brand Von Dutch from 0 to $100M. [00:20:00] First bought Bitcoin in 2016. [00:25:00] Had "aha" moment with NFT potential. [00:30:00] Aligned Pudgy Penguins vision with community. [00:31:00] Ultimate vision is #1 NFT brand. Sponsor: We are proud to partner with Coinsilium, a focused Web3 investor and venture builder supporting innovative startups building a decentralized future. Coinsilium provides vital funding and expert advice to Web3 and AI-powered early-stage technology companies. Coinsilium also provides strategic advisory services to projects looking to issue tokens. With deep expertise across crypto, DeFi, and Web3, Coinsilium helps accelerate ambitious Web3 startups to the next level. Learn more at https://www.coinsilium.com Follow Luca Netz & Pudgy Penguins Website: https://www.pudgypenguins.com/ Youtube: @pudgypenguinsofficial Opensea: https://opensea.io/collection/pudgypenguins Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/pudgypenguins IG: https://www.instagram.com/pudgypenguins/ https://www.instagram.com/lucanetz/ Follow When Shift Happens: Website: https://www.when-shift-happens.co/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevinffollonier/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kevinfollonier Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinfollonier/ Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/yieldlabs