Startup Coaches, Events, and Resources

Having founded four companies, I’ve experienced the full spectrum of the entrepreneurial journey—one exit, bootstrapping two ventures, and raising over €1 billion in funding throughout my career. In 2019, I launched the first-ever Techstars accelerator in Italy, which quickly became one of the network’s top-performing programs. My portfolio companies have raised over $100 million post-program, with five successful acquisitions. As an investor, mentor, and executive coach, I focus on early-stage B2B companies (and sometimes B2C) across various industries, supporting the most ambitious founders worldwide. My own founder experience in Germany and Southeast Asia has equipped me to understand and guide entrepreneurs on their path to success, and I've backed companies in the US, Europe, and Southeast Asia.

I have been a founder, executive, leader, and product marketer at technology and software companies for two decades around the world including Salesforce, Kleverbeast, GameGround, Adobe (Efficient Frontier), Jive, and Gravity Networks. This has meant being involved in early to mid stage venture backed technology startups, through to high growth and pre-IPO companies, and up to the world leading innovative public companies in the Fortune 100. During this time, I have tasted the relative highs of 2 successful exits and numerous launches, along with the failures of companies fire-selling and winding down.

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.

Built a career in strategy, marketing, and growth. From management consulting to leading brand at IBM and eBay, I now bring that corporate rigor to my coaching clients. I help you with strategy and systems to win right-fit clients at healthy margins. I share what I've learned and coach you so you can say exactly what buyers needs to hear to sign a five, six and seven-figure+ contract. And we avoid the big business ‘nice to haves’ a growing business can (and must) do without. Because in a sea of sameness, your moat is what you stand for, who you serve best, and what only you deliver. Sharpening one client's positioning increased their deal size 40% and cut their sales cycle 35%.

Four years ago, I made the leap from McKinsey into the startup world, and I've been helping others do the same ever since. Today, I lead Strategy and Corporate Development at a tech company backed by Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst, Founders Fund, Silver Lake, and others. I manage a team overseeing FP&A, M&A, go-to-market strategy, fundraising, and investor relations, and I've helped raise eight figures of private capital along the way. I was the company's first commercial hire and grew from Director to SVP in 2.5 years, so I know what it takes to stand out and scale quickly in high-growth environments. Through coaching, I've helped dozens of candidates land interviews and offers at exciting technology startups (especially in media and sports) via crafting narratives, translating their experience, and navigating the hiring process with confidence.

Hi! I bring a wealth of experience to aspiring startup founders. As a co-founder of a Y Combinator-backed startup, I understand the challenges and opportunities in pivoting and scaling new ventures. My professional journey includes roles at Cravath, J.P. Morgan, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury, providing me with a robust understanding of the legal and financial landscapes crucial for startup success. I have coached numerous individuals, helping them navigate the complexities of launching and growing their businesses. Let's connect and strategize on how to turn your startup vision into reality!

Welcome to my profile! With a rich background in entrepreneurship and business development, I am passionate about guiding early-stage founders to success. As the Co-Founder of Sonic Unity and Entrepreneur in Residence at Oneday, I have firsthand experience in launching and scaling innovative ventures. My role as COO at QUALITY has honed my skills in strategic planning and leadership, ensuring that startups thrive in competitive markets. I also bring expertise from my consultancy, Be My Guest, where I specialize in building iconic brands and sustainable business models. Let's work together to turn your startup vision into reality—reach out to start your journey today!

I've spent 15+ years in executive seats and operator roles at startups. I cofounded Omni, raising $35MM from top VCs including Highland Capital, Lightspeed, and 8VC before exiting to Coinbase in 2019, where I scaled the organization from 3 to 80+ people. I was first VP of Product at a Series A construction tech startup, growing the product and engineering team from 3 to 18; Head of Brand and Design at a Series C hospitality operator. I've sat in the rooms my clients sit in, made the calls they're making, and felt the weight of leading through ambiguity, fundraising, hiring, and rebuilding when things break. That lived founder experience is the foundation of how I coach. For the last 8 years I've coached 150+ founders and CEOs at early-stage and growth-stage companies backed by Y Combinator, Techstars, Lightspeed, Founders Fund, Index Ventures, Insight Partners, and others. I work across the full founder journey from pre-seed through Series C: validating ideas, finding product-market fit, fundraising and pitching, building the founding team, hiring executives, navigating the transition from scrappy do-everything operator to scalable CEO, and growing as a leader along the way. My specialty within founder coaching is cofounder relationships and trust repair, where my structured mediation approach has saved multiple VC-backed companies from dissolution. My approach blends two practices most coaches keep separate: operator-informed tactical advisory on the hard skills of building a company, and the inner work of self-awareness, somatic practice, and the slow development of self-mastery that determines whether a founder can hold the role over time. The founders who build both muscles scale further and stay healthier doing it.

With a rich background in my own startups, business growth, product management and strategic development across leading companies like Amazon, Synamedia, and A&E Networks, I bring a wealth of experience to aspiring startup founders. My career has been dedicated to launching innovative products and driving growth in digital media and technology sectors. I've successfully coached numerous individuals, helping them navigate the complexities of startup development and market entry. Whether you're looking to refine your overall business plan, product strategy or scale your business, I'm here to provide tailored guidance and support. Let's connect and turn your startup vision into reality!