A Founder's Guide to Building a Software Startup

Abstract

Are you contemplating the leap into entrepreneurship? This presentation is designed to arm you with actionable insights and strategies for successfully launching and growing your own venture. Drawing from firsthand experience, the founder of PebbleLang—a learning management system tailored for foreign language educators—will guide you through the nuanced landscape of starting a software company. This session delves beyond the surface-level basics, focusing instead on tangible advice and strategies that are immediately applicable. The tips will cover a wide timeline of the startup journey. The talk will include ways to validate your idea’s product-market fit and profitability, how to outsource the skills you don’t have or find teammates, how to legally protect your company, and how to reach and attract users. By the conclusion of this presentation, you will be equipped with a robust toolkit to not only validate and refine your innovative idea but also to expand and safeguard your startup.

Bio

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Will Gleason started as a chemical engineer and developed a passion for computer science. He built a diverse career spanning bioenergy to digital education, including roles in startups and Fortune 500 companies.