Chapter 1

Watching A Tech Founder
Crash And Burn

I remember exactly where I was the first time it happened. It was October 7, 2015. The tech founder in front of me was about to crash and burn, but no one in the room knew it yet.

The large room seated sixty people at capacity, and it was nearly full. I was three rows back and four seats in from the left side. It was my first experience viewing the inner workings of an innovation lab. The tech founder’s name was Jeff, and he had a big, exciting, smart idea.

Jeff had just presented for twenty minutes about his early-stage software application. He wanted to attract a few of the seasoned experts in the audience to come aboard as advisors for the next twelve months and help him get his idea to the next stage.

He wouldn’t get actual capital, but if he did this pitch well, Jeff would get top-notch advisory assistance in a critical growth stage. If successful, it would be like being awarded a $40,000 labor grant.

Jeff’s number one job was to present his ideas clearly, effectively, and with an air of inspiration.

And then it happened.

At the end of his pitch, the man in the row behind me raised his hand. It was time for the question and answer (Q&A) session.

“Jeff, can you go back to slide 4? I didn’t fully understand the problem your technology is trying to solve.”

There was a hum in the room from others. They nodded in agreement.

I swiveled to look at Jeff. I watched his shoulders sink. He tried to hide the deep breath he took.

He walked back a few steps and looked out at us.

You could almost see the cartoon thought bubbles forming above his head of what he must have wanted to say to us: “Wait, what? You didn’t get all that? What part did you miss? I brought you thirty slides and so much data. I worked so hard! I told you everything I know—in just twenty minutes.”

Maintaining his composure, Jeff dutifully grabbed his clicker and clicked back twenty-six slides to slide 4. He explained his big idea again.

I looked at the others in the room. There seemed to be a collective sense of relief—many of us had felt the same confusion as the audience member who posed the question. Initially feeling lost and confused, I now felt validated.

As the rest of the Q&A session continued, I thought about it.

Where was Jeff’s mistake? Where did he go wrong? At what point in his pitch did he lose us? Did he miss a step, forget a step, or both? I could feel my eyes squinting at his slide deck and wondering which puzzle piece was missing.