Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

▶️ Office Hours Replay w/ Co-Founders of TLVA — Josh David Miller & Cameron R. Law — Pivots, Pitfalls & What to Do Next You ran the experiments... The data’s back... Now what? In this week’s Traction Lab Office Hours, they talked through one of the most misunderstood parts of startup life: #pivots. Not the buzzwordy kind — the real, messy kind that happens when traction slips and something has to change. We covered: 🔄 The 3 types of pivots (minor, major, existential) 🧭 How to know which one you’re actually making 🧠 Why most founders botch the story when talking to investors 🚧 What to do when an experiment flops ⚠️ The silent danger of stacking small pivots that quietly derail your startup If you’re navigating a tough call or questioning your current direction — this one’s worth the listen. 🎥 Catch the replay here: https://lnkd.in/gF8wkcv3 📅 Join live every Friday at noon PT on Substack #startups #traction #pivot #founders #startupstrategy #earlystage #productmarketfit #TLVA #officehours Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship The Right Box StartupSac Startup Challenge Growth Factory Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy Startup Grind Sacramento MedStart Startup Folsom Zero to Traction

Are Your Startup Metrics Telling You the Truth—or Just Lying to Make You Feel Better? In the latest Zero to Traction episode, Josh David Miller and Cameron R. Law ask the tough question: Are you measuring real traction—or just vanity metrics wrapped in glitter glue and good intentions? From 3,000-person waitlists to Product Hunt upvotes and MOUs with BigCo logos, we break down the most common "metrics" founders brag about—and why they often don’t mean what you think they do. A few truths they unpack in the blog: 📉 A massive waitlist doesn’t matter if no one’s actually paying. 🚫 Upvotes ≠ users. Product Hunt isn’t a growth strategy. 💼 An MOU with a big enterprise? Might just be corporate cosplay. #startups #zerototraction #vanitymetrics #founderadvice #productmarketfit #earlystagefounders #growthstrategy https://lnkd.in/gZ5tFS4K

🎉 Drumroll, please! We’re thrilled to announce the Top 25 Finalist Teams for e-Fest® - Home of The Schulze Entrepreneurship Challenge® 2025 — selected from nearly 200 submissions across North America! These talented undergraduate entrepreneurs will head to Minneapolis April 24–26 to pitch for a share of $220,000 in cash prizes, plus two new $5,000 awards recognizing Impact and Market Readiness. 🚀 From AI‑powered smart glasses to eco‑friendly innovations and life‑changing medical devices, these student startups are redefining what’s possible. We couldn’t be prouder of every team for their creativity, grit, and dedication to solving real‑world problems. 👏 👉 Join us in congratulating the Top 25 Finalists and cheering them on as they compete for the top prize! Drop a 👏 in the comments, share this post, and follow e-Fest® - Home of The Schulze Entrepreneurship Challenge® on LinkedIn for live updates, winner announcements, and inspiring stories from the competition floor. Aldental BiliRoo BRCĒ DisposeOil Eluth emPATCH Granite State Systems Helwa Fragrance LENSAI LetAllGirls LockGuard Métopi Morph Labs MY SALON Suite Pathway Oncology PlayVision QTex AI Inc. SentrySight SparkFluence Splash Technologies SurfStick LLC Sync Labs Technotonin TouchStone #eFest2025 #StudentEntrepreneurs #Innovation #PitchCompetition #Entrepreneurship https://lnkd.in/g_xkPN29

We are thrilled to present the Startup Board Development Series – a 3-part workshop designed to help founders like YOU leverage the value of startup and advisory boards throughout your entrepreneurial journey. Led by Kim Box, accomplished Independent Board Director and Carlsen Center Advisory Board Member, this hands-on series will demystify board structures, mechanics, and strategies for engagement at every stage — from seed to scale to exit. 📅 Workshop Schedule: ✅ April 8 – Board Overview Learn the role of boards at different stages (Seed, Growth, Series A+, Acquisition/IPO) and how to build the right one for your venture. ✅ April 15 – Board Mechanics Master the ins and outs of effective board operations — cadence, agendas, communications, and decision-making strategy. ✅ April 22 – Founder & Board Member Panel Hear firsthand from seasoned founders and board members about what works, what doesn’t, and how to build a high-impact board. 🎤 About the Speaker: Kim Box From VP at HP to CEO scaling a healthcare startup by 500%, Kim brings a wealth of board experience and operational leadership. Currently serving on public boards (NASDAQ: AMRB & MGRC), she’s an expert in digital transformation, governance, and scaling high-growth companies. Register Here: https://lnkd.in/gcC8uvcX #boards #boarddevelopment #advisoryboards #startups #governance #advisorysupport StartupSac Traction Lab Venture Accelerator Sacramento Metro Chamber Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce California Capital Financial Development Corporation Sacramento Valley SBDC Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce NAWBO Sacramento Valley Chapter FourthWave.io Growth Factory CleanStart AgStart Sacramento Entrepreneurial Growth Alliance Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy Veteran Entrepreneur Tribe of Sacramento (VETS)

Excited to share my experience with the Startup Challenge run by Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship ! Joined the team Box Loop Throughout this challenge, I conducted extensive marketing research through customer interviews, gaining valuable insights into how to pivot business ideas effectively. This hands-on experience helped me refine hypotheses, assess market demand, and strategize next steps for growth. One of the most rewarding parts was creating a comprehensive presentation, where I communicated key takeaways, major pivots, and what areas needed further exploration. This challenge reinforced the importance of adaptability, customer feedback, and data-driven decision-making in entrepreneurship. Grateful for the opportunity to collaborate, learn, and sharpen my skills in business innovation along with marketing. Looking forward to applying these insights to future projects! Lastly would love to thank my team along with everyone involved with the event Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship from hosts, coaches, mentors, and more for this amazing 48 hour opportunity! #StartupChallenge #MarketingResearch #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #BusinessGrowth

Another weekend of learning startups by actually building one in the books! We were thrilled to have some many entrepreneurs plug into our Spring Startup Challenge! Over the weekend we had 75+ entrepreneurs engage the weekend and advance 19 startups. We were proud to see existing startups make massive pivots, identify key pricing signals, and gain new UI/UX insights to advance further product development. In addition to this we loved seeing new teams form and see these teams go from idea to validation with actual pre-orders. It is always validation at a weekend of #traction to see teams make forward progress and get customers to pay in less than 48 hours. Congratulations to our Winners! Traction Cohort 1st Place - Purple Door Finders 2nd Place - Storiel AI Student Traction Cohort 1st Place - Rescue Eats 2nd Place - NutraCompass Catalyst 1st Place - Victory Garden 2nd Place - ZAZ LABS Thank you to our organizer team: Josh David Miller, Laura Good, Arlene J. Miranda, and Cameron R. Law for stewarding this weekend of building and creating an environment that fostered forward progress and a willingness to be uncomfortable. We are also grateful for our coaches: Brian K. Gladden, Jessie Becker Alexander, Marc Krichman, Brian Hoblit, and Kyle Kaneshiro. Additionally, we appreciate our volunteers: Sukhamrit Kaur Khehra, Gabriel O., Chris Anderson, Anne Bradley, Theresa Abah, and Celina Kim. We hope you all plug in to our next Startup Challenge which will be taking place the week of Sept. 26th through 30th! #StartupChallenge #startups #build #launch #customerdiscovery

New Episode Drop: Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall - If your metrics only look good in soft lighting and a flattering filter… you might be startup catfishing. 🐟💄 In this spicy new episode of Zero to Traction, Josh David Miller (JDM), Cameron R. Law, and your favorite digital co-host Cass stand in front of the proverbial mirror and ask the hard question: 👉 Are your metrics reflecting real traction — or just glitter-glued delusions? 🎧 Listen if you’ve ever asked yourself... ✅ Is a 3,000-person waitlist traction or a dream? ✅ Does a Product Hunt launch signal product-market fit or just great theater? ✅ Are those MOUs momentum — or mirages? ✅ Can I actually repeat this? Because traction isn’t about the biggest number on your slide deck — it’s about repeatable, behavior-driven signals that actually lead to growth. 💬 Cass said it best: “If your startup metrics were dating profiles, half of them would just say ‘loves long walks on the beach’ with a blurry photo from 2016.” 😬 Also inside: 📝 Cameron considers starting a support group for underused Remarkables 💫 JDM tries not to use glittery metaphors ⚡️ Cass comes in extra spicy 📢 Founder Love: A Startup Challenge participant texted us during this recording: “This was another breakthrough for me.” Another. Freaking. Breakthrough. That’s what we live for. 👀 Give it a listen — and if it hits, share it with a founder who’s ready to see their business clearly. 🎙️ https://lnkd.in/gzibT_jC 🔁 Repost to help us grow the pod ❤️ Follow Zero to Traction for more honest founder truths #ZeroToTraction #StartupTraction #Founders #StartupMetrics #NoMoreVanityMetrics #Podcast #ProductMarketFit #StartupTips #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #FounderJourney Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Traction Lab Venture Accelerator The Right Box StartupSac Startup Grind Sacramento

🌀 Office Hours Replay: The Bermuda Triangle of Business Models Saturday night. 9PM. While most people were out living their lives… Josh David Miller and Cameron R. Law went live from the Startup Challenge to talk business models — and how most founders unknowingly sail straight into what we call the Bermuda Triangle of Business Models. You think you’re making progress, but really… you're just going in circles. In this replay, we break down: 🔹 Why your business model ≠ your revenue model 🔹 The 4 core components: Who, What, How & Why — and what happens when one breaks 🔹 Why “cheaper and faster” is not a real value prop 🔹 Why your business model is your product — especially when you’re raising 🔹 How to use known patterns to explore smarter models We also doodled a terrible triangle in real time, lost the lights mid-session, and answered live questions from founders. Chaos? Yes. Insightful? Also yes. 🎥 Watch the replay here: https://lnkd.in/guGhfS_U If you've ever slapped a business model slide into your deck without validating it — this one's for you. #TractionLab #StartupChallenge #BusinessModelDesign #Startups #EarlyStageFounders #ProductMarketFit #StartupMistakes #CustomerDiscovery #Founders The Right Box Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Growth Factory StartupSac Startup Grind Sacramento Startup Folsom Traction Lab Venture Accelerator ChicoSTART 1 Million Cups Sacramento

Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Director Cameron R. Law interviews Bekonix CEO Daniel Kaye at StartupSac Happy Hour

💡Dream It. Create it! In design school, I constantly dreamed up hardware products that never saw daylight because I got lost in the technical weeds. But it’s exciting to see that barrier is crumbling fast! Soon, anyone will be able to transform ideas into reality at record speeds. Part of the reason we started SyncFab. I had the awesome opportunity yesterday to meet Daniel Kaye. Thank you for taking the time to let me peek behind the curtain at what Bekonix is building. It’s exactly this! Helping eliminate the technical roadblocks so we can spend less time struggling and more time creating magic. Huge thanks to StartupSac Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Choose Folsom & Laura Good for putting helping put this together. Cameron R. Law not sure where you find the energy, but great moderating 👏 #DreamItCreateIt #innovation #iot #tech #startup #designthinking #futuretech #creativity #productdesign #collaboration