These 5 app founders had everything. $70M revenue. 300M downloads. The respect of every builder on X. Then they tricked hundreds of creators into promoting their secret course. Here's how App Mafia turned the startup community against its own heroes:🧵 1/10

Our brand isn’t just about hats — it’s about a story that started long before AUG11 even existed. With so many new faces joining us lately, we thought it was the perfect time to reintroduce ourselves. This is where it all began, what AUG11 means, and why it matters.

9/ One day they’ll say “I knew you’d make it.” But deep down—you’ll know they didn’t. And that’s okay. You weren’t building it for them. You were building it for the version of you that never gave up. That’s what AUG11 stands for.

8/ If you’re building something right now and you feel like nobody sees you— I see you. Stay locked in. Let them sleep. Let them talk. You’ve got something they’ll never have: Unbreakable resilience.

7/ AUG11 isn’t about hype. It’s about healing. It’s about legacy. It’s about doing things your own way even when the world calls you crazy.

6/ I poured everything into a hat. Not because it’s “just fashion.” But because every piece I drop is a symbol: You can go through hell and still come out with style.

5/ I lost friends. Lost sleep. Lost my mind a few times too. But the thing about being all in is you either make it out alive… or you become the thing that kills you.

4/ Most people build businesses to get rich. I built one to survive. I wasn’t chasing flexes. I was trying to outrun the version of me that almost didn’t make it.

3/ I started AUG11 to honor my little sister. Her birthday. Her light. She saw something in me before I saw it in myself. So when life broke me—I rebuilt from scratch, with her belief as the blueprint.

2/ No investors. No safety net. Just a dream, a deep pain I couldn’t ignore, and the sick obsession to turn it into something real.

Most people won’t get it. Why I disappeared. Why I stopped showing up to parties. Why I ghosted group chats. Why I looked exhausted all the time. This is the story of building AUG11 — and what it really takes. (Thread) 🧵

No Risk, No Porsche.

Our first run at a bundled product. I accidentally created the perfect hat for any situation really. Our essentials trucker hits all the spots. #aug11

10k orders in 12.5 months from scratch with ZERO #ecom knowledge previously and ZERO investment capital. Determination and Resilience have been my fuel. #aug11

Deciding to change my life on 12/19/2010 was the most impactful decision I have ever made and transformed my life forever. From my podcast with @taylorchurch44. Now live wherever you listen to podcasts. #ofstoneandclay

Today, we pause with deep gratitude and profound reverence, reflecting on the remarkable journey we’ve traveled and the lessons we’ve gathered along the way. With every challenge faced, every hurdle crossed, we have been shaped by resilience—by a strength greater than ourselves,

So Rolling Loud and Tomorrowland both used NFT technology as a value add to an existing successful business model. In these cases, a VIP pass. This is where web3 works. Where it doesn’t work is starting with an NFT sale and trying to create a business around that. Like Doodles.

Seeing alot of VC shade on the tl. Here’s what they’re really like👇 In the investing world, the VC is considered to be the degen. Their funds are at the highest end of the investor risk spectrum. Fees are typically the highest as well, and there’s usually a hefty performance

If I was a web3 founder I’d probably rage quit into whatever fud the vocal minority of psychotic incels come up with on a routine basis. It’s draining. Founders can only work so hard in a toxic environment. Most do care. They owe you nothing beyond what was specifically promised.

. @mattmedved twitter has been hacked. don’t click on any links as a reminder anytime you see an account post a fomo inducing tweet with a link & the replies are turned off, it’s a SCAM. be safe out there