Beyond growth hacks: real stories of reaching untapped markets

Luna co-founder Jas Schembri-Stothart and Untapped Solutions founder Andre Peart share how they cracked go-to-market for audiences most startups avoid. In this episode of Build Mode, they reveal the guerrilla tactics, trust-building strategies, and creative experiments that helped them reach teenage girls and formerly incarcerated workers—from crashing Taylor Swift concerts to keynoting re-entry conferences. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 03:15 Getting Grilled by Teens: Luna's School Roadshow 05:04 The Ambassador Army That Designed the App 06:11 When Teen Content Goes Viral on TikTok 07:32 Untapped's Origin: From Prison to Building Solutions 11:03 The Power of Storytelling in B2B Sales 14:02 Navigating Data Privacy with Sensitive Populations 15:29 The Challenge of Dual Audiences: Teens and Parents 17:43 Why Word of Mouth Beats Any Ad Campaign 19:41 The Taylor Swift Concert That Almost Got Shut Down 22:15 Key Takeaways for Any Founder 22:41 Field Notes: Creative Go-to-Market from the Community New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday. Isabelle Johannessen is our host. Build Mode is produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience Development is led by Morgan Little. And a special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.