My First Million – "The Simplest Way To Make $1M In 2026" (March 11, 2026)

Hosts: Sam Parr & Shaan Puri
Guests: John and Jordy (TVPN)
Main Theme:
This episode dives into "Sarah’s List"—the hosts’ running tradition where they analyze and pick companies that, if you joined them today and stuck around with equity, could realistically make you a millionaire. With a focus on simplicity, career investment, and catching rocket ships rather than inventing them, the discussion mixes new business trends, big tech opportunities, and overlooked sectors. The group also debates strategies, company culture, and real stories behind the most promising businesses in 2026.

Episode Structure

• The Sarah's List concept (overview and context) [00:00–05:00]
• Annual tradition: How the list picks have performed [05:00–07:00]
• Business idea roundtable—each host/guest chooses and discusses their contenders for the 2026 Sarah’s List
  • Zuru Tech (AI-powered home building) [07:34]
  • Varda Space Industries [15:06]
  • Suno (AI music creation) 22:17
  • TrueMed (HSA/FSA fintech layer for wellness) 31:06
  • HubSpot and SaaS “apocalypse” [41:24]
  • Semi Analysis (semiconductor content & data) [49:03]
  • Harvey (AI lawyer for law firms) 56:18
  • SendCutSend (fast, bootstrapped, US-based manufacturing) 63:46
  • Column Bank (Plaid founder’s second act) [68:28]

1. The Power of Joining Great Companies Early — The "Sarah’s List" Philosophy

Summary:

• Instead of inventing something new, wealth can be built just by joining a breakout company early enough and riding its growth.
• Inspired by Sam’s wife Sarah, who made her first million by joining Airbnb as employee 3000 and benefiting from the meteoric rise of her stock options.

Notable Quote:

“She didn’t have to come up with Airbnb. She joined it as employee 3000...that stock package, which over a four-year period is, you know, you’re granted about $200,000 worth of stock, 5X, and she made a million bucks before either me or Sam.” — Shaan [00:36]

Insight:

• The key is to treat your career choice like an investment—where you work (and when) is your personal portfolio.
• Many (including investors) miss opportunities by passing on “obvious” winners, thinking they’re too late (often wrong).

Notable Quote:

“There’s no bonus points for difficulty in life, in the game of business. Sometimes the best companies are just hidden in plain sight. They’re right in front of you.” — Shaan [03:27]

2. 2026 “Sarah’s List” Picks: Where You Should Invest Your Career Stock

A. Zuru Tech (AI-powered Homebuilding)

[07:34–14:13]

• Massive New Zealand-based toy company—now turning to building homes via automated, AI-powered factories.
• Tech enables anyone to describe a dream house, and the system designs, codes, and arranges manufacturing and delivery at drastically lower cost.

Key Points:

• Factory experience gives huge edge vs. Silicon Valley challengers.
• “More than an order of magnitude”—over 10X cheaper than traditional building.
• Most of construction untouched by AI; market rarely disrupted.

Bear Case:

• Show-stopping product demos don’t always translate to real-world delivery.
• China/America trade friction could pose risks for manufacturing.

Notable Quote:

“If there was one company I could kind of empty the tank of my life savings into, I would be pouring it into this.” — Shaan [10:13]

B. Varda Space Industries

[15:06–22:17]

• Makes manufacturing possible in space (in microgravity): crystals, drugs, fibers—fields where zero gravity allows new possibilities.
• Already launching and retrieving capsules with SpaceX partners; capital-intensive, but a clear leader.

Key Points:

• Early mover in re-entry tech (not just sending things up, but bringing them down).
• “If you get a group of ultra-talented, ultra-hardworking people together that can put stuff up in space and bring it back down...it’s going to have a really wide range of applications.” — Jordy [16:54]
• Founders: Not hype machines—focus on shipping, not PR.
• Success is tied to falling launch costs (thanks to SpaceX, Blue Origin competition).

Fun Moment:

• Musk vs. Bezos “reusable rocket” online spat retelling: “Congratulations, but...” [20:55]

C. Suno (AI-Generated Music)

[22:17–29:30]

• Explosive AI music tool that enables anyone to create songs just by describing what they want.
• 300M+ ARR less than two years after launch; fast user growth.

Key Points:

• The “front door to AI music” (like ChatGPT is for LLMs).
• Potential market: 20–50X bigger than current creators.
• Not in big-tech crosshairs yet—may remain an independent category leader.

Industry Dynamics:

• Value creation will be in making music accessible, not just tools for pros.
• Traditional music industry already using Suno, but quietly as the topic is controversial.

Notable Quote:

“Billions of people have an idea for a song...and now with vibe coding, anybody can build an app. Same thing with music. Everybody’s had an idea for a song...” — Jordy [25:59]

D. TrueMed (Fintech for Wellness Payments)

[31:06–36:27]

• Founded by Justin Mares, allows online wellness and health companies to add HSA/FSA payment options easily—unlocking a tax-advantaged purchase channel.
• Strong “index bet” on the booming wellness space.

Key Points:

• Big take rate; founders believe in “investing in an index fund for wellness” via TrueMed’s integrations.
• Founder and team viewed as top-tier operators.

Notable Quote:

“There’s an economic advantage, a tax saving, from paying for it with pre-tax dollars...you’re not as exposed to trend risk...as long as health continues to be a trend.” — John [31:28]

Personal Backstory:

• Jordy shares founding of Rora (water filter co.), inspired by his son’s eczema and the health impact of water.

E. HubSpot & The SaaS “Apocalypse”

[41:24–48:59]

Topic:

• HubSpot as a representative of “boringly strong” SaaS companies trading at massive discounts due to AI hype and uncertainty.

Key Points:

• HubSpot delivers $3B revenue, recently dropped to a $14B market cap—exceptionally low for SaaS.
• Market overreacts to “uncertainty” (vs. “risk”—Mohnish Pabrai insight).
• Industry-wide: seat-based SaaS models may face headwinds from AI efficiency, layoffs, smaller orgs.
• Risks: New startups with innovative pricing/models, but most are immature.
• Liquid equity a big plus for HubSpot and similar established SaaS.

Notable Quote:

“There’s just uncertainty. And uncertainty is very different than saying something bad is actually gonna happen.” — Shaan [46:03]
“The vast majority of value creation is going to be by big companies just getting bigger…” — Sam [48:23]

F. Semi Analysis (B2B AI/Semiconductor Research & Data Provider)

[49:03–54:14]

Summary:

• Publication/data platform producing ultra-granular analysis and models for semiconductors, AI infrastructure, etc.—sold as premium subscriptions and data models to industry giants.

Key Points:

• Subscribers: richest & most powerful companies (hyperscalers, hedge funds, chip companies).
• Now spinning up a fund and credit ratings—Moody’s of AI/semis.
• Founder (Dylan Patel): “encyclopedic knowledge,” posts go viral for insight.
• High potential for sticky, high-margin, lucrative B2B business—echoes of historic media moguls in niche tech markets.

Notable Moment:

“He’s like, we’ve got satellites watching the parking lots and we figured out this is how bad they’re scaling.” — Shaan [51:21]
“It’s the same story over and over…Exact same B2B publication in a technology boom, owning a very small niche and just kicking ass.” — Sam [54:15]

G. Harvey (AI-Powered Lawyer for Law Firms)

[56:18–63:19]

Summary:

• AI workflow/software tailored for law firms, automating everything from document review to drafting—serving the “labor spend” of legal services.

Key Points:

• $200M revenue and rapidly growing, especially among largest law firms.
• Market size: ~500,000 law firms in the US alone; huge potential at $100K+ ACV per customer.
• Lawyers seeing rapid improvement—a friend who “got an early demo” shrugged, but a year later was “wide-eyed, it’s the real, real deal now” [59:10].
• Challenge: Will the foundations (e.g. OpenAI) build vertical-specific features, or will Harvey own the category?

Memorable Quote:

“AI is only going to get more capable. There’s going to be new capabilities unlocked. So you have to be making this thesis with that in mind.” — Jordy [46:48]

H. SendCutSend (Fast, Automated US Manufacturing)

[63:46–68:28]

Summary:

• Bootstrapped, capital-intensive American manufacturer: lets engineers upload CAD files for custom parts, and does rapid quoting and fulfillment.

Key Points:

• “Index” play: all the new hardware and hard-tech startups need parts—they buy from SendCutSend.
• Profitably scaled to $100M+ ARR, no outside funding; increases US manufacturing resiliency.
• Founder (Jim) has a hacker ethos—previously built software companies; now bridging tech and physical product.

Notable Quotes:

“Every person that’s manufactured something will tell you: I reached out, didn’t get a reply for a week; when I did, it takes two months. SendCutSend is focused on speed and ease.” — John [64:34]
“If you were venture backed, you’d be valued $5–10 billion…He’s happy to just build a great business and compound every single year.” — Jordy [67:07]

I. Column Bank (Plaid Founder’s Next Act — Bonus Discussion)

[68:28–71:51]

Summary:

• Plaid founder’s next venture: bought a bank, built a modern API-first platform that underpins Mercury, Ramp, and others.
• Bootstrapped, highly profitable, $200M+ revenue, founder retains full control.

Key Points:

• “Index into all the new fintech shit.”
• Deep founder experience and relationships—immense “unfair advantage.”
• Shows the raw leverage of deep industry experience + compound advantage of taking big swings after major success.

Additional Insights & Recurring Themes

• Bootstrapped vs. Funded: Resilience, control, and dilution are major considerations in picking companies.
• Brand & Design: Authentic, flexible branding is a recurring success marker—especially notable in media.
• AI is a Tool, Not a Threat: Most value will accrue to legacy companies that adapt, not necessarily newcomers (at least in the next 5 years).
• Obvious Over Clever: Winners often “hidden in plain sight.” Investing career or money in already successful companies can be smarter than swinging at moonshots.

Fun & Memorable Segments

• On advertising for equity: “But the landlord doesn’t take Monopoly money.” [04:55]
• Iconic pitch: “If you advertise with us, you’ll get so big they’ll drag you in front of Congress for being a monopoly.” [05:10]
• Brand authenticity: “You’ve actually broken through and created something that feels...that has feeling...that’s brand.” — Shaan [35:56]
• On being the guest of your own show: “Sam just becomes the guest on his own show.” [68:22]
• On media moguls: “This is a great find. As someone...I’m a little bit of a media historian nerd—it’s the same story over and over again.” — Sam [56:07]
• Law firm founder flex: “I don’t hunt deer. I hunt money.” [62:59]

Notable Quotes

• “When you join a company, that’s an act of an investment.” — Shaan [00:58]
• “Sometimes just going and attaching yourself to a team led by somebody with deep, deep experience…and vision is grounded…sometimes you don’t need to overthink it.” — Jordy [71:21]
• “If you can add leverage into the legal system…you know, that’ll kind of transform the economics of how law firms work.” — Shaan [58:33]
• “There's gonna be lots of new entrants, but the vast majority of value creation is going to be by big companies just getting bigger.” — Sam [48:23]

Timestamps – Important Segments

• [00:00–03:27]: "Sarah’s List" and early-in rocket ship thesis
• [07:34]: Zuru Tech (AI and prefab homebuilding)
• [15:06]: Varda Space (manufacturing in space)
• [41:24]: HubSpot, SaaS “apocalypse” & underlying opportunity
• [49:03]: Semi Analysis (semiconductor & AI infrastructure information platform)
• [68:28]: Column Bank (“index for fintech”)

Takeaways

For anyone looking to spot "obvious" innovations with blue-chip potential, the show champions making simple but high-upside bets by aligning your career with rocket-ship companies—sometimes as unconventional as prefab construction, bootstrapped manufacturing, or niche professional services. The "Sarah’s List" approach is data-driven but also leans on the emotional fun of being close to transformation, whether it’s AI eating legal/labor, the semiconductor gold rush, or simply making music at the push of a button.

The Simplest Way to Make a Million?
Work for a winner, take equity, and ride the rocket—just like Sarah.

End Quote:

“Is that it?”
“That’s the pod.” — [73:41]