Todaro Robotics is a laboratory systems integrator for automation and robotics, helping biotech, pharma, and life science companies automate their experiments and their processes, with clients from the startup size all the way to large corporations, such as Eli Lilly. In my conversation with co-founder James Slatic, we talk about the addition of product development to their company in addition to the consultation services they provide, and the integration and growth of both sides of the company. 

We also talk about some of the struggles of launching a business where you’re not the smartest guy in the room. You know how to build and run companies, but don’t necessarily understand all the science. I enjoyed this conversation and I truly hope you do as well. Find James on social media, and be sure to thank him for coming on the podcast, and thank you for listening.

Topics in this episode

Changes within the industry as a result of covid, and the shift toward automation

The science of DNA purification

Approaching a technology that is already in the market, yet coming at it from a different angle

Differences in the rate of growth as your company grows 

The role of consultants in the biotech, life science, and pharma industries from individual consultants up to large firms

The roll-up process of combining with complementary companies and either going public or becoming an acquisition candidate

Limiting legal risk between consultation services and product company

Revisiting growth strategies as you evolve

Tactics for working in an industry where your clients are technically skilled in a way that you aren’t 

Contact Info

Website

Omni Valley is an online exclusive investor platform connecting those who work and invest in the venture capital industry, those who are looking at start-up companies, or for those who invest at the venture capital fund level, and provides a space for them to better network and connect. In my conversation with co-founder and CEO Grady Buchanan, we talk about why they have built out that platform, what they see as opportunities to be, competitors in the space, and how they think they can wedge into that market with a unique value prop that investors are underserved on today. We talk about how they can achieve their goals for the platform within the scaled-down version of a minimum viable product, as well as the built out version from later down the product roadmap. 

Topics in this episode

Investor preferences

The effect covid has had in the investment space, particularly for startups that aren’t on the east or west coast

The decision to not start with a revenue-first product

How they are different from other networking platforms

The difference between what an investor says they are interested in, versus the actual investments they are making

Benefits of creating networks for investors based on a geographic basis

Their biggest challenge to date

Contact Info

Website

Email: [email protected]

Rootnote is a SaaS platform for content creators to help them understand their data and manage their businesses better. I talk with brothers and co-founders Jason and Jeremy Burchard about how large the passion economy is now, with over 32 million Americans currently making a living wage in the content creation space. And even though it is such a large market, there is still a lack of understanding of the data and how creators can make the most of their content from a financial perspective. This was an exciting conversation and I’m looking forward to seeing how this platform grows as new content platforms grow as well.

Topics in this episode

Starting with a focus on music artists

Looking at stats across a broad spectrum of services

Working with management companies to help create the pro version

The challenges with other data aggregators for musical artists

Understanding the landscape between hypothetical and reality when it comes to the market

Embracing competition

Their biggest milestone to date

There is real money on these platforms. People are doing well on them.

Thinking about the pace at which new platforms are getting created, and keeping up with them

Contact Info

Website

Jeremy’s Band, Moonlight Social

Watch them on Twitch

Stre.me is a platform built for behavior change with a focus on implicit bias, which enables HR and diversity, equity, and inclusion officers to rapidly deploy individualized implicit bias education. In this episode, I talk with co-founders Jack Patton and Anne Marie Labenberg about this platform they’ve built, and the competitive advantage it has over traditional training sessions within an organization and how it leads to incremental behavior change. As a product that is currently in the pilot phase, we discuss their tools for identifying the right product-market fit, the product roadmap, and the ethical piece of this work and employee privacy.

Topics in this episode

The specific opportunities to get hard data on ROI and effectiveness within the healthcare space

Tracking an employee’s implicit bias in a professional setting

Addressing regulatory needs for implicit bias training

The customer discovery process in order to find the best product-market fit

How do you fund going further, faster?

Connect

Website

Email: [email protected]

This episode is a little different from most others that we create here at Startup Competitors. I talk with Sean Ammirati, a VC, distinguished service professor of entrepreneurship, and director of the Corporate Startup Lab at Carnegie Mellon University. Sean shares a bit of his history as an entrepreneur and the path that he took to get to where he is today. We spend most of our time diving into the similarities and differences between traditional startups and corporate startups, the strengths, and weaknesses of each, and even discuss some of the regulatory pieces of corporate startups. This was a fascinating conversion, and I hope you enjoy it.

Topics in this episode

The trend in recent years of large companies rediscovering their entrepreneurial roots

The importance of early customer feedback for both traditional and corporate startups

Traditional entrepreneurs don’t have to think about how their vision fits into a larger organization’s strategy

For corporate startups, one single “no” could be much more devastating

The feedback problem with corporate startups

The customer knows the problem. The entrepreneur comes up with the solution.

Collaborating as a corporate startup with competitors

The tools and techniques that work for both corporate and traditional startups

Contact Info

Twitter

Website

Corporate Startup Lab

Book, The Science of Growth

Saaslio works together with IT service providers and managed service providers to manage the SaaS landscape of their end-clients. In my conversation with John Harden, Saaslio’s founder and head of business development, he explains that he has found a way to help partners increase revenue and sales, while also helping the partner’s end-clients save money, thereby, serving both sides of the coin, which is very rare and difficult to achieve. We also talk about the mindset behind having a giver mentality, the two most impactful meetings he’s had this year, and the future of aggregated data they are collecting along the way.

Topics in this episode

Waste in the SaaS space

Relying on the trust factor that is built between large companies and managed service/IT providers

Channel products versus direct products

Creating a long-term solution for a problem that people perceive to be a one-time issue for end-clients

Bundling this solution with VCIO offerings

The biggest problem with taking the product to the market

Joining the gBETA accelerator

A healthy way to grow a network of people that really want to help

Contact info

Website: https://saaslio.com/

Email: [email protected]

You’re Golden is a photographer-on-demand platform, making it fast, easy, and affordable to capture unedited photos of real-life moments. In this episode, I talk with founder and CEO Sydney Golden about growing a startup as a side hustle, and as a solo entrepreneur. We explore the relationship between a mentor and mentee, and some of the qualifications and tactics that make a good mentor. Sydney also shares the product roadmap for You’re Golden, and the plans to grow You’re Golden through the COVID crisis.

Topics in this episode

Growing a two-sided marketplace

Comparing the traditional photography model now with the business model of You’re Golden

The decision to create unedited photos for customers

Narrowing down the market and identifying the ideal client

Finding the white-space in the market

Customer acquisition in the times of COVID

Finding community as a solo entrepreneur

Contact Info

Website

Instagram

Promotable is a workforce accelerator that closes employers skill gaps and prepares professionals for high-growth careers in the digital economy with courses in data analytics and Python programming. In my conversation with Aaron Filous, Promotable Founder and CEO, he explains that he found that a lot of the existing solutions out there weren’t solving the problem of how to grow your professional skills and learn data analytics that you could then apply to your current role, or could use to get promoted. The options were either low-level courses or to go back to higher education. He explains how Promotable fills that gap. We also talk about the impact of COVID on their product road map, and some of the big wins he has experienced along the way.

Topics in this episode

What separates a workforce accelerator from a course

How they ensure that they are filling the skill gaps in the workforce

Live training versus a self-paced video instructional method

The unique opportunity with covid and the current trend of self-improvement

Biggest wins and biggest challenges since starting Promotable

Contact info

Website: promotable.io

Youtube channel

Email: [email protected]

Lumatic is a photography management platform that helps organizations more easily capture and use photography. In this episode, I talk with founder Tyler Hromadka, who used his background as a photographer to build a platform to make it easier to store and access photos, with a focus on Greek organizations, while also providing the ability to find photographers. Tyler shares that in the current market, there are only about four competitors in the space, and they have been in that space for many decades without innovating, which leaves a lot of room for Lumatic to enter the space and set themselves apart. We also discuss what it’s like to lead a growing team, and the use of automation that doesn’t feel robotic and distant.

Topics in this episode

Keeping the photo editing in-house for quality control

How they track their traction

The difficulty in hiring a photographer online

Building a business around the idea of being a long-term partner with an organization

Communicating expectations to team members who have never met in person

Hiring for a personality type, as opposed to experience levels

The sole-proprietor mindset

Contact Info

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thromadka/

Website: https://www.lumaticimagery.com/