10 Questions with Confetti Founder, Daniela Munoz
How did you come to do this work and why is it so important to you personally?
Creating moments, whether they're sentimental or exciting, memorable or fleeting, gives me a real sense of purpose. I love inspiring people to go on spontaneous adventures, build vibrant communities, and have unforgettable experiences. Nowadays, everyone's so glued to their phones, just scrolling away. I want to be part of the reason people put down their phones, get out there, and make some real memories. For me, life's all about those genuine, unplanned moments that you just can't find on a screen.
What was your lightbulb moment for Confetti?
Our lightbulb moment came after realizing that our initial idea of creating a photo-sharing app centered around events wasn't meeting the deeper needs of our users. While capturing memories is important, we understood that simply providing another platform to do so wasn't enough to disrupt the market. We wanted to go beyond that and find ways to actively encourage people to create more meaningful experiences and memories in the first place.
We noticed that amidst the sea of photo-sharing apps, what was truly lacking was a platform that incentivized and facilitated real-life adventures and spontaneous moments. Instead of just passively documenting existing events, we wanted to inspire people to seek out new experiences, step out of their comfort zones, and make memories they'll cherish forever.
What is the elevator pitch for Confetti?
Confetti is a real-time social networking app designed to help college students live in the moment by incentivizing spontaneous adventures. We encourage users to step out of their routines and complete fun, exciting challenges that bring more adventure and spontaneity into their lives. Users can engage in weekly college-specific challenges, earn points, compete on live leaderboards, and create and share videos. With Confetti, you're not just scrolling—you're making memories.
Talk us through your strategy in building a team around you.
Building a team around me starts with finding people who truly believe in our purpose and live by it. I look for individuals who are genuinely excited about our mission to live for the moment. It’s important to me that team members are passionate about what we’re doing and would use the app even if they weren’t part of the team. This enthusiasm and personal connection to our mission foster a more dynamic, committed, and innovative team environment, which is crucial for our success.
What has surprised you most about starting Confetti?
What has surprised me most about starting Confetti is how quickly things change. Our MVP is nothing like what we currently have. By staying focused on the problem we're trying to solve and the value we're aiming to create, we've evolved our solution into something much better. It's been incredible to see how our vision has adapted and improved over time, driven by feedback and our commitment to delivering the best possible experience for our users.
Talk us through one of your daily rituals.
Up until now, I've been juggling life as a student-athlete at Carnegie Mellon University while working on Confetti. My daily routine was all about making sure I performed well in school, in the pool, and for our startup. Most days, I would exercise, go to classes, sometimes hit the gym or pool again, and fit in homework and studying whenever I had a break.
To stay on top of everything, I kept a 1-2 week to-do list. It was super dynamic, so if any surprises came up, I could move tasks around throughout the week. I also noted due dates to make sure I didn't miss anything important. Every day, my ritual was reviewing this list and planning out specific times in my calendar to complete these tasks. This way, I could keep up with my academics and athletics, while committing to making progress with Confetti. It was all about finding a balance, staying organized, and being flexible.
What is a recent challenge you've faced as an entrepreneur and how did you overcome it? What lesson(s) did you take away from it?
Navigating disagreements with a co-founder is a common challenge for many entrepreneurs, myself included. While we share the same goals and visions for the app, our perspectives on how to achieve them occasionally diverge.
What has been instrumental in overcoming these challenges is the deep level of trust we have in each other's judgment and skills. We both recognize and respect each other's strengths, which allows us to lean on one another's insights when making decisions. Additionally, our close friendship, built over almost a decade of knowing each other, has provided a strong foundation for open and honest communication. In moments of disagreement, we prioritize listening to each other, understanding the underlying reasons for our perspectives, and finding common ground.
Ultimately, this experience has reinforced the importance of trust, communication, and mutual respect in a co-founder relationship. It has taught us to value our differences as strengths and to approach challenges with a collaborative mindset. By leveraging our unique perspectives and strengths, we are better equipped to overcome obstacles and propel Confetti forward.
What does the next year look like for Confetti?
We expect the next year for Confetti to be exciting and transformative. We just completed our pre-seed round, which will allow us to move forward with our plans. Based on key learnings from our initial test rounds, we'll be updating how Confetti operates to better suit the student lifestyle. We'll be working on these changes in our “Casa de Code” hacker house, alongside a few talented interns from Stanford and the University of Michigan. Once we’ve made these improvements, we plan to launch the new version at a couple of universities to get students excited and engaged with Confetti.
What is a key piece of advice you've received that you'd want to share with other founders?
"Take the risk or lose the chance." One key piece of advice I’ve received is not to be afraid to take a leap of faith for things that excite you or that you care about. If you don’t seize the moment, you might not get another chance. So, trust your instincts and go for it—because the right opportunities don’t always come around twice.
How can our regional startup community help your efforts?
The community can greatly support our efforts by helping us facilitate key partnerships with companies and brands interested in sponsoring challenges or promoting their content through Confetti. These collaborations would not only enhance our user experience but also extend our reach and impact, ultimately driving the success of Confetti.