A company is only as strong as the team behind it. Fortunately for TuffWerx, talented minds and experienced leadership propel our vision, mission and daily operations.
Gary Forni, TuffWerx CEO, was recently featured in Silicon Hills News. An Intel veteran of 22 years who moved to Austin in 2006, Forni now mentors and funds Austin startups in addition to his responsibilities at TuffWerx.
Pointing Entrepreneurs in the Right Direction
In the Silicon Hills News article by Susan Lahey, Forni shares 8 valuable tips for entrepreneurs searching for funding:
- Be disruptive to your industry.
- Have the right team, with members who have complimentary skill sets.
- Choose a one billion dollar (or greater) market.
- Offer a high ROI (return on investment) to investors. Forni looks for an ROI of at least 15 times his investment.
- Go against fragmented competition, not giants like Microsoft or Apple.
- Show credibility by having a baseline of customers, partnership agreements with other companies, or other elements that attest to the viability of your idea.
- Have a plan for the growth of your business and be actively pursuing the goals laid out in your plan.
- Present a “believable marketing strategy” that addresses customers’ pain points and solves their problems better than your competitors.
Trust and Mutual Respect Between TuffWerx Leaders
Lahey shares the progession of Forni’s fascinating career to this point, including the magnetism of TuffWerx and why Forni chose to join the team as CEO. Forni has developed a healthy partnership with TuffWerx Founder and CTO Erik Dreyer based on trust and mutual respect. “Erik is one of the main reasons I went for it….He is a stunningly smart guy and an awesome CTO.”
In turn, Dreyer praises Forni by saying, “I trust him….He’s a tremendous listener….He’s got great people skills. A great business sense. Integrity.”
We want to extend a warm thank you to Susan Lahey and the editorial team at Silicon Hills News for featuring TuffWerx. We’re excited to be a part of the Austin technology scene and look forward to the future.
To read the entire article, including invaluable business insight from Forni, click here.