From IP strategy to sales to product management, tips for first-time founders in short, incisive interviews with dozens of business experts. Because you don't know what you don't know....!
When you’re launching a new tech business, there is a lot to learn, and if you're like many first-time founders, you may be unaware of the gaps in your knowledge. (We certainly were when we launched our first businesses, once upon a time!)
The Fundable Founder was created to help first time tech entrepreneurs quickly find and fill the gaps in their know-how. It covers key topics from IP strategy to fundraising to sales & product management to executive leadership.
The Fundable Founder takes the interviews from our Commercialization Accelerator and puts them in a podcast, along with deeper dive interviews focused on fundraising, to make it easier for you to access all our content whether you’re sitting at your desk, driving your car, or washing the dishes.
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Need advice on your go-to-market strategy? In this episode, startup executive & advisor Mike Volpe, (former CEO Lola.com, now acquired by Capital One) offers invaluable advice. Topics covered include: How do you link your product to customers?, Who are your customers and where do you find them?, How do you set your pricing? How do you integrate sales and marketing with your services?
Anvesh Gurijala, co-founder of Boston Materials, discusses how he grew the startup from a Northeastern University spinout to industrial-scale production and sales to customers -- all in just 5 years. Gurijala describes key moments on the journey that got him to where he is today. Boston Materials aims to transform and significantly decarbonize both the transportation and electronics industries with its low-carbon advanced materials with applications from EVs to mechanical reinforcements for airplanes.
You've got investors, and the pressure is on to move fast -- as a new startup. How do you set up robust systems for finance, operations, and human resources that can grow with your business? Investor, CFO/COO, Advisor Michelle Breitman Hipwood, now with Mable, offers best practices, resources, and invaluable advice in this episode.
When you're getting your business off the ground, it's easy to make unwitting mistakes that could cost you later. Robert Bishop, partner at Goodwin and board member at The Capital Network gives high-level advice on Legal Dos and Don'ts for startups.
HomeWork (formerly Syrg) Founder and CEO, Rahkeem Morris, shares his personal story that motivated him to launch HomeWork , as well as his fundraising journey. HomeWork is a network for hourly employees, where anyone can work at anyplace, anytime. It targets Quick Service Restaurants like MacDonalds and TacoBell. HomeWork helps people get back to work and has been especially helpful to businesses coming back after the pandemic shutdown.
Tony Liu talks about how he overcame fundraising challenges and grew JobGet from a mobile marketplace used by 8 employers to a platform used by more than 5,000 employers. JobGet's mission is to allow job seekers to find a job within 24 hours by allowing them to quickly connect with employers. The platform aims to remove the resume requirement for individuals seeking employment in the hourly space, or entry level jobs that don't require extensive experience.
Looking for patent advice and don't know where to start? Hamilton, Brook, Smith & Reynolds, P.C. experts Deirdre Sanders and James Coe, (now with Keurig Dr Pepper Inc.) cover the fundamentals: 1) How do you know what patent type is right for your startup?, 2) When is the time right to get patent protection? 3) What criteria are important to consider in patenting your product? 4) How can IP protection benefit your business??
Episode 4: From Basic Research to Billions
Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc. cofounders Jason Kelly and Reshma Shetty talk with Charlie Hipwood about their journey from academic #spinout to a nearly $4 billion, publicly-traded company. Get their top advice, from peer-reviewing your work, to continually running experiments, to "weaponizing diversity."
Need help pitching investors? Want to learn what can sink your presentation---and alternatively, what makes it sing? Get invaluable advice from Jason Allen, an investor with MassMutual Catalyst Fund and former VP of Investments at MassVentures.
Is your research ready for commercialization? How do you know? Entrepreneurial champion Vinit Nijhawan gives topline advice for university spinouts, including: How do you know when your research is ready?, How do you find your beachhead market?, What are the steps you should take with your TLO office? and the importance of finding an entrepreneurial champion, or business coach.
Episode 3: Fundamentals of Sales
So, you got the meeting with a potential customer. Now what? Try some "foreplay" to make the sale says Brian Sarr, an award-winning account executive at Comcast. Get topline advice on the fundamentals of sales in this episode.