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From the Director
My job is to change the way people think – to be a catalyst for that to happen. To hold space for it be rewarded.
RAMP’s job is to change the way entrepreneurs think, to be that space where finding out you were wrong is the right way to start.
This may come across at first blush as egotistical. It is not. It is factual.
Ask any seasoned entrepreneur the question below and you will have enough data to know that they began their journeys thinking one thing and have come – through experience – to believe another thing. Here’s the question: If you could give your younger self advice, what would you say?
How does this relate to a tech and biotech accelerator? It is our job to speed a startup’s access to the data and collective wisdom that focuses the company’s aim and derisks its business model. It takes many people to make this happen and RAMP remains grateful for the mentors, funders and sponsors, staff and investors who choose to be a part of this work.
The faster a company finds its first, best customers, the faster it makes money. The faster it makes money, the more attractive it is to investors. Money enables a business to hire employees, buy raw materials and access the faster lanes to market. Money buys time to dive deeper into assumptions and biases. This is one reason RAMP cohort members receive $20,000 of non-dilutive funding. It buys time to explore these kinds of questions:
- Who are your customers?
- What problem are you solving for them?
- What solutions are they using now?
- Are they seeking a new solution? If so, why?
Uncovering more precisely the answers to these questions is what happens at RAMP. Our cohort members come in with a mental model of who their customers are and what they need or want. Our team says: “Prove it. Gather the data. Bring it back and we will help you analyze what you are hearing and seeing.” Go out and talk to your potential customers and find out what their workflow is today. How would your solution integrate? What assumptions and biases do you have now? Test those against reality.
My job, RAMP’s job, is to challenge biases. To test the unspoken and declared assertions with the rigor of a dedicated scientist. We help founders discover which hypotheses are false. By changing what founders think, through evidence-based methodologies, we have seen companies skip over potholes and pitfalls they otherwise could have wasted precious time and money navigating.
I encourage you to go to the original source for information as you navigate this world. Take the time to learn as much as you can firsthand, test your biases and assumptions and change the way you think.
Lisa Garcia, Director
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