Dustin is the founder of Troov, a meetup app built to reduce screen time by helping people connect through real-world activities — hikes, co-working sessions, slow jogs, soccer games, and more. In this conversation, he breaks down how COVID sparked the idea, why being an engineer can actually hurt your MVP, and the brutal challenge of earning user attention when 100% of it is already monopolized by giants like Instagram. We dive into founder psychology — the mix of delusion, competence, and pain tolerance required to push through rock-bottom moments — along with the realities of taking friends-and-family money, moving between cities like Austin and SF, and trying to build authentic community in a world full of noise.

We also explore how AI now powers parts of Troov, from real-time moderation to proactive activity matching, and why the futu ...