Paige Finn DohertyFounding Partner, Behind Genius · Founding Partner at Behind Genius Ventures

#podcast #venturecapital #whatittakes

26 Mar 2025 · 2 min

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1:55

In the opening segment of the "What It Takes" podcast series, the host introduces an upcoming interview with the Weiss brothers, founders of the e‑cigarette company NJOY. The host acknowledges personal preconceptions about vaping but highlights a shift in perspective after learning about the brothers' mission to reduce combustible cigarette use among adults and teens. The host cites the company's claim that teen smoking rates have dropped from 20% to 1% and adult rates from 20% to 11% since NJOY’s founding. The narrative also notes that groups initially expected to support NJOY turned into its harshest critics, linking the brand to THC products and Big Tobacco. Despite these attacks, the founders remained focused on delivering a product they argue is 99% less lethal than traditional cigarettes. The segment concludes by inviting listeners to subscribe to the series, which profiles founders of companies that have built and exited billion‑dollar businesses.

Chapters

So this interview we're about to launch, it's with the founders who are brothers of an e-cigarette company called NJOY. Now I know what you might be thinking— e-cigs? And yeah, I came in with my own preconceptions and taboos about this industry, but I think the biggest shift in perspective that I had from this conversation was seeing how much the Weiss brothers cared about their cause, was getting more adults and kids off of smoking combustible cigarettes. They ultimately saw it as their life's mission to stop more people from smoking. And pretty wildly, since the company was founded, rates of teen smoking have gone from 20% to now 1%, and in adults, 20% to 11%. One of the things that I thought was interesting that they said is the same groups that they thought would advocate for them ultimately ended up being some of the people who rooted against them most aggressively and tied their stories to stories of THC cigarettes, um, and Big Tobacco. And I think like the story that they shared was so interesting to me because from all of the punches that they were getting from the outside, they stayed singularly focused on their mission to replace cigarettes with an option that was 99% less lethal than what people were using. Anyways, if you're interested in hearing more about their story, we're going to be launching the podcast as the first in our series of What It Takes, where we interview founders who have built and exited businesses for more than a billion dollars. Link to subscribe is here, and I hope you enjoy watching.