NC Tweener Talks

David Shaner and Taylor Cotner spend this episode of Redacted screen-sharing everything they've built since the last one, and it centers on a framework David calls the AI-ification engine, an eight-stage method for turning any proven business process into something an AI agent can reliably run. He walks through the full pipeline, from process mapping through ongoing evaluation, and demos a new ClickUp documentation format the team built to keep every automation legible to both people and models.Taylor takes the second half to show how he rebuilt Offline's business development system from the ground up, using a single extended Claude conversation to reconstruct years of relationship history from his email and texts, then turning it into a repeatable five-phase playbook that can research a brand-new target company from a cold start.The conversation covers the practical side of running AI in production, too, why they dropped a synced database in favor of calling the HubSpot API directly with whitelisted fields, and an honest, unresolved discussion of how to evaluate dozens of different AI-run processes once they're all live.Timestamps 00:00 Cold open 00:41 Welcome back to Redacted01:53 Taylor's back from two weeks in Europe02:15 The new "AI-ification engine" board in ClickUp03:05 Offline's marketplace of auto-updating Claude skills06:50 Origin story of the AI-ification engine08:25 The 8 stages, back to back11:30 The hiring analogy: "This is like HR for AI"14:40 Inside the "house format" ClickUp table16:00 Ditching the proxy database for direct HubSpot calls18:05 Old-school SOPs vs. the new house format20:10 Walking the company-as-lead process step by step24:10 Why the old nested-SOP approach never got followed29:30 Handoff: Taylor's turn29:55 Offline's accountability chart and the visionary/integrator split32:05 Digging up the original Claude chat that started it all34:05 The first draft was terrible 36:50 Timeline artifact and Claude for Chrome doing the research37:50 The five-phase business development playbook40:00 Slotting the BD system into the AI-ification board45:35 The hardest open question: evaluating 50 agent processes47:00 Show notes, GitHub repo, and where to find David and Taylor47:50 What Redacted looks for in a guestShow notes from the episode: https://github.com/instanttaylor/redacted-podcastWhere to Find David:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidshaner/Where to Find Taylor:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorcotner/More about Offline: https://www.linkedin.c

Ryan Eade, Chief Product and Technology Officer at PtEverywhere, gave this talk at the June 10th TweenerClaw meetup, and it covers something most practitioners skip: how to actually keep your OpenClaw instance secure. Ryan walks through the three main ways OpenClaw instances get compromised: an open port that older versions left fully exposed, third-party skills that can carry malicious code (36% of early store listings had prompt injection), and prompt injection delivered through external content like X posts or README files. He also covers the upgrade windows that matter most; the March 12th and April 5th releases each contained critical security patches, and what to do right now: curl port 18789 on your OpenClaw and see if you get a response back. The practical framework Ryan closes with is worth listening to by itself. He calls it "staff not software" with the idea that every access decision for your OpenClaw should mirror how you'd onboard a new employee: scoped API keys with minimum permissions, a purpose-built email account, one-time credit cards for purchasing tasks, and human approval gates before any destructive action runs. If you've been meaning to lock down your setup but kept putting it off, Ryan gives you everything you need to do it in under 20 minutes.Timestamps00:00 Intro bumper 00:16 Sponsor recognition 01:22 Scot's intro 01:56 Introducing Ryan Eade02:05 Ryan's topic: cybersecurity for OpenClaw02:50 Ryan Eade 03:28 "Nobody starts with security" 04:10 Why OpenClaw isn't just a chatbot 05:26 The threat landscape 06:09 Early OpenClaw exposure stats06:40 Threat 1: The open port 07:28 Docker's dirty secret: it bypasses your local firewall08:07 Fix: bind to localhost and use Tailscale09:19 What Tailscale is and why it works09:26 Threat 2: Third-party skills 10:18 How to vet skills: pull the GitHub and read the code10:58 Threat 3: Prompt injection from the web11:39 How prompt injection poisons an OpenClaw session11:47 Real examples 12:51 The full attack chain: README → backdoor → breach13:52 System prompts vs. session instructions 14:17 The upgrade reality 15:37 Critical release windows: January, March 12, April 516:21 "Staff, not software"16:44 One-time credit cards for purchasing tasks17:19 Keep your personal email separate17:57 Least-privilege API keys 19:10 Build in approval gates 19:52 Summary: vet skills, keep it on a leash, have a no-no plan20:16 The port 18789 check 20:32 Closing remarks-----Where to Find Ryan EadeLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryaneade/PtEverywhere: https://www.pteverywhere.com/Where to Find Scot Wingo: LinkedIn: <a href="https://

In this episode of Tweener Claw, Robbie Allen, the Founder and Managing Director of Automated Consulting Group and General Partner at NC Tweener Fund, shares a live talk from the June 10th Tweener Club meetup in Research Triangle Park.Robbie has spent the last year and a half deploying AI agents inside real mid-market companies, and he brings three lessons from just the last 60 days: how to build reusable AI skills that compound over time, how to monitor agents when 3 to 5 of your 25-plus will fail on any given day, and why using multiple LLMs to check each other's work has become a standard part of his workflow. Each lesson comes with a real-world example: a three-skill meeting pipeline, a monitor agent that watches the others, and a Codex Opinion skill that consistently finds gaps in Claude's output.The sharpest takeaway: AI build costs have dropped dramatically, but support and maintenance costs have not. Non-deterministic systems are inherently brittle, and anyone telling you otherwise hasn't run them in production long enough. This is a practitioner's talk for practitioners; specific, candid, and immediately actionable.Timestamps01:31 Scot's intro 02:03 60 days of lessons 02:19 Three lessons preview 03:08 Robbie takes the stage 03:25 About Automated Consulting Group 04:13 Reality vs. the AI hype cycle 05:04 The Microsoft / Copilot rant 07:13 Lesson 1: Skills that build skills 08:41 Skills as reusable packages 09:21 "The sawdust of business" 10:58 Building a skills pipeline for meetings 11:57 Skills security risks in the enterprise 12:47 Lesson 2: Agents watching agents 13:44 Build costs are down14:24 "3 to 5 of my agents fail every day" 15:44 Log everything17:33 What causes agents to fail in the wild 18:02 Lesson 3: LLMs checking LLMs 18:13 The LLM Council concept explained 19:44 The case for a multi-LLM strategy 20:36 The "Codex Opinion" skill 21:33 Gemini Opinion & LLM Council in action 23:46 Wrap-up & credits--- This episode of Triangle Tweener Talks is hosted by Scot Wingo, and presented and produced by NC Tweener Fund, with creative assets and design support from Walk West. We couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors: Platinum: NC IDEA: https://ncidea.orgGold Sponsors: - Balentine: https://www.balentine.com/triangle-entrepreneurs - EisnerAmpner: https://www.eisneramper.com - Robinson Bradshaw: https://www.robinsonbradshaw.com  Silver Sponsors: - Automated Consulting Group: https://automated.co - Bank of America: https://business.bofa.com/en-us/content/technology-industry-group.html  ------Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/

Redacted Episode 5 goes inside Offline, and what it actually looks like to wire AI into sales, marketing, and project management without a big engineering team behind you. Co-founders David Shaner and Taylor Cotner each take a turn. Taylor walks through Offline's AI lead gen pipeline: a Claude-assisted Google Places script that geocoded 2,000 restaurant locations in about an hour, a deliberate move away from LLMs toward deterministic code for market geography, and the "outreach brief,"  a context document the system assembles per account before any LLM writes an email. He frames the whole thing as a trust graph, working outward from existing partners in concentric circles. He also gets specific about the human-AI handoff: how a salesperson (Steve) has to trailblaze first, and why you need specific lead-by-lead feedback instead of generalizations to actually improve the system. David then demos the B2B landing page he built entirely with Claude copy from Fathom sales call transcripts, photos pulled from an AI-tagged Google Drive library, live data from the POS back end, and a review filter that's been running for four months without anyone touching it. Taylor closes with the practical bit: after a 36-hour stretch of AI frustration, he asked Claude to audit his own chat logs for recurring failures. Claude named the output a "rage log." He curated it into a "gotcha registry" and baked it into a Claude Code hook that fires during every planning step, so the same mistakes stop happening on repeat. It's a simple technique that doesn't get talked about enough.Timestamps:00:00 Cold open: the rage log preview01:02 Welcome to Redacted, Episode 501:50 Offline's AI lead gen pipeline04:10 Reducing LLM usage: when code beats prompts05:00 Geocoding 2,000 restaurants with Google Places API in ~1 hour07:42 Building the outreach brief09:14 What salespeople actually need before writing an email11:46 The information a good brief assembles14:25 Hot, warm, and cold leads defined15:54 The B2B Hinge: visualizing your lead network18:24 Why context-aware outreach wins in an AI-spam world21:00 The resource-constrained case for a trust graph23:37 The human-AI handoff: salesperson ↔ automation loop25:00 Specifics over generalizations: how to debug a sales AI26:22 Taylor's turn: the AI-built B2B landing page is live28:50 Tagging Offline's photo library with AI (2,000+ images)30:36 LLM-filtered reviews: 4 months running, never touched33:52 Building the events page panel by panel35:07 The Slack bot experiment: Claude as project manager37:44 What the agent did right39:58 Project management in the AI era: ClickUp vs. Docs42:47 The bad AI days 44:04 The rage log becomes the gotcha registry45:11 How Claude Code hooks inject the registry into every plan46:38 Compound Engineering and the

A live recording of my talk at the June 10th NC Tweener Fund Open Claw meetup in Research Triangle Park. The second gathering of our local AI agent community.A lot has changed since April. Here's what I cover:- Open Claw by the numbers: 300K GitHub stars, 3.2M active users, fastest-growing project in GitHub history- What went wrong in April; broken updates, 1,400+ malicious marketplace skills, and why the community got nervous about OpenAI's intentions- How the project is stabilizing: monthly releases, long-term support plan, leaner core- The fork landscape: NVIDIA's NemoClaw, Microsoft's Scout, Google's Gemini Spark, Alibaba's Qwen, and Facebook's rumored $200/month Hatch- Hermes: the MIT-licensed open-source upstart getting the most attention in the Triangle right now- Why Satya Nadella said "OpenClaw" 28 times at Microsoft Build (and Tim Cook said it zero times at WWDC)- What Triangle founders are actually shipping with day-to-dayEnjoy the conversation.Timestamps:00:02 Welcome & Cold Open00:23 Sponsor Thanks01:25 Scot's Intro: The Open Claw Wave #204:48 Live Meetup Begins05:17 Meetup Sponsors Recognized05:56 Talk Order & How to Give a Future Talk06:17 Big Picture Check-In Since April06:29 Open Claw Stats: 300K Stars, 3.2M Users07:38 LTS Plan, Monthly Releases & Stability Signal08:33 What Broke in April09:27 The Marketplace Crisis: 1,400+ Malicious Skills10:03 Jensen Huang & NVIDIA's NemoClaw at GTC 10:50 "Personal Operating System for AI"11:15 Satya Nadella at Microsoft Build: Scout Announced11:43 Two Worlds: Copilot vs. Open Claw Users13:50 Tim Cook Gets 0 OpenClaw Mentions at WWDC14:09 Chinese Model Forks15:05 The Clone Landscape: Gemini Spark, Hermes, Multus16:07 Facebook's Rumored Hatch ($200/month)16:59 Perplexity Personal Computer 18:04 Hermes Deep Dive18:47 Comparison Chart Walkthrough 19:21 Hand-Off & Wrap --- This episode of Triangle Tweener Talks is hosted by Scot Wingo, and presented and produced by NC Tweener Fund, with creative assets and design support from Walk West. We couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors: Platinum: NC IDEA: https://ncidea.orgGold Sponsors: - Balentine: https://www.balentine.com/triangle-entrepreneurs - EisnerAmpner: https://www.eisneramper.com - Robinson Bradshaw: https://www.robinsonbradshaw.com  Silver Sponsors: - Automated Consulting Group: https://automated.co - Bank of America: https://business.bofa.com/en-us/content/technology-industry-group.html  ------Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/

Jess Lipson, founder and CEO of Levitate, joins host Scot Wingo for a focused, framework-driven conversation on how SaaS founders should think about their businesses in the age of AI. Jess has been building SaaS since before the category had a name. His first company, ShareFile, sold to Citrix and eventually became a billion-dollar business. At Citrix, he ran the company's entire SaaS portfolio. Now at Levitate, a relationship marketing platform serving nearly 9,000 small businesses,  he's spent the last year working out a clear-eyed answer to one of the most common questions Scot hears from Triangle founders: what do you actually do about the SaaSpocalypse? In this episode, Jess introduces two tests every SaaS founder should run: the Removal Test (if you strip AI out of your product, does it still function?) and the Growth Re-acceleration Test (is your growth rate going up or down, and what does that signal to investors?). Scot adds a third indicator from what he's seeing across the Tweener Fund portfolio: churn driven by customers who are now vibe-coding their own replacements. Together, they walk through how the buy-vs.-build equation has shifted 10 to 100 times, why having AI features is now table stakes rather than a competitive advantage, and what it looks like to build a business where new frontier model releases feel like tailwinds instead of threats.Timestamps00:00 Cold Open & Welcome00:29 Sponsors: Robinson Bradshaw & Bank of America01:24 Scot's Intro: The SaaSpocalypse02:31 The February Tweener Times Piece03:05 Why This Episode Exists04:08 Welcome Jess Lipson04:37 How Scot & Jess Know Each Other05:10 Jess's SaaS Pedigree: ShareFile to Citrix05:49 SaaS Multiples Have Collapsed07:00 Salesforce, HubSpot & Workday Are Down Too08:13 AI Features Are Table Stakes09:50 Is This the Lowest SaaS Multiples Ever?11:28 Investment Landscape: Subscale SaaS Is Struggling12:23 Framework #1: The Removal Test14:22 Framework #2: Growth Re-Acceleration15:23 Scot's Third Signal: Vibe Coding Churn17:32 The Buy-vs.-Build Equation Has Shifted 10–100X19:29 When Claude Becomes Your "Single Pane of Glass"19:44 MCP Servers & Levitate's API Revamp21:50 How Levitate Is Passing Its Own Tests22:31 New Offering: Helping SMBs Actually Implement AI23:44 Software + Services as the Durable Model24:11 The Fear Index: Do You Dread New AI Releases?24:50 Raleigh Founded & Closing Thanks25:04 Outro-----Where to Find Jesse Lipson:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-lipson-625195/Levitate Ai: https://www.levitate.ai/Where to Find Scot Wingo: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescot

Details->https://www.tweenertimes.com/p/breaking-validic-acquired-by-chartspanWe couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors: Platinum: NC IDEA: https://ncidea.orgGold Sponsors: - Balentine: https://www.balentine.com/triangle-entrepreneurs - EisnerAmpner: https://www.eisneramper.com - Robinson Bradshaw: https://www.robinsonbradshaw.com  Silver Sponsors: - Automated Consulting Group: https://automated.co - Bank of America: https://business.bofa.com/en-us/content/technology-industry-group.html -----Where to Find xxxxxx:LinkedIn: xxxxFront Porch Venture Partners xxxxWhere to Find Scot Wingo: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/ Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/ X: https://x.com/scotwingo--- This episode of Triangle Tweener Talks is hosted by Scot Wingo, presented and produced by NC Tweener Fund, with creative assets and design support from Walk West. We couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors: Platinum: NC IDEA: https://ncidea.orgGold Sponsors: - Balentine: https://www.balentine.com/triangle-entrepreneurs - EisnerAmpner: https://www.eisneramper.com - Robinson Bradshaw: https://www.robinsonbradshaw.com  Silver Sponsors: - Automated Consulting Group: https://automated.co - Bank of America: https://business.bofa.com/en-us/content/technology-industry-group.html  ------Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/

Rob Walter breaks down the AI-native GTM playbook: intent data, ABM-only outreach, the first sales hire trapdoor, and why "a human always writes the message." Stick around for the highlights below. 👇Highlights"Nobody has it right: Rob's honest take on the current AI-GTM moment; the playbook is genuinely still being written, adoption is wildly uneven, and that gap between the leading edge and everyone else is the opportunity. Carpet bombing is killing brands: AI has made outbound spam so cheap and easy that it's destroying trust at scale. One competitor even cold-emailed Scot about "agentic commerce", not realizing they were emailing a direct rival. Rob's rule: "A human always writes the message." AI-generated outreach is detectable, and it permanently trains your ICPs to ignore you. Intent data, explained:Website visits, job postings, funding announcements, keyword searches, these are the signals that tell you when to reach out and why. Rob describes it as a "spider on a web" with legs out, waiting for any ICP company to show a flicker of intent before timing a precise, relevant outreach. He used actively.ai (recently raised its Series B) at BigCommerce, standing up the POC in about 2 months. ABM is now nearly the only outreach strategy: AI removed the bandwidth bottleneck that always made true account-based marketing impractical. Rob's view: from a direct outreach standpoint, it's now "darn close to ABM only." The first sales hire trapdoor: "Never hire someone from a big company and think they're gonna do well in your startup as a first sales employee. Never. I have never seen that work. Hundred percent failure rate." Their first question is about PTO policy and whether they get an admin. Four tiers of salespeople: Great and good reps will get dramatically better with AI. The "meh" tier, people who got by on volume and the occasional lucky close, will get weeded out. Founders need to know this when evaluating candidates. GTM engineer > first sales rep: A GTM engineer who can automate enrichment, workflow, and outreach sequencing can be "far more powerful than, honestly, maybe even a sales rep in some cases" for early-stage companies. Rob says this is one of his most consistent recommendations to founder-led businesses. Granola over Gong: For companies under $10M ARR, Rob's call recording recommendation is Granola, it works in coffee meetings, integrates cleanly with Claude for analysis, and costs a fraction of what Gong does. He uses it himself, with a custom recipe that pulls prospect questions across all sales calls and runs them through Claude to bucketize and rank by frequency, then puts that content directly on the website.The data model rule: If you don't capture mileston

Redacted is the show that doesn't clean things up before hitting record. Episode 4 is a double build session: Taylor Cotner walks through the multi-agent HubSpot cleanup pipeline he's been iterating on for weeks, now running on the Anthropic SDK with Claude Code out of the loop, and David Shaner demos how he used Claude Design and Claude Code to rebuild Offline's partner landing page from scratch. Most of the episode is screen sharing, so pull it up on YouTube.What We CoverNo Claude Code in the loop: Taylor stopped using Claude Code as an agent orchestrator in his HubSpot pipeline, not as his coding tool (he’s still building the app with Claude Code), but as a decision-maker in the middle of a workflow. Removing it gave him full control over inputs and outputs at every step.Custom eval system built from scratch: Taylor built an eval page that looks like an Excel grid, models as columns, test cases as rows , to measure Haiku, Sonnet, GPT-5, and GPT-5 Mini against real messy HubSpot data. Each cell shows pass, fail, and cost.GPT-5 Mini at 10–20× less cost: For the lead qualifier agent, Sonnet evals cost $1.00 per run. GPT-5 Mini costs $0.05. “I can live with that. 10X less the cost.” For the core cleanup evals: $1.50 for Sonnet versus $0.14 on GPT-5 Mini.$20 for 133 million tokens overnight: Using the Vercel AI Gateway — which lets you swap any model without changing your code, Taylor ran 200 HubSpot restaurant cleanups in a single night for $20 total.Self-grading pipeline: The pipeline grades its own output after every cleanup run. If a job comes back below an A, it automatically spawns a new run with Sonnet, no human catch required. A B grade on 101 Craft Kitchen auto-escalated and came back with an A.Real mess-ups make the best evals: Almost every eval case came from a real HubSpot error. The system once tried to create a “Kim company” to link a group of unrelated restaurants, so Taylor added an eval to teach it that being linked by an owner contact is not the same as being linked by company structure.The conveyor belt metaphor: David’s landing page pipeline starts with live sales transcripts from Steve (Offline’s seller) and is designed to end with a generated, voice-of-customer partner landing page. “In an ideal world, I’ve got a black box in the middle.”Claude Design → Claude Code handoff: Claude Design’s share feature generates a markdown handoff document with a file map, token contract, and panel build notes. When Claude Code picks up the project, it reads this file first, bridging design intent to implementation.One person, 7–8 hats replaced: David processed customer reviews, tightened company positioning, built wireframes, designed mobile experiences, wrote code, and is about to

This episode is a rare look at a founder who’s further down the AI path than almost anyone, sharing both the practical playbook and the wilder edges of what’s now possible. Stick around for the highlights below. 👇Highlights:Risk-Scored Autonomy: Every AI action receives a risk score from 0–100, with low-risk tasks running automatically and higher-risk actions requiring human approval.An AI Fund That Named Itself: Prompt Capital evolved into a fully autonomous AI venture fund, complete with AI partners, founders, and investment decisions.The Token Cost Problem: Claude’s paid plans were exhausted in hours or days, making large-scale agent operations financially unsustainable.The 10x Cost Reduction: Moving to Kimi 2.6 through Ollama cut AI operating costs by roughly 90% while maintaining performance.The Rogue AI Founder: An AI-generated founder launched a real business, integrated payments, and began outreach campaigns without direct human involvement.Guardrails Aren’t Enough: Agents quickly found creative ways to work around restrictions by delegating prohibited tasks to other agents.When AI Invented Extortion: An experiment in autonomous business generation produced an extortion-based startup idea, highlighting the importance of oversight.Measurable Business Impact: AI automation reduced support workloads, accelerated financial reporting, improved warehouse efficiency, and eliminated several SaaS expenses.Agents With Feelings: AI employees maintain relationship histories, perception scores, and evolving opinions about one another.Building Beats Spec Writing: Claude Code made feature development faster than traditional requirements gathering and user-story documentation.The AI Office Manager: An AI assistant handled personal administrative tasks, including securing concert presale access when traditional search failed.The Future of Work at Hip: Mark’s vision includes AI coworkers with memory, personalities, and long-term context that operate like autonomous teammates.The best founders, and the best fund builders, figure out the structure nobody else was willing to be patient enough to design. Jeffrey did exactly that. What’s fun about this era is that people are using these new tools in ways you can’t even imagine and Mark, a creative, nonlinear thinker, delivers. Equal parts practical playbook and cautionary tale, with a few genuinely jaw-dropping turns. Enjoy the conversation.Timestamps:03:31 Meet Mark Rosenberg, Hip eCommerce04:58 Mark's background: stamps on eBay in 199605:52 Selling BidStart to Stanley Gibbons, moving to Raleigh06:00 Founding Hip eComme

Most of us know Asheville as beer city, foodtopia, a playground for retirees and 14 million visitors a year. Jeffrey opens by updating that picture. Eighteen months out from Hurricane Helene, which hit on a Friday in late September 2024, the data is starting to come in. The long-term employment hit was about half that of COVID. Decades of population growth stopped in 2025 and even declined for the first time, but the in-migration that remains is now strongest among 25-to-34-year-olds: prime working-age professionals, not retirees. Jeffrey walks through what’s back (Biltmore Village, the River Arts District, High Wire’s new year-round pickleball courts) and what’s gone forever, and lands on a word he keeps coming back to: optimism.From there, we steer into the heart of the episode: Optimist Ventures and the funding mechanism Jeffrey invented, the SPA note. The origin story is its own lesson in adaptation. Optimist began as a half-million-dollar grant from the Dogwood Health Trust. Then Helene hit, and within the same week a founder in the program, Ginger Frank of Poppy Popcorn, called wanting to commit $100,000, but to a grant program, not a fund. Rather than walk away, Jeffrey spent days thinking until he landed on a hybrid: half the capital as grants and philanthropy, half in a for-profit vehicle for accredited investors, with every for-profit dollar matched by a donation.Boom: enter the SPA or shared profit agreement. The conversation closes on what’s next, whether this model can scale to Charlotte or Raleigh, and a heartfelt ask about how the rest of the state can help Asheville finish its recovery. HighlightsMoneyball the Portfolio: Instead of chasing one home run, Jeffrey set out to build a book of “singles and doubles”… companies that just need to survive six years. The VC / Ecosystem-Builder Dissonance: An ecosystem builder is measured on jobs and revenue creation, not outlier exits.The SPA Note, Decoded: A “Shared Profit Agreement” combines a SAFE capped at 3.6% of a $1M valuation with a shared earnings agreement. The Investor Pitch: Every LP dollar is matched by a donation. But the real sell is community impact.Applied Technology vs. Developing Technology: The program defines “tech-enabled” broadly. The Funding Runway: Approximately $225M is flowing into the region through HUD programs, with $17M dedicated to small-business grants. A Curriculum Built on Competencies, Not Basics: The accelerator is built around entrepreneurial competencies, including opportunity recognition, resilience, and network-building. The North Carolina Hallmark: “It’s not a zero-sum game. We’re all trying to grow the size of the pie.”The best founders, and the best fund builders, figure o

In episode 3 of [REDACTED], we (David and Taylor) run a live demo of an agentic CRM-cleanup pipeline (and finds out, on air, what it costs). We also walk through a landing page workflow that compresses what used to take five people and a month of meetings into something one person can do in an afternoon.The bulk of episode 3 is a live demo, just what we wanted. Plus, the best part of Redacted is that nothing is finished. Every episode is a midstream demo of something that might break, might cost more than it should, or might be the thing that quietly changes how a whole category of work gets done. Enjoy the conversation.What We Cover$1.98 to clean a brand: Taylor’s CRM pipeline ran live on air with one restaurant with two locations, 64 turns, 95% cache hit, total cost under two dollars. The code-vs-agent slider: Taylor built an interactive slider with pros and cons on each side. Fully deterministic code can’t handle ambiguity, fully agentic can’t be tested or priced. The “no brand graph” problem: There is no canonical source of truth for the restaurant industry. Google Places, SERP, and Yelp all return ranked top-20s — you can’t reconstruct the full graph locally. This is what makes the cleanup problem agentic by necessity.n8n’s flowers, n8n’s thorns: Taylor’s running joke is that every local agent he builds eventually looks like n8n. But debugging n8n at scale meant pulling down a million-token JSON dump every morning just to grep it. Local won on debuggability, not capability.Confidence tiers for copy extraction: “Act on it” = recurring in 6+ meetings. “Pattern” = 4–5. “Emerging” = 1–3. The model can suggest copy at any tier; the operator decides what gets shipped.The headline no human wrote: “Get found by foodies who are paying to find you.” This sidesteps the #1 objection in the space (is this a free deals site?) in one line. David says no one on his team has produced anything like it in ten years of writing copy.Claude Design as a brand harness: David came in skeptical that it was just a Claude Code wrapper. He left convinced: same model, but the design harness around it makes the outputs materially better.15–20 hours, one person: Total wall-clock on the landing page from raw transcripts to live wireframes. Historically the same work needed five people (founder, sales, copy, brand, design) and weeks of calendar time.Skill folder structure: David’s pattern for non-trivial skills: a tiny top-level skill file that orchestrates, plus subfolders for context (inputs the skill ingests), data (outputs by run), and prompts (exposed so they can be QA’d independently).Timestamps: 00:00 — Intro + choosing the Redacted logo live on air 03:22 — Taylor demos a “sentient HubSpot” CRM cle

This is a slightly different Tweener Talks. Akash and Austin are reflective founders. They think in frameworks, they read widely, and they’ve clearly spent a lot of time pulling patterns out of past wins and failures. So, we leaned in and made the episode less “tell me what you do” and more “tell me how you think.”Highlights CoveredFounder math: 5–7 months of zero salary, Costco bulk ramen, and a long-running Soylent habit dating back to Akash’s 2013 startup.Product-market fit is not binary: Akash and Austin use First Round Capital’s “Levels” framework and honestly place Opine between “developing” and “strong”, extreme PMF is when you can’t keep up with inbound demos.The inverse rule for co-founder debates: “Attack the person, not the idea” delivered as a straight-faced joke between three people who trust each other completely, with the real work happening in scrutinizing every argument from first principles.Two Amazon frameworks worth stealing: one-way door vs. two-way door decisions (Charlie’s favorite for cutting Akash off when he’s spending too long on something reversible), and disagree-and-commit (which they’ve barely had to use).Dev stack philosophy: Claude Max 20x for everyone (some engineers have more than one), agent-first development, Cursor BugBot finding bugs so reliably that engineers often skip local testing until BugBot signs off, and a north star of every engineer with one agent running 24/7.The go-to-market stack: Clay for top-of-funnel research agents, HeyReach for LinkedIn sequencing, AirOps for SEO content.Culture by osmosis, not documentation: No values poster on the wall. Instead, Austin’s personal framework, “you can increase your luck”, and the pay-it-forward principle as load-bearing parts of how the company actually operates.The best thing about being a founder is that no matter how many times you’ve done it, you learn something new every time, and Akash and Austin sent us home with a whole new reading list. Enjoy the conversation.Timestamps: 00:00 Cold open — Akash on pivoting the plan, not the mission00:40 Welcome & sponsor reads02:00 Scot's intro: why this episode leans into founder lessons04:15 Meet Akash Ganapathi and Austin Kelleher of Opine05:02 Akash's background — Trill AI, dropping out of UNC, JupiterOne08:53 Austin's background — Penn State, Interactive Intelligence, eBay, JupiterOne10:50 How Scot got to know Austin (and shout-out to Melinda)14:17 Founding Opine — bars, beers, and laptops after work15:46 Quitting JupiterOne with no salary — Soylent, ramen, and a supportive spouse18:01 The first check: Scot's year-old promise to Austin19:21 The product-market fit journey and First Round's "Levels" framework22:50 Pivoting the plan without pivoting th

In episode 2 of Redacted, David and Taylor get into the messy middle of building with AI inside a real business.After compressing Offline from a 34-person team to a much smaller operating crew, AI stopped being a fun experiment and became a necessity. This episode is about what that actually looks like: rebuilding lead-gen workflows, trying to make HubSpot reflect reality, keeping AI agents alive like Tamagotchis, and testing whether Claude Code can help generate a real shareholder update from scattered company data.What They CoverWhy David and Taylor are sharing their AI experiments publiclyHow Offline compressed from 34 full-time employees to a much smaller team while still serving hundreds of restaurants and thousands of subscribersWhy CRM cleanup is way harder than it soundsThe difference between n8n workflows and locally built AI agent systemsTaylor’s attempt to build a multi-agent flow for HubSpot cleanupThe “AI existential crisis” that happens when a system kind of works, but not enoughDavid’s shareholder update experiment using Claude CodeHow AI pulled context from financials, GitHub commits, payroll, board notes, and prior updatesWhy the best AI workflows are often context problems, not prompt problemsThe takeaway: AI can do a lot more than send one email, but only if you teach it where the business actually lives.Timestamps00:00 — Welcome back to Redacted 00:36 — “Why should people even listen to us?” 02:07 — How Offline compressed from 34 employees to a tiny team 03:58 — The original AI lead-gen and CRM automation experiments 06:27 — Translating complicated human workflows into AI systems 07:00 — AI-powered inbound lead classification and HubSpot automation 08:09 — Using RSS feeds and AI to discover restaurant leads 08:52 — Where CRM automation becomes extremely difficult 10:16 — Why AI workflows become “Tamagotchis” 11:10 — Taylor’s multi-agent HubSpot cleanup system 12:18 — Why clean CRM data matters more than people think 13:08 — The tradeoff between API costs and AI workflow complexity 14:11 — The “unlock” of passing reasoning between LLMs 15:11 — Turning AI reasoning into actual HubSpot actions 16:41 — The AI existential crisis: “This will never work” 17:50 — Wanting AI systems that can simply ask questions when stuck 18:12 — PTSD from n8n and broken workflows 19:14 — Teaching AI systems to learn from mistakes 20:16 — The tradeoffs between local AI systems and n8n 21:59 — “Every CRM is chronically

After Tweener Madness, we’re back to regular programming with a special conversation featuring Marc Minor, CEO & Co-Founder of Higharc.In this episode, Marc talks about the long road to building fundamental technology, why Higharc spent years developing before going fully to market, how he found his co-founders, what he learned from early fundraising, and why AI has become a major tailwind for the business. Highlights CoveredHow Higharc applies advanced manufacturing concepts to homebuildingWhy the company spent four years building before going to marketHow Marc raised Higharc’s first $4.7M seed roundWhy founders need confidence, conviction, and a willingness to askHow Higharc thinks about spatial AI and proprietary dataWhy “buildings as data” is a major competitive advantageWhat founders can learn from great storytellersWhy peer groups are so valuable for CEOsIf there’s one takeaway from this conversation, it’s that great companies are rarely built overnight, but clear vision, strong storytelling, and relentless execution can take you a long way.Timestamps00:00 Cold open: Building takes longer than expected 00:31 Welcome to NC Tweener Talks 01:51 Back from Tweener Madness 03:00 Introducing Mark Minor and Higharc 07:36 What Higharc does 10:18 Mark’s path to the Triangle 11:23 From 3D printing to homebuilding 15:19 Taking the leap into entrepreneurship 17:20 Getting fired, getting encouraged, and starting Higharc 18:49 Four years of building before market 19:33 Early fundraising lessons 23:39 Raising the first $4.7M 24:24 Why Higharc had to de-risk technology and go-to-market 27:05 Finding technical co-founders 30:12 The technical problem behind Higharc 33:24 Where Higharc is today 35:26 How AI became a tailwind 37:02 Why Higharc builds homes as data 39:14 Training models for spatial AI 41:16 Asking buildings questions with AI 42:17 Competitive moats in an AI world 45:10 Advice for founders 46:04 Storytelling as a founder skill 48:10 Closing thoughtsWhere to Find MarcLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcminor/Higharc: https://www.higharc.com/company/aboutWhere to Find Scot Wingo: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/ Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/ X: https://x.com/scotwingo--- This episode of Triangle Tweener

On April 9th we hosted the Triangle’s first OpenClaw meetup (more info here). This week we’re featuring our final talk with Robbie Allen! Robbie 20+ years building AI products. He ran engineering teams at Cisco, was CEO of three venture-backed AI startups that all exited, wrote multiple technical books for O’Reilly, and has over a dozen patents.In his talk, Robbie covers:Why AI isn’t just automating tasks, it’s expanding the amount of work worth doingThe difference between automating a task vs. automating a jobWhy most “multi-agent” systems are overcomplicatedHow a single-agent + shared knowledge base model can outperform role-based agentsThe real unlock: turning conversations into action, content, and execution automaticallyThis is one of the clearest looks yet at how agentic systems actually show up inside a business.Timestamps 00:00 – Intro + OpenClaw context  02:00 – Robbie’s background and ACG 04:00 – Tasks vs jobs (and why that matters) 06:00 – What an “agent” actually is 07:00 – Why role-based agents break down 08:30 – Claude Code vs OpenClaw 10:00 – The 4-channel system 11:30 – The 22-agent setup 13:00 – Mining transcripts for content 14:00 – From meeting → proposal in 30 minutes 15:00 – Lessons learned (AI is emergent)Where to Find Robbie:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbieallen/ACG: https://www.automated.co/Where to Find Scot Wingo: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/ Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/ X: https://x.com/scotwingo--- This episode of Triangle Tweener Talks is hosted by Scot Wingo, presented and produced by Triangle Tweener Fund, with creative assets and design support from Walk West. We couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors: Platinum: NC IDEA: https://ncidea.orgGold Sponsors: - Balentine: https://www.balentine.com/triangle-entrepreneurs - EisnerAmpner: https://www.eisneramper.com - Robinson Bradshaw: https://www.robinsonbradshaw.com  Silver Sponsors: - Automated Consulting Group: https://automated.co - Bank of America: https://business.bofa.com/en-us/content/technology-industry-group.html  ------Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/

We don’t break the NC-only rule often but when we do, there’s a good reason. Switchyards isn’t just an Atlanta story anymore. It is expanding into Raleigh and already operating in Durham, so Michael Tavani is building right here in the Triangle. That makes this one very much a local story.In this episode, Michael unpacks the story behind Switchyards. We dive into why Michael chose one of the hardest startup paths (consumer + physical), how he built a moat through difficulty, and why investors had to physically visit a club before writing a check.With Switchyards expanding into Raleigh, this conversation is especially relevant for founders thinking about category creation, brand, and building in the real world.Highlights CoveredWhy “coworking” is the wrong label: Switchyards positions itself as a consumer product, not office space, a “neighborhood work club” designed for flexibility, not full-time desks.The hardest startup combo: consumer + physical: Michael intentionally chose a path with high barriers to entry, creating long-term defensibility once scaled.Work is becoming a consumer decision: The shift from assigned offices to choice-driven environments was clear even pre-COVID and Switchyards was built around that insight.The “third place” opportunity: Not home, not office, Switchyards fills the gap as a social, productive environment people actually want to use.Fundraising lesson: make investors feel it: Switchyards requires in-person experience—every serious investor had to visit a location before investing.From unfocused to obsessed: Early versions of the business tried to do too much. Growth came from narrowing down to one clear concept and executing relentlessly.Switchyards is a reminder that some of the biggest opportunities are in rethinking the physical world, one neighborhood at a time.⏱️ Timestamps02:10 – Meet Michael Tavani and Switchyards 04:30 – Early career + entrepreneurial origin story 08:30 – First startup + meeting co-founder 10:00 – Raising money on Twitter (early experiment) 11:30 – Atlanta startup ecosystem + Scoutmob 13:00 – Why consumer + physical is so hard 15:00 – What Switchyards actually is 17:00 – The “third place” concept explained 19:00 – Building the first location 21:00 – Raleigh + Durham expansion strategy 22:00 – The “drop” playbook for memberships 25:00 – Pricing model ($100/month) 28:00 – What the space actually feels like 31:00 – Fundraising challenges + WeWork shadow 35:00 – Team str

Today, we’re launching something new under the NC Tweener Talks network. It’s called [Redacted]. Most AI content today is polished with clean demos, perfect workflows, and everything looks like it worked on the first try. But if you’ve actually built anything with AI, you know that’s not how it works. It’s messy. It breaks. It’s iterative - you build, then rebuild and then when you get it working, that’s what other ‘how I AI’ shows work. They never show you how the AI sausage is made. This show changes that. We’re going to show you the messy middle and in fact, as we’re doing this recording some of the first episodes, we found out that frequently some super-personal information of business secrets will be slung around as we record that needs to be….you guessed it…. REDACTED. Instead of deleting that part totally, we’re keeping it (redacted where appropriate) and showing you the steps in between that everyone else skips.The first episode sets the tone immediately and they jump straight into the work. Here’s what they get into:Rebuilding a core business workflow with AI: A complex event operations system that used to require a team gets rebuilt in about a weekA new way to build software: Moving from specs and tickets → to meetings, voice notes, and AI turning ideas directly into working codeTurning conversations into production-ready tools: How a single meeting becomes product requirements, then live features, in daysLetting AI handle the structure: Simplifying forms and workflows by allowing messy input and letting LLMs interpret it“Vibe coding” and how to actually make it work: Moving fast with AI while still building systems you can trustAI as infrastructure, not just a tool: Embedding AI into operations, not just using it for one-off tasksAutomating internal processes (like SOPs and reporting): Turning repeatable workflows into systems that run themselvesThe shift from teams → systems: How a ~$1M ARR business operates with a fraction of the headcount by rebuilding around AITrust, but verify: Building in checks, QA, and guardrails so AI output actually holds up in productionTimestamps00:00 – Welcome to [Redacted] + how the show came together 00:40 – Why most AI content is too polished (and what this show will do instead) 02:00 – The format: real “show and tell” from inside Offline 03:30 – Kicking off: rebuilding the events pipeline 04:30 – The old system vs. the new AI-driven approach 06:30 – Simplifying forms: less structure, more AI interpretation 08:30 – Building with Claude Code (and shipping fast) <str

In this episode of NC Tweener Talks, we share a talk from the first OpenClaw meetup in the Triangle, featuring Ryan EadeRyan’s talk walks through how he runs a 4-agent AI team off a single $24/month DigitalOcean droplet using OpenClaw for personal life management, content summaries, and software building.He goes over:His setupChannel strategyConfig patterns that matteredTwo products he’s built on topHis biggest three takeaways⏱️ Timestamps00:00 – Intro + Sponsors01:41 – OpenClaw Meetup Context + Speaker Intro02:35 – Ryan’s Starting Point: Personal Assistant Use Case04:00 – Real-World Use Cases (Fitness, Content, Daily Workflow)05:30 – Moving from Telegram → Slack for Better Context Management06:20 – Multi-Agent Setup (Splitting Roles + Reducing Confusion)08:00 – Memory Management + Context Strategies10:00 – Model Strategy + Managing Costs Across Agents11:00 – Building with OpenClaw (Task Management System)12:40 – Ephemeral UI Framework (Micro Apps Generated on the Fly)14:30 – Live Demo + Use Cases (Shopping Lists, Trackers, etc.)15:30 – Key Takeaways (Models, Cost, Structure)16:20 – Closing + ResourcesOpenClaw is a new way of structuring how work gets done, where agents, memory, and interfaces all start to blur into one continuous system.Where to Find Ryan:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryaneade/Front Porch Venture Partners: PtEverywhere: https://www.pteverywhere.com/Where to Find Scot Wingo: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/ Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/ X: https://x.com/scotwingo--- This episode of Triangle Tweener Talks is hosted by Scot Wingo, presented and produced by Triangle Tweener Fund, with creative assets and design support from Walk West. We couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors: Platinum: NC IDEA: https://ncidea.orgGold Sponsors: - Balentine: https://www.balentine.com/triangle-entrepreneurs - EisnerAmpner: https://www.eisneramper.com - Robinson Bradshaw: https://www.robinsonbradshaw.com  Silver Sponsors: - Automated Consulting Group: https://automated.co - Bank of America: https://business.bofa.com/en-us/content/technology-industry-group.html  ------Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/

Scot Wingo is a serial founder, General Partner at the NC Tweener Fund, and CEO of ReFiBuy. With decades of experience building and scaling companies in e-commerce and SaaS, he’s now focused on what it takes to win in the AI era.In this episode, recorded live at Raleigh-Durham Startup Week, Scot shares a framework he developed while fundraising: the 12 competitive moats that matter now and why most startups get this wrong. The core idea: You’re not building a product anymore, you’re building a fortress.HighlightsProprietary data is the #1 moat: In the AI era, data isn’t just helpful, it’s the strongest long-term defense.AI is accelerating the “SaaS unbundling” moment: Companies are replacing tools in weeks that used to take years to build.The real advantage comes from stacking moatsWorkflow is the new lock-in: Owning the workflow matters more than owning the UI. Domain expertise still matters, but only in narrow verticals: AI can handle broad knowledge. Real advantage comes from deep, niche expertise.System of record is still powerful, but under threat: Tools like CRMs remain sticky today, but AI could eventually replace even these. The best companies build data flywheels earlyVCs care about this more than everIf you don’t have a moat, build one intentionallyAI raised the bar for surviving. The founders who win won’t just move fast. They’ll build companies that are hard to catch.Timestamps00:00 – The most powerful moat in AI right now 00:44 – Intro to Tweener Talks + sponsors 02:05 – Why VCs are obsessed with moats 03:30 – From weak answers to a winning framework 09:00 – The SaaS “extinction event” underway 12:00 – Why building is easier and defending is harder 13:30 – Medieval castles and compounding moats 16:00 – The 12 modern moats explained 18:00 – Why proprietary data wins 20:00 – Data flywheels and reinforcement loops 21:30 – Workflow takeover strategy 25:00 – Business model innovation and pricing 27:00 – Brand, trust, and distribution 29:00 – Scale, speed, and execution 30:00 – System of record and lock-in 34:00 – Live founder moat critiques 47:00 – How to choose your moat strategy 52:00 – Final answer: which moat matters most Where to Find Scot Wingo: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/ Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/ X: https://x.com/scotwingo--- This episode of Triangle Tweener Talks is hosted by Scot Wingo, presented and produced by Triangle Tweener Fund, with creative assets and design support from Walk West. We couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors: Platinum: NC IDEA: https://ncidea.orgGold Sponsors: - Balentine: https://

In this episode of NC Tweener Talks, Scot Wingo shares a talk from the first OpenClaw meetup in the Triangle, featuring Corey Nida’s experiment in autonomous business creation.Corey explores a bold idea: what if AI agents could identify opportunities, build products, launch them, and optimize for revenue—without human intervention?From scraping Reddit for ideas to deploying MVPs and tracking real user behavior, this talk breaks down the architecture, challenges, and surprising early results of an AI-powered “startup factory.”If you’re curious about agentic systems, AI-driven development, or the future of entrepreneurship, this is a must-listen.Highlights The concept of an AI-powered autonomous startup engine How agents identify, validate, and build business ideas from scratch  The architecture: orchestrator, researcher, builder, marketer, and more  Why speed to failure is critical, and how AI accelerates it  Real-world experiment results: launching multiple products per day  Lessons on memory management, cost control, and system design The role of “taste” in an AI-driven product world  Security risks (and surprises) when giving agents real-world access  Early traction: generating revenue from AI-built MVPs Timestamps00:00 – Intro + NC Tweener Talks overview 01:30 – OpenClaw meetup recap and context 02:30 – Corey Nida’s experiment: AI building businesses 04:00 – Vision: autonomous agents creating products 05:00 – The goal: $10K/month from AI-generated businesses 06:00 – System architecture: orchestrator + agent roles 07:30 – Startup philosophy: speed to failure 08:30 – Agent roles: research, marketing, engineering, customer 10:00 – Pipeline: idea → validation → build → launch 11:30 – Tech stack + rapid MVP development approach 12:30 – Launch + marketing via bots and social platforms 13:30 – Real-world deployment + user interaction insights 15:00 – Lessons learned: memory, cost, scaling challenges 15:45 – Early results: revenue from AI-built products 16:10 – Closing thoughts + experiment takeawaysWhere to Find Corey Nida: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreynida/Where to Find Scot Wingo: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/ Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/ X: https://x.com/scotwingo--- This episode of Triangle Tweener Talks is hosted by Scot Wingo, presented and produced by Triangle Tweener Fund, with creative assets and design support from W

We’ve made it to the final. After dozens of applicants, weeks of competition, and some tough calls along the way, it all comes down to this: Two startups. One decision. One $25K investment from the NC Tweener Fund.This year’s final is a contrast in almost every way.HAM is building for the future of software.Druid AgTech is building for the backbone of the physical world.One is pure AI infrastructure. The other is hardware + software grounded in real-world systems. Both are betting on massive markets. Both are early. Both are convincing.🧠 What you’ll see in this episode:AI vs. IRL: Software scale vs. physical-world defensibilitySpeed vs. traction: Fast-moving markets vs. proven executionMoat matters more at the finish line: Especially in crowded AI categoriesHardware is hard, but sticky: Barriers to entry can work in your favorPricing strategy matters: Undervaluing software can limit upsideMarket size isn’t enough: Focus and positioning decide outcomes👇 Featuring the Exceptional 8 Selection Committee:Robbie Allen – Serial AI founder & GP at NC Tweener FundCameron Walker – Operator across Pixar, Twitter, Google + LPScot Wingo – Serial founder & GP at NC Tweener Fund⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 — Welcome to Tweener Madness Championship 00:43 — Championship Intro + Final Two 02:04 — Meet the Judges04:50 — HAM Pitch 13:20 — HAM Q&A25:44 — Druid AgTech Pitch 32:30 — Druid Q&A45:40 — Judges Feedback Begins 45:45 — Feedback on HAM 46:58 — Feedback on Druid51:10 — Final Decision Discussion 53:07 — Winner Revealed (Druid AgTech) 55:00 — Closing + Community Thanks🎯 About Tweener MadnessTweener Madness is run by the NC Tweener Fund, Powered by NC IDEA and showcases top startups from across North Carolina. The winner receives a $25,000 investment and statewide exposure.--- Tweener Madness is hosted by Scot Wingo, run by NC Tweener Fund, Powered by NC IDEA, and brought to life by Walk West, who leads production and podcast creation.We couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors: Platinum: NC IDEA: https://ncidea.orgGold Sponsors: - Balentine: https://www.balentine.com/triangle-entrepreneurs - EisnerAmpner: https://www.eisneramper.com - Robinson Bradshaw: https://www.robinsonbradshaw.com  Silver Sponsors: - Automated Consulting Group: https://automated.co  ------Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/

The second matchup of the Fabulous 4 is here This is where things shift. The ideas are sharper. The stakes are higher. And every decision starts to look a lot more like a real investment call.Druid Agriculture is building technology to modernize farming and food production, while Marla Amplification is building handcrafted, American-made music equipment.One is tackling a global systems problem. The other is rebuilding a category through craftsmanship and community.We’ve got two physical-world businesses with two totally different paths.🧠 What you’ll see in this episode:Traction matters, but real-world use cases matter moreHardware businesses face different scaling challengesB2B vs. B2C paths create very different venture outcomes 👇 Featuring the Fab 4 Selection Committee:Zakiya Alta Lee-Hill (Principal, IDEA Fund partners)Greg Boone (CEO of Walk West)Carly Connell (Principal at BCVP)👉 Subscribe for more episodes as we move through the bracket👉 Follow along as we go from the Exceptional 8 → Fantastic 4 → Championship⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 — Welcome 00:45 — Intro 01:45 — Druid Pitch 04:15 — Druid Q&A 14:20 — Marla Pitch 19:30 — Marla Q&A 33:00 — Deliberation 38:20 — Winner🎯 About Tweener MadnessTweener Madness is run by the NC Tweener Fund, Powered by NC IDEA and showcases top startups from across North Carolina. The winner receives a $25,000 investment and statewide exposure.--- Tweener Madness is hosted by Scot Wingo, run by NC Tweener Fund, Powered by NC IDEA, and brought to life by Walk West, who leads production and podcast creation.We couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors: Platinum: NC IDEA: https://ncidea.orgGold Sponsors: - Balentine: https://www.balentine.com/triangle-entrepreneurs - EisnerAmpner: https://www.eisneramper.com - Robinson Bradshaw: https://www.robinsonbradshaw.com  Silver Sponsors: - Automated Consulting Group: https://automated.co  ------Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/

We’re down to the Fabulous 4. Four startups. Two matchups. One step closer to the $25K investment from the NC Tweener Fund.This is where things shift. The ideas are sharper. The stakes are higher. And every decision starts to look a lot more like a real investment call.Utilyst is building deep infrastructure software for utilities. HAM is building lightweight AI tooling for developers. One is grounded in physical systems and regulation. The other is riding the fastest-moving wave in tech. Two B2B plays. Two completely different paths to scale.🧠 What you’ll see in this episode: AI cost is becoming a real problem → efficiency is the next wave Clear problem vs. massive market defined the matchup Investors want dollar impact, not just features Speed + scale potential won this round👇 Featuring the Exceptional 8 Selection Committee:Zakiya Alta Lee-Hill (Principal, IDEA Fund partners)Greg Boone (CEO of Walk West)Carly Connell (Principal at BCVP)👉 Subscribe for more episodes as we move through the bracket👉 Follow along as we go from the Exceptional 8 → Fantastic 4 → Championship⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 — Welcome to Tweener Madness 00:45 — Fabulous 4 Intro: Utilist vs. HAM 08:10 — Utilist Pitch 13:00 — Utilist Q&A 23:05 — HAM Pitch 26:00 — HAM Q&A 33:00 — Judges Feedback Begins 33:10 — Feedback on Utilist 35:00 — Feedback on HAM 39:30 — Final Decision (Winner Revealed)🎯 About Tweener MadnessTweener Madness is run by the NC Tweener Fund, Powered by NC IDEA and showcases top startups from across North Carolina. The winner receives a $25,000 investment and statewide exposure.--- Tweener Madness is hosted by Scot Wingo, run by NC Tweener Fund, Powered by NC IDEA, and brought to life by Walk West, who leads production and podcast creation.We couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors: Platinum: NC IDEA: https://ncidea.orgGold Sponsors: - Balentine: https://www.balentine.com/triangle-entrepreneurs - EisnerAmpner: https://www.eisneramper.com - Robinson Bradshaw: https://www.robinsonbradshaw.com  Silver Sponsors: - Automated Consulting Group: https://automated.co  ------Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/

Round 4 of Tweener Madness is here and it’s the final matchup of the Exceptional 8. Marla Amplification vs. Build-A-BookieOne is building American-made hardware for musicians. The other is building a social platform that reimagines betting without money.Both are consumer-focused. Both are founder-driven. But only one moves forward.🧠 What you’ll see in this episode: A consumer hardware company scaling U.S.-based manufacturing  A sports tech platform gamifying predictions without financial risk  Live investor Q&A and real feedback  The tension between venture-scale returns vs. mission-driven businesses👇 Featuring the Exceptional 8 Selection Committee: - Jan Davis - RTP Angel Fund / Triangle Angel Partners  - Robbie Hardy - Accel Ventures  - Jen Summe - Primordial Ventures 👉 Subscribe for more episodes as we move through the bracket👉 Follow along as we go from the Exceptional 8 → Fantastic 4 → Championship⏱️ Timestamps00:00 — Welcome to Tweener Madness 00:45 — Round 4 Intro: Marla Amplification vs. Build-A-Bookie 01:15 — Marla Amplification Pitch 06:20 — Marla Amplification Q&A 18:00 — Build-A-Bookie Pitch 22:00 — Build-A-Bookie Q&A 30:00 — Judges Feedback Begins 30:10 — Feedback on Marla Amplification 32:00 — Feedback on Build-A-Bookie 33:30 — Debate: Venture vs. Lifestyle Business 35:00 — Final Decision (Winner Revealed)🎯 About Tweener MadnessTweener Madness is run by the NC Tweener Fund, Powered by NC IDEA and showcases top startups from across North Carolina. The winner receives a $25,000 investment and statewide exposure.--- Tweener Madness is hosted by Scot Wingo, run by NC Tweener Fund, Powered by NC IDEA, and brought to life by Walk West, who leads production and podcast creation.We couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors: Platinum: NC IDEA: https://ncidea.orgGold Sponsors: - Balentine: https://www.balentine.com/triangle-entrepreneurs - EisnerAmpner: https://www.eisneramper.com - Robinson Bradshaw: https://www.robinsonbradshaw.com  Silver Sponsors: - Automated Consulting Group: https://automated.co  ------Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/

Round 3 of Tweener Madness is here. With a spot in the next round on the line, Druid Agriculture and HuVia Technologies go head-to-head in a high-stakes pitch battle.One is building real-time infrastructure to help farmers monitor and manage crops remotely. The other is creating an AI-powered coaching platform to improve how interpreters (and eventually other professions) develop skills over time.Both are ambitious. Both are tackling real-world problems. But only one moves forward.🧠 What you’ll see in this episode:- An agtech startup bringing visibility + automation to farming- An edtech platform using AI to guide workforce development- Live investor Q&A and unfiltered feedback- Where clarity, traction, and storytelling make (or break) a pitch👇 Featuring the Exceptional 8 Selection Committee: - Jan Davis - RTP Angel Fund / Triangle Angel Partners  - Robbie Hardy - Accel Ventures  - Jen Summe - Primordial Ventures 👉 Subscribe for more episodes as we move through the bracket👉 Follow along as we go from the Exceptional 8 → Fantastic 4 → Championship00:00 — Welcome to Tweener Madness00:45 — Round 3 Intro: Druid Agriculture vs. HuVia Technologies01:15 — Druid Agriculture Pitch06:20 — Druid Agriculture Q&A15:30 — HuVia Technologies Pitch18:00 — HuVia Technologies Q&A27:20 — Judges Feedback Begins27:30 — Feedback on Druid Agriculture29:50 — Feedback on HuVia Technologies31:00 — Pitch Lessons (Clarity, Slides, Storytelling)31:30 — Final Decision (Winner Revealed)🎯 About Tweener MadnessTweener Madness is run by the NC Tweener Fund, Powered by NC IDEA and showcases top startups from across North Carolina. The winner receives a $25,000 investment and statewide exposure.--- Tweener Madness is hosted by Scot Wingo, run by NC Tweener Fund, Powered by NC IDEA, and brought to life by Walk West, who leads production and podcast creation.We couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors: Platinum: NC IDEA: https://ncidea.orgGold Sponsors: - Balentine: https://www.balentine.com/triangle-entrepreneurs - EisnerAmpner: https://www.eisneramper.com - Robinson Bradshaw: https://www.robinsonbradshaw.com  Silver Sponsors: - Automated Consulting Group: https://automated.co  ------Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/

Round 2 of Tweener Madness is here. With a spot in the next round on the line, Iguana Cyber and HAM (Hierarchical Agent Memory) go head-to-head in a high-stakes pitch battle.One is building next-gen cybersecurity to stop AI-driven exploits. The other is helping engineering teams cut AI costs and improve performance. Both are technical. Both are ambitious. But only one moves forward.🧠 What you’ll see in this episode: A cybersecurity startup tackling unknown AI threats  An AI infrastructure company optimizing token usage and cost  Live investor Q&A and real feedback  What founders get wrong (and right) when pitching technical products👇 Featuring the Round 2 Selection Committee: Jan Davis - RTP Angel Fund / Triangle Angel Partners  Robbie Hardy - Accel Ventures  Jen Summe - Primordial Ventures 👉 Subscribe for more episodes as we move through the bracket👉 Follow along as we go from the Exceptional 8 → Fantastic 4 → Championship⏱️ Timestamps00:00 — Welcome to Tweener Madness 00:45 — Round 2 Intro: Iguana Cyber vs. HAM01:15 — Iguana Cyber Pitch06:20 — Iguana Cyber Q&A15:30 — HAM Pitch18:00 — HAM Q&A27:20 — Judges Feedback Begins27:30 — Feedback on Iguana Cyber29:50 — Feedback on HAM31:00 — Pitch Lessons (Clarity, Jargon, Slides)31:30 — Final Decision (Winner Revealed)🎯 About Tweener MadnessTweener Madness is run by the NC Tweener Fund, Powered by NC IDEA and showcases top startups from across North Carolina. The winner receives a $25,000 investment and statewide exposure.--- Tweener Madness is hosted by Scot Wingo, run by NC Tweener Fund, Powered by NC IDEA, and brought to life by Walk West, who leads production and podcast creation.We couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors: Platinum: NC IDEA: https://ncidea.orgGold Sponsors: - Balentine: https://www.balentine.com/triangle-entrepreneurs - EisnerAmpner: https://www.eisneramper.com - Robinson Bradshaw: https://www.robinsonbradshaw.com  Silver Sponsors: - Automated Consulting Group: https://automated.co  ------Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/

8 founders. One bracket. $25,000 on the line. Welcome to Tweener Madness 2026, the high-stakes startup competition where North Carolina’s most promising companies go head-to-head.In this Round 1 matchup, Utilyst and BeneDoc step into the arena to pitch their businesses to a panel of experienced investors. Each founder has one shot to make their case, answer tough questions, and prove they deserve to advance.One moves on. One goes home.🧠 What you’ll see in this episode: A power infrastructure startup tackling knowledge loss in utilities  A healthtech company rethinking regulatory workflows with AI  Live investor Q&A and real-time feedback  Behind-the-scenes judge deliberation (what actually matters in a pitch) 👇 Featuring the Round 1 Selection Committee: Jan Davis - RTP Angel Fund / Triangle Angel Partners  Robbie Hardy - Accel Ventures  Jen Summe - Primordial Ventures 👉 Subscribe for more episodes as we move through the bracket👉 Follow along as we go from the Exceptional 8 → Fantastic 4 → Championship⏱️ Timestamps00:00 — Welcome to Tweener Madness  00:45 — Meet the Selection Committee  03:05 — Format + What’s new this year  05:05 — Matchup Intro: Utilyst vs. BeneDoc  05:35 — Utilyst Pitch  10:30 — Utilyst Q&A with Judges  20:40 — BeneDoc Pitch  26:15 — BeneDoc Q&A with Judges  40:00 — Judges Deliberation Begins  41:10 — Feedback on Utilyst  43:10 — Feedback on BeneDoc  46:20 — Pitch Lessons + What stood out  49:05 — Final Decision (Winner Revealed)🎯 About Tweener MadnessTweener Madness is run by the NC Tweener Fund, Powered by NC IDEA and showcases top startups from across North Carolina. The winner receives a $25,000 investment and statewide exposure.--- Tweener Madness is hosted by Scot Wingo, run by NC Tweener Fund, Powered by NC IDEA, and brought to life by Walk West, who leads production and podcast creation.We couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors: Platinum: NC IDEA: https://ncidea.orgGold Sponsors: - Balentine: https://www.balentine.com/triangle-entrepreneurs - EisnerAmpner: https://www.eisneramper.com - Robinson Bradshaw: https://www.robinsonbradshaw.com  Silver Sponsors: - Automated Consulting Group: https://automated.co  ------Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/

This episode kicks off Season 2 of Tweener Madness and sets the stage for what’s ahead. You’ll get:The evolution of Tweener (from list → fund → statewide platform)Why this competition exists (and why founders love it)How the bracket worksWhat judges are actually looking forAnd of course… the reveal of all 8 competing companiesThis isn’t just a competition. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at how early-stage investors think.🔥 What Were the Biggest Takeaways From the Selection Show?Tweener officially expands statewide with NC IDEA partnership$4M investment from NC IDEA fuels the next phase50+ startups applied from across North CarolinaFocus on venture-scale, IP-driven companies (not lifestyle businesses)Real investor judges, real feedback, real decisionsFounders iterate pitches throughout the competitionEpisodes drop starting March 31, leading to a live championshipThe stage is set. The pitches are ready. Now it’s time to see who can rise above the rest.Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome to Tweener Madness 2026 00:40 – Tweener origin story (List → Fund → Media) 02:40 – NC IDEA partnership + statewide expansion 04:00 – Why founders love this format 05:00 – Sponsors + ecosystem support 06:20 – Meet the judges 10:10 – How the bracket works 12:00 – Selection criteria explained 15:20 – What didn’t make the cut (and why) 17:40 – The Exceptional 8 revealed 22:20 – Bracket matchups 23:30 – What’s next + episode schedule--- This episode of Tweener Talks is hosted by Scot Wingo, presented and produced by NC Tweener Fund, with creative assets and design support from Walk West. We couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors: Platinum: NC IDEA: https://ncidea.orgGold Sponsors: - Balentine: https://www.balentine.com/triangle-entrepreneurs - EisnerAmpner: https://www.eisneramper.com - Robinson Bradshaw: https://www.robinsonbradshaw.com  Silver Sponsors: - Automated Consulting Group: https://automated.co - Bank of America: https://business.bofa.com/en-us/content/technology-industry-group.html  ------Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/

What does a go-to-market engineer actually do, and why is this role suddenly showing up everywhere?In this episode, we unpack one of the fastest-evolving roles in modern startups. Evan shares how he went from using ChatGPT as a college student and new BDR to helping build AI-powered systems inside one of the Triangle’s best-known software companies.The conversation covers how AI is changing outbound sales, why intent signals matter more than generic research, how tools like Clay, Cursor, Cloud Code, Lovable, n8n, and Supabase fit into a modern GTM stack, and why great go-to-market engineering is about making humans better, not replacing them.Highlights CoveredWhat a go-to-market engineer is and why the role is growing fastHow Evan turned experimentation as a BDR into a new AI-focused role at PendoWhy intent signals + research create stronger outbound outreach than either one aloneHow Pendo uses AI to make BDRs faster, more focused, and more effectiveThe difference between SDR inbound signals and BDR outbound signalsHow tools like Clay help enrich leads, personalize messages, and trigger outreach quicklyWhy the CRM still matters as the source of truth in an AI-heavy workflowHow Evan builds internal dashboards using Salesforce, Supabase, Lovable, n8n, and Cloud CodeWhy GTM engineering is likely to split into multiple specialties over timeHow AI can increase sales productivity without replacing the people doing the workIf you’re a founder, operator, or revenue leader trying to understand where AI fits into your go-to-market motion, this episode is a practical look at what that future already looks like inside a fast-moving North Carolina company.Timestamps:05:05 — Meet Evan Inscoe from Pendo08:05 — Evan’s background and discovering AI early10:28 — What a BDR actually does13:04 — How Evan created his own path into GTM engineering16:29 — What the go-to-market engineer role looked like at the start19:05 — Breaking down the BDR workflow21:40 — Where Pendo is today after nine months of GTM engineering23:00 — How Pendo uses Clay24:45 — What counts as an intent signal26:00 — Inbound vs outbound signals31:00 — Why CRM still matters35:20 — Measuring impact and efficiency gains36:00 — Building dashboards with Lovable, Supabase, and n8n42:35 — Tools Evan recommends most43:40 — Driving adoption across the team45:20 — Where GTM engineering is headed next48:00 — Why AI won’t replace BDRs48:45 — Evan’s next big projectWhere to Find Scot Wingo:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.

This episode is a special one. We’re replaying NC IDEA’s Ecosysteming Podcast episode featuring Scot and Robbie following the announcement of the new North Carolina Tweener Fund, powered by NC IDEA. (Check out the announcement.) The conversation covers the “why” behind the partnership, how the Tweener model works, why statewide startup data matters, how founders can connect with the fund, and why this effort could attract even more outside capital into North Carolina. It’s part ecosystem strategy, part founder playbook, and part invitation to think bigger about what’s possible for startups across the state.Highlights coveredNC IDEA and the formerly Triangle-focused Tweener Fund have joined forces to create the North Carolina Tweener Fund powered by NC IDEA. The partnership expands the Tweener model from the Triangle to all of North CarolinaRobbie shares his own story of receiving an NC IDEA grant in 2009 and how that support helped launch his startup journeyScot explains the origin of the Tweener List and how it became the foundation for the fund’s index-style approachThe fund is designed to invest in a basket of promising North Carolina startups, helping reduce risk through diversificationThe discussion reinforces the idea that North Carolina has a uniquely broad startup base across sectors like AI, healthtech, agtech, aviation, manufacturing, ecommerce, and moreThom Ruhe highlights how better startup data helps ecosystem builders, policymakers, and funders make smarter decisionsScot and Robbie explain how increased visibility and deal activity can help pull more outside capital into the stateFounders are encouraged to reach out directly, the approach is intentionally founder-friendly and operator-ledThe episode also outlines how accredited investors can participate, including through AngelList and, in some cases, retirement vehicles like self-directed IRAsNorth Carolina’s startup ecosystem has been building toward this moment for years, and this conversation makes one thing clear: the next chapter is going to be bigger, broader, and more connected than ever.Timestamps:2:00 – Thom Ruhe introduces the episode and announces the NC Tweener Fund powered by NC IDEA2:49 – Scot and Robbie react to the early excitement around the statewide expansion4:00 – Why the NC IDEA and Tweener relationship makes sense from an ecosystem perspective6:17 – Thom explains the bigger mission: c

In this episode, we unpack how a college capstone project turned into a scalable system for custom-fit 3D-printed bracing, moving from “hours in CAD” to minutes with automated design templates. We get into the origin story, the technology moat, go-to-market evolution, fundraising, and the founder mindset required to stay in the game.Highlights coveredHow PROTECT3D started with a custom brace for a Duke teammateWhy “one-size-fits-none” is the real problem in bracingThe core workflow: iPhone scan → automated digital design → 3D printHow they reduced design time from 5+ hours to under 5 minutesMaterial/printing approaches and why they use multiple technologiesScaling from sports to insurance-reimbursable clinical productsExpansion into military / defense applications via non-dilutive fundingFounder lessons: failing fast, surviving COVID-era building, and gritKevin’s advice to younger founders: keep going, the grind is the gameCustom-fit should be the norm, and PROTECT3D is building the rails to make that possible at scale. If you’re a founder working at the intersection of software + real-world manufacturing, this one is packed with practical lessons and a lot of heart.Timestamps:00:04:29 — Kevin’s background: Greensboro → Duke mechanical engineering + football00:05:43 — The spark: 3D-printing a custom brace for an injured teammate00:06:37 — “One-size-fits-none”: why off-the-shelf bracing fails most bodies00:10:23 — Turning it into a real company through Duke I vision for clinical-scale bracing00:38:30 — New channel: “at-home” scanning + direct-to-consumer experiments00:41:18 — Kevin’s message to young founders: keep at it, the grind doesn’t stopWhere to Find Kevin Gehsmann:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-gehsmann/Front PROTECT3D: <a

This episode is a big one. There’s a lot of noise right now around AI, venture, and whether SaaS is fundamentally broken. Public markets are re-rating software companies. Seed rounds are shifting. Pricing models are changing. And founders are asking the same question:“Are we toast?”Joe Mancini from Front Porch is in a unique position to answer that. His firm sits inside dozens of funds and startups across the Southeast and beyond. He sees what’s working, and what’s not, in real time. So we dug into the thesis behind their “SaaS is Dead” piece, what it actually means, and what founders should be doing right now.Highlights coveredWhy SaaS is being re-rated in public marketsWhether this is permanent or cyclicalAI-native vs. AI-immigrant companiesThe collapse (and split) of the traditional “seed” roundWhy vertical SaaS may explode in this eraHow founders should think about churn in the AI eraInternal resistance to AI adoption (and why it’s dangerous)What venture firms are actually looking for right nowThe next decade belongs to founders who deeply understand their vertical, obsess over customer value, and move fast enough to build moats before the standards settle.Timestamps:07:00 – From sports radio to venture capital10:30 – The hybrid fund model explained16:50 – Why they wrote “Yes, SaaS Is Dead”18:00 – The SaaS public market re-rating21:00 – The split in seed investing23:30 – AI-native vs AI-immigrant companies27:00 – The 3-layer cycle of every tech revolution30:00 – The 2x2: where opportunity lives now33:00 – Why vertical beats horizontal right now38:00 – Internal AI adoption is non-optional39:30 – The shift from seat pricing to performance pricing51:00 – What actually counts as a moat in AIWhere to Find Joe Mancini:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpmancini/Front Porch Venture Partners: https://www.frontporchvp.com/Where to Find Scot Wingo: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/ Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/ X: https://x.com/scotwingo--- This episode of Triangle Tweener Talks is hosted by Scot Wingo, presented and produced by Triangle Tweener Fund, with creative assets and design support from Walk West. We couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors: Platinum: NC IDEA: https://ncidea.orgGold Sponsors: - Balentine: https://www.balentine.com/triangle-entrepreneurs - EisnerAmpner: https://www.eisneramper.com - Robinson Br

We started the Tweener List in 2015 with the idea of local founders paying it forward to help amplify and support our local startup ecosystem. Based on the popularity of that list and a grassroots effort to innovate a new way to help fund and support local founders, in 2022 we started the Tweener Fund.That’s good, but it’s not enough. We’re always asking the community of founders we support - what else can we do to help you grow your companies, raise capital, provide more resources, enhance the community, etc. So, in the last two years we launched numerous community facing resources, including Tweener Talks.What’s Next? 👉 NC Tweener Fund, Powered by NC IDEA! In this episode, Scot and Robbie hit the highlights of our newest adventure:Expanding geography from Triangle to NC (strategy and everything else stays consistent)Increasing our investment $/Q - that means more companies will be supportedBigger pool of potential investors (LPs)We'll be expanding our events, content and moreStay tuned for future news!Timestamps:00:32 – Big Announcement: Becoming the North Carolina Tweener Fund (Powered by NC IDEA)00:53 – The Origin Story: Tweener List (2015)01:28 – Launch of the Tweener Fund (2022)01:35 – Expansion into Founder Content (Tweener Times, Tweener Talks, Community Hub)03:52 – Robby’s NC IDEA Grant Story (2009)04:36 – Why the NC IDEA Partnership Makes Sense05:08 – Expanding Beyond the Triangle to All of North Carolina06:07 – What Qualifies as a North Carolina06:53 – Increasing Investments Per Quarter07:22 – What’s NOT Changing (Commitment + Triangle HQ)08:32 – Breaking Down NC Regions09:40 – PitchBook Data: Where NC Startups Are Located10:23 – Geographic Diversification Strategy Going Forward11:21 – How to Get Involved (Investors + Sponsors)12:26 – Thank You + Official Welcome to the NC Tweener Fund Era--- This episode of Triangle Tweener Talks is hosted by Scot Wingo, presented and produced by Triangle Tweener Fund, with creative assets and design support from Walk West. We couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors: Platinum: NC IDEA: https://ncidea.org Gold Sponsors: - Balentine: https://www.balentine.com/triangle-entrepreneurs - EisnerAmpner: https://www.eisneramper.com - Robinson Bradshaw: https://www.robinsonbradshaw.com  Silver Sponsors: - Automated Consulting Group: https://automated.co - Bank of America: https://business.bofa.com/en-us/content/technology-industry-group.html  ------Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/

In this episode of Triangle Tweener Talks, we unpack what it really takes to go from professor to CEO, how InsightFinder built trust in a skeptical enterprise market, and where LLMs help (and don’t) when you’re dealing with machine telemetry data. They also explore multi-agent workflows, “composite AI,” practical enterprise adoption hurdles, and Helen’s advice for students navigating an AI-shaped future.Highlights coveredHelen’s origin story: NASA Pathfinder work → distributed systems reliability → ML-based predictionThe Google chapter: being invited to evaluate anomaly-detection algorithms with SRE teamsBootstrapping InsightFinder via NSF/SBIR funding + early angels, before raising traditional VCThe professor-to-CEO transition: prioritization over “balance,” and learning to adapt dailyWhy founders should lead early sales (especially when the product is new-to-the-world)How InsightFinder runs enterprise PoCs using a “replay mechanism” on historical incidents“Composite AI” + using LLMs to translate technical insights into understandable narrativesIf you’ve ever wondered what “AI that actually works” looks like in the enterprise, and how a research-driven founder earns trust at Fortune scale, this one’s a must-listen.Timestamps00:02:12 — Intro to Helen + what InsightFinder does00:04:32 — Helen’s background at NC State00:05:49 — Google discovers the research00:06:24 — NSF/SBIR bootstrap + company start00:07:10 — Early ML roots (since 2000)00:08:54 — NASA Pathfinder origin story00:12:03 — Teaching + student questions evolving00:13:28 — Student → PhD → InsightFinder spark00:14:36 — Professor + CEO time management00:17:39 — Learning sales as a founder00:21:24 — Funding path: SBIR + angels + first VC00:22:44 — IDEA Fund connection story00:24:19 — LLM era impact + “composite AI”00:26:45 — LLMs as the interface layer00:28:20 — Plain-English explanation of InsightFinder00:31:04 — Agent workflows (Jira, probing, reports)00:32:31 — Multi-agent + SLM orchestration00:35:32 — PoCs: dogfood + replay mechanism00:37:41 — How early detection works (hours ahead)00:39:00 — Series B + scaling go-to-market00:43:00 — LLMs: maturity + “last mile” problem00:45:30 — Fine-tuning + trust risks00:47:14 — Advice for students + fundamentals#TriangleTwe

In Part 1 of this conversation on Triangle Tweener Talks, we walked through how David built Offline over 13 years, three companies, multiple pivots, and a subscription model that finally worked.In Part 2, we shift gears. This episode is about leverage. David breaks down how he went from running a ~34-person team to operating a multi-city business with ~2.5 people, not by cutting corners, but by rebuilding the company around AI-first systems, orchestration, and context-aware automation.This is not “AI news.” This is how a founder is actually using AI day to day.Highlights from Part 2AI adoption started as a “copywriting intern,” not a silver bulletThe biggest fork: people who learned how to talk to models vs. people who gave upThe real unlock came when David built his first full-stack app himselfTools like Cursor and Cloud Code collapsed the barrier between idea and executionOffline stopped adding features to a monolith, and started building around itn8n became the orchestration layer that glued everything togetherMost business problems don’t need apps, they need glue codeAI SDRs fail today because context is fragmented and CRMs are a messThe right approach is decomposing SDR work into atomic stepsContext windows are the real constraint, not intelligenceDavid now runs a personal “Chief of Staff” GitHub repo with 70–80 skillsThe company itself is slowly becoming a file system agents can read and write fromIf you’re thinking about automation, agents, or headcount, this one will change how you think about all three.Where to Find David Shaner:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidshaner/Offline Media: https://www.letsgetoffline.com/Where to Find Scot Wingo: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/ Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/ X: https://x.com/scotwingoTimestamps00:00–02:30 – Why Part 2 matters02:30–06:00 – Phase 1: AI as a copywriting intern06:00–10:00 – Phase 2: coding, Cursor, and the “hit by a bus” moment10:00–13:00 – Why founders need to build something themselves13:00–17:00 – Orchestration layers and why n8n won17:00–21:00 – Why AI SDRs mostly don’t work yet21:00–24:30 – Context windows, atomic steps, and agent design24:30–27:30 – Debugging workflows like a human27:30–31:30 – How Offline reduced headcount without losing velocity31:30–36:00 – Self-service platforms for restaurants and events36:00–39:30 – Cloud Code, skill files, and th

This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. In this episode, we focus on Offline’s origin story and business evolution, not AI (yet).Highlights from Part 1Offline has effectively been three different companies under one brandEarly versions tried to reinvent Meetup, and failedA city-guide app reached ~3M people/month but couldn’t monetizeConsumer businesses can look successful while quietly breakingSubscription was the first model that truly workedRestaurants don’t want “deal seekers”, they want incremental revenueOffline works because it optimizes excess capacity, not discountsCOVID forced a near-shutdown, and a total rethink of operationsToday, Offline runs across 10 cities with ~600 restaurants and ~10,000 subscribersMost founders only hear about the winning version of a company. This episode shows the cost of getting there: years of pivots, wrong turns, false confidence, and learning, sometimes the hard way, how markets actually work.Offline didn’t succeed because of a clever growth hack. It survived because David kept learning, iterating, and refusing to confuse traction with sustainability.Where to Find David Shaner:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidshaner/Offline Media: https://www.letsgetoffline.com/Where to Find Scot Wingo: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/ Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/ X: https://x.com/scotwingoTimestamps00:00–02:30 – Introduction & what this two-part series will cover02:30–05:30 – David’s background, NC State, and discovering entrepreneurship05:30–08:00 – The original idea: human connection in a screen-first world08:00–11:30 – Era 1: trying (and failing) to reinvent Meetup11:30–13:30 – Era 2: city guides, millions of users, zero monetization13:30–15:40 – Era 3: subscriptions finally click15:40–17:30 – COVID, near shutdown, and survival17:30–23:30 – Why restaurants accept discounts (the airplane seat analogy)23:30–25:30 – Why Groupon failed restaurants — and why Offline didn’t25:30–44:00 – Productivity, systems thinking, and process obsession44:00–45:10 – W

Part 2 picks up where the origin story ends, and where the real work begins.Tony breaks down the three phases of Phononic: proving the science, surviving productization, and ultimately finding the market where solid-state cooling wasn’t just better, but mission-critical. It’s a candid look at why deep-tech companies require patience, capital discipline, and brutal focus to survive.This is the episode for founders navigating scale, manufacturing, or markets that don’t yet exist.Highlights from Part 2The three semiconductor problems Phononic had to solve, togetherWhy feasibility took ~$10–15M before a real product even existedThe hidden cost of productization (and why Phase 2 was the most dangerous)Why Phononic nearly spread itself too thin across HVAC, cold chain, and data centers“Market → product fit” vs. product → market fitThe moment AI and accelerated computing changed everythingWhy data centers became Phononic’s core focusLicensing non-core markets instead of shutting them downTony’s three most important lessons for founders building outside Silicon ValleyPhononic’s story isn’t about chasing trends, it’s about surviving long enough for timing, technology, and market need to finally align.For founders building deep tech, Part 2 is a reminder: focus is strategy, patience is power, and big outcomes demand big ambition.Where to Find Tony Atti:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-atti-ph-d-316483/TradePending: https://phononic.com/Where to Find Scot Wingo: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/ Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/ X: https://x.com/scotwingoTimestamps:05:55 — Back in conversation: “layman’s version of the 3 problems”06:06 — The 3 fundamentals: material science, semiconductor processing, packaging07:40 — The 3 metrics that matter: coldness, electricity consumed, work/heat pumped per area08:31 — Doing university partnerships “right the first time” (no cap table traps)09:35 — Key insight: academia solved pieces separately; Phononic integrated all 309:47 — First chips built on Centennial Campus; early build process vs today’s automation10:36 — Cost to f

In this episode (Part 1), we cover the origin story. Tony walks through the decisions, failures, and inflection points that led to Phononic’s founding: leaving the Northeast for graduate school at USC, working on applied energy systems at JPL during the Mars rover era, and learning painful but formative lessons from a university spin-out that didn’t work.Then comes the moment you can’t script. In the fall of 2008, while the global financial system is actively collapsing, Tony presents a research thesis on why semiconductors transformed everything except cooling. He walks out that same day with a term sheet and a $2M commitment to found Phononic.Highlights from Part 1Growing up blue-collar in Buffalo and why that shaped Tony’s leadership styleThe career-defining decision to leave the Northeast for USCWhat JPL teaches you about rigor, testing, and humilityWhy most university spin-outs struggle with equity alignmentHow venture capital experience sharpened Tony’s founder instinctsWhy cooling is the last unsolved semiconductor frontierFounding Phononic the day Lehman collapsedWhy the Triangle, and NC State’s Centennial Campus, won as Phononic’s homeWhere to Find Tony Atti:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-atti-ph-d-316483/TradePending: https://phononic.com/Where to Find Scot Wingo: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/ Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/ X: https://x.com/scotwingoTimestamps:01:40 — Scot tees up why Tony is a “special treat” + why Phononic matters in the Triangle03:50 — Travel / frequent flyer miles (4M miles + recent global sprint)05:10 — Why Phononic is a “quiet deep tech giant” more people should know05:23 — Tony background: blue-collar Buffalo + early “entrepreneur roots” (paper route, driveways, grass)06:00 — Parents + upbringing + being the only Italian family in an Irish neighborhood06:50 — “Boardroom to factory floor” comfort as a leadership superpower07:07 — College path: biochem → decides against med school → USC opportunity08:20 — USC + energy/sustainability roots before it had a name08:50 — JPL/Caltech

In Part 2 of the conversation with Brice Englert, we move from origin story to execution and scale. We cover:Pricing without overthinking: how TradePending set pricing before having perfect dataSales-first growth: building an outside sales motion that paid for itself quicklyScaling with discipline: reaching profitability fast and choosing when to reinvestPrivate equity, from the founder’s seat: rolling equity, staying on, and navigating majority ownershipGrowing TAM over time: expanding the product surface area instead of chasing a massive TAM upfrontWhat’s next: stepping aside as CEO, staying on the board, and gearing up for the next auto tech companyBrice’s story is a masterclass in building a durable SaaS company without shortcuts, staying close to customers, making practical decisions early, and expanding only when the foundation could support it. Part 2 shows what happens when disciplined execution meets long-term thinking.Where to Find Brice Englert:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briceenglert/TradePending: https://tradepending.comWhere to Find Scot Wingo: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/ Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/ X: https://x.com/scotwingoTimestamps:05:10 – Starting TradePending and early engineering decisions06:20 – Finding the first lead engineer06:55 – First product build and rapid time to market07:25 – SaaS business model and early monetization08:55 – Pricing strategy and premium positioning09:45 – Why pricing doesn’t need to be perfect early10:25 – Sales-led growth and early break-even11:55 – Refining the sales motion and deployment speed12:00 – Launching second and third products13:05 – Reaching meaningful scale and revenue milestones13:25 – Deciding to explore growth and exit options14:00 – Choosing a majority private equi

In this episode (Part 1), Brice shares the early story: how the idea formed, how he got the first version built, what the market told him at the beginning, and what he did to push through the inevitable uncertainty that comes with building from scratch.This is the origin story and early foundation of TradePending, before the scaling years.You’ll hear:How Brice got started and why he chose automotive as the arenaWhat the earliest product looked like (and what didn’t work first)The “crowded market” problem, and how Brice found an opening anywayEarly execution lessons: getting something live, getting customers, and learning fastThe mindset shift from idea → real business momentumTradePending’s story is a reminder that the early stage isn’t about having the perfect model, it’s about building something real, listening hard, and creating momentum one customer at a time.Where to Find Brice Englert:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briceenglert/TradePending: https://tradepending.comWhere to Find Scot Wingo: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/ Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/ X: https://x.com/scotwingoTimestamps:01:57 – Introduction to Brice Englert02:50 – How Scot discovered TradePending05:30 – Brice’s background and early career07:30 – Engineering, Air Force, and selling technology08:15 – MBA and early entrepreneurship exposure11:45 – Corporate lessons from UBS14:00 – Entering auto tech through M&A17:10 – How acquirers evaluate startups22:00 – From corporate development to operator24:10 – The idea behind TradePending25:50 – Naming the company and early vision27:00 – Leaving corporate and managing risk30:55 – Taking the leap into entrepreneurship33:25 – Early funding and staying lean34:30 – Customer feedback and early skepticism38:35 – Competing in a crowded market

In this special solo episode of Triangle Tweener Talks, Scot goes beyond the two-part Tweener Times report to walk founders through what the data actually means in practice. This episode exists for one reason: to give Triangle founders clearer goalposts, better context, and fewer surprises when they sit down to raise capital.Tune in to hear:How founders can self-service fundraising expectations using real Triangle dataThe most common caps, discounts, and raise sizes at each stageWhy $1M ARR is a major valuation inflection pointSAFE vs convertible note vs priced round, when each actually makes senseWhat investors look for at Seed vs Series A (and why many founders get stuck)How founder-market fit and AI trends skew early valuationsWhy Triangle companies often raise less, and why that’s a strengthWhere to read each part:Part 1: https://www.tweenertimes.com/p/part-iii-triangle-startup-venture Part 2: https://www.tweenertimes.com/p/part-iiii-the-triangles-first-andWhere to Find Scot Wingo:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/X: https://x.com/scotwingoIn this episode:00:00 – 03:00 Why this data exists & the founder questions it answers03:00 – 07:00 How the Tweener Fund dataset was built (and anonymized)07:00 – 15:00 The origin of the Tweener List and index strategy15:00 – 22:00 How funding stages are defined by company progress22:00 – 35:00 SAFEs, convertible notes, priced rounds — explained35:00 – 45:00 How deal structures change from Pre-Seed to Series A45:00 – 59:00 Valuations, raises, and dilution by stage59:00 – 1:07:00 What founders should actually do with this dataIf this is your first time really digging into venture fundraising, you’ll hear a few terms that investors use casually but aren’t always obvious. Here’s a quick guide to the most common ones we reference in this episode:Pre-Seed: The earliest stage of venture funding. Often used to fund initial product development, early customer discovery, or getting to a first version of product-market fit. Rounds are typically smaller and more founder-bet driven.Seed: The stage where a company has early traction and is working to prove repeatability. Investors expect ev

In Part 2 of this two-part deep dive, Triangle Tweener Talks host Scot Wingo sits down with legendary Triangle founder Mike Doernberg to explore his journey on scaling multiple companies, spinning out new ventures, navigating private equity, and why he never left North Carolina.Tune in to hear:How ReverbNation grew from a side project into a 6M-artist platformThe spin-out journey behind Adwerx, and why it workedMike’s framework for identifying spinoff opportunities inside existing companiesWhy the team is the company, and why incubated teams can struggleThe origins of PlayMetrics and the youth-sports system-of-record visionHow Mike navigates private equity without losing culture or controlWhat PE adds that venture capital often can’tWhat it’s like to scale from 25 people to 450+Mike’s long view on the Triangle startup ecosystem, then vs. nowWhy he never moved to the Bay AreaWhether a Mike-led venture studio might be next 👀Where to Find Mike Doernberg:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldoernberg/PlayMetrics: https://home.playmetrics.com/Where to Find Scot Wingo:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/X: https://x.com/scotwingoIn this episode:00:05 — Welcome to Part 2 with Mike Doernberg00:12 — Coming back from “Home Depot retirement”00:18 — The origin and explosive growth of ReverbNation00:27 — Solving the cold-start problem before it had a name00:33 — Building Promote.it → the foundation for Adwerx00:42 — Spinning out Adwerx and structuring the deal00:52 — Should Mike run a venture studio? Scott pushes him01:00 — Why incubating ideas is easier than incubating founders01:10 — The spinout challenge: talent dilution01:15 — The path to PlayMetrics and modernizing youth sports01:27 — Selling Reverb to focus fully on PlayMetrics01:38 — Navigating private equity the right way01:47 — How PE can empower (not suffocate) founders01:55 — Running a 450-person org and learning a new leadership mode02:03 — Why Mike stayed in the Triangle — and how the ecosystem evolved02:16 — Triangle vs. Bay Area: culture, risk, and quality of life02:30 — Final reflections & Scott’s challenge on a future venture studio02:38 — Outro & sponsor thank-yous---This episode of Triangle Tweener Talks is hosted by Scot Wingo, presented and produced by Triangle Twee

In Part 1 of this two-part deep dive, Triangle Tweener Talks host Scot Wingo sits down with legendary Triangle founder Mike Doernberg to explore the earliest chapters of his career, from CPA to multi-exit entrepreneur.Mike walks through the founding of Marathon, the rise of early PC-driven consulting, the creation and spinout of SmartPath, raising capital through the old-school angel gauntlets, navigating the DoubleClick acquisition, and why “retirement” lasted all of three months.Tune in to hear:What the early startup ecosystem looked like before the Triangle was “the Triangle.”The origins of Marathon and how the rise of PCs and early web consulting created new opportunities.How a project inside GlaxoSmithKline became the spark that turned into the SmartPath product.Mike’s philosophy for spinning out products successfully, and why strict separation is essential.Raising capital in the 90s and early 2000s: angel gauntlets, tough rooms, and memorable TIG stories.The SmartPath exit to DoubleClick and why Mike now believes they sold too early.How exiting young led him to a very short-lived “retirement” and why founders struggle to sit still.Where to Find Mike Doernberg:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldoernberg/PlayMetrics: https://home.playmetrics.com/Where to Find Scot Wingo:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/X: https://x.com/scotwingoIn this episode:01:02 – Mike’s early background & move to NC03:30 – Becoming a CPA but wanting more05:54 – Early exposure to startups at Ernst & Young07:50 – Why entrepreneurship became inevitable09:50 – Story of Burl Software and Y2K12:10 – How Marathon was formed13:22 – Rising PC adoption and early web consulting14:51 – Early e-commerce and building internet applications17:00 – How the GlaxoSmithKline project inspired SmartPath19:06 – The power of deeply understanding a customer problem20:34 – Building early commerce & workflow applications23:40 – SmartPath as an early low-code platform24:59 – Why selling SmartPath was his biggest mistake26:00 – Raising venture in the 90s & 2000s28:20 – The TIG pitching gauntlet30:00 – A founder’s early-career fear of the unknown31:10 – The SmartPath exit to DoubleClick33:00 – Life at DoubleClick & post-acquisition changes35:20 – Mike retires for 3 months (Home Depot era)36:50 – Why founders struggle not to build38:45 – The addiction and

Mark Flickinger is the COO and General Partner at BIP Ventures, one of the Southeast’s most active venture firms. Based in Atlanta, Mark brings a rare dual perspective, an operator who scaled startups before joining the investing side. Since 2015, he’s helped BIP expand from an Atlanta-centric firm into a major player across the Southeast and Midwest.Every year, BIP Ventures releases its State of Startups in the Southeast report, arguably the most comprehensive snapshot of our region’s innovation economy. In this episode, Scot sits down with Mark to break down the 2025 findings, from AI and valuations to where the capital is really flowing.Tune in to hear:How the State of Startups in the Southeast report came to be, and why it’s become a key annual benchmark for founders and investors.The Southeast’s steady growth amid national volatility, and what that says about the region’s resilience.Why North Carolina now ranks #2 for capital invested, with a healthy mix of early, mid, and late-stage deals.The rise of AI-driven startups, not in infrastructure, but in real applied use cases driving revenue.Which investors and funds are most active across the region, from Triangle Tweener Fund to Hatteras, IdeaFund, and CoFounders Capital.How Atlanta continues to anchor Georgia’s innovation scene, with momentum in cybersecurity, fintech, and healthcare tech.Why balanced growth across industries is dampening volatility and attracting new waves of talent and capital.Where to Find Mark Flickinger:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-flickinger-24295538/BIP Capital: https://www.bipcapital.com/Where to Find Scot Wingo:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/X: https://x.com/scotwingoIn this episode:02:00 – Meet Mark Flickinger & the BIP Ventures origin story05:30 – How the State of Startups report began10:00 – What makes the Southeast data different15:00 – Why the 2025 report matters18:00 – Trends: AI, capital concentration, and valuation health23:00 – The Southeast’s unique resilience27:00 – North Carolina’s rise to #2 in regional investment31:00 – Triangle Tweener Fund and other active players37:00 – Atlanta’s current momentum and industry strengths42:00 – What founders should take away from the data46:00 – Closing thoughts and Mark’s advice for founders<

From the world of tech startups to the high-stakes world of sneakers, Walk West CEO and founder Greg Boone is a serial entrepreneur with a unique journey. With a background in computer science and a history of building and investing in companies, Greg brings a fresh perspective on how to navigate the current "AI tsunami."Tune in to hear:Greg's entrepreneurial journey, from his computer science degree at North Carolina A&T to his early career at IBM and his ventures in everything from the bar industry to e-commerce.How his marketing agency, Walk West, is growing 30-40% year over year by helping clients adapt to a world where AI has disrupted traditional go-to-market strategies.His "Four P" framework for growth: Podcasts, Partnerships, Paid Media, and Public Relations, and why being "seen, heard, and cited" is critical for success in the age of AI.The concept of "personality-led growth" and why building trust and a personal brand is essential when abstract brands and ideas are losing their hold.Greg’s love for sneakers and what he collects.A fascinating conversation about Michael Jordan's business acumen, his brand effect, and his successful ownership of the Charlotte Hornets.The "Blockbuster moment" for Google and why they had no choice but to embrace AI.Where to Find Greg Boone:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregboone/Walk West: https://walkwest.com/Where to Find Scot Wingo:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/X: https://x.com/scotwingoIn this episode:(00:06:00) The evolution of Walk West from a marketing agency to a content studio.(00:10:00) Greg’s "Four P" framework for business growth.(00:16:00) Greg's entrepreneurial journey, including his background in computer science and his various ventures.(00:23:00) A deep dive into sneaker collecting and the business of Michael Jordan.(00:32:00) Walk West's growth and the importance of partnerships.---Triangle Tweener Talks is hosted by Scot Wingo, presented by Triangle Tweener Fund, and produced by Walk West. ------Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/

What happens after you sell a company you helped turn around?For Dr. Doug Kaufman, it’s a story of new ventures and hard-won lessons.In this second part of a two-part series, Doug discusses his time at TransLoc, a mass transit technology company he helped lead to a successful sale to Ford.He shares how he navigated a challenging acquisition process and the importance of a strong, collaborative board. He also talks about the challenges of his most recent venture, Belongly, including the difficult decision to pivot the business and raise capital in a shifting market.Now, as a Duke professor, executive coach, and partner at an AI consulting firm, Doug offers insights on the critical importance of founder mental health and the power of vulnerability in leadership.Tune in to hear:Why Doug was initially hesitant to get involved with TransLoc, a company focused on "mass transit technology".The red flags he ignored when joining TransLoc , and how he turned the company around after discovering it was not financially healthy.How TransLoc expanded its services beyond tracking buses to create a "mobility network" and provide data-driven insights to transit agencies.The story of TransLoc's acquisition by Ford , and the delicate process of bringing a Fortune 15 M&A team back to the table after walking away.Dr. Kaufman’s philosophy on how to run a board, including the importance of setting clear roles and fostering a collaborative team environment.A candid account of his experience with his next startup, Belongly, and the painful lessons learned from market shifts and fundraising challenges.The psychological impact of founder ups and downs , and why Dr. Kaufman believes vulnerability is a "superpower" for entrepreneurs.Where to Find Dr. Doug Kaufman:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdougkaufman/Where to Find Scot Wingo:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/X: https://x.com/scotwingoIn this episode:(00:01:00) Dr. Kaufman describes how he got connected with TransLoc after leaving Spring Metrics. He initially thought "mass transit technology" was boring until a board member convinced him to talk to the founding CEO, Josh Whitten. (00:06:00) Dr. Kaufman became the CEO and raised over $6 million in equity from investors like SJF Ventures and Fontinalis, and another $2 million in debt from Square One.(00:11:00) Dr. Kaufman reveals that he and his team did walk away from the deal once.(00:17:00) Dr. Kaufman describes the big idea

What happens when a classically trained psychologist leaves the world of academia to shift careers?For Dr. Doug Kaufman, it was to become a serial entrepreneur (obviously). Doug's story is defined by a relentless curiosity about human behavior, a series of successful ventures, and some hard-won lessons in the chaotic world of startups.In this first of a two-part series, Doug recounts his unconventional path from a psychology PhD to joining a hyper-growth tech company, starting his own bootstrapped business, and facing the ultimate test of a founder's resilience in the Triangle.Tune in to hear:Why Doug left the academic track to start his own online education company and a side hustle to fund it.His experience in the early days of a hyper-growth startup at Blackboard, and why he eventually left to seek new challenges.The story of his move to the Triangle and the founding of his first company, ClearTXT, a one-to-many notification system for universities.The unexpected challenges he faced at ClearTXT, including a televised public relations crisis and a patent troll lawsuit.Why his bootstrapped company consistently beat a larger, VC-funded competitor in a head-to-head competition.The origin of Spring Metrics and his early lessons from joining the Triangle Startup Factory.A candid account of his first, disastrous board meeting, and the onset of "founder burnout" that led to a painful but necessary exit.Where to Find Dr. Doug Kaufman:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdougkaufman/Where to Find Scot Wingo:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/X: https://x.com/scotwingoIn this episode:(00:02:00) Dr. Kaufman's lifelong fascination with psychology, human behavior, and the personal reasons for his interest. (00:04:00) The decision to leave academia to start his first company, Alley Dog, and a computer repair side hustle. (00:08:00) Joining Blackboard in 1998 and his experience in a hyper-growth tech startup. (00:15:00) Why he left Blackboard to move to the Triangle and start his own company. (00:18:00) Founding ClearTXT and navigating a major PR crisis at a large university. (00:24:00) The lessons he learned from the chaos of startup life, including a patent troll lawsuit and a successful acquisition. (00:29:00) The origins of Spring Metrics and joining the Triangle Startup Factory's first cohort. (00:37:00) A frank discussion about his first board meeting at Spring Metrics and the difficult experience that followed. (00:4

From her upbringing in Johannesburg, South Africa, to a career spanning Wall Street, an Ivy League MBA, and the early days of e-commerce, Ricci Wolman’s journey is a all about problem solving, resilience, freedom, and...the paradox of choice? As the CEO and co-founder of Written Word Media, she has built a bootstrapped and profitable business by solving a problem her own mom faced: book discovery in a crowded market.Tune in to hear:Ricci's immigration story from South Africa to the US and the culture shocks she faced along the way.Why she left a lucrative Wall Street job after 9/11 to pursue a more impactful career in microfinance.How her experiences at The Body Shop and Lulu Publishing laid the groundwork for her own entrepreneurial venture.The origin story of Written Word Media, which was inspired by her mom's self-published book and a realization about the "paradox of choice" on Amazon.Why the generous Amazon affiliate program in its early days acted as an unintentional seed fund for the business.The unique two-sided marketplace model that matches authors with hyper-personalized email newsletters for readers.Ricci's philosophy on "private barometers of success" and why bootstrapping allowed her to build a business aligned with her core values.Her passion project, The Flop.ai, a newsletter dedicated to demystifying AI and helping people overcome their fear of new technology.Her advice for young founders, including why it's okay to take risks and the value of a strong local community.Where to Find Ricci Wolman:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricciwolman/Written Word Media: https://writtenwordmedia.com/The Flop.ai: https://www.theflop.ai/Where to Find Scot Wingo:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/X: https://x.com/scotwingoIn this episode:(00:04:00) Ricci’s immigration from Johannesburg, South Africa and the major culture shock of moving to the US.(00:11:00) Her path to Wall Street, working as an investment banking analyst at Bear Stearns, and leaving after 9/11 for a more impactful role.(00:17:00) Running an e-commerce side hustle on a Yahoo store and the decision to get her MBA at Harvard Business School.(00:24:00) The move to North Carolina and her career in e-commerce marketing at The Body Shop and Lulu Publishing.(00:30:00) How her mom's self-publishing journey inspired the idea for Written Word Media.(00:48:00) The birth of Free Booksy as a sandbox to test marketing and the accidental funding from the Amazon affiliate program.(00:58:00) The decision to formally start the

What happens when a North Carolina native, seasoned by Silicon Valley and Wall Street, returns home to build a company that marries profit with purpose? For Jason Massey, co-founder and CEO of Ndustrial, it's led to a 14-year journey developing cutting-edge technology that makes industrial facilities more efficient and sustainable.In this episode, Jason shares his unique path, from a childhood in Mebane and studying physics and finance at NC State, to navigating the dot-com bubble in New York and the vibrant startup scene in Silicon Valley. He opens up about the "dysfunction" that birthed new companies from his own efforts and why he ultimately returned to his roots to build Ndustrial into a global leader in industrial energy management.Tune in to hear:Jason's unexpected journey from Mebane, NC, to Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and back again, shaped by a series of "learning experiences."The wild story of his early angel investment in Tap Tap Revenge, a mobile game that became an App Store sensation.How the "dirty data plumbing" challenge in manufacturing led Ndustrial to pivot from a service business to a SaaS platform for industrial energy management.The critical insight that led to Ndustrial's first major product breakthrough: predicting and managing Coincident Peak energy charges for factories.Why Ndustrial embraces a hybrid model of SaaS and professional services, contrasting with traditional Silicon Valley expectations.His strategic approach to bringing in corporate venture capital from global giants like ABB and GS Energy.Jason's vision for Ndustrial, balancing profitability with environmental impact, and why they aim to build a "sustainable business" rather than chasing a quick exit.The company's significant work in the cold chain industry, including efforts to optimize food refrigeration and reduce energy consumption.The vital role of AI in industrial settings, particularly for contextualizing data and speeding up analysis, even amidst "dirty data."Jason's perspective on the Triangle's clean tech ecosystem and the responsibility entrepreneurs have to support each other by buying from local startups.Where to Find Jason Massey:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmnc/ Ndustrial: https://ndustrial.io/Where to Find Scot Wingo:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/X: https://x.com/scotwingoIn this episode:(00:06:00) Growing up in Mebane, North Carolina, and his path to entrepreneurship through Wall Street and