Lessons - Why VCs Don't Want You to Know About This | Darren Marble - CrowdfundX CEO

Summary

---

Success Story with Scott D. Clary

Episode: Lessons – Why VCs Don’t Want You to Know About This | Darren Marble (CrowdfundX CEO)

Release Date: September 11, 2025

---

Episode Overview

In this “Lessons” episode, Scott D. Clary dives deep into the transformative power of turning customers into investors with Darren Marble, CEO of CrowdfundX. The conversation explores how crowdfunded IPOs can upend the traditional venture capital model, allowing everyday customers to become long-term, loyal financial backers. Darren shares insights into his upcoming business docuseries, which chronicles the dramatic, untold stories behind companies going public and gives viewers a front-row seat—along with a chance to invest.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of Turning Customers into Investors

[02:29 – 06:10]

• Strategic Advantage: Darren explains that converting customers into shareholders is “potentially the most strategic and savvy move any company in the United States can make.”
• Emotional & Financial Buy-In: When customers invest, their loyalty deepens. They’re more inclined to buy more, stick with the brand, and promote it to others.
  • Quote:

    "Those customers are now emotionally invested ... their lifetime value to the business is going to increase ... they’re more likely to tell their friends, family, social network that they’re an investor, that they’re a customer."
    — Darren Marble [02:30]

• Institutional-Style Holders: Retail investors act more like institutions, holding shares long-term rather than “flipping” them for quick gains.
  • “Customers tend to act the same way [as institutions]. Creating a shareholder base ... is a mix of institutional investors alongside everyday Americans.” — Darren Marble [03:29]
• Disrupting the Venture Capital Model: Traditionally, massive VC-backed companies (e.g., Uber, Lyft) became worth billions thanks to their customers, but those same customers were left out of ownership until public listing—often too late for significant gains.
  • "You and I as customers of Uber, for instance, the only thing we could do is buy shares of Uber after it went public. Well, by that time, Scott, it’s too late." — Darren Marble [05:15]

2. The New Era of Crowdfunded IPOs

• Equal Terms for All: Unlike institutional investors who might get “sweetheart deals” in traditional IPOs, everyone (customers, fans, institutions) buys at the same price.
• Evangelists and Brand Ambassadors: Customer-investors become the most potent promoters of a brand—deepening engagement and advocacy far beyond what traditional marketing can achieve.
  • "Those will be the most valuable customers in the history of the business. They are a massively powerful type of brand ambassador." — Darren Marble [05:49]

3. The Upcoming Series: Behind the Crowdfunded IPO

[09:30 – 12:16]

• Serialized Narrative Format: The show follows established (not pre-revenue) companies as they prepare for and execute public offerings.
  • Quote:

    “In episode one, we’re introducing company A and Company B ... the founders ... spend 12 minutes talking about their backstory ... what problem were they solving? What obstacles did they have to overcome to be successful?”
    — Darren Marble [09:34]

• Building Emotional Connection: By revealing the founder's journeys and struggles, the series forges a bond between audience and entrepreneurs.
• Real-World Fundraising Drama: Viewers will witness the roadshow, capital raising, legal wrangling, and the intensity of the IPO process, culminating in real IPO ceremonies at Nasdaq.
  • "We’re going to capture the excitement of that process ... it’s filled with drama, it’s filled with excitement, disappointment, panic, euphoria." — Darren Marble [10:40]
• High-Caliber Production: The production team includes key producers from “The Biggest Loser,” promising engaging and emotionally resonant storytelling.
  • "They made weight loss exciting. So imagine what they can do with the IPO." — Darren Marble [11:34]
• Focus on Established Businesses: The spotlight is on companies with substantial traction and revenue, aiming for major exchanges like Nasdaq.

4. How This Model Differs from Shark Tank

[12:30 – 14:24]

• No Judges, No Power Plays: Unlike “Shark Tank," there are no cutthroat negotiations or wealthy “sharks” getting richer off founders. Instead, viewers become the investors.
  • “At some point [the Shark Tank model] will be obsolete because ... people are tired of watching the rich people get richer ... they’re not owners. They don’t own any shares.” — Darren Marble [13:33]
• Empowering the Public: Fans can invest in companies they love with as little as $1,000 and immediately enjoy liquidity.
• Real Value for the Masses: Instead of just being able to buy the product, the audience can also share in the financial upside of the businesses they support.
  • “It’s the viewers, it’s the fans that now can participate. And in companies they like, they can invest.” — Darren Marble [13:55]
• Better Quality Companies: The series features businesses ready for prime-time public markets, not early-stage, pre-product startups.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Customers as Investors:
  "If you think about this, it's really interesting. Companies like Uber and Lyft ... would never have multi-billion dollar valuations in private markets if it weren't for the millions ... who use the app. Yet it's the customers who are effectively left out and are always excluded from becoming owners."
  — Darren Marble [04:55]

• On the Upcoming Series Format:
  “Our producers ... have a credit in one of the most successful television franchises in history, and that's a show about weight loss. ... Imagine what they can do with the IPO process. So this will be a very entertaining series.”
  — Darren Marble [11:34]

• Scott D. Clary’s Response:
  “This is like my kind of TV, Darren. I want to watch this already. ... This sounds very exciting. I've never seen anything like this.”
  — Scott D. Clary [12:16]

---

Timestamped Summary of Important Segments

• 02:29 – 06:10: Deep dive on how and why turning customers into investors transforms business growth, loyalty, and long-term shareholder stability.
• 09:30 – 12:16: Darren outlines the show’s structure, emotional hook, and promise of dramatizing the real IPO process.
• 12:30 – 14:24: Discussion on how the new show contrasts with “Shark Tank” and why this new model matters.

---

Takeaway

This episode unpacks a new era in public fundraising—where customer loyalty and investment merge, everyday fans become part-owners, and the traditional VC-institutional investor model is challenged. Darren Marble’s upcoming series aims to humanize entrepreneurship and the IPO journey, offering audiences both behind-the-scenes drama and a literal stake in the businesses they love.

---

Transcript

[A]

Success story is a Square partner. Now, your favorite neighborhood spots run on Square. You know, I was just at Panther Coffee here in Miami last week. And beyond the incredible cortado, what struck me was watching them seamlessly handle the morning rush the barista mentioned they've been using Square to manage everything from inventory to building their loyal customer base. It's so much more than just that little white card reader that we all recognize. Square knows that local businesses can be big businesses. And as things get more complex, Square meets you at every opportunity. So whether or not you're expanding, expanding to new locations, building a loyal following, even covering cash flow gaps, Square's powering all the behind the scenes stuff that matters. They knock out today's to dos and they unlock tomorrow's what ifs. If you're ready to see how Square can transform your business, go to square.comgo/success to learn more, that's square.com go/success square. Meet you there.

[B]

Oh hey. Love your shoes. If you're hearing this, this is your sign to try those on. Trust us, you can totally pull them off. In fact, try on every shoe here if you want. We won't stop you. In our house, you've got unlimited freedom to play. And hey, fall is the perfect season to do wear, be whatever you want. And with tons of shoes that get you at prices that get your budget, we'll give you something to brag about. So go ahead, try them on.

[A]

Let us surprise you in this Lessons episode. Explore how turning customers into investors reshapes the path to going public. Discover how ownership deepens loyalty and brand advocacy. Understand why retail investors often act like long term institutions and uncover how this model gives entrepreneurs both capital and an engaged shareholder base.

[C]

Now I'm curious for the entrepreneur that's going into this. An entrepreneur goes and raises some money and they usually want to find some investors that are going to provide some.

[A]

Value to their business.

[C]

What is the benefit to somebody that has, for example, 50 million ARR or annual recurring revenue, 100 million annual recurring revenue to get this crowdfunded investment? Isn't that just. Is that, is that headache pre IPO or at that point they don't care because they're already going to be publicly listed.

[D]

Turning customers into investors in an IPO is potentially the most strategic and savvy move any company in the United States can make. And we know this is going to be a breakthrough mechanism when customers become investors. Here's what happens. Those customers are now emotionally invested in the deal. They're financially invested, they're literally invested in the outcome of the business. So what does that it means their lifetime value to the business is going to increase those customers. And now investors will buy more product, buy more services. They're less likely to use products or services from competitors. They're more likely to tell their friends, family, social network that they're an investor, that they're a customer. And so the network effect is tremendous. And not only that, but what we've seen over the years, Scott, is that when companies turn customers into investors and those companies end up actually going public, those investors, they tend to act like institutions and institutions tend to be long term shareholders. They're not flippers, they're not day traders. An institution that buys $50 million in an IPO, usually long term, they hold those shares for a number of years. They believe in the vision and the founder and the business opportunity down the road. They're looking ahead. Well, customers tend to act the same way. So creating a shareholder base. Actually in this series, it's a mix of institutional investors alongside everyday Americans. The customers of the company, the fans, the followers, they're coming in together, investing into the IPO at the IPO price and the smart money. The institutional investors, by the way, they're not getting a discount. There's no favors. They're all buying the same shares at the same price. And these are both different constituents because the average retail Investor might buy $1,000 of stock, but they act like an institution because they are buying into the vision of the company. They're satisfied customer, they've generated value or received value from the product and so that's really valuable for the business. So from the company standpoint, what do they have to gain by having 30 or 50,000 customers become investors? Well, those will be the most valuable customers in the history of the business. They are a massively powerful type of brand ambassador that can promote the brand and they're going to be long term shareholders as well. So we think that this is really a winning formula for founders and entrepreneurs to empower their customers, return the favor and it's a thank you. If you think about this, it's really interesting. Companies like Uber and Lyft, these companies that stay private for 10 years, 12 years, they raise billions of dollars in venture capital from private investors in private markets. And those companies would never have multibillion dollar valuations in private markets if it weren't for the millions of who use the app. Yet it's the customers who are effectively left out and are always excluded from becoming owners. And you and I as customers of Uber, for instance, the only thing we could do is buy shares of Uber after it went public. Well, by that time, Scott, it's too late. The value's already been realized by the early investors, and you and I end up looking like the suckers. Because we're now holding shares of Uber that has stayed private for too long. The chances of you and I getting a 5x or 10x on our investment is slim to none. So we're changing that paradigm by allowing customers to become owners in these businesses at much earlier stages in the company's growth and in their life cycle.

[A]

SurveyMonkey is a success Story Partner now look, we get it. You can hardly go anywhere or do anything these days without hearing about AI this or AI that. And if you're like most people when it comes to AI, you're impressed, but you have a few concerns. But what if AI was used not as a tool to replace people, but as a way to help understand people better? AI from SurveyMonkey is designed to do just that. From crafting the perfect survey, which is harder than you might think, to analysis that digs deep, finds patterns and surfaces trends quickly. Survey Monkey's powerful suite of AI capabilities makes it faster and easier than ever before to get insight from real people helping you make confident decisions for your business. Try it [e-mail] Scott Success story is a Square Partner now your favorite neighborhood spots run on Square. You know, I was just at Panther Coffee here in Miami last week, and beyond the incredible curtado, what struck me was watching them seamlessly handle the morning rush the barista mentioned. They've been using Square to manage everything from inventory to building their loyal customer base. It's so much more than just that little white card reader that we all recognize. Square knows that local businesses can be big businesses, and as things get more complex, Square meets you at every opportunity. So whether or not you're expanding to new locations, building a loyal following, even covering cash flow gaps, Square's powering all the behind the scenes stuff that matters. They knock out today's to dos and they unlock tomorrow's wh ifs. If you're ready to see how Square can transform your business, go to square.comgo/success to learn more. That's square.com go success square. Meet you there. The HubSpot Podcast Network is a success story partner now the HubSpot Podcast Network has great podcasts like the Ops Authority. If you are constantly putting out fires in your business instead of focusing on growth and innovation, listen to the Ops Authority, hosted by Natalie Gingrich and brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network. Natalie speaks about actionable strategies that actually move your business forward. So every week, Natalie shares some transformational stories from real business own who've mastered their backend systems so they can focus on what really matters. So get your OPS in order, get your business running smoothly so you can scale and you can really build something meaningful. Stop letting all this chaos steal all of your energy, and listen to the Ops Authority wherever you get your podcasts.

[C]

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And I just want to highlight that point you mentioned about. I didn't even think about that. But the point that you can turn your customers into these evangelists early on by getting them to invest financially, that is one of the strongest commercial plays you can have, regardless of your share price. Just the whole customer base being your raving fan group and evangelizing your products. I didn't think about that, but that's a huge plus to getting your customers to buy in. So that's a very, very smart point. And just one more question about. About the show itself, because this all makes a ton of sense, and I think it's a very exciting story that you're going to be telling. What. When somebody watches this show, what do they see? What's the. Like, what do they see the operations of a. Of a $50 million company? Do they see the struggles of a. Of a founder, CEO? What do they see the fundraising process, dealing with the lawyers or what? Like, what's the actual show look like?

[D]

It's a great question. So the format is what's called a serialized narrative. And what that means is that in episode one, we're introducing company A and Company B. And the founders of These companies spend 12 minutes talking about their backstory. Almost nothing to do with the business. You know, who are they? Why did they become founders? What inspired them to create a business? What problem were they solving? What obstacles did they have to overcome to be successful and build the business that they're now CEO of today? And what that's doing is it's really providing insight into the individual and helping the audience understand the character of the founder, which creates a strong emotional bond. In episode two, the first two companies begin developing the marketing materials for their campaign. We introduce company number three in episode three. The first two founders are now going out and raising capital. They're on a roadshow with institutional investors and retail investors alike. And in the IPO process, it's the most intense time period in a company's history. As they're going public, it's filled with drama, it's filled with excitement, disappointment, panic, euphoria. We're going to capture the excitement of that process in this series. And in the second half of the season, the Companies close their IPOs in a staggered close, just like they were introduced in a staggered start. And we're filming the IPO ceremony at Nasdaq and that's the culmination for each of these businesses. We've brought in an incredible production company to help highlight the drama and the excitement of these IPOs and the IPO process. And that company is INE Entertainment. They're based in Studio City. The principals are best known for co creating and co executive producing the hit TV series the Biggest Loser. And so when people say to us, well, hey, the IPO process sounds a little dry, and you said, hey, what about the lawyers? We're going to film the lawyers. What we say is, look, our producers have a credit in one of the most successful television franchises in history, and that's a show about weight loss. They made weight loss exciting. So imagine what they can do with the ipo. I mean, it's a scale and their exercise. They found a way to make that really entertaining. And everybody knows Biggest Loser and they have a brand and you could buy Biggest Loser branded stuff in the. It's everywhere. Imagine what they can do with the IPO process. So this will be a very entertaining series and I think we're going to bring out some of that drama and excitement to bring the viewers along the journey right there with the founders as they're going public.

[C]

Very exciting. This is like my kind of tv, Darren. I want to. I want to watch this already. You got to get this filmed. You got to get this. Because I seriously like this. This sounds very exciting. I've never seen anything like this.

[A]

I've never.

[C]

I don't think there's anything like this, to be honest, at all.

[D]

Well, look, I'll tell you what there is. You know, there's Shark Tank, and that's a show.

[C]

That's all I'm thinking.

[D]

Yeah, we all know Shark Tank. And listen, I'm a fan of Shark Tank. I love that show. I loved it from the moment it came out. And to see the judges critiquing the deal and bickering with each other, it's massively entertainment. There's no denying that. And what we believe is that it's a great show. Shark Tank will always be a great show. The model is outdated. The model is old, and at Some point it will be obsolete because I think that people are tired of watching the rich people get richer. Mark Cuban adding another zero to his net worth. And what are the viewers able to do? Well, they can buy the product, they can help Squatty potty go from 500,000 in sales to 50 million. But they're not getting the value right because they're not owners. They don't own any shares, they don't own any equity in the business. They're just a customer. So who makes the money there? Well, the sharks make the money in those deals. So that's the parallel here, is this is similar to Shark Tank in some ways. One of the differences is that of course there are no judges, there are mentors, but there's no Mark Cuban or Kevin o' Leary bashing these entrepreneurs, trying to take advantage of them. Put in 30 grand for half of the company, these ridiculous deals. It's the viewers, it's the fans that now can participate. And in companies they like, they can invest. And you don't have to put in $50,000. You put in $1,000, buy $1,000 worth of shares and then have liquidity in that investment immediately. So that's the difference. And then the companies themselves, we're not featuring pre product or pre revenue companies. We're featuring companies that have traction, have millions of dollars or tens of millions of dollars in revenue, are ready to go public to nasdaq. Different, different segment of the market.

[E]

Thanks for tuning in. If you found this valuable, don't forget to hit that subscribe button so you never miss an episode. And if you want to dive deeper into this conversation, check out the links in the description to watch the full episode. See you in the next one.

[A]

Success story is a Square partner. Now your favorite neighborhood spots run on Square. You know, I was just at Panther Coffee here in Miami last week. And beyond the incredible curtado, what struck me was watching them seamlessly handle the morning rush the barista mentioned. They've been using Square to manage everything from inventory to building their loyal customer base. It's so much more than just that little white card reader that we all recognize. Square knows that local businesses can be big businesses. And as things get more complex, Square meets you at every opportunity. So whether or not you're expanding to new locations, building a loyal following, even covering cash flow gaps, Square's powering all the behind the scenes stuff that matters. They knock out today's to dos and they unlock tomorrow's what ifs. If you're ready to see how Square can transform your business. Go to square.comgosuccess to learn more. That's square.com go success square meet you there. Incogni is a success story. Partner now. Have you ever wondered how all those scammers get your phone numbers? All those telemarketers, how you're always drowning in all these spam calls? It's data brokers. Right now hundreds of companies are collecting and selling your personal information without your consent. Your address, your phone number, even your family members names to anyone who's willing to pay. And this puts you at risk of identity theft, scams and harassment. And that's where Incogni comes in. They contact over 230 data brokers on your behalf and legally force them to delete your personal information. No more spending hundreds of hours doing it yourself. Incogni handles all the paperwork, follows up on objections and keeps your data off the market with repeated removals. I've actually been using Incogni myself. It's scary and also incredible to see how much of my data was out there. But they get rid of it. They've got a 30 day money back guarantee so you can try it risk free. Use my code. [e-mail] success to get an exclusive 60% off their annual plans. You have to take back control of your privacy today.