Wait, My Intern Became a 21-Year-Old Millionaire??
About This Episode
Shaan Puri interviews his former intern, Ishan Haque, who transitioned from an 18-year-old assistant to a multimillionaire through high-conviction bets in crypto and private equity. The episode explores Ishan's journey of making and losing millions, the rise of his crypto casino 'Shuffle', and his unique strategies for finding asymmetrical opportunities in niche markets.
Episode Description
Show Notes
- 0:00Intro
- 2:00Recruiting tactic: Sliding into the DMs
- 7:00Knowing your win condition
- 11:00Content creation for serendipity
- 14:00Ishan makes $40k in one minute
- 20:00$100k bet on Animoca
- 28:00Passing on $2,000,000
- 35:00Spending habits of a 21-year-old millionaire
- 40:00Crypto casinos and starting Shuffle
- 48:00Managing regulatory risk
- 51:00Getting first customers
- 54:00Influencer campaigns that work
- 1:05:00Business Idea: YC for nerdy kids
- 1:10:00Business Idea: CRM for cashed up niches
- 1:13:00Business Idea: VIP Management Software
- 1:16:00Business Idea: Cultural Concierge for Biz Dev
- 1:22:00The underrated growth model behind MrBeast
- 1:24:00Content creator rollups
- 1:26:00No small boy stuff
Links
- AfterPay
- Animoca
- Stake
- Shuffle
- Kick
- RuneScape
- Spotter
- Past guests on My First Million include Rob Dyrdek, Hasan Minhaj, Balaji Srinivasan, Jake Paul, Dr. Andrew Huberman, Gary Vee, Lance Armstrong, Sophia Amoruso, Ariel Helwani, Ramit Sethi, Stanley Druckenmiller, Peter Diamandis, Dharmesh Shah, Brian Halligan, Marc Lore, Jason Calacanis, Andrew Wilkinson, Julian Shapiro, Kat Cole, Codie Sanchez, Nader Al-Naji, Steph Smith, Trung Phan, Nick Huber, Anthony Pompliano, Ben Askren, Ramon Van Meer, Brianne Kimmel, Andrew Gazdecki, Scott Belsky, Moiz Ali, Dan Held, Elaine Zelby, Michael Saylor, Ryan Begelman, Jack Butcher, Reed Duchscher, Tai Lopez, Harley Finkelstein, Alexa von Tobel, Noah Kagan, Nick Bare, Greg Isenberg, James Altucher, Randy Hetrick and more.
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Key Takeaways
Build trust through 'Lines, Not Dots': Recognize that investment and partnership opportunities rarely happen from a single cold pitch; they are built through a sequence of small interactions and consistent smart presence online.
Target 'Degenerate Obsession' when hiring: Look for individuals who have mastered complex, self-directed systems like gaming economies (RuneScape, Minecraft) as they possess the grit and strategic thinking needed for high-growth startups.
Prioritize localization over translation: When expanding businesses into high-value foreign markets like Japan or Brazil, cultural nuance and native-level understanding of user behavior are far more effective for growth than literal AI translation.
Business Ideas Mentioned
Outcast Talent Incubator for Gamers
Creator Tools
Vertical CRM for Cashed-up Niches
SaaS
Localization-First International Growth Agency
Agency
Creator Content Rights Revenue Recovery
Creator Tools