Ravi Kurani

Solving Water at MySutro.com | Forbes 30 Under 30 | TEDx

Water is an underinvested market, yet it’s one of the most crucial resources we have. But I believe that through better storytelling and innovation, we can shine a light on the water industry’s challenges and opportunities. 

In 2014, I founded Sutro, a robotic water diagnostics platform designed to improve water chemistry and safety. I sold Sutro to Sani Marc in 2019 and am currently leading day-to-day operations.

Today, as President of Sutro (a subsidiary of Sani Marc), I oversee the development, marketing, and sales of smart water monitoring devices. Our technology is trusted by some of the biggest brands in the industry, and we are the only NSF-certified autonomous device for water safety. 

I’m proud to lead our team in revolutionizing how people interact with water, ensuring it's clean, safe, and accessible. 

🌊 Host of “Liquid Assets: The Business of Water,” a podcast about water through the lens of business, technology, and policy. 
➡️ https://www.liquidassets.cc/

🌊 Co-author of “Story-Driven Smart Products,” a practical guide to launching smart hardware products. 
➡️ https://a.co/d/1Bbd11r

🌊 Delivered a TEDx Talk on leveraging technology to improve water safety.
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwuJnr-iWcY

Other Ventures:
⚙️ Leading the “Street to Home” project to address working capital gaps for the Future Communities Institute.

⚙️ Founded ImpactSpace, later sold to ImpactAlpha (the TechCrunch for impact investing).

⚙️ Advisor to various startups, including a software development agency (Incodeks) and a health navigation company (Juniper).

⚙️ Engineer in Residence at Future Communities VC, focused on tools to track climate solutions through the IRA (Inflation Redux Act).

Founding Member

Hampton is a dedicated group of digital-first founders, entrepreneurs, and CEOs of fast-growing startups who just get it – and make the crazy world of startup life a little easier to navigate.

Scriberbase

We empower businesses to thrive in the subscription economy. Leveraging proven frameworks and deep expertise, we help companies optimize their subscription models to significantly reduce churn, maximize customer lifetime value (LTV), and achieve sustainable growth.

Founder, CEO

Axis Brands Group

We accelerate brand growth across Amazon, Shopify, and beyond. Leveraging deep e-commerce expertise as business owners, we help brands maximize ROI, streamline costs, and achieve smarter, faster expansion through active management and strategic partnerships.

Co-Founder

Shopify

Podcast Host

Entrepreneurs Exposed Podcast

Entrepreneurs Exposed showcases founders and creators doing amazing things in business and beyond.

Octup

Octup is a software platform that helps D2C brands grow, scale, and improve profitably.

Advisor

Bain & Company

Worked on high-impact projects with Bain Partners and Managers. Engaged at different stages of the project process, from proposals to project execution and delivery.

External Advisor

Cynthia Systems

Cynthia.io designs, implements, deploys and operates custom Artificial Intelligence solutions.

Board Member

Goodkind

Goodkind is a personal video platform makes it easy to produce, deliver and manage video across organizations.

Startup Zone PEI

University of Toronto

Courses: 
- Foundations of Entrepreneurial Management
- Business Model Design

Lecturer

Founder, CEO | Published Author | Podcast Host | Unlocking recurring revenue with subscription, and membership models.

I am an entrepreneur, published author, and podcast host. I focus on building businesses within the subscription and e-commerce landscapes. My experience comes with a decade of building companies, advising Fortune 500 leaders, and writing the best-selling book, The Subscription Boom.

My thought leadership has been featured in The NY Times, Washington Post, Forbes, Fox, and Axios. In my book, The Subscription Boom, I outline the incredible stories of Amazon, Netflix, Spotify, and others who have all grown using the same business model. I use many of the working principles from my book to help companies optimize their operations, cut churn, maximize customer lifetime value, and drive significant recurring revenue.

Current Work:

- Founder, CEO at Scriberbase
- Co-founder at Axis Brands
- Published Author: The Subscription Boom
- Podcast Host: Entrepreneurs Exposed + Shopify Masters
- Media: NY Times, Washington Post, Axios, Forbes
- Advisor, Board Member, Investor

Hobbies: 

- Musician, Vinyl collector, Jam-Band Junkie.
- Sports fan, and health nut.
- Proud father and husband. 
- Rookie TM meditator. 

Resources: 

→ Join my newsletter: https://scriberbase.com/newsletter/ 

→ Apply to Subscription Scale: https://www.skool.com/subscription-scale-5283/about

Adam Levinter

Today marks six years since my father passed away.

This photo from years ago, was taken at a place he loved. 
I treasure it because it’s one of the few moments in those later years, where he truly looked at peace.

My dad was a business owner. He built something of his own, worked harder than anyone I knew, and like so many, sacrificed almost everything for more hours at his desk.

Eighteen-hour days was normal. No exercise. Little sleep.

I remember trying to get him to slow down.  To eat better, to sleep more, to take better care of himself.  
But when you’re addicted to work, and terrified of going broke, you ignore the advice.

He suffered a stroke in 2014.  He passed 5 years later.

Since then, I’ve thought a lot about what drives people like him. And if I’m honest, I see parts of that wiring in myself.

I run my own company. I’m married, with three kids. There are weeks where I can barely keep up.

But one promise I’ve kept is this: I don’t sacrifice my health for my work. Because I’ve seen where that road leads.

Taking care of yourself isn’t selfish. It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give the people who love you.

Miss you, Dad.

Founder & CEO | Published Author | Podcast Host | Board Member | Speaker

No alternative text description for this image

Some new rules for LinkedIn connections:

If you don’t have a real headshot (or you use some sort of logo, or avatar), I’m not connecting.

If you “pitch-slap" in your first message, I’ll block you.

If your opener sounds something like:

“𝑀𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑡ℎ 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝐼 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑎𝑦, ‘𝑊𝑒’𝑟𝑒 𝑏𝑢𝑠𝑦 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔.’”

I’ll take a Gravol, …. then hit delete. 

And if you use AI to write all your content, I’m out.

The thing is, using AI to write your posts is like men who wear toupees —
you think nobody notices.... EVERYONE notices.

Anyone care to add to the new rule list? 😉

---

The Subscription Generation.

Millennials are the most active subscribers on the planet.

By the numbers:

• Millennials — 17
• Gen Z — 14
• Gen X — 13
• 𝐀𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 — 𝟏𝟐
• Boomers — 8
• Seniors — 7

North Americans think they spend ~$60/month on a few subscriptions.

The actual number? 👇
$275/month, spread across 12 active subscriptions.

And the numbers keep climbing.

Growth is driven by digital access subscriptions. 
Think streaming, paid apps, memberships, cloud tools, etc. 

They generate extraordinary margins because they live quietly inside our devices, and there's no hard COGS. 

And the reality is, consumers are lazy. 

We subscribe, and then forget we're still paying. 

Very convenient for consumers.
Totally brilliant for businesses.

The subscription economy isn’t slowing. 

... question is, will Gen Z out-subscribe the generation that built it?

This quarter, I’ve been speaking across North America on a key topic:
The Great Power Shift from company to consumer.

Yes, the subscription economy has hit $600B, 
on pace to exceed $1T by 2028. 
But the real story isn’t growth — it’s control.

For decades, subscription companies built retention through friction: hidden cancellation links, “call-to-cancel” experiences, and “breakage” as a strategy to move LTV. 

That playbook is done.

Today, 82% of consumers assess how easy it is to cancel before they sign up. In other words, they’re underwriting you up front.

Transparency is trust. 
Flexibility is value. 
The exit experience is now part of the acquisition strategy.

The evolution of power has played out in stages:
→ Financial penalties:  the chargeback era. 
→ Public accountability: FTC, BBB, public reviews. 
→ Technology: Rocket Money and other platforms.  
→ Consumer control: subscribers managing directly in their banking app.

This shift is uncomfortable for certain brands, 
but it’s also a huge opportunity.

Because when you meet consumers where they are, 
you don’t lose control. 
You earn trust. 💡

People don’t stay in corporate for the paycheck.

They stay because of fear. 

Fear of losing identity, status, safety,
and the version of themselves they’ve built for others.

After 15 years in consulting,
Matt Doan realized he’d built a successful employee,
not a fulfilled human.

Today he helps high achievers transition OUT of the corporate world.

Some themes we unpacked👇

1. The real fear behind leaving corporate

 It’s rarely financial.
 It’s fear of disappointing others, breaking the script,
 and confronting what you really want.

2. What good coaching actually is

Not hype. Not advice.
It’s someone who has a system. 
Someone who gets you the outcome you want. 

3. Installing self-respect

You can’t earn respect from others, 
until you raise the standards for how you treat yourself,
your time, your boundaries, your work.

4. Parenting in a nonlinear world

Parents feel lost. 
We struggle with how to guide our kids; 
whether it's post-secondary education, careers, or the like.

We explore this from multiple angles, 
from AI and uncertainty, to what’s keeping parents up at night.

5. Life in Seasons

Matt's powerful framework for structuring work, ambition,
and rhythms without burning out.


If you're at a career crossroads, building a second act,
or rethinking what “success” means at this stage,
you’ll appreciate this one. 

---

EP 186 of Entrepreneurs Exposed Podcast is live, 
wherever you get your podcasts 🎧. 

I'll drop a link in the comments.  👍

I’m seeing a trend in boardrooms.

Execs are seeing low retention in specific cohorts, 
and blame the product or the onboarding. 

They assume they acquired low quality leads.
But often, the culprit is Involuntary Churn.

If you're treating 𝘗𝘢𝘺𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘖𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 as “managing multiple MID’s”,
you are leaving revenue on the table. 

Orchestration is not just about merchant account redundancy; 
It’s about approval rate optimization.

The difference lies in the infrastructure:

1️⃣ Smart Retries:  
Moving to ML-driven logic that recovers up to 15% of failed payments.

2️⃣ Network Tokenization:  
Keeping credentials fresh / preventing the “expired card” cliff.

3️⃣ Local Acquiring:  
The single biggest lever for international expansion.

When you fix the payment layer, 
you don’t just save transaction fees. 
You fix the retention curve and your LTV. 

Don’t build this in-house. 
You are a subscription business, 
not a Fintech. 😆

---
📌 DM me if you wanna fix payments.

Why we built Sub Pilot.

Every subscription business I’ve worked with keeps a version of its numbers,
but few can actually model the business with real clarity.

The thing is, 

Models break.
Formulas change.
New tools come into play.
And decision-making slows. 

So we built Sub Pilot. 

A cloud-native, modelling platform designed specifically for subscription businesses, investors, and operators.

It’s built to help teams move fast and get clear on their numbers: 

• 36-Month Advanced Modelling: LTV, churn, and unit economics
• Real-Time Collaboration: Multiple users, one live model
• Executive Dashboards: Interactive visuals for investors & stakeholders
• Industry-Specific Analytics: NDR tracking, viral coefficients, expansion revenue
• Professional Output: Charts, dashboards, and comprehensive reports

And MORE. 

DM me if you want to take it for a test drive.
We're still in beta - so, no charge. 😉

Weekly Wrap 🗞

Subscriptions, Strategy & Consumer Shifts:

1. CNN goes direct-to-consumer (again)

CNN’s All Access launches October 28 at $6.99 per month, combining live news, on-demand video, and premium article access. It’s a leaner, more strategic reboot after the short-lived CNN+. Remember? 😬

Why this matters:

Legacy media is retooling for subscription-first growth. As ad revenue wanes, direct audience monetization becomes survival, not strategy.

What’s next:

Watch for bundled models that merge news, video, and personalization under one paid ecosystem. CNN’s success (or failure) will set the tone for others.

-----

2. ServiceNow raises its subscription forecast 

Fueled by AI demand, ServiceNow lifted its annual outlook to $12.8 B in subscription revenue. Its workflow automation platform continues to prove the stickiness of enterprise subscriptions.

Why this matters:

AI is the new subscription multiplier. Enterprise software is shifting from static SaaS licenses to continuously evolving value streams.

What’s next:

Expect an acceleration of AI-as-a-Service models that tie usage, insight, and innovation into one predictable revenue engine.

-----

3. Whoop reverses course on device upgrade fees

After backlash, fitness brand WHOOP walked back a $49 upgrade charge, now offering existing subscribers free access to new devices if they have 12+ months left on their plans.

Why this matters:

Whoop’s misstep highlights the fine line between monetization and loyalty in subscription hardware. Even premium audiences expect perceived fairness to match premium pricing.

What’s next:

Subscription brands will face growing pressure to balance profitability with trust. As consumers mature, transparent value exchange becomes a retention lever — not a PR fix.

See you next week 👍

taplio

The Battle

Ravi Kurani

Adam Levinter

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreAdam Levinter's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Ravi Kurani

Adam Levinter

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Adam Levinter's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreAdam Levinter's LinkedIn Performance