Early traction does not have to come from a big budget. In this episode of What Founders Need to Know, StartStak Founder & CEO Elizabeth McCalley talks with Angeley Mullins, Founder & CEO of Aetheris Ventures and an AI go-to-market advisor who has helped scale eight companies, including Amazon, Intuit and GoDaddy. Angeley explains what traction really means for early-stage startups, how to choose which growth activities deserve limited time and money, and why she sees marketing as the revenue engine of the AI era. She also shares what she’d do in the first 90 days with almost no budget, how to build visibility that compounds, and how to spot the early signals that tell you when to double down, change direction, or stop.
An interview featuring Edward (Ned) Meagher, Senior Partner at Carter DeLuca - who has spent nearly three decades helping companies build and protect powerful IP portfolios. Packed with hard-won wisdom across patents, trademarks, and asset licensing, this conversation dives deep into incredible insights, including why early-stage teams must protect their concepts, the critical difference between patentability and freedom to operate, and why founders should strictly avoid disclosing proprietary ideas to public AI tools. Built specifically for early-stage founders who want to safeguard their defensible moats, this session uncovers practical strategies for defining a high-impact IP roadmap, avoiding costly legal pitfalls, and turning proprietary innovations into a long-term engine for company valuation.
An interview featuring Joe Hyrkin, former CEO of Issuu - an incredible success story who scaled his platform to $30M revenue before being sold to multi-billion dollar holding company, Bending Spoons. Packed with hard-won wisdom from nearly a decade at the helm, this webinar is packed with valuable insights, including how to land the first 10 customers, navigate the tricky shift away from founder-led sales, cut through saturated acquisition channels, and leverage AI effectively without losing the essential human touch. Built specifically for early-stage founders and operators who want to build a real, defensible business, this session uncovers practical strategies for locking in a true ICP, executing a repeatable go-to-market engine, and turning those hard-earned early buyers into a self-sustaining growth flywheel.
An interview featuring David V. Duccini, Founder and CEO of Silicon Prairie, a pioneering broker-dealer platform shaking up the capital formation space. This curated session is designed for founders who want to look at alternatives to traditional capital raises to unlock the power of equity crowdfunding.This conversation is for founders and early operators, who are fast shipping and looking at all options for raising capital.
A curated speaking panel and high-quality networking event designed for founders who are actively building with AI and want to compare notes with peers who are in the arena, shipping, learning, and adjusting in real time. Designed especially for founders, early operators, and investors.
An informational session to help perfect your brand identity and archetype to break through the noise of AI-generated sameness and reach your ideal buyers. Learn how to build a precision content engine that compels action, builds pipeline, and drives revenue - without the full-time workload.
