#981 What if you could turn product launches into full-blown fan experiences? In this episode, host Brien Gearin sits down with Michael Dodsworth, founder of Fanfare, the LA-based SaaS company helping brands like Nike and Supreme transform chaotic product drops into seamless, hype-driven events. Michael shares his journey from early engineering days and acquisitions at Salesforce to launching his own startup solving the headaches of digital and in-person product releases. He breaks down how Fanfare helps brands manage millions of fans in real time, prevent site crashes, and turn those frenzied “drop moments” into data-rich marketing gold. Whether you’re building a SaaS company or planning your next product launch, this conversation is packed with lessons on scalability, customer feedback, and startup strategy!

(Original Air Date - 11/5/25)

What we discuss with Michael:

+ Origin story and engineering background

+ Early acquisition by Salesforce

+ Lessons from Optimizely and Ticketmaster

+ Founding Fanfare to fix chaotic product drops

+ How Fanfare improves launch experiences

+ Managing millions of fans in real time

+ Turning drop data into marketing insights

+ Challenges and lessons in raising capital

+ Importance of customer feedback and iteration

+ Future vision for experiential commerce and AI

Thank you, Michael!

Check out Fanfare at ⁠Fanfare.io⁠.

Get ⁠The 5-Step Hype Drop Playbook⁠.

Follow Michael on ⁠LinkedIn⁠.

Follow Fanfare on ⁠LinkedIn⁠.

Watch the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠video podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ of this episode!

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