The Fund Founder Spotlight Interview: Arthur Wang of Fud
Arthur Wang is co-founder and CEO of Fud, a mobile app that aims to super-serve the hustlers with step-by-step content, a vibrant community and powerful tools to grow their income.
Welcome to The Founder Spotlight where we highlight the incredible people behind the companies we’ve backed at The Fund. The Fund is a founder collective and early stage firm, by founders for founders.
For most people, COVID provided an opportunity to rethink life, priorities, and employment. This was no different for Arthur Wang, the Founder and CEO of Fud, the world’s first hustling community that empowers hustlers - i.e. people that have or want a side income - to maximize their education and earnings. About 40% of working Americans have a side hustle; the average hustle makes $1,100 a month, but the median is only $200. Arthur asked himself why these deltas exist and wanted to do something about it. He’s a serial founder having created companies in the consumer, finance, media, and entertainment industries. Arthur is a hustler at heart, and shares his personal experiences and the motivation that drives him to build Fud.
What's Fud’s North Star?
Our North Star is to help put money in hustlers’ pockets. We want to empower everyone with a side hustle to succeed and we strive to support them in elevating their hustles by building a community that thrives on sharing their know-how.
What’s Fud’s founding story?
During my own little COVID hiatus, I was trying to find a pair of Jordan One sneakers. I was surprised to find out you cannot buy sneakers anymore unless you go through resellers. As I started digging into that world, I found that there was this amazing community of people that are reselling sneakers and “investing in sneakers.” I caught the bug and was able to sell $10,000 in sneakers. It made me think of the time I bought my first car using my baseball card collection, and it was a reminder that there are a lot of interesting and uncommon ways to make money nowadays. The problem is that it’s hard to find good information on how exactly to start and the steps you need to take to get from A to B. I thought it was a big opportunity to actually provide people with the step-by-step processes to get these hustles going, the mentorship to help them stay on track, and a community to provide support and accountability .
Why the name Fud?
This is me being a bit irreverent. I wanted to play with the whole fear, uncertainty and doubt and I get a chuckle out of anything with a FU in it. I’m cool being the black sheep and doing things in non-traditional ways.
How does Fud inspire customer love?
When you join Fud, you feel like you’ve found a home with other folks who enjoy hustling and talking about the latest and greatest ways they’re making money from their skills and passions. They’re out there getting their hands dirty and figuring stuff out as they go. We provide an opportunity for them to share their excitement and knowledge with others like them, who they can help and learn from. It’s also a place to get inspired and up your game. We respect everyone’s hustle because it takes intelligence to master anything, from ride sharing to ecommerce, to thrifting - everyone gets respect.
What sets you apart?
We've all seen Tik Tok, YouTube, and other social media platforms do a great job of leaning into what I call “money porn” – everyone’s got a Lambo and money flying out of computers, but how does someone get there? No idea, right? These platforms are largely entertainment, but we provide a place that people can actually share and learn skills to make more money (Lambo not guaranteed 😉). We're all about “Learning. Earning. Together.”
Tell us the importance of what Fud is building.
Yes, we’re fun and social, but we’re a pain killer and NOT a vitamin. We're seeing people coming in who don't want traditional jobs; they have their own businesses and they want to work with many clients without having all their eggs in one basket. With inflation, layoffs and no safety, (not even in big tech), people want to live a life on their terms with more freedom. This is going to be a huge area of growth and this is the future of work. If you want to make money and find your place in the new economy, it's a requirement that you learn a side hustle or multiple! We need investors and people buying into that vision.
What drives you into the startup battle day after day?
I'm an immigrant and grew up in the Chinese restaurant business, and I very much believe in the American Dream. I’ve had professional roles at big companies, including investment banking, but I wanted to get back to my roots. I love getting out there and trying new things. Also, my dad’s side of the family are all educators, so there’s something in my DNA that’s a combination of hustling and teaching that keeps me going. I enjoy teaching, but not in the traditional way; rather, the experiential learning or school of hard knocks. I feel like we take for granted the opportunity to help people out there hustling. What keeps me motivated is seeing the support in our community and people making money.