In each episode of Guy Raz's award-winning "How I Built This" podcast, he interviews a well-known entrepreneur about how they built their company. In an Advice Line edition, Raz brings back a founder who has been on the program and connects them with early-stage founders for a guided mentorship conversation.

In the latest Advice Line episode, Clif Bar founder Gary Erickson joins Raz to advise three early-stage founders about expanding their customer base.

One of the three featured founders was James Merrill, founder of StokedPlastics (Techstars 2024). "After the initial shell shock subsided, my conversation with Guy and Gary flowed as easy as it would catching up with friends over beers talking shop," said Merrill. "Guy is how I imagined and how he is with every guest — cool, calm, patient, and insightful."

StokedPlastics is revolutionizing sustainability by turning ocean trash into performance plastic. The company uses 10 times more recycled content than is typical in the industry by incorporating more than 25% recycled plastic by weight in their performance plastic.

"Initially, I was terrified but once Guy and Gary showed genuine interest in what I created, it was all 'gravy' from there," said Merrill.

To listen to the episode, click here.

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