START: Abhinav Gopal & Darren Hsu , Co-Founders, Rubbrband "AI creative company"

START: Abhinav Gopal & Darren Hsu , Co-Founders, Rubbrband "AI creative company"

Author: Fondo August 21, 2026 Duration: 5:36

Hollywood-grade storytelling, startup-speed execution.

Most AI ads feel disposable. Rubbrband is betting the future looks cinematic instead.

Jeremy Lee, Abhinav Gopal, and Darren Hsu: 3 CS researchers out of Berkeley who loved film built video models for Hollywood.

They got good enough at cinematic content that they now do it for some of the world's top brands, and they do it without the hundreds of thousands of dollars companies have been handing traditional ad studios.

Discovery call, creative brief, script, production. Start to finish in weeks, not months. With real narrative and real pacing, the kind of thing that's actually worth watching.

Everyone's figured out by now that cheap AI content makes taste worth more. The brands that win won't explain their product; they'll make you feel something.

Smaller teams, faster launches, higher production value than traditional headcount & budget should allow for. That's the shift rubbrband is building for.

🎙️ Abhinav Gopal & Darren Hsu, Co-Founders, Rubbrband on Fondo START pod

00:45 What Rubbrband does
01:53 From Berkeley engineers to building AI models for Hollywood
02:30 The creative process behind every launch campaign
03:14 Hollywood-quality production for startups at a fraction of the cost
03:35 Why they're determined to avoid AI slop
04:17 Why AI video adoption is still in the early innings
04:55 Hollywood's growing adoption of AI
05:20 Where to find Rubbrband

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Check out www.rubbrband.com


Behind every startup's big idea is the less glamorous, but utterly essential, work of building a real business. The Startup Growth Podcast, from the team at Fondo, digs into that reality. Fondo itself is an all-in-one accounting platform designed for startups, handling everything from closing the books to filing taxes and even helping secure cash back from the IRS. This practical experience informs every conversation. You’ll hear founders and operators talk not just about vision, but about the tangible systems, financial decisions, and marketing pivots that actually fuel growth. Episodes move beyond theory to explore the operational choices that separate promising companies from sustainable ones. It’s a resource for entrepreneurs who understand that strategy is meaningless without execution, and that a healthy bottom line is the truest measure of progress. Tune in for honest discussions that bridge the gap between entrepreneurial ambition and the business fundamentals required to make it last.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

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