There is a myriad of resources in Seattle that incubate and mentor fledgling startups — Techstars, 9Mile Labs, and Madrona Venture Labs are just a few.
But once a startup’s training wheels are off and the company starts to scale and become profitable, those resources drop away, leaving mid-sized startups with few support systems.
Randy Ottinger, Seattle tech entrepreneur and investor, is hoping to fill that gap with the iInnovate Network, a peer leadership group for tech founders, CEOs, and other C-level executives that launched on Tuesday.
“By creating a broad and diverse group of CEOs that meet regularly in forum groups of around 12 members, in a confidential setting, CEOs can discuss virtually any issue that impacts their companies or themselves personally and as leaders,” Ottinger told GeekWire via email.
He said the network is ideal for leaders running companies that have the funding to operate and scale.
These leaders have moved beyond the initial grind of founding a startup and getting it off the ground, and instead face challenges like creating a high-performance culture, hiring top talent, raising growth capital, and even acquiring companies or selling their own company, Ottinger said.
“My hope is that iInnovate will help more entrepreneurs with great ideas become successful as they grow their companies, and can help further strengthen the Greater Seattle tech ecosystem for many years,” he said.
Membership in the network runs at $500 per month or $6,000 for a 12-month period.
iInnovate has signed some big names to its board of advisors, including Heather Redman, noted Seattle angel investor; Michael Schutzler, CEO of the Washington Technology Industry Association; and Arthur J. Buerk, co-founder of the University of Washington Foster School for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
The network will offer members regular meetings in small groups, led by “iLeaders” that are professional coaches with backgrounds in the tech industry. iLeaders will also offer individual coaching for members between meetings.
