ExperiMENTAL | Smarter Marketing Starts Here
ExperiMENTAL | Smarter Marketing Starts Here
Podcast Description
For B2C marketers, founders, and analysts who are tired of surface-level advice and ready to cut through the noise with smarter, data-informed decisions. Host Sundar Swaminathan, former Head of Brand Data Science at Uber and creator of the ExperiMENTAL newsletter, shares real-world insights, ROI breakdowns, and growth strategies from leaders at companies like Uber, Google, and Faire.Each episode helps you move from guesswork to grounded strategy so you can drive impact, prove marketing value, and lead with confidence.If you're ready to think critically, test boldly, and grow with clarity, ExperiMENTAL is your bi-weekly dose of thought-provoking, data-savvy marketing wisdom.New episodes every second Thursday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on B2C marketing strategies, data-driven decisions, and growth frameworks. Episodes cover critical topics such as discovery versus optimization marketing, the power of cross-disciplinary teams, and real-world case studies from companies like Uber and DoorDash. Specific episode examples include discussing the mistaken CAC targets that hinder growth and how to align marketing with product and data science.
For B2C marketers, founders, and analysts who are tired of surface-level advice and ready to cut through the noise with smarter, data-informed decisions. Host Sundar Swaminathan, former Head of Brand Data Science at Uber and creator of the ExperiMENTAL newsletter, shares real-world insights, ROI breakdowns, and growth strategies from leaders at companies like Uber, Google, and Faire.
Each episode helps you move from guesswork to grounded strategy so you can drive impact, prove marketing value, and lead with confidence.
If you’re ready to think critically, test boldly, and grow with clarity, ExperiMENTAL is your bi-weekly dose of thought-provoking, data-savvy marketing wisdom.
New episodes every second Thursday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
🎯 Is your marketing KPI lying to you?
In this episode of ExperiMENTAL, host Sundar Swaminathan sits down with Russell Tischler, VP of Marketing at Fundrise, to dismantle the myth of “good enough” metrics. From building predictive models that forecast investor behavior to questioning the ROI of lift tests, Russell shares hard-earned lessons from his time at Uber and Fundrise.
If you're a B2C marketer, data scientist, or growth leader wondering how to prioritize the right metrics without wasting time or budget, this episode will completely reframe your thinking.
Get ready for deep insight, no fluff, and some well-earned hot takes.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Shallow KPIs are often misleading and can hold back meaningful growth
• Fundrise built a day-90 model to better predict long-term investor value
• The 90-day predictive model offered better accuracy than day-1 projections
• High-capacity investors often start small, making early conversion data deceptive
• Fundrise balances low-dollar, high-volume vs. high-dollar, low-volume acquisition channels
• Direct mail is unexpectedly powerful for trust and high-value targeting
• First-touch attribution is underrated, especially for category-creating businesses
• Startups should optimize for speed of learning, not perfect measurement
• Most lift tests aren’t worth running if the gain is under 10%
• The best growth moves feel obvious, no stats needed to prove it
BEST MOMENTS
00:01:11. “Something I'm very passionate about is choosing the right KPI.”
00:01:59. “What I do is use too shallow of a metric, and I’ve tried to help move us further into the customer journey.”
00:03:07. “How do we differentiate when we’re acquiring one of the 20% that's super valuable versus someone who churns quickly?”
00:04:43. “You can see where only looking at somebody's conversion behavior can be misguided.”
00:06:05. “The best growth marketers deeply understand the business and analytics, not just KPIs.”
00:09:02. “We started with wanting a 12-month payback period… the cost per dollar fundraising target.”
00:16:18. “We've been able to be pretty accurate by combining the human element with the model approach.”
00:26:42. “Direct mail has been awesome for large investors, really credentializing.”
00:38:06. “Almost any time we've done something really successful, it’s just obvious.”
🎧 ExperiMENTAL is hosted by Sundar Swaminathan, Head of Data Science at Bounce and former Uber leader. This show is your behind-the-scenes look at how top marketers and data scientists make smarter decisions.
🧠 Expect unfiltered conversations, mental models, and case studies that help you cut waste, build conviction, and grow your B2C business.
📬 Subscribe to the ExperiMENTAL newsletter for deep dives and frameworks: https://experimental.beehiiv.com/
This podcast has been brought to you by APodcastGeek. https://www.apodcastgeek.com
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