#357 - Rich Kahn, Founder and CEO of Anura on transforming a reluctant side project into a viable business

This podcast interview focuses on entrepreneurial decision-making and product development. My guest is Rich Kahn, CEO of Anura.

Rich has been building tech companies since 1993. In 2003, while running an ad network with his wife, clients began complaining about traffic quality issues. When he discovered no commercial fraud detection solutions existed, he reluctantly built one himself. Years later during an M&A process, potential acquirers showed minimal interest in his primary business but significant interest in this internal tool he'd developed. The rest is history.

And this inspired me, and hence I invited Rich to my podcast. We explore the practical realities of identifying your most valuable product, even when it's not what you initially set out to build. Rich shares how he tested his solution against market leaders before spinning it off as a standalone company, and why focusing on measurable results rather than flashy features has been crucial to his success.

Here is a quote that captures one of Rich’s most practical business decisions: “We added a guarantee to Anura for two key reasons: First, our accuracy is not a gimmick. It’s the real deal. Second, because no one else in the industry is willing to address false positives – real people misidentified as fraud. It’s usually the number one issue that clients have with a fraud solution. We are so confident in our solution; we have no problem guaranteeing it.”

By listening to this podcast you will learn:

How to recognize when your side project has more market value than your core business

Why solving measurable problems creates stronger differentiation than marketing hype

When to build technology in-house versus partnering with others

The practical challenges of scaling a technical business in a constantly evolving landscape

For more information about the guest from this week:

Rich Kahn Website: anura.io

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