CleanFiber转发了
I drive positive change through investment, working with mission-driven companies and elevating female voices.
Congratulations to CleanFiber's CEO, Jonathan Strimling for earning the well-deserved 2024 Entrepreneur of the Year Award in New Hampshire! I have learned so much working alongside Jon in the past year to secure CleanFiber's Series B fundraising round, apply for various grants, and explore areas of strategic growth for the business. He is truly one of the most impressive entrepreneurs I have ever met. Drawing on my investment background, there are certain things investors typically look for in a founder/CEO - I look for some of the same things whether I'm looking to invest in, evaluate or join a company - tenacity, drive, grit, emotional intelligence, strategic vision, knowing when to get "in the weeds" and when to keep things high level. Jon has all of those. But working alongside him, I have come to really admire and appreciate the importance of two more traits in particular that a typical investor wouldn't see during a pitch -- two that are actually critical to running a successful business that's growing as rapidly as CleanFiber. 1) Mastery of context switching, and 2) the ability to build coalition. Jon is able to context switch extremely effectively - he is able to shift gears from an in-depth engineering discussion, to people management, to sales, to unit economics, to preparing for Board discussions faster than anyone else I've ever worked with. Most importantly, he is able to do this fully and presently, dealing with each new problem set anew, and without context hangover. As far as coalition-building goes, I believe this is an under-appreciated skill in an era where we idolize visionary founders who pay a social price for their genius (think Steve Jobs, Elon Musk). I've met many aspiring entrepreneurs who will never build great companies if they can't figure out how to get a team, a Board, and an investor base excited and on board. Not just on board, but actively rowing alongside in the same direction. If you are a founder or a CEO, it's not enough to create, think strategically or act massively. You must practice articulating your vision to others in a way that resonates. You must spark positivity and excitement in your team, provide clarity, and relentlessly confront and remove roadblocks. For this and so much more, Jon certainly has earned this award, and I'm honored to be learning alongside him! https://lnkd.in/gyG_rBwY