Startup Coaches, Events, and Resources

I’m a former VC and the CEO/founder of a venture-backed startup funded by Silicon Valley and Singapore-based investors. I’ve spent 20 years in finance, strategy, and investing where I've been evaluating hundreds of founders, reviewing pitch decks, shaping investment narratives, and leading diligence across early-stage and growth-stage companies. As a former Partner at Turret Capital and Director of Investment Strategy at Catcha Group (Southeast Asia’s leading venture builder), I’ve overseen a $1 billion portfolio and worked directly with founders on business models, GTM strategy, traction storytelling, and fundraising readiness. I’ve also raised capital for my own company, giving me firsthand insight into what investors actually look for in a pitch. My specialty is helping founders win high-stakes opportunities by crafting clear, compelling, investor-ready materials. I support early-stage teams with pitch deck creation and refinement, business plan development, investor narrative strategy, market sizing, competitive analysis, and overall fundraising preparation. Whether you're refining your pre-seed story or preparing for a Series A raise, I bring both investor and founder perspective to help you communicate your value with precision.

I work with startup founders the same way I approach real-world decision making. No hype, no theory, and no pretending there is a one-size-fits-all playbook. I focus on helping you make clear, practical decisions based on your actual situation, not what sounds good online. My background is built around working with real people, solving real problems, and cutting through bad assumptions that hold businesses back. Whether it is structuring your next move, thinking through risk, improving decision-making, or getting unstuck, I bring a disciplined, straightforward approach that helps you move forward with clarity and confidence instead of guesswork. I am also the author of Who’s Got Your Six?, which focuses on accountability, trust, and making better decisions when it matters most. That same mindset carries into how I work with founders. I am not here to impress you with jargon. I am here to challenge weak assumptions, help you think clearly about risk and opportunity, and build a plan you can actually execute. Whether you are early stage, trying to stabilize, or looking to make smarter strategic moves, I bring a disciplined, straightforward approach that helps you move forward with clarity, confidence, and a much higher level of awareness than most people operate with.

Hi everyone! With over two decades of experience in the startup ecosystem, I have a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs and companies thrive. As the founder of multiple accelerator programs, including the highly-competitive USC startup accelerator and Hong Kong's first funded accelerator, I've guided over 3000 companies across diverse industries such as AI, edtech, and healthtech. My expertise lies in strategic growth, market entry, and improving unit economics, having helped startups raise over $350M and achieve successful exits. Additionally, as an adjunct professor at USC, I teach courses on growth marketing and venture initiation, making complex concepts accessible. Let's work together to turn your startup vision into reality. Reach out to get started!

I’ve been involved with dozens of successful early-stage startups as a Co-founder, CEO, Investor, Advisor. I’m passionate about helping others avoid the pitfalls of early-stage startups, team formation, idea validation, development, and go to market strategy. I currently help run a Venture Studio in Utah called Philo Ventures where we're building startups with a team of software engineers, product strategists, ux designers, marketers. Part time I also help run a student startup incubator based at Brigham Young University called 'Sandbox' where undergraduate students take a year off of their normal coursework and get college credit while we pair them up with experts from the community and teach them how to start a software startup.

Welcome to my profile! With over a decade of experience in strategic operations and transformation, I bring a wealth of knowledge to aspiring startup founders. As the CEO and Founder of my own consulting firm, I have firsthand experience in navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship. My previous roles at Elastic and Intel involved leading global operations transformations, managing multi-million dollar integrations, and driving operational efficiencies, all of which are crucial skills for startup success. I specialize in helping founders streamline their operations, optimize workflows, and develop strategic plans to scale their businesses effectively. Let's connect and discuss how I can support your journey to building a successful startup!

I've spent my career at the intersection of technical depth and human complexity, and that's exactly where the most pressing founder challenges live. My background spans three years as Chief of Staff at Khosla Ventures, six years in the Army Special Forces, and a joint MBA/MS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford with a focus on AI and quantum computing. I've worked with dozens of founders at all stages, from bootstrapped through Series A and beyond, on all aspects of the founder journey: company formation, finding PMF, pivoting, fundraising, hiring, and scaling. Drawing on my experience operating as part of high-performing teams in high-stakes environments, I also help founders skillfully navigate the challenges that don't show up in pitch decks but derail companies anyway — cofounder conflict, role confusion, and communication breakdowns. For founders with deep technical backgrounds, my training in physics and engineering and three years inside a deep tech VC firm means I actually understand what you're building, and the identity shift that comes when a researcher steps into the CEO role.

I founded TalkMaze, a public speaking and education platform that grew to 20,000 members, 4 million video views, and over 5,000 participants across North America. I raised $150K in funding, delivered 4 TEDx talks, won the national Global Student Entrepreneur Awards, and placed as a national runner-up in a venture capital investment competition. Every one of those outcomes came down to storytelling and pitching. I help early-stage founders take complex or technical products and turn them into clear, compelling pitches. Whether you're preparing for a demo day, a VC meeting, a competition, or an accelerator application, I help you find the version of your story that makes people lean in. I've coached thousands of people through high-stakes moments where the story has to land. If you have a great product but struggle to communicate why it matters, that's exactly where I come in.

As an entrepreneur with a proven record of scaling companies from inception to multimillion-dollar valuations, I have led ventures in robotics, life sciences, and sustainable technologies. My leadership experience spans: Founding two companies with a combined valuation increase of 30x, raising over $25M in financing. Securing 6 successful exits through IPOs and M&A, driving cumulative valuations exceeding $600M. Developing global business strategies, managing cross-border teams, and establishing partnerships with Fortune 500 companies. Holding MBA credentials with honors from Columbia Business School and a Forbes recognition for outstanding entrepreneurship. My clients gain access to: Practical strategies for fundraising, scaling, and market penetration. Expertise in navigating international business landscapes, particularly in AI, robotics, and ESG-driven ventures. Tailored guidance to achieve their unique entrepreneurial goals.

No one cares about what you think the future will look like. No one will invest in your moonshot idea. Trust me, I have scars to prove it. Your goal as a startup founder is to uncover simple secrets of our world today and find the quickest way to determine if those secrets are true (ie: if people will pay you to reveal those secrets). Don't spend years building aimlessly. Don't waste money when you don't need to. I will guide you in developing your first product and getting your first round of funding. I am a 2x founder, VC Backed. dunly.ai: Gen AI & Fintech - B2B tryrelic.com: Augmented and Virtual Reality - B2C

I've started multiple companies during business school and am currently the Co-Founder of Lifespark, a fast-growing men's reproductive health company. I'm passionate about all things consumer, healthcare, and tech.