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Jun 6, 2016 · 21m · top-founders

My Goal is To Put Them Out of Business (Paypal, Venmo). Will He Win? EP 262: John Rampton

Nathan Latka · 9m spoken John Rampton · 9m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

Host Nathan Latka interviews serial entrepreneur John Rampton on building Due, a digital payments platform aimed at disrupting industry giants like PayPal and Venmo. Rampton breaks down his organic SEO growth strategies, monetization model, self-funding origins from eight-figure startup exits, and key lessons from his entrepreneurial career.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Nathan holds 50% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 4.7 Guest teaching 2.3 Guest disagreement 2.0 Nathan pushing back 4.0
05100:0010:0020:001:10–5:17 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Welcoming John Rampton and Identifying Focus Nathan digs into Due's monetization model and performs quick mental math on transaction volume ($40k off $4M). Rampton answers straightforwardly, clarifying pricing nuances and business split.5:18–7:34 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 SEO Dominance and User Sign-up Metrics Nathan presses Rampton on how his SEO expertise applies to Due and forces a distinction between registered sign-ups (60k) versus active users (20-30k).7:34–10:55 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Market Domination and Capital Investment Nathan challenges Rampton using Peter Thiel's monopoly theory, asking how Due can beat incumbents like PayPal and Venmo. He then drills into Rampton's personal capital investment and equity ownership.10:55–14:57 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Past Exits and Patent Strategy Nathan expresses disbelief at Rampton's claim of patenting a 360-degree panoramic photo spin, equating it to patenting walking. Rampton defends patenting common actions as standard business practice.14:57–17:45 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Acquisition Details and Contact Information Nathan examines past transaction mechanics including cash versus stock structures and acquirer details in a collaborative tone.17:46–20:05 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions In the rapid-fire section, Nathan playfully notes the contradiction between Rampton's favorite book (Zero to One) and his entry into a crowded payments space.1:10–5:17 · Guest teaching 2/10 Welcoming John Rampton and Identifying Focus Nathan digs into Due's monetization model and performs quick mental math on transaction volume ($40k off $4M). Rampton answers straightforwardly, clarifying pricing nuances and business split.5:18–7:34 · Guest teaching 3/10 SEO Dominance and User Sign-up Metrics Nathan presses Rampton on how his SEO expertise applies to Due and forces a distinction between registered sign-ups (60k) versus active users (20-30k).7:34–10:55 · Guest teaching 2/10 Market Domination and Capital Investment Nathan challenges Rampton using Peter Thiel's monopoly theory, asking how Due can beat incumbents like PayPal and Venmo. He then drills into Rampton's personal capital investment and equity ownership.10:55–14:57 · Guest teaching 4/10 Past Exits and Patent Strategy Nathan expresses disbelief at Rampton's claim of patenting a 360-degree panoramic photo spin, equating it to patenting walking. Rampton defends patenting common actions as standard business practice.14:57–17:45 · Guest teaching 2/10 Acquisition Details and Contact Information Nathan examines past transaction mechanics including cash versus stock structures and acquirer details in a collaborative tone.17:46–20:05 · Guest teaching 1/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions In the rapid-fire section, Nathan playfully notes the contradiction between Rampton's favorite book (Zero to One) and his entry into a crowded payments space.1:10–5:17 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Welcoming John Rampton and Identifying Focus Nathan digs into Due's monetization model and performs quick mental math on transaction volume ($40k off $4M). Rampton answers straightforwardly, clarifying pricing nuances and business split.5:18–7:34 · Guest disagreement 2/10 SEO Dominance and User Sign-up Metrics Nathan presses Rampton on how his SEO expertise applies to Due and forces a distinction between registered sign-ups (60k) versus active users (20-30k).7:34–10:55 · Guest disagreement 3/10 Market Domination and Capital Investment Nathan challenges Rampton using Peter Thiel's monopoly theory, asking how Due can beat incumbents like PayPal and Venmo. He then drills into Rampton's personal capital investment and equity ownership.10:55–14:57 · Guest disagreement 4/10 Past Exits and Patent Strategy Nathan expresses disbelief at Rampton's claim of patenting a 360-degree panoramic photo spin, equating it to patenting walking. Rampton defends patenting common actions as standard business practice.14:57–17:45 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Acquisition Details and Contact Information Nathan examines past transaction mechanics including cash versus stock structures and acquirer details in a collaborative tone.17:46–20:05 · Guest disagreement 1/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions In the rapid-fire section, Nathan playfully notes the contradiction between Rampton's favorite book (Zero to One) and his entry into a crowded payments space.1:10–5:17 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 Welcoming John Rampton and Identifying Focus Nathan digs into Due's monetization model and performs quick mental math on transaction volume ($40k off $4M). Rampton answers straightforwardly, clarifying pricing nuances and business split.5:18–7:34 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 SEO Dominance and User Sign-up Metrics Nathan presses Rampton on how his SEO expertise applies to Due and forces a distinction between registered sign-ups (60k) versus active users (20-30k).7:34–10:55 · Nathan pushing back 6/10 Market Domination and Capital Investment Nathan challenges Rampton using Peter Thiel's monopoly theory, asking how Due can beat incumbents like PayPal and Venmo. He then drills into Rampton's personal capital investment and equity ownership.10:55–14:57 · Nathan pushing back 7/10 Past Exits and Patent Strategy Nathan expresses disbelief at Rampton's claim of patenting a 360-degree panoramic photo spin, equating it to patenting walking. Rampton defends patenting common actions as standard business practice.14:57–17:45 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Acquisition Details and Contact Information Nathan examines past transaction mechanics including cash versus stock structures and acquirer details in a collaborative tone.17:46–20:05 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions In the rapid-fire section, Nathan playfully notes the contradiction between Rampton's favorite book (Zero to One) and his entry into a crowded payments space.

speaking balance: gold is Nathan, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Nathan 75.5% · guest 24.5%0:00 · Nathan 75.5% · guest 24.5%3:00 · Nathan 36.4% · guest 63.6%3:00 · Nathan 36.4% · guest 63.6%6:00 · Nathan 26.8% · guest 73.2%6:00 · Nathan 26.8% · guest 73.2%9:00 · Nathan 24.4% · guest 75.6%9:00 · Nathan 24.4% · guest 75.6%12:00 · Nathan 36.3% · guest 63.7%12:00 · Nathan 36.3% · guest 63.7%15:00 · Nathan 76.9% · guest 23.1%15:00 · Nathan 76.9% · guest 23.1%18:00 · Nathan 69.4% · guest 30.6%18:00 · Nathan 69.4% · guest 30.6%21:00 · Nathan 100% · guest 0%21:00 · Nathan 100% · guest 0%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 12:39 Defending sweeping patent claims

Rampton bluntly rejects skepticism by asserting that you can patent literally anything if you push it through, claiming anyone spinning a camera violates his patent.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 13:06 Refusing patent logic

Nathan flatly rejects Rampton's claim, calling it nonsense and comparing it to patenting walking.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 5:31 SEO dominance masterclass

Rampton details how he rapidly ranked competitive keywords like 'hosting' onto Google's first page to prove his unfair marketing advantage.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 8:36 Citing monopoly theory against hyper-competition

Nathan challenges Rampton's entire business thesis by quoting Thiel/Horowitz frameworks on avoiding crowded markets.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Welcoming John Rampton and Identifying Focus 5213 Nathan digs into Due's monetization model and performs quick mental math on transaction volume ($40k off $4M). Rampton answers straightforwardly, clarifying pricing nuances and business split.
SEO Dominance and User Sign-up Metrics 5324 Nathan presses Rampton on how his SEO expertise applies to Due and forces a distinction between registered sign-ups (60k) versus active users (20-30k).
Market Domination and Capital Investment 6236 Nathan challenges Rampton using Peter Thiel's monopoly theory, asking how Due can beat incumbents like PayPal and Venmo. He then drills into Rampton's personal capital investment and equity ownership.
Past Exits and Patent Strategy 5447 Nathan expresses disbelief at Rampton's claim of patenting a 360-degree panoramic photo spin, equating it to patenting walking. Rampton defends patenting common actions as standard business practice.
Acquisition Details and Contact Information 4212 Nathan examines past transaction mechanics including cash versus stock structures and acquirer details in a collaborative tone.
The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions 3112 In the rapid-fire section, Nathan playfully notes the contradiction between Rampton's favorite book (Zero to One) and his entry into a crowded payments space.

Statements from this episode (12)

Assertion Not checkable as stated
Rampton: Due Processed $4M in Transaction Volume in February 2016
“So transaction volume in February, 2016 was about four million dollars.”
John Rampton Jun 6, 2016 ▶ 4:35
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Rampton: 95% of Due's Credit Card Transactions Are B2B
“You know, the consumer to consumer don't do a ton of transactions, so it's probably about 95% business to business. As far as credit card transactions go.”
John Rampton Jun 6, 2016 ▶ 4:47
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Rampton: Host ranked on Google page one for 'free hosting' in nine months
“Prior to this, I owned a company called Host, and in a matter of about nine months, we were able to take it from, you know, nothing in a brand new site to ranking for, you know, some of the hardest terms on the internet, including right now, the site Is on pag…”
John Rampton Jun 6, 2016 ▶ 5:32
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Rampton: Due has around 60,000 registered users
“We're about 60 total thousand people have signed up.”
John Rampton Jun 6, 2016 ▶ 7:29
Disclosure
Rampton aims to monopolize payments and bankrupt rivals PayPal and Venmo
“You know, ultimately do want to monopolize it and put some of those guys out of business, obviously, or have them acquire us mainly put them out of business. We don't, our goal is not to be acquired.”
John Rampton Jun 6, 2016 ▶ 9:02
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Due rejected a multi-million-dollar acquisition offer weeks after launch
“Like we've already had like one company approach us and be like, Hey, you know, would you guys be interested in selling them? You know, can you know, seriously go down that road to the point where they were making serious offers. I mean, they gave us a lawyer …”
John Rampton Jun 6, 2016 ▶ 9:21
Assertion Supported
Rampton: Due paid $130,000 to acquire Due.com domain name
“I mean, just the domain alone, do.com. I mean, we paid a 130,000 for it.”
John Rampton Jun 6, 2016 ▶ 10:33
Disclosure
Rampton personally invested nearly $500,000 to launch Due
“Have you put in more than 500 grand into this so far? John Rampton: very, very close to that.”
John Rampton Jun 6, 2016 ▶ 10:48
Assertion Not publicly verifiable
Rampton: Maple North was acquired for seven-plus figures
“I mean, it was seven plus figures.”
John Rampton Jun 6, 2016 ▶ 11:32
Assertion Not publicly verifiable
Rampton: Pixloo sold for more than $10 million
“More.”
John Rampton Jun 6, 2016 ▶ 12:01
Assertion Contradicted
Rampton: Pixloo patent covered 360-degree photos and was widely infringed
“Yeah, so there was a technology, primarily we owned a patent. Or, I mean, that was probably our biggest asset was we owned a patent where if you take a camera and spin it 360 degrees. We own that patent. So pretty much. Yeah. Any photographer in the world has …”
John Rampton Jun 6, 2016 ▶ 12:08
Opinion
Rampton: Patents inhibit natural human innovation despite being lucrative
“You know, I have a love, hate, Relationship with patents. One, because they've made me a lot of money in the past, but two, I hate them because, you know, I think they inhibit people from doing what they, you know, are naturally bound to do.”
John Rampton Jun 6, 2016 ▶ 14:18
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