Meet Imran Ahmed | Founder of GreatPods.co

We had the good fortune of connecting with Imran Ahmed and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Imran, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
September 2020. I had this itch to scratch. I wanted to do new innovative things in my later years at TuneIn. It seemed like some part of the startup was lost and so I went to Himalaya podcasts. During my break between TuneIn and Himalaya, it was my engineering friend who started asking questions around problems I was having that got ME to ask more questions about the problems. Those questions finally led to the question: Why was it hard to decide and discover what podcasts to listen to? Not only me, but others were feeling the pain point of “What should I listen to?” Then there was the question of what other industries I like currently do. Well, I like tv and movie reviews. I like Rotten Tomatoes as a media reviews aggregator. Did the Siskel & Ebert’s of the movie industry exist in the podcast space? That’s when I went looking for answers and ultimately looked to solve my own problem and make it a solution for all.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Starting Great Pods was a significant personal and professional risk. With no initial coding background, I had to learn about product development, business growth, and the podcasting ecosystem from experience and apply them day and night. Building a bootstrapped company without a revenue stream was risky, but my belief in creating a valuable product for listeners kept me going. Joining the USC Startup Incubator and applying to accelerators like Techstars was also a leap of faith, but one driven by a vision to innovate in the podcast discovery space. Our unique selling point is that we are the first website to aggregate professional reviews into one spot so you can decide on what podcast to listen to.

One of the hardest challenges was choosing to pursue Great Pods full-time, knowing there would be financial constraints and no immediate income. Balancing personal responsibilities while investing in a long-term vision required tough sacrifices, but it also strengthened my resolve to create something meaningful for podcast enthusiasts. You just need one person to believe in you, luckily I have a couple of people who do.

Two of the many lessons I’ve learned along the way are persistence and adaptability. The world and definition podcasting is evolving rapidly, and being able to pivot while staying true to my vision has been crucial. I’ve adapted my platform’s strategy based on user feedback and industry trends while maintaining a clear focus on quality curation. For example, adding YouTube to the portfolio for marketing GreatPods. We’ve see 5-10% growth from that channel. Staying motivated, learning continuously, and engaging with the podcasting community have also been key factors.

I want people to know that we are building a trusted guide to finding the best podcasts. Our mission is to simplify podcast discovery by spotlighting quality content and trusted recommendations, empowering listeners to spend less time searching and more time enjoying great stories. Whether you’re into true crime, self-improvement, or anything in between, Great Pods helps you find podcasts worth your time, backed by expert opinions.
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If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would make sure my best friend flies into Burbank Airport instead of LAX—that’s a must. I’d take them on a drive around the Valley to check out some entertainment landmarks. First stop: Circus Liquor, made famous by Clueless. Then we’d do drive-bys of the Warner Bros. lot. For food, we’d hit up Jon & Vinny’s, which recently opened nearby, and grab coffee at Aroma Coffee & Tea, a great hangout spot with fantastic coffee.

Since they’d probably want a taste of celebrity culture, we’d stop by Erewhon in Studio City for a smoothie. The next morning, we’d hike Griffith Park from the non-touristy backside. At night, we’d call some friends and head to Cafe Brass Monkey for karaoke—it’s always a good time. Finally, no trip would be complete without a food stop at Zankou Chicken to wrap things up.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Regardless of where it’s at now, my time at TuneIn were the formative years of learning and understanding startups.
Shoutout to my engineering friend, Sebastian, who asked me questions on what I wanted to solve and helping me put those ideas on to paper.
Shoutout to the USC Startup Incubator for giving us our first validation as an idea.

Website: https://greatpods.co

Instagram: https://instagram.com/greatpods

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/great-pods

Twitter: https://twitter.com/greatpods

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greatpods

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/greatpods

Image Credits
Dr. Death photo courtesy of Wondery