Will’s experience spans across product development, finance and investing – all across the tech landscape.  He was recently an investment principal at a NY-based hedge fund focused on the tech sector where he conducted extensive market research, management diligence, as well as financial and valuation analyses on over 60 tech companies.  Previously, Will was an investment banker at RBC Capital Markets where he covered the technology industry.  His transaction experience includes over $12bn in M&A advisory and capital raising activities, such as private placements, IPOs, LBOs, and various debt related financings for tech companies.  Prior to his career in finance and investing, Will was an engineer at Raytheon Space & Airborne Systems where he led the test & development of advanced radar systems for the U.S. government and the USAF.  He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Los Angeles, and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

What are you passionate about?

Helping people reach their potential.

What one piece of advice would you give to an early stage startup regarding your area of expertise?

When it comes to product development, iterate quickly so you can accelerate your learning and achieve product-market fit.

As early-stage startup founders, we all have great ideas that we truly believe in.  However, it is important to understand that it is extremely rare that the first version of whatever you build is widely accepted by your target market.  The most valuable resource you have is time.  Every day counts, so do not waste time trying to build ‘the perfect’ solution.  Start with your must-have features, build, and test it with a sample set of your target audience.  Gather direct user feedback, synthesize it with your team and decide on what to change or include for the next version.  Rinse, repeat and pivot when you need to.  This iteration done quickly will help you accelerate your learning of what the market really wants, so you can eventually achieve true product-market fit.  Ideally, this will be the primary driver that accelerates user adoption and rapid organic growth, not cash.  Timing plays a huge role here as well, which you will have little to no control over.  This is where pivoting comes into play.

What do you like best about mentoring at the Preccelerator?

The positive energy unique to this office, and the opportunity it provides to have a meaningful impact at the earliest stages of promising startups.