Startup Founders

Welcome to my profile! I'm Nick, a passionate entrepreneur and co-founder of Relay Health, an addiction recovery tech startup that gained traction with support from Y Combinator and other investors. Since my time in the Y Combinator Summer 2022 batch, I've helped 5+ teams break into YC, all from non-traditional backgrounds. First at Relay and now at Leland, I've been the growth hacker, driving revenue from $0-$XK-$XXK-$XXXK, and I now leverage that experience to mentor aspiring entrepreneurs. Whether you're looking to break into YC, go from 0-1, or navigate the startup ecosystem, I'm here to help you succeed. Let's connect and turn your entrepreneurial dreams into reality!

I've sat on every side of the founder table — as a co-founder who raised from pre-seed to Series A, as a VC evaluating hundreds of pitches, as an angel investor with 10+ portfolio companies, and as a startup banker advising growth-stage companies on the financial architecture that actually matters. I coach founders on fundraising strategy, investor positioning, cap table decisions, and the board dynamics that no one prepares you for. If you're navigating a raise, managing a board that's getting more complex, or just trying to make cleaner decisions while everything is moving — I can help. My style is direct and tactical. I won't give you theory. I'll give you the frameworks I've used and the patterns I've seen across hundreds of founder conversations.

I spent 13 years in the enviable halls of Goldman Sachs, Google, and TikTok. I saw firsthand that some of the world’s most brilliant entrepreneurial minds are sitting behind corporate desks, paralyzed by the 'golden handcuffs' and the fear of the unknown. I coach because I’ve mastered the transition that most people find impossible. I know the specific anxiety of balancing a high-pressure leadership role with a growing side-business. My goal is to help high-performers stop trading their best years for a salary and start building their own equity. There is no greater professional satisfaction for me than seeing a coachee send their resignation letter because their own business has become too big to ignore.

My passion lies in empowering others to bring their entrepreneurial visions to life. As the Co-Founder & Director of Marketing at Windfall Bio, a nature-based biotech company, I've navigated the exciting, and sometimes challenging, journey of building a company from the ground up. I lead our brand strategy, marketing campaigns, and storytelling, constantly working to articulate our value proposition and impact to customers, partners, and investors. This experience has given me firsthand insights into what it takes to launch and grow a successful business, from developing a compelling brand to securing funding and building a strong team. Beyond my work at Windfall, I've always been drawn to the world of entrepreneurship. While in college, I launched my own sustainable clothing brand, managing everything from design and production to global sales, all from my dorm room. And even before that, I ran a successful DJ and events business during high school. These experiences, while diverse, taught me invaluable lessons about resourcefulness, problem-solving, and the importance of connecting with your target audience. My academic background at Stanford University, where I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Science, Technology, and Society in 2022, further solidified my understanding of the intersection between innovation, business, and social impact. I believe that entrepreneurship is a powerful force for positive change, and I'm excited to share my experiences and knowledge to help aspiring entrepreneurs navigate the complexities of starting and scaling a business. I'm passionate about fostering innovation and empowering others to turn their ideas into reality.

I work with B2B software and AI founders from pre-seed through Series A on three connected decisions: who to sell to, what to build next, and how to win customers. Bring a real problem, whether it's an unclear customer segment, a crowded roadmap, or a pilot that isn't turning into a sale. We'll work through the options and identify a next step you can act on. I've spent 20 years in Silicon Valley's tech and AI scene. I created SAP Connected Goods, led product work at Cognizant and Elevance Health, and have mentored 500+ founders, including through Stanford GSB Ignite, Alchemist, and German Accelerator. First-time founders are welcome. You don't need a polished deck to start.

With years of hands-on entrepreneurial experience, I bring a deep understanding of what it takes to build, scale, and sustain a business. As the Co-founder & CCO of S2S Dynamics, a circular economy startup tackling e-waste through tech-driven solutions, I have led commercial strategy, partnerships, and market positioning to drive growth and impact. Prior to this, I co-founded and scaled a renewable energy company to million-dollar revenues, overseeing marketing, strategic alliances, and business development across multiple markets. My journey has given me firsthand exposure to the challenges of fundraising, go-to-market strategy, and sustainable business models—insights I now share as an adjunct professor mentoring startups and executives at IE University. Whether you're an aspiring founder refining your idea, a startup looking to scale, or a corporate innovator driving intrapreneurship, I can help you navigate the complexities of entrepreneurship with practical guidance and actionable strategies.

Welcome to my profile! As the CEO and Co-Founder of Gable, I've scaled Gable to a 7 figure business after 2 pivots and was able to land some of the best customers in the world - Doordash, Starbucks, Snowflake, Okta and more. With a strong foundation in technology and leadership from my time at Microsoft, where I led innovative projects in AI and security, I bring a wealth of experience to the startup world. My journey also includes participating the Stanford MSx Program, where I combined my expertise in product management with a focus on the future of work. Whether you're looking to launch your startup or scale your business, I'm here to guide you through the challenges and opportunities.

I help founders and small-business owners understand their numbers, access capital, and make better decisions as they build and scale their companies. My work sits at the intersection of financial strategy, entrepreneurship, and founder development. As a Fractional CFO, I advise business owners on cash flow, profitability, forecasting, working capital, debt capacity, capital readiness, and growth strategy. Before moving into fractional CFO work, I spent five years at JPMorgan Chase working directly with business owners and evaluating companies through a lender’s lens. I also bring extensive experience in the entrepreneurship ecosystem. I have served as a small-business consultant, finance coach, founder mentor, business counselor, accelerator facilitator, and advisory-board member through organizations including SCORE, EforAll, Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute, SEA Change, The DEC Network, Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Thornton Economic Development, DAV Patriot Boot Camp, McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship, Mi Casa Resource Center, and Bunker Labs. Across these programs, I have worked directly with entrepreneurs on business models, financial strategy, cash-flow management, capital access, lender readiness, pricing, growth planning, and pitch development. I’m particularly interested in helping founders move from “I have an idea or a growing business” to “I understand the economics of this company, know what needs to happen next, and can clearly communicate that story to lenders, investors, partners, and stakeholders.” My background gives me a perspective that is difficult to replicate: Founder side: Fractional CFO and business advisor Capital side: Commercial banking, credit analysis, lending and debt structuring Program side: Founder coaching, accelerator facilitation and entrepreneurship ecosystem engagement Leadership side: Former U.S. Army Infantry Officer I hold an MBA from Rice Business and am currently completing a Master of Accounting at UNC Kenan-Flagler. I work with startups, established small businesses, accelerators, incubators, SBDCs, CDFIs, economic-development organizations, and entrepreneurship programs that need practical financial expertise and founder-focused business advising. If you’re building a company—or building a program that helps entrepreneurs build companies—I’d be glad to connect.

Venture-backed entrepreneur, Wall Street investor, and seasoned Executive Coach with an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. With over 15 years of extensive experience of startup experience and in executive leadership roles, I am well-equipped to guide clients in their startup journey. As an entrepreneur, I have founded, built, and exited a software technology company, successfully raised capital from top-tier venture capital investors in Silicon Valley, built a global team (3 offices), and honed my skills in executive management, product launches, and team building. As an investor, I have worked in private equity for across mega funds and lower middle market funds (Morgan Stanley, Berkshire Partners, and Dubin Clark) and in hedge funds at a top decile long/short public equity technology fund, allowing me to intimately understand all of the aspects that investors are looking for when evaluating a venture capital investment and backing an entrepreneur. As an executive, operator, and Board Member, I have led Finance, M&A, Strategy, Corporate Development, and Operations for four venture-backed and private equity-owned businesses in the technology, engineering, environmental, food, agriculture, and automotive industries. Having provided over 500 hours of startup consulting, executive coaching, and strategic advisory, I specialize in helping clients navigate complex challenges and achieve their most ambitious goals.

Having founded four companies, I’ve experienced the full spectrum of the entrepreneurial journey—one exit, bootstrapping two ventures, and raising over €1 billion in funding throughout my career. In 2019, I launched the first-ever Techstars accelerator in Italy, which quickly became one of the network’s top-performing programs. My portfolio companies have raised over $100 million post-program, with five successful acquisitions. As an investor, mentor, and executive coach, I focus on early-stage B2B companies (and sometimes B2C) across various industries, supporting the most ambitious founders worldwide. My own founder experience in Germany and Southeast Asia has equipped me to understand and guide entrepreneurs on their path to success, and I've backed companies in the US, Europe, and Southeast Asia.