No Plan, No Problem? The Scrappy Startup Playbook That Actually Worked

In this episode, three-time founder and startup advocate Jaclyn Siu sits down with Izayah “Zay” Powell, Founder & COO of VidCade, to unpack why the best entrepreneurs treat failure like data—not defeat.

About our guest

Isaiah grew up with an immigrant mother in New York City, parlayed campus fashion shows into sponsorship deals, helped spark the NCAA name-image-likeness revolution, and now runs a VC-backed gaming startup that’s redefining social play.

In this episode, we cover:

• “Failing correctly.” Zay explains why “situations—failure—are never going away,” and why learning beats avoiding risk.
• Data over drama. The scariest outcome isn’t failure; it’s failure with no lessons attached.
• Mental health & ego management. How student-athlete setbacks forged Zay’s resilience and mindset for high-stakes fundraising.
• Cold-outreach courage. From sliding into investor inboxes to converting rejections into momentum.
• Building an all-weather team. Why co-founder chemistry and “people in your corner” matter more than credentials.
• Reframing the narrative. Jaclyn’s insight that “if you’re not failing, you’re doing something wrong” and what that means for founders everywhere.

Listen now to explore the realities of entrepreneurship—where setbacks become stepping-stones and honest stories fuel powerful comebacks.

About Round Two

Round Two, hosted by Jaclyn Siu, rewrites the narrative around startup setbacks, resilience, and reinvention. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and join the conversation.

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