Designing Successful Startups

Summary

In this conversation, Jothy Rosenberg and Nick Kepler discuss various topics related to Silicon Valley, semiconductor startups, and the importance of grit. They touch on the history and evolution of Silicon Valley, the challenges faced by semiconductor startups, and the role of incubators like Silicon Catalyst. They also explore the personal motivations behind their passion for road biking and the drive to take on new challenges. Overall, the conversation provides insights into the dynamic nature of the tech industry and the mindset required to succeed in it.

Takeaways

Silicon Valley has evolved over the years, with changes in industries and technologies, but the spirit of innovation and risk-taking remains a constant.

Semiconductor startups face unique challenges due to the high cost and time required to develop and bring products to market.

Incubators like Silicon Catalyst play a crucial role in supporting semiconductor startups by providing resources, expertise, and access to investors.

Grit is an essential quality for success in the tech industry, as it requires perseverance, adaptability, and a willingness to take on new challenges.

Personal passions, such as road biking, can provide an outlet for pushing boundaries and embracing the joy of overcoming obstacles.

Sound Bites

"Semiconductor hardware startups in particular are different. It's expensive and takes a long time to develop the product and generate revenue."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

02:03 The Evolution of Silicon Valley

06:03 The Changing Landscape of Semiconductor Design

15:37 The Challenges Faced by Semiconductor Startups

30:27 The Drive for New Challenges and Personal Passions

42:09 Conclusion

Links

Nick’s semiconductor startup incubator Silicon Catalyst, LLC: https://siliconcatalyst.com/

Please leave us a review: https://www.podchaser.com/AdventuresOnTheCanDo

The book Think Like a Startup Founder (early access): https://www.manning.com/books/think-like-a-startup-founder

Jothy’s site for speaking, podcasting, and ruminating: https://jothyrosenberg.com

Jothy’s non-profit foundation The Who Says I Can’t Foundation: https://whosaysicant.org

Jothy’s TEDx talk on why people with a disability over-achieve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNtOawXAx5A

Summary

Steven Hudspeth shares his entrepreneurial journey, starting with his upbringing in Arkansas and his military experience. He discusses the importance of resilience and not quitting, which he learned from his family and military training. Steven then talks about his transition into the restaurant industry and his rapid rise to managing multiple restaurants. Eventually, he decided to start his own franchise in the painting industry. This led him to identify a need for better communication and automation in small businesses, which inspired him to create TMO Turbo, a software company that helps businesses streamline their processes and improve customer interactions. Steven's goal is to impact as many people as possible and give them back control of their lives and businesses.

Takeaways

Resilience and not quitting are important qualities for success in entrepreneurship.

Networking and building connections can lead to valuable opportunities.

Identifying a need in the market and creating a solution can lead to a successful business venture.

Automation and streamlining processes can save time and improve efficiency in small businesses.

Grit is developed through challenging oneself and pushing outside of the comfort zone.

Sound Bites

"TMO Turbo: Adding a Turbocharger to Your Business"

"Expanding Beyond Tulsa: TMO Turbo's Geographical Reach"

"The Impact of TMO Turbo: Doubling Revenues for Businesses"

Links

Steven's TMO Turbo site: https://tmoturbo.com/

Please leave us a review: https://www.podchaser.com/AdventuresOnTheCanDo

The book Think Like a Startup Founder (early access): https://www.manning.com/books/think-like-a-startup-founder

Jothy’s site for all podcast episodes: https://jothyrosenberg.com

Jothy’s non-profit foundation The Who Says I Can’t Foundation: https://whosaysicant.org

Jothy’s TEDx talk on why people with a disability over-achieve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNtOawXAx5A

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

07:56 Transition into Entrepreneurship: Starting a Franchise

14:36 Creating TMO Turbo: Streamlining Processes for Small Businesses

25:12 The Impact of TMO Turbo: Doubling Revenues for Businesses

29:23 Developing Grit Through Challenges and Pushing Outside the Comfort Zone

Summary

In this conversation, Jothy Rosenberg interviews Dave Molenda, discussing topics such as their Midwest roots, the importance of work ethic, and their entrepreneurial journeys. They also talk about the power of mindset and the impact of saying 'I can' versus 'I can't.' Dave shares his experience of starting and selling his first business and the importance of empowering others. They discuss the value of diversity in a team and the need to have different personalities and skill sets. Dave also talks about his podcast, Positive Polarity, and the joy he finds in connecting with and learning from his guests.

Takeaways

The Midwest work ethic is highly valued and sought after in business.

Changing your mindset from 'I can't' to 'I can' can have a profound impact on your success.

Empowering others and building a diverse team are key to business growth and success.

Podcasts are a valuable resource for personal and professional development.

Finding joy and fulfillment in your work is essential for long-term success and happiness.

Sound Bites

"Taking the letter T off of can't. And now I can't."

"If something doesn't work, let's try something different."

"Changing that I can't to I can.”

Links

Dave's Positive Polarity podcast site: https://positivepolarity.com/episode/the-power-of-your-words/

Please leave us a review: https://www.podchaser.com/AdventuresOnTheCanDo

The book Think Like a Startup Founder (early access): https://www.manning.com/books/think-like-a-startup-founder

Jothy’s site for speaking, podcasting, and ruminating: https://jothyrosenberg.com

Jothy’s non-profit foundation The Who Says I Can’t Foundation: https://whosaysicant.org

Jothy’s TEDx talk on why people with a disability over-achieve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNtOawXAx5A

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Midwest Roots

03:11 Entrepreneurial Journey and Owning a Company

07:15 The Importance of Employee Continuity

09:20 The Need for Cross-Pollination in Industries

12:23 The Power of Personality Diversity in a Team

15:18 The Value of Grit and the Midwest Work Ethic

16:36 Starting the Positive Polarity Podcast

25:32 The Source of Grit and Perseverance

28:24 Finding Joy and Staying Active

31:48 Grandchildren and Family

33:39 Final Thoughts and Appreciation

Summary

In this conversation, Jothy Rosenberg and Melinda Brown discuss their experiences working together at Draper and the challenges they faced in setting up a spin-off company. They talk about the importance of trust in legal agreements and the difficulties of navigating intellectual property ownership. They also touch on the complexities of incubating a startup within a larger organization and the need for clear communication and understanding between all parties involved. The conversation covers various challenges and complexities in contractual relationships, the importance of clean and clear provisions, the difficulty of interpreting vague terms, the significance of memorializing agreements in contracts, the challenges of collaboration and regular deliveries, the value of protecting intellectual property, the role of grit in entrepreneurship, and the importance of passion and control in starting a company.

Takeaways

• Setting up a spin-off company within a larger organization requires careful negotiation and clear communication to ensure the protection of intellectual property rights.
• Trust is essential in legal agreements, especially when dealing with sensitive issues such as intellectual property ownership.
• Incubating a startup within a larger organization can be challenging, but having leaders with experience in raising money and navigating the startup ecosystem can increase the chances of success.
• The field of use in intellectual property agreements can be ambiguous and require ongoing negotiation as the startup develops its own IP.
• Interpreting vague terms in contracts can be challenging and may require establishing boundaries.
• Memorializing agreements in contracts is important for future reference and understanding.
• Protecting intellectual property is essential to prevent theft and disputes.

Sound Bites

"Trust is so important, right? To do the right thing."

"If you're not busy, that's worrisome. Basically, that means the company's probably not going to succeed."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

07:17 Challenges of Incubating a Startup within a Larger Organization

13:25 The Importance of Trust in Legal Agreements

29:44 Managing Collaboration and Regular Deliveries

36:10 The Value of Protecting Intellectual Property

Links

Please leave us a review: https://www.podchaser.com/AdventuresOnTheCanDo

Melinda's company: https://coherehealth.com/

The book Think Like a Startup Founder (early access): https://www.manning.com/books/think-like-a-startup-founder

Jothy’s site for speaking, podcasting, and ruminating: https://jothyrosenberg.com

Jothy’s non-profit foundation The Who Says I Can’t Foundation: https://whosaysicant.org

Jothy’s TEDx talk on why people with a disability over-achieve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNtOawXAx5A

Summary

Kayvon Touran, co-founder of Zal.ai, shares his journey in the ed tech industry and the development of his company. He discusses the importance of working in an ambiguous environment and the influence it had on his career path. Kayvon explains how Zol.ai aims to enhance learning and development in the workforce by measuring skills and competencies. He also talks about the challenges of finding product-market fit and the unconventional approach they took to funding their startup.

Kayvon Touran bio

Kayvon Touran is a seasoned operator in early-stage tech startups with over a decade of diverse industry experience. Starting his career in sales and business development, he next transitioned into product management, and eventually a GM role. Kayvon eventually found himself immersed in edtech, and spent the past five years at Noodle.com, an edtech company based in New York. At Noodle Kayvon co-created and launched a platform for universities to manage their lifelong learning initiatives online. It was during this that Kayvon, and his then coworker/now cofounder Joe Rousseau, identified a significant gap in the market concerning organizations' ability to effectively contextualize, apply, and measure their Learning and Development spend. This realization inspired him to launch his latest venture, Zal.ai – a technology and services company that combines cutting-edge learning science and generative artificial intelligence to transform learning and development for the workforce.

Links

Keyvon’s current company https://zal.ai/

Please leave us a review: https://www.podchaser.com/AdventuresOnTheCanDo

The book Think Like a Startup Founder (early access): https://www.manning.com/books/think-like-a-startup-founder

Jothy’s site for speaking, podcasting, and ruminating: https://jothyrosenberg.com

Jothy’s non-profit foundation The Who Says I Can’t Foundation: https://whosaysicant.org

Jothy’s TEDx talk on why people with a disability over-achieve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNtOawXAx5A

Takeaways

Working in an ambiguous environment can be exciting and impactful, leading to personal and professional growth.

Zol.ai aims to enhance learning and development in the workforce by measuring skills and competencies.

Finding product-market fit is an ongoing process that requires continuous evaluation and adaptation.

Bootstrapping can be a viable option for funding a startup, allowing for autonomy and control over the company's direction.

Sound Bites

"I liked working in a highly ambiguous environment"

"There's a huge opportunity to help better contextualize and measure learning and development"

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

09:39 Delving into edtech

32:31 Bootstrapping and funding

Summary

Jules, the founder of The Grommet, shares her journey from growing up in Detroit to starting and selling her company. She discusses the challenges she faced, including a lack of capital and competition from Amazon. Jules also talks about the acquisition of The Grommet by Ace Hardware and the future of the company. She then shares her experience as a venture capitalist and her role at X Factor Ventures. The conversation covers topics such as dealing with rejection, the importance of saying yes, the challenges faced by women in the venture capital industry, and the traits that startup founders need to succeed.

Bio

Jules Pieri is an Investment Partner at XFactor Ventures, an Entrepreneur in Residence emeritus at Harvard Business School, and the co-founder and former CEO of The Grommet, which she sold to Ace Hardware Corporation. Jules was named one of the “Ten Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs” by Fortune magazine.

She is the author of the 2019 book “How We Make Stuff Now” that Inc. magazine called “One of the 11 Must-Read Books for Entrepreneurs.” The best-selling book is used as part of the core curriculum in many college entrepreneurship courses. 

Jules is a member of the Boston Design Vision Community Advisory Board, and an advisor to the American Economic Liberties Project. Jules served on the board of the University of Michigan Alumni Association, chairing the Endowment, Digital Transformation, and Nominating Committees and serving on the President’s Advisory Committee of this independent organization serving over 600,000 alums.

She studied industrial and graphic design at the University of Michigan, where she graduated summa cum laude.  She was the first designer to graduate from Harvard Business School, where she played on the school soccer team.

Jules grew up as the daughter of an autoworker, in the city of Detroit, and has lived and worked in France and Ireland. She has three sons and lives in Boston, and is an avid hiker, weaver, and activist for economic equality.

Links

Please leave us a review: https://www.podchaser.com/AdventuresOnTheCanDo

Jules’ XFactor Ventures: https://www.xfactor.ventures/

The Company Jules’ founded creating a new category: https://thegrommet.com/

The book Think Like a Startup Founder (early access, due out late June 2024): https://www.manning.com/books/think-like-a-startup-founder

Jothy’s site for speaking, podcasting, and ruminating: https://jothyrosenberg.com

Jothy’s non-profit foundation The Who Says I Can’t Foundation: https://whosaysicant.org

Takeaways

Jules grew up in Detroit and later founded The Grommet, a product launch platform.

The Grommet faced challenges such as a lack of capital and competition from Amazon.

The company was eventually acquired by Ace Hardware and continues to focus on finding and promoting emerging products.

Jules is now a venture capitalist at X Factor Ventures, investing in diverse founding teams with billion-dollar opportunities. Finding a way to be helpful to companies even when saying no can build stronger relationships.

Being able to say yes and trust the people you work with is a key trait of successful founders.

Discrimination against women and people of color is still prevalent in the venture capital industry.

Grit, resilience, and tenacity are important traits for startup founders.

Personal experiences and upbringing can shape a person's ability to overcome challenges and succeed.

Takeaways

Jules grew up in Detroit and later founded The Grommet, a product launch platform.

The Grommet faced challenges such as a lack of capital and competition from Amazon.

The company was eventually acquired by Ace Hardware and continues to focus on finding and promoting emerging products.

Jules is now a venture capitalist at X Factor Ventures, investing in diverse founding teams with billion-dollar opportunities. Finding a way to be helpful to companies even when saying no can build stronger relationships.

Being able to say yes and trust the people you work with is a key trait of successful founders.

Discrimination against women and people of color is still prevalent in the venture capital industry.

Grit, resilience, and tenacity are important traits for startup founders.

Personal experiences and upbringing can shape a person's ability to overcome challenges and succeed.

Sound Bites

"Yeah, so my career has been a lot around product development."

"I can take the rejection. I'm very good at it, but I don't like giving it."

"You've got to be able to trust the people who work with you, that they're bringing ideas, that they're going to put their all into it."

Chapters

00:00 From Detroit to The Grommet: Jules' Journey

14:01 The Acquisition by Ace Hardware

33:23 Challenges Faced by Women in Venture Capital

39:41 The Traits of Successful Startup Founders

Summary

Dimitre shares his fascinating life journey, from growing up in Bulgaria and Nigeria to playing basketball in the United States and eventually founding Galena Hill. He discusses the pain points he experienced as a business owner and how it led him to develop an accounting intelligence system that integrates with Intuit QuickBooks. He also explains the shift towards using blockchain technology for document management and automation, with the city of Reno as a lighthouse customer. Dimitre highlights the potential market in other cities and the importance of strong recommendations and warm introductions. Dimitre discusses the application of document management workflow in various industries, not just government entities. He shares examples of startups and businesses that can benefit from this technology. Dimitre also talks about his investment strategy and the use of offshore software developers. The conversation concludes with a discussion on grit and its importance in startups and life.

Bio

Born in Bulgaria, he grew up across multiple countries including over a decade in rural Nigeria, Botswana, and South Africa. This diverse background instilled resilience and adaptability. In 1993, a basketball scholarship allowed him to relocate to the United States. His studies focused on quantitative business analysis, economic modeling, and finance.

His private-sector career from 1998-2014 spanned automotive, travel, construction, manufacturing, and consulting. As a trader, operations manager, finance director and more, he led teams, drove change, and oversaw profitable exits. This applied his expertise in process automation and business intelligence.  

Since 2014, his SaaS innovations include co-authoring blockchain patents for secure data handling and message certification. He created blockchain web apps for transparent public access. His models compared solar technologies for South African energy projects. He pioneered digital prototypes for accounting, document transmission, and medical consent.

In 2018, he founded Galena Hill Inc. to provide affordable, scalable, eco-friendly digital solutions for small businesses and government. This merged his research with pragmatic solutions to foster sustainability.

Takeaways

Dimitre's life journey took him from Bulgaria to Nigeria to the United States, where he eventually founded Galena Hill.

He developed an accounting intelligence system that integrates with Intuit QuickBooks to address the pain points he experienced as a business owner.

Galena Hill has shifted its focus towards using blockchain technology for document management and automation.

The city of Reno is a lighthouse customer for Galena Hill, and there is potential for market expansion to other cities.

Strong recommendations and warm introductions from influential figures, such as the mayor of Reno, can help facilitate business opportunities. Document management workflow can be applied to various industries, not just government entities.

Startups and businesses that deal with a lot of documents and need to guarantee their provenance can benefit from this technology.

Dimitre's investment strategy has been private investment, and he has not approached VC firms.

He uses offshore software developers, but emphasizes the importance of having a close relationship and ensuring the protection of intellectual property.

Grit is essential in startups and life, and overcoming challenges and obstacles is a continuous process.

Sound Bites

"The market niche for Galena Hill: small to midsize business owners using QuickBooks."

"The shift towards using blockchain technology for document management and automation."

"What we have is extremely convenient in terms of being able to manage that information in a way that is shared in between a city employee or a government employee and a public viewer."

"There are other organizations that deal with a lot of documents and have to guarantee the provenance of these documents."

"The painful issue is really how to get your foot in the door and have at least some initial traction."

Links

Please leave us a review: https://www.podchaser.com/AdventuresOnTheCanDo

Dimitre's Galena Hill site: https://www.galenahill.com/

The book Think Like a Startup Founder (early access): https://www.manning.com/books/think-like-a-startup-founder

Jothy’s site for speaking, podcasting, and ruminating: https://jothyrosenberg.com

Jothy’s non-profit foundation The Who Says I Can’t Foundation: https://whosaysicant.org

Chapters

00:00 Dimitre's Fascinating Life Journey

11:19 Addressing Pain Points: Developing an Accounting Intelligence System

28:40 The Power of Recommendations: Leveraging Influential Figures

35:04 Offshore Software Developers and Intellectual Property

45:34 The Importance of Grit in Startups and Life

Summary

In this conversation, Jothy Rosenberg and Jonathan Becher discuss various aspects of starting and running a company. They cover topics such as transitioning from theory to practice, the importance of customer-driven decision-making, the challenges of being a CEO, the significance of team building, and the role of strategic investors. They also emphasize the need for adaptability and retaining optionality in business. Jonathan Becher shares his experiences as an entrepreneur and executive, discussing topics such as board management, acquisitions, and the transition from tech to sports entertainment. He emphasizes the importance of smaller, trusted boards and the value of distribution in scaling a business. Jonathan also highlights the significance of time to value over time to market and the need to focus on the end users of a product. He concludes by promoting his blog and expressing his interest in discussing the concept of grit in a future episode.

Jonathan Becher

Jonathan Becher is president of Sharks Sports & Entertainment, the parent organization for the San Jose Sharks, the San Jose Barracuda, three Sharks Ice recreational facilities, and the Sharks Foundation. A long-time Sharks fan and season ticket holder, Becher is responsible for the organization’s overall strategy with a particular focus on the end-to-end experience.

Prior to joining Sharks Sports & Entertainment, Becher spent a decade at SAP in a variety of senior roles, including Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Digital Officer. A three-time technology company CEO, Becher is an advisor to early-stage companies and is on the Board of multiple organizations. He is the author of the popular blog, Manage By Walking Around.

Jonathan and Jothy met at Duke University when Jothy was a professor of computer science and Jonathan was a student. Jonathan got his Masters with Jothy and then they took off together for Silicon Valley and MasPar where they were the 12th and 13th team members. Four years later, the company changed its name to Neovista and Jonathan took over as its CEO.

Links

Please leave us a review: https://www.podchaser.com/AdventuresOnTheCanDo

Jonathan's blog: https://jonathanbecher.com/

The book Think Like a Startup Founder (early access): https://www.manning.com/books/think-like-a-tech-founder

Jothy’s site for speaking, podcasting, and ruminating: https://jothyrosenberg.com

Jothy’s non-profit foundation The Who Says I Can’t Foundation: https://whosaysicant.org

Takeaways

Transitioning from theory to practice is a formative experience in one's career

Customer-driven decision-making is crucial for building successful products

Being a CEO involves team building and adaptability

Choosing the right co-founder is essential for a successful partnership

Strategic investors can provide credibility and opportunities, but it's important to retain optionality Smaller, trusted boards are better than larger boards, regardless of whether they include observers.

Distribution becomes more important than the product itself at scale.

Focus on time to value rather than time to market, and prioritize the needs of end users.

Sports entertainment franchises can leverage data to drive revenue and make informed business decisions.

Jonathan Becher's blog, 'Management by Wandering Around,' offers insights into human behavior and lessons learned.

Sound Bites

"Transitioning from theory to practice taught me more about the realities of business than academia"

"Be prepared for your alpha or beta release to be the thing you're willing to walk away from"

"The person with the vision and the passion needs to be the leader"

"The more people on the board, the more advice I will get, the more introductions I'll have, the more money I can raise. It's almost the opposite."

"I'm buying you or I'm putting 100 in engineers to put you out of business. Take your choice."

"The best way to scale the pilot business was to sell to the SAP sales reps, not to the customers."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

14:38 The Challenges of Being a CEO

28:14 Choosing the Right Co-founder and Strategic Investors

37:20 Distribution and Scaling

48:36 Leveraging Data in Sports Entertainment

Rob Oshana's Bio

Rob has a BS in Electrical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a PhD in Computer Science from Southern Methodist University.

Rob is currently SVP Software and Security Group at Analog Devices in Austin, TX.

Previously he was Vice President Software Engineering, Research and Development, Edge Processing, NXP Semiconductors where he managed a global team of SW engineers developing run time enablement/application software and tools for multiple business lines including Auto, Consumer, Media, IoT, Industrial, Networking, and mass market.

Rob was chairman of the NXP Software Technology board; leading cross company efforts focused on software reuse, efficiency, collaboration, and cross business alignment for multiple SW business units

Rob has been on multiple university advisory boards and research boards.

For over 25 years he has been Adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University, the University of Texas, and Concordia University

He has been an international speaker on topics related to SW engineering, IoT, embedded systems, multicore software, software testing and software quality. Rob has over 200 publications and presentations, and four books to his name.

Summary

This conversation discusses the collaboration between a startup and a big company in the semiconductor industry, focusing on the challenges and opportunities in the Internet of Things (IoT) market. The conversation explores the benefits of hardware-software co-design, the importance of area and power reduction in semiconductor chips, and the challenges of the hardware IP licensing business model. It also discusses alternative business models and the importance of understanding timeframes and revenue in the semiconductor industry. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the timing and success of startups in the industry. In this conversation, Jothy Rosenberg and Rob Oshana discuss various topics related to technology and innovation. They explore the future of RISC-V, the interest in startups, the challenges and opportunities for innovation in large companies, the importance of a culture of innovation, the role of QA in software quality, and the promotion of quality and innovation. They also touch on the impact of functional safety and AI in controlling sophisticated systems.

Takeaways

• Collaboration and commitment between startups and big companies can lead to successful partnerships and innovation.
• Hardware-software co-design is essential for optimizing performance, power consumption, and security in semiconductor chips.
• Understanding the economics of the semiconductor industry, including area and power reduction, is crucial for startups.
• Exploring alternative business models, such as Dolby's IP licensing model, can provide new opportunities for startups in the semiconductor industry. RISC-V is expected to continue to be successful and has become part of the natural discussion around ISA selections for different markets.
• Large companies can innovate at scale if they have the right culture, infrastructure, and support in place.
• QA is a critical discipline in software development, and companies should prioritize it to ensure high-quality software.
• Promoting a culture of innovation and creating opportunities for collaboration can drive innovation in both large companies and startups.
• Functional safety is crucial in industries where AI controls sophisticated systems.

Links

Rob's company: https://www.analog.com/en/index.html

Link to Jothy's site: https://www.jothyrosenberg.com/

Link to The Who Says I Can’t Foundation site: https://www.whosaysicant.org/

Link to Podchaser to leave a review: https://www.podchaser.com/AdventuresOnTheCanDo

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Meeting

00:35 Introduction to RISC-V

03:04 Working with a Big Company

03:50 Internet of Things and Security

04:20 Business Opportunities in IoT

05:19 Lighthouse Customer Perspective

06:21 Collaboration and Innovation

07:29 Hardware-Software Co-design

08:27 Commitment and Collaboration

09:26 Importance of Area and Power Reduction

10:14 Economics of Semiconductor Industry

11:13 Software-First Approach to Security

12:44 Hardware-Software Co-design Benefits

13:31 Collaboration and Commitment

14:24 Challenges of Business Model

15:21 Hardware IP Licensing Model

17:48 Alternative Business Models

18:20 Understanding Timeframes and Revenue

19:48 Differentiating and Creating Market Pull

21:50 Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches

22:53 Examining Different Business Models

24:21 Dolby's Business Model

26:22 ARM's Partner Model

27:45 Timing and Success of Startups

28:15 The Future of RISC-V

33:18 Interest in Startups

35:18 Innovation in Large Companies

37:31 Culture of Innovation

39:27 QA and Software Quality

46:07 Promoting Quality and Innovation

50:23 Functional Safety and AI

Summary

Jessi Roesch, founder of Downland, discusses her journey from banking to starting a climate-smart farming marketplace. She highlights the similarities between farming and startups, such as the need for resilience, the importance of understanding customer needs, and the pursuit of a legacy. Jessi also explains the concept of regenerative agriculture and its benefits for soil health and nutrient-dense food. She shares her experience with crowdfunding and invites listeners to participate in Downland's fundraising campaign on WeFunder.

Links

Please leave us a review: https://www.podchaser.com/AdventuresOnTheCanDo

The book Think Like a Startup Founder (early access): https://www.manning.com/books/think-like-a-tech-founder

Jothy’s site for speaking, podcasting, and ruminating: https://jothyrosenberg.com

Jothy’s non-profit foundation The Who Says I Can’t Foundation: https://whosaysicant.org

Jessi’s current startup for helping regenerative farmers and ranchers: https://www.godownland.com/

Jessi’s slot on the WeFunder platform where she is raising her first round: https://wefunder.com/downland

Jessi’s bio

Jessi Roesch (rhymes with "fresh") has over a decade of experience driving transformation at startups, unicorns and enterprise companies. She is a Terra.do Climate Fellow, member of the Soil Health Committee at BCarbon, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Antler, a global venture firm, and 3x startup executive, having led her prior company to #10 in Financial Services on the 2023 Inc. 5000 list, which recognizes companies for high growth.

Jessi is the founder and CEO of Downland, a startup that aims to remove barriers for a new generation of regenerative farmers and ranchers

Takeaways

Farming and startups share similarities in terms of resilience, understanding customer needs, and pursuing a legacy.

Regenerative agriculture focuses on improving soil health and producing nutrient-dense food.

Crowdfunding platforms like WeFunder provide opportunities for everyday people to invest in startups and support innovative solutions.

The founder journey requires resilience, grit, and a willingness to embrace challenges and personal growth.

Support Downland

• Friends & insiders (that's you!) can invest in Downland via Wefunder before it opens to the public on May 1st. Early investors have access to preferred terms. 
• Follow Downland on LinkedIn and Instagram
• Subscribe to Downland's newsletter
• Landowner Letter of Intent (LOI)*

*Landowners who may consider making their land available (in part or in whole) to a regenerative farming/ranching apprentice can share their interest using the form at this link. This is a non-binding letter of interest. The landowner will follow the link, enter their email address, then receive an email from DocuSign to complete the form. Think of this like a petition that Downland should exist and is helpful.

For more info, visit Downland’s website.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Small Talk

08:19 Taking Risks and Embracing Change

16:30 Introduction to Downland and Regenerative Agriculture

32:53 Crowdfunding and the Opportunity for Everyday Investors

39:15 Investing in Downland and Supporting the Future of Food Systems

46:02 Final Thoughts and Encouragement for Founders