Too often I've heard people talk about wanting to build or launch a product, yet they never take the step. Or if they do, they often feel lost and aren’t sure where to begin or how to navigate the product-building and startup-founding process. Mentoring lets me stay close to what I love: technology, product development, and company building, while helping others move forward on their own journeys. I genuinely enjoy strategizing around product, fundraising, leadership, hiring, and essentially anything related to startups. Mentoring has become a rewarding outlet for sharing what I’ve learned and channeling that passion into supporting others.
I didn’t take a traditional career path. I studied Electrical Engineering, went straight into a PhD, and then founded my first startup based on my PhD research. With no prior experience working inside tech companies, I had to quickly learn how to hire, fundraise, market, sell, and essentially build a company from the ground up. Since then, I’ve founded two more startups, and my career has become a blend of engineering, academic research, and entrepreneurship. Because much of my academic work took place in Australia, it was difficult to find mentors who understood both research and startups. Even after moving to the US, I found that combination of experience just as hard to come by. I often had to carve my own path and figure things out through experience. That’s one of the reasons I enjoy mentoring now: to offer others the guidance I didn’t have access to at the time.
Most mentees come to me for my startup experience, especially those in the early stages of building and launching a product. Common topics include finding co-founders, prioritizing the product roadmap, fundraising, pitch-deck reviews, hiring, and much more. I work with both B2B and B2C founders since I’ve built products and startups in both areas. Many also seek advice on turning academic research into a startup or navigating the transition from researcher to founder/CEO. While I tailor my approach to each mentee, I generally prefer a direct, practical style with a strong bias toward action and momentum.
I’m pleased to say most of my mentees have gone on to launch products, and that alone is a major success for them and something I’m proud of. Ultimately, my goal is to help mentees reach that point where they can turn an idea into an actual product and company. But it doesn’t end at launch; in many ways, that’s when the fun begins. After launching, I work with them to maintain traction, build product and sales velocity, and make sure they’re collecting and analyzing the right information to keep growing. Seeing mentees continue to develop and make progress post-launch is something I also consider a big success.
Passing on knowledge and experience and seeing it applied and turned into real progress is what makes mentorship incredibly rewarding. From a founder and engineering perspective, it also keeps me close to the excitement of multiple people building fun and ambitious things. I enjoy being part of the startup ecosystems in San Francisco and Sydney, and mentorship adds another meaningful way for me to stay connected and engaged with the startup community in both cities, and worldwide.
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