Most founders don't fail because of effort. They fail because they chase the wrong milestone. My talks cut through the noise, give founders frameworks they can use the next morning, and reframe how they see their own journey.
Who I Speak To
I don't try to be everything to everyone. I go deep with the people who live in the fog of the early stage - and the leaders who support them.
Founders
From idea to Series A - who need clarity, traction, and real frameworks.
Accelerators & VCs
Who want cohorts to avoid tarpit ideas, raise smarter, and move faster.
Universities & Research Spinouts
Especially med-tech and deep tech - navigating the brutal jump from lab to market.
Corporate Innovators
Who need to think and act like founders, not managers, when building new ventures.
What I Speak About
I'm not a generalist keynote speaker. I'm a single-trick pony - but it's the trick that determines whether a startup lives or dies.
Earn The Right
How founders reach the next milestone without wasting years.
Commercialization Muscle
How to approach market entry when you have no map.
Tarpit Ideas & Zombie Startups
Why most ideas look good but die in execution - and how to avoid them.
The Founder's Superpower
Turning chaos into clarity, and clarity into traction.
Third Mountain Entrepreneurs
Building something that matters once money and influence are already solved.
Each talk is founder-first. No platitudes. No "follow your passion." Just frameworks, scars, and shortcuts founders can put into practice immediately.
Why It Matters
The startup graveyard isn't full of lazy people. It's full of brilliant, hard-working founders who chased the wrong next step.
The difference between startups that break through and those that stall is simple: the ability to identify, frame, and achieve the right milestone at the right time.
That's what I teach. How to see through the noise. How to move faster. How to avoid the tarpit ideas and false signals that kill momentum.
If you want your audience to walk away with clarity and a playbook for their actual next move, not a list of clichés - that's what I deliver.
Track Record
I've been in the trenches, and I've built the tools founders actually use.
Exited Founder
Raised $50M+, driven $400M+ deal volume
Framework Downloads
Earn The Right framework used globally
Newsletter Readers
Weekly insights for founders
Bestselling Author
Starting A StartUp | Build Something People Want
Speaker & Coach
Y Combinator, TechStars, Capital Factory, and innovation teams at Coca-Cola, SAP, Adidas, Saudi Aramco, Bechtel, Singtel, and government agencies across the US, New Zealand, and Brazil.
This isn't theory. These are battle-tested strategies used by founders and organizations at every level of the ecosystem.
Speaking Style
Founders don't need hype. They need clarity.
I deliver founder-first talks that are:
Visceral
Founders feel seen, not patronized.
Practical
Frameworks they can use the next morning.
Real
Scar tissue, shortcuts, and stories from the trenches.
Whether it's a keynote, a closed-door founder session, or a workshop for accelerators, my goal is the same: help founders cut through the noise, move faster, and build something real.
Signature Talks
Here are a few of the sessions I'm most often asked to deliver:
From Nothing to Something: The frameworks every founder needs to survive the fog of the early stage.
Earn The Right: How to identify and execute the milestone that actually matters next.
Commercialization Muscle: Moving from product to paying customers without wasting years.
Tarpit Ideas & Zombie Startups: The seductive traps that kill momentum - and how to spot them early.
Third Mountain Entrepreneurs: For founders who already have wealth and status but want to build something enduring.
Each talk is customized for the audience - founders walk away with a clearer path and tools they can act on immediately.