Lam Tran is the co-founder and CEO at WisePass, a lifestyle app that connects brands to consumers through events, promotions, and rewards. Before WisePass, he was at Google and Tiki and had grown up French-Vietnamese.

‍

👋🏼  How would you explain your job to someone outside tech?

At networking events, I have a 30-second pitch where I tell people I used to work for Google and my job was to drive traffic to their websites, apps and measure sales for the client

For WisePass, it's pretty much the same but we measure sales offline.

For users, I just explain them that it's a membership where you can discover cool new places, access some cool events, get some cool promotions, enjoy some cool rewards for 15 bucks a month

For venues we're working with, we're basically their B2B sales. We drive traffic and sales. Initially we just list and there's no cost. If they want to do more with us and create special offers and build their own VIP customers then we can charge a flat fee for 30 bucks a month.

‍

🧐  What's something about you or your job that would surprise us?

The beverage industry is still using Excel spreadsheets in 2024.

‍

🏆 What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?

The breakthrough moment was when I found that the app was used every day and we generated thousands of redemptions earlier in the year 2018. It took me a couple years to get there.

Finding the product-market fit for a product that doesn't really exist around the world makes it more difficult. You don't have a blueprint and need to keep trying.

‍

🔍  What's a startup trend or space you're watching this year?

E-commerce. My background is in e-commerce, and for the past 20 years I've always been interested in seeing what's happening.

‍

💼  What advice would you give someone starting out in your industry?

Get as much knowledge as you can, so you can build your expertise and understand the problem the industry is facing.

‍

🗣  What's one thing you can keep talking about for hours?

Data

‍

🎥  What's your favorite movie/TV show?

Inception

‍

🍨  What's your go-to ice cream flavor?

Raspberry