Building a $25M Business From the Attention Economy with Dan Novaes

Mode Mobile co-founder and CEO Dan Novaes joins Ryan Alford for a conversation about entrepreneurship, business pivots and turning smartphone activity into income. Dan shares how his instinct for finding overlooked opportunities took him from selling Pokémon cards as a kid to building a multimillion-dollar international electronics business before he finished college.

Ryan and Dan unpack the creation of Mode Mobile, its growth from less than $100,000 in revenue to more than $25 million by 2022, and the development of an operating system that rewards people for everyday mobile activity. Dan explains why consumer attention becomes significantly more valuable when paired with action and how that relationship creates measurable value for users, advertisers and technology partners.

The conversation also explores launching the EarnPhone, the challenges of entering the hardware business, the danger of pursuing growth at all costs and why Dan views the ability to pivot as his greatest entrepreneurial skill.

TOPICS COVERED

• Dan Novaes’ early entrepreneurial ventures

• Building a $2 million business during college

• The creation and growth of Mode Mobile

• How EarnPhone and EarnOS work

• Smartphone habits and the attention economy

• How brands value consumer attention and action

• Knowing when to pivot a business model

• Hardware, software and licensing partnerships