From Comedy Cellar to Tech CEO: How Jon Laster Built Blapp from Scratch
In Season 4, Episode 4 of Turning Pro, we sit down with Jon Laster: comedian, longtime MC at the Comedy Cellar, and founder/CEO of Blapp—an app that helps users discover and shop from Black-owned businesses both locally and online.
Jon’s path to entrepreneurship wasn’t typical. He went from bombing on stage in Brooklyn to performing with comedy legends. But it was the murder of George Floyd that triggered a deeper pivot—from punchlines to purpose. What started as an idea during lockdown is now a growing platform that drives real dollars to underserved communities.
In this episode, Jon unpacks the mental frameworks that carried him from the mic to the marketplace: how comedy taught him resilience, how his network gave him investor access most Black founders never get, and why tech still needs a reckoning with systemic bias. He also shares why Black founders must reimagine traditional fundraising—and how Blapp’s real power lies in stories, not just software.
Your Story Is Your Superpower Jon doesn’t pitch Blapp like a tech product. He shares real stories: a lawyer landing a $5K/month client, a farmer starting a prayer group, and a group of friends making a Black-owned café their daily ritual. That’s what builds trust—and traction.
No One Believed It Was Real—Until It Was Early on, audiences thought Blapp was just a joke in Jon’s set. Now it’s a functioning e-commerce platform generating revenue. Real traction changed the perception.
VC Funding Isn’t Built for Us Jon cites that Black founders received just 0.4% of venture capital in 2023, and only 0.1% in Q3, 0.2% in Q4. His take: Stop waiting for a rigged system to change. Reimagine it.
Comedians Make Great Founders Years of bombing on stage built Jon’s tolerance for rejection. Comedy taught him persistence, public feedback loops, and how to connect with people—skills every founder needs.
Build with, and for, Your Community Blapp was born from Jon’s lived experience and designed for his community. From idea to execution, it's been about giving people real economic power and visibility.
Your Network Is Everything Jon raised his early funding from longtime friends and collaborators like Chris Rock, Tracy Morgan, Tiffany Haddish, and Mike Birbiglia—not because of fame, but trust. Most founders don’t get that kind of access.
If the Market Won’t Support You, Build a New One Rather than fight for scraps in a biased system, Jon’s building something new. Blapp isn’t just a map—it’s infrastructure for Black-owned commerce.
Real Growth Is Imperceptible Jon compares startup progress to the rebuilding of One World Trade: it feels like nothing is happening—until one day you look up, and everything’s different. Stay patient.
Mindfulness Might Be the Unlock He admits he rarely rests—but he’s realizing that recharging might actually help him scale faster. A founder friend doubled revenue after a retreat. Jon’s still working on it.
The First Package Changed Everything Jon’s “turning pro” moment came when the first Blapp e-commerce order landed on his doorstep. He filmed it but never opened the box. That package—a mug—still sits unopened, proof that it’s all becoming real.
Jon Laster’s story is about turning grief into growth, jokes into jobs, and community into capital. For every founder building outside the system, his journey is proof that you don’t need permission—just purpose, persistence, and a damn good story.
