Zeroing In?

Since my last post three options have emerged as “real” opportunities.  These are startup opportunities that are of interest to me, are seeking to immediately expand their leadership teams, and have expressed interest in me.  Interestingly, they are arrayed along a risk/reward spectrum that helps me think about them and assess their relative attractiveness.  (For me, the “reward” component encompasses a variety of factors beyond just financial reward.  Also of importance is the ability to make an impact on a company and its customers, employees, and fortunes; the opportunity to learn new skills and take on new challenges; and the gratification from successfully creating something new and meaningful.)

At the most conservative end of the spectrum lies an opportunity to join a Boston-area semiconductor startup that is seeking to apply its technology to develop a standard products business.  This company already has a few vertically oriented businesses and is looking for someone to focus on and lead this new business.  I met with the CEO and COO of this company a couple weeks ago and discussed their needs and my background in depth.  Of particular relevance was my iCoupler® experience at Analog Devices.  This was a role where I had done a very similar thing (albeit with the support of a large corporation) in terms of starting at zero with a new technology, figuring out which markets to target, determining the right products, engaging with the right customers, developing a team, and building a broad, profitable business spanning multiple applications.  I had been introduced to this company by one of their investors and was the first candidate with whom they’ve spoken.  They noted that they would follow up with me after going through their search process over the next few weeks.

At the other end of the risk/reward spectrum is an opportunity to be a co-founder in a new startup.  I don’t have many details on this yet but I was recently introduced to someone with a new product concept that is in the process of having a patent application filed.  She has a potential technology co-founder and is seeking a business person to round out the initial team.  I need to reserve judgment until I hear more about the concept and explore it more deeply, but the possibility of participating in a founding team definitely interests me.

The third option lies in between in terms of risk and reward.  It is with a Boston-area test equipment startup that has boot-strapped itself to a position where it is shipping product and is looking to scale.  Their founder is looking for a “business person” who can drive sales/marketing/business development in the near term and help transition this small team into a larger, more impactful company over the longer term.  I have had several meetings with the founder and welcome this opportunity to get involved in a company early.

Given what I know today it is this last opportunity that interests me the most.  It offers me a greater opportunity to learn and make an impact compared to the semiconductor company which offers a role that would have many similarities to what I’ve done before.  On the other hand, I am intrigued by the notion of starting my own company and am reserving judgment until I learn more about that option.  I expect that to happen over the next 2-3 weeks and would then hopefully be in a position to make a decision how to proceed.  I should note, of course, that all this assumes that the decision-makers involved conclude that I am the person they want.  While I’ve receive positive signs in this regard none of these engagements has yet reached the point where I have been formally offered a position with any of these options.

In any event, it feels good to be looking at a few solid possibilities now.  What’s interesting is that only one of these has emerged from my primary strategy of seeking introductions from investors.  The other two came via introductions from a former colleague and from an experienced entrepreneur.  This just underscores the importance of casting a wide net in a search like this and engaging with as many people as possible.