Erik Braund is the founder of Katmai and his mission is to make digital connections way, way better than Zoom or Teams. His passions are grunge music and pomeranians.

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Guest Resources

Katmai – Experience the product. Check out Erik’s website and start a free trial.

Erik Braund LinkedIn – Connect to Erik Braund on LinkedIn.

3 Value Bombs

1. Spontaneous human connection is missing from today’s video conferencing tools. Katmai solves that with immersive, 3D virtual office spaces.

2. Success doesn’t follow a blueprint. Erik bootstrapped Katmai through grit, creativity, and a willingness to go broke for the problem he believed in solving.

3. Culture, collaboration, and communication thrive in digital workplaces when there’s a real sense of place and not just another meeting link.

Sponsors

HighLevel: The ultimate all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs, marketers, coaches, and agencies! Learn more at HighLevelFire.com!

Public: Build a multi-asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto, and more. Go to Public.com/fire to fund your account in five minutes or less!

All investing involves the risk of loss, including loss of principal. Brokerage services for US-listed, registered securities, options and bonds in a self-directed account are offered by Public Investing, Inc., member FINRA & SIPC. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1890144), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. Alpha is an experimental AI tool powered by GPT-4. Its output may be inaccurate and is not investment advice. Public makes no guarantees about its accuracy or reliability—verify independently before use. *Rate as of 6/24/25. APY is variable and subject to change. **Terms and Conditions apply.

Show Notes

**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.

Today’s Audio MASTERCLASS: Going for Broke to Solve Remote Work’s Problems with Erik Braund

[1:23] — Erik shares something that he believes about becoming successful that most people disagree with.

There’s no blueprint to success; it’s about doing what feels right.

[1:57] — Erik shares how and why Katmai started.

His previous business collapsed during the pandemic.
Zoom and Teams helped, but lacked human connection.
Katmai was created to restore spontaneity and emotional presence in remote work.

[4:03] — Erik talks about how he funded Katmai before it was built.

Invested all his personal savings.
Worked side gigs to fund payroll.
Eventually raised $15 million and had $2K left in his account when the wire hit.

[7:39] — Erik shares why he went after a saturated space.

Remote work lacks culture and natural collaboration.
Zoom fatigue and calendar overload are real problems.
Katmai gives people presence and flexibility across time zones and geographies.

[11:22] — A timeout to thank our sponsors!

HighLevel: The ultimate all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs, marketers, coaches, and agencies! Learn more at HighLevelFire.com!
Public: Build a multi-asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto, and more. Go to Public.com/fire to fund your account in five minutes or less!
- All investing involves the risk of loss, including loss of principal. Brokerage services for US-listed, registered securities, options and bonds in a self-directed account are offered by Public Investing, Inc., member FINRA & SIPC. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1890144), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. Alpha is an experimental AI tool powered by GPT-4. Its output may be inaccurate and is not investment advice. Public makes no guarantees about its accuracy or reliability—verify independently before use. *Rate as of 6/24/25. APY is variable and subject to change. **Terms and Conditions apply.

[13:40] — Erik talks about why current tools aren’t working and why other platforms fall short.

Email is too formal, Slack can spiral quickly, and meetings are overused.
Conversations are meant to be dynamic—not scheduled for next week.
Katmai enables casual collisions that lead to real work.
Zoom calls don’t build culture.
Meta’s VR attempts are disconnected from real-life interactions.
Katmai uses immersive, brand-custom 3D offices to replicate the feeling of being together.

[18:38] — Erik talks about what is not good about the office.

Commuting is costly and draining.
He recalls painful commutes and the joy of being productive without leaving home.

[22:01] — Erik gives his final takeaway.

Katmai is about helping teams connect naturally in a digital world.

[23:04] – Call to action

Katmai – Experience the product. Check out Erik’s website and start a free trial.
Erik Braund LinkedIn – Connect to Erik Braund on LinkedIn.

[23:51] – Thank you to our Sponsor!

HighLevel: The ultimate all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs, marketers, coaches, and agencies! Learn more at HighLevelFire.com!

Killer Resources!

1) The Common Path to Uncommon Success: JLD’s 1st traditionally published book! Over 3000 interviews with the world’s most successful Entrepreneurs compiled into a 17-step roadmap to financial freedom and fulfillment!

2) Free Podcast Course: Learn from JLD how to create and launch your podcast!

3) Podcasters’ Paradise: The #1 podcasting community in the world!