Every entrepreneur knows that the path from a frustrating personal experience to a functioning startup is filled with difficult choices. In this episode of the Sbur Decision Lab, host Puck Fernsten sits down with Ray Bartlett, a lifelong travel writer and the founder of TripSquee, a travel application designed to shrink hours of tedious vacation planning down to just minutes. Ray shares his candid journey of building a startup, pitching a $1.5M seed round, and navigating the

Lately, I have been hearing more concerns from friends about their children’s futures after graduation. These students attend some of the top schools in Boston. Additionally, numerous articles report that current college graduates are struggling to find jobs, and large companies are reducing their hiring for entry-level positions. AI is disrupting both the corporate job market and college education simultaneously. Instead of knowledge or skill-based, education is going to ori

"Every week I’m not funded is another week I risk shutting down—not because the business failed, but because I simply ran out of runway." That’s the brutal reality of the pre-seed stage, yet most fundraising advice ignores the specific, messy trade-offs you face right now. Not all money is good money. This guide, based on Sbur founder and investor discussions (750+ founder members and 230+ in-person peer-to-peer advisory board meetings), breaks down exactly how to weigh spe

Every entrepreneur starts with a vision. Whether inspired by a personal frustration or a massive gap in the market, the initial spark is what drives us to build. However, the true test of entrepreneurship isn't just about having a great idea—it’s about the willingness to step outside your own imagination, face cold hard data, and ground your business strategy in reality. In a recent episode of Sbur Decision Lab, host Tony Zhang sat down with Martin Jeon, the founder and CEO o

Entrepreneurship is often defined by the decisions made in the face of uncertainty. In a recent episode of the Sbur Decision Lab series, we sat down with Kai Francis Kaizuka, the solo founder of Alstrum, to explore how he is navigating the complex world of FinTech and capital markets. Kai is on a mission to democratize retail trading through his app, Strike, by providing everyday investors with the same institutional-grade data and real-time positioning insights used by major

At Sbur Decision Lab, we feature entrepreneurs sharing their stories and decision-making processes so you can make smarter decisions and achieve success. Recently, we sat down with Ben Pope, co-founder of Mellicell, to discuss his journey in developing a revolutionary oral therapeutic targeting obesity, Alzheimer's, and Fragile X. Here are the key learning points and insights for entrepreneurs from our conversation: Finding Your "Why" Personal Connection Drives Passion: Ben’s

Endometriosis is a devastating disease affecting one in ten women worldwide, often leaving patients in desperate situations with no known cure and few effective treatments. In a recent episode of Sbur Decision Lab, Tony Zhang sat down with Mark Connell, co-founder and president of SLBST Pharma, to discuss how his team is working to change this narrative through strategic decision-making and innovative science. The Challenge and the Solution For many women, the current "standa

In the high-stakes world of entrepreneurship, we often focus on product-market fit, burn rates, and scaling strategies. However, a staggering 65% of startups fail due to a much more personal reason: founder misalignment. In our latest episode of Sbur Decision Lab, we sat down with Mark Styles, a veteran lawyer and the founder of Joze AI, to discuss how he is using technology to solve this $250 billion problem. Here are the key takeaways for every entrepreneur looking to build

In the latest episode of Sbur Decisions Lab, we sat down with Reneldy Senat, the founder of Jeffrey AI, to discuss how he is tackling one of the most persistent and costly problems in property management: the communication "glitch." With 18 years of experience building world-class products, Reneldy is now focusing his expertise on "Inbox Intelligence" for property management teams. Jeffrey AI isn't just another property management system; it is a specialized platform that liv

The journey of an entrepreneur is rarely a straight line, but for Kevin Connley, founder and CEO of VesiFlo, it has been a twelve-year marathon. Having founded and operated five medical device manufacturing companies, Connley is no stranger to the industry, but his latest venture, the inFlow Voiding Prosthesis, presented unique challenges that offer invaluable lessons for any innovator. Lessons from a 12-Year Journey The Regulatory and Reimbursement Hurdle: Even after receivi