I’ve spent the better part of 25 years trying to understand two things: which problems are worth solving, and what is the simplest way to solve them. That pursuit has led me to start companies, build products, teach entrepreneurship, coach hundreds of founders, and participate in four startup exits—one as a founder and three as an advisor.
Along the way, I noticed a pattern. Founders are usually very good at solving problems. The trouble is that we’re often solving the wrong ones. What looks like a sales problem might really be positioning. A marketing problem might begin with not understanding the customer. An execution problem might simply be too many priorities competing for attention.
I came to think of this as finding the problem under the problem. When you find it, complicated decisions get simpler, teams align, and a surprising amount of work disappears.
Today I coach founders and startup teams around the world to do exactly that. Sometimes it’s a team scaling a company worth billions. Sometimes it’s one person turning what they know into a consulting business. The scale changes, but the work is remarkably similar.
Find the problem worth solving. Find the simplest way through it. Then get on with the work that matters.
Founder at Radi8 // Executive Coach // Host of the Inspiring Founders Podcast
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You’ve heard of SBDC and SBIR/STTR, but probably not APEX.
APEX Accelerators are government-funded programs that help small businesses win federal, state, and local contracts at no cost.
We have an APEX Accelerator in Monterey Bay that is well connected and can get your technology in front of the right government orgs. If you’re rethinking growth channels and want practical next steps, send me a message. #govconhttps://montereybayapex.org/…more
Founder at Radi8 // Executive Coach // Host of the Inspiring Founders Podcast
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I host the Inspiring Founders Podcast. Every Thursday we publish a new episode where founders share practical lessons from building companies.
A brief lesson from launching programs: define one clear success metric per horizon, limit concurrent initiatives, and align resources to the highest-priority horizon. That clarity reduces friction and improves decision speed.
If you want to discuss this or be on the podcast, send me a message. #foundershttps://www.inspiringfounders.com/podcast…more
Founder at Radi8 // Executive Coach // Host of the Inspiring Founders Podcast
· LinkedIn
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As a CEO who’s launched multiple team programs, I’ve learned three clear rules for employee advocacy on LinkedIn.
1) Reduce friction: centralize content ideas and templates so people can start quickly.
2) Teach the practice: short workshops and peer feedback work better than long manuals.
3) Protect authenticity: encourage personal voice with simple guidelines, not scripts.
We built Radi8 to help teams discover, create, and publish authentic LinkedIn content. Send me a message for a short checklist or to discuss an internal program. #employeeadvocacyhttps://www.radi8.com/…more
Founder at Radi8 // Executive Coach // Host of the Inspiring Founders Podcast
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AI is reshaping the job market. Universities must do more than prepare students for jobs; they should act as incubators for entrepreneurship, teaching critical thinking, curiosity, ethics and product skills.
I’ve seen first hand how SpartUp at SJSU has helped students, the university and the community. From launching programs and startups, three practical lessons stand out: use project-based coursework, embed experienced mentors, and run low-risk pilots that let students ship and learn.
If you’re an early-career professional aiming for product or operations roles, start by building a short project, finding one mentor, and proposing a campus pilot.
https://www.santacruzworks.org/news/the-case-for-universities-as-startup-incubators…more
Founder at Radi8 // Executive Coach // Host of the Inspiring Founders Podcast
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The webinar recording "Sentient and Us" is available now. It explores how AI is reshaping work, entrepreneurship, ethics, and human agency, and highlights that curiosity, critical thinking, and values will matter more than ever.
https://www.santacruzworks.org/news/recording-sentient-and-us…more
Founder at Radi8 // Executive Coach // Host of the Inspiring Founders Podcast
· LinkedIn
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I ran a one-week experiment with Radi8 on my LinkedIn content.
Engagement rose 64.8%, impressions increased 55.8%, and members reached grew 78.1%.
The takeaway: Radi8 has immediate impact on your reach and engagement. …more
Founder at Radi8 // Executive Coach // Host of the Inspiring Founders Podcast
· LinkedIn
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Impressive to see Lilly launch LillyPod, the first NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD with DGX B300 systems. Is it even possible to compete in this space anymore? My experience launching startups and programs says yes, if you lean into startup advantages: pick a narrow, clinically meaningful problem you can validate fast; secure or partner for unique data and domain workflows; design pilots that align with regulatory and procurement paths. If you are building in this space, send me a message. #AIinPharmahttps://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/lilly-ai-factory-live/…more
Founder at Radi8 // Executive Coach // Host of the Inspiring Founders Podcast
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GTC 2026 will convene AI and accelerated computing leaders March 16-19 in San Jose.
As a founder building applied AI, my practical lesson is to prioritize production concerns early: efficient inference, observability, and developer tooling.
Those three levers reduce friction between prototypes and pilots. If you are tackling deployment or infrastructure tradeoffs, send me a message. #GTC2026http://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-and-global-technology-leaders-to-showcase-age-of-ai-at-gtc-2026…more
Founder at Radi8 // Executive Coach // Host of the Inspiring Founders Podcast
· LinkedIn
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Inspiring Founders Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts. If you want to learn from other founders, check it out.
I learned early that a good idea rarely guarantees survival. After launching early initiatives I found two practical levers that matter: repeatable operational rhythms and access to mentors who help navigate inevitable pivots.
The Inspiring Founders Podcast digs into these realities with founders who share what actually worked and what didn’t. If you want practical takeaways, subscribe and listen. If you want to get more involved in the startup ecosystem, send me a message. #foundershttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inspiring-founders-podcast/id1847207641…more
Founder at Radi8 // Executive Coach // Host of the Inspiring Founders Podcast
· LinkedIn
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SJSU students: this is a practical way to get involved and experience entrepreneurship while you're in college. If you're an early-stage founder or curious about startups, join SpartUp Founder Fiesta on 3/12 for a panel discussion hosted by the SpartUp Incubator.
As a founder and long-time mentor, I've learned that early customer feedback and mentorship shape are the fastest way to go to market.
Want to connect there? Send me a message. #startupshttps://luma.com/nnxlhtzj…more
Founder at Radi8 // Executive Coach // Host of the Inspiring Founders Podcast
· LinkedIn
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Looking for experienced professionals and entrepreneurs to mentor early-stage teams as they prepare for Launchpad on May 13, 2026 at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. Mentors will help sharpen pitches, validate ideas, and build founder confidence before the live competition and job fair.
I'm also building my list of Mentors for Santa Cruz Accelerates Cohort 7 (mentoring seed-stage startups with traction)
From my experience, targeted feedback early brings clarity and faster decision making for teams and fresh perspective for mentors. If you can help, send me a message. #mentorshiphttps://www.santacruzworks.org/news/launchpad-2026-mentors-needed…more
Founder at Radi8 // Executive Coach // Host of the Inspiring Founders Podcast
· LinkedIn
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Great night at Santa Cruz Works New Tech, sold out on March 4. I pitched Radi8 and heard rapid-fire demos from Innovation Within, BrandCapsule, Activity Ally, and The Host Mindset. Thanks to Comcast Business and Wynn Capital for sponsoring.
Two quick takeaways: focus your demo on the customer problem and one clear outcome; use events to recruit pilot partners and collect direct feedback. If you are working on early product-market fit or want pilot introductions, send me a message. #startupshttps://www.santacruzworks.org/news/santa-cruz-works-new-tech-march-4-2026-6yx5p…more
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