AI, Performance Marketing, and How to Build DTC Brands That Actually Sell, with Adam Greenfeld

What does it really take to build a direct-to-consumer brand that not only launches big but sticks around?

In this episode, Priyaa Kalyanaraman sits down with Adam Greenfeld, Co-Founder at Frij, to unpack the real playbook behind building brands that convert, retain, and scale.

From his early days in sports and real estate tech, to launching Thesis in the early nootropics wave, to now running his own creative agency, Adam has seen it all, and he shares it all here.

We cover:

✅ The three non-negotiables for starting any company (and why Adam uses the “parent test”)
✅ Why identifying your “villain” is the fastest way to unlock growth
✅ How UGC creators shaped Thesis’ early marketing and still drive results today
✅ AI’s role in performance creative: testing faster, scaling output, and embracing “ugly” ads that work
✅ The eternal clash between brand teams and performance teams (and how to bridge it)
✅ Why views don’t equal sales, and the metrics Adam actually cares about
✅ Scaling creative: the 70/30 rule, problem evangelism, and making hooks that stop the scroll

From celebrity-led brands to ugly Facebook statics, from street interviews to AI avatars, Adam shares a no-BS perspective on what actually moves the needle in DTC marketing today.

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