Midday Connect

10/16/2026

Your customer loves your product. Great! But does anyone else know?

One of the biggest missed opportunities in business is having happy customers and doing absolutely nothing with that happiness.

During this week's Midday Connect, Brendan McAdams shared how founders can turn customer success into referrals, case studies, new opportunities, and long term growth.

And it starts with a few simple habits.

✅ Ask one important question regularly.

"On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate us?"

Then follow it with:

"What would it take to get us to a 10?"

This helps you catch problems early, understand what customers value, and find ways to improve.

✅ Make your results impossible to miss. Your customer might be getting amazing results, but if their leadership team doesn't know about them, you're missing an opportunity.

Create a simple one page summary showing the results, progress, and value your product has delivered. Make it easy for your contact to share internally.

✅ Get to know more than one person. Don't build your entire relationship around a single contact. Connect with other departments, decision makers, and finance teams. You'll understand the business better and may discover new opportunities.

✅ Ask for referrals when customers are happy. When someone tells you things are going great, that's your chance to ask for a testimonial, case study, or introduction.

Even better? Set that expectation early in the relationship so it doesn't come as a surprise later.

✅ Ask what else you can help with. Your product might solve one problem today, but your customer could have five more you don't know about. Ask about other challenges, teams, or projects where you could add value.

And here's something worth remembering:

Your customers know other potential customers.

They attend the same events, work in the same industries, and talk to people facing similar problems.

When you help them succeed, you're not just building a good customer relationship. You're creating opportunities for your next customer, your next case study, and your next big win.

So don't stop at making customers happy.

Make their success visible, give them something worth talking about, and don't be afraid to ask for the introduction!

🎥 Want the full replay of Brendan McAdams’s session? 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://lnkd.in/grvAHmgg

10/12/2026

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗲𝘀. 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁? 👀

Getting early adopters is a win. But if they try your product once and disappear, you're missing out on a much bigger opportunity.

Tomorrow at Midday Connect, Brendan McAdams of Kiinetics is sharing how to turn early customers into loyal fans, repeat business, and real growth.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:

✅ How to find the right customers and avoid the wrong ones

✅ How to run pilots that lead to clear next steps

✅ The one question that reveals where your customers stand

✅ How to turn happy customers into referrals and more sales

Your next big customer could come from someone you already have. Don't miss this one! 🚀

🚨 Last chance to register!

🔗 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘: https://luma.com/6iwgjqir
📅 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: Tue, Oct 13, 2026
⏲ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: 11 am MT

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𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿:

Brendan McAdams is a sales coach, consultant, and author of Sales Craft. Through Kiinetics, he helps founders and B2B teams improve sales conversations, close deals faster, and build real customer traction. His work focuses on helping teams turn conversations into clear next steps and better results.

10/09/2026

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺? 👀

Getting someone to try your product is one thing. Getting them to love it, stick around, and tell others about it? That’s where things get interesting.

Join us next week at Midday Connect with Brendan McAdams, sales coach and founder of Kiinetics, to learn how to turn early adopters into loyal customers who help grow your business.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:

✅ How to find the right prospects and avoid the wrong ones
✅ How to run a pilot with a clear next step already in place
✅ The one question that reveals how your customers are really doing
✅ How to turn happy customers into referrals, case studies, and more sales

Your best source of growth might already be using your product. Time to make the most of it! 🚀

🔗 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘: https://luma.com/6iwgjqir
📅 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: Tue, Oct 13, 2026
⏲ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: 11 am MT

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𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿:

Brendan McAdams is a sales coach, consultant, and author of Sales Craft. Through Kiinetics, he helps founders and B2B teams improve sales conversations, close deals faster, and build real customer traction. His work focuses on helping teams turn conversations into clear next steps and better results.

10/05/2026

𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁, 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝘁. 👀

Tomorrow on Midday Connect, Andrew Lees of Stoke Ventures is breaking down what founders should know BEFORE working with a product development firm.

𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:

✅ 5 things to have ready before talking to a development firm

✅ Why filing a patent too early can be a bad move

✅ Where founders get market research wrong

Got a product idea? This could save you some expensive mistakes.

🔗 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘: https://luma.com/19s7tnr0
📅 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: Tue, Oct 6, 2026
⏲ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: 11 am MT

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𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿

Andrew Lees is the founder of Stoke Ventures and has a background in mechanical and aerospace engineering. For the past 12 years, he has helped entrepreneurs turn ideas into real products by bringing together design, engineering, product development, and business strategy.

Today, he leads a team of designers, engineers, and product launch experts building hardware and software products for the consumer and healthcare markets.

10/02/2026

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮. 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁? 👀

Before you call a product development firm, there are a few things you should have figured out first.

And no, filing a patent right away might not be one of them.

Join us for our next Midday Connect with Andrew Lees, founder of Stoke Ventures, for a practical conversation about what founders should know before turning an idea into a real product.

𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:

✅ The 5 most important things to have ready before talking with a product development firm

✅ Why filing a patent during the ideation stage may be a bad move

✅ Why good market research matters and where most founders get it wrong

A little preparation can save you a lot of time, money, and unnecessary back and forth once development starts.

🔗 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘: https://luma.com/19s7tnr0
📅 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: Tue, Oct 6, 2026
⏲ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: 11 am MT

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𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿

Andrew Lees is the founder of Stoke Ventures and has a background in mechanical and aerospace engineering. For the past 12 years, he has helped entrepreneurs turn ideas into real products by bringing together design, engineering, product development, and business strategy.

Today, he leads a team of designers, engineers, and product launch experts building hardware and software products for the consumer and healthcare markets.

09/25/2026

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹.

It’s what the investor finds after the pitch. 🔎

Juan Arango shared several red flags founders should clean up before they start serious investor conversations.

🚩 𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝘁

Investors generally don’t want their new money going straight toward old problems.

🚩 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝘄𝗮𝘆

If you only have a few months of cash left, investors may see more risk and decide to wait.

🚩 𝗔 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗽 𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲

Stacked SAFEs, convertible notes, side letters, unclear ownership, and missing documents can turn diligence into a headache.

🚩 𝗨𝗻𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀

Your deck, executive summary, website, follow up, and data room all shape how an investor sees you. You’re asking someone to trust you with serious money. Look prepared for it.

🚩 𝗡𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁

Juan encouraged founders to understand who could eventually acquire the company, not just who buys the product today.

And there’s one more thing that’s harder to put into a spreadsheet: trust.

Can you answer hard questions clearly?

Can you take feedback?

Are your numbers consistent?

Do your answers match what’s in your deck and data room?

Would the investor actually want to work with you for years?

The best time to find your own red flags is before an investor finds them for you.

Clean up the cap table. Organize the documents. Know your numbers. Prepare your answers.

Make diligence boring in the best possible way. 😎

🎥 Want the full replay of Juan Arango’s session? 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://lnkd.in/g6YVXmyc

09/24/2026

𝗗𝘂𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺.

It starts with hello. 👋

That was one of the biggest takeaways from Juan Arango during this week’s Midday Connect.

Investors are evaluating you much earlier than most founders think.

They may Google you before the meeting.

They may scan your deck in 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

They’re checking your traction, stage, sector, deal terms, and whether your company even fits what they invest in.

And every question they ask is part of diligence.

𝗦𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲?

✅ Research the investor before you pitch. Know their stage, sector, geography, and typical investments.

✅ Keep your website current and credible.

✅ Update your pitch deck regularly. Juan suggested having a version that is no more than 30 days old.

✅ Have a clear one page executive summary ready.

✅ Write down every question investors ask you.

That last one is especially useful.

If the same questions keep coming up, turn them into an FAQ. Answer them clearly, keep the answers short, and update the document after every investor conversation.

Over time, you’re building a playbook for the questions you already know are coming.

The goal of your first pitch usually isn’t to get the check.

It’s to get the next meeting.

Then the next conversation.

Then the data room.

Then the deeper questions.

Fundraising is a process. Prepare for the whole process, not just the pitch.

🎥 Want the full replay of Kristin Wihera’s session? 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://lnkd.in/g6YVXmyc

09/21/2026

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁. 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴? 👀

Tomorrow, Juan Arango is joining Midday Connect to break down what happens when investors stop listening to the pitch and start looking under the hood.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴

You’ll learn:

✅ What investors check first
✅ Red flags that raise questions
✅ What to have ready before diligence
✅ How to answer investor questions clearly
✅ How to make your company easier to evaluate

Juan has years of experience working with startups and investors, including helping build and run a structured due diligence process at Keiretsu Forum.

If you’re raising soon, this is one you’ll want to catch.

🔗 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘: https://luma.com/zw75f66c
📅 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: Tue, Sep 22, 2026
⏲ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: 11 am MT

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𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿

Juan Arango is the Senior Manager of Venture Development at the University of Utah’s Technology Licensing Office, where he works with founders, researchers, and early stage companies on venture development and commercialization.

Before joining the University of Utah, Juan worked closely with angel investors and startups through Keiretsu Forum, where he helped develop and run its due diligence process for evaluating investment opportunities.

09/18/2026

𝗔 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵.

Asra shared a simple way to test your message before spending hours polishing slides.

Pitch your company to someone who knows nothing about it.

Give them your two minute version.

Then ask them to explain it back to you.

What did they remember?

What confused them?

What made them curious?

Do this a few times and you will quickly see which parts of your story actually stick.

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗿:

What problem are you solving?

How big could the opportunity become?

Why are you the right person to solve it?

How far have you already gotten?

What makes your approach different?

The message matters more than the production value.

Asra put it pretty clearly. She has invested in plenty of companies with ugly decks.

Get the story right first. Make it pretty later.

👉 Don’t miss next week’s Midday Connect — 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://luma.com/zw75f66c
🎥 Want the full replay of Asra Nadeem’s session? 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://youtu.be/WbmlietAkko

Here's a quick look at what you're going to learn:✅ How does earl...

09/17/2026

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁.

What happens when an investor starts digging deeper?

Join us for the next Midday Connect with Juan Arango, Senior Manager of Venture Development at the University of Utah, for a practical look at how founders can make it through investor screening and prepare for due diligence.

How to Pass the Diligence Screening

𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:

✅ What investors look for first
✅ Red flags that can raise concerns
✅ What to have ready before diligence starts
✅ How to answer investor questions clearly
✅ How to make your company easier to evaluate

Juan has years of experience working with startups and investors. He previously served as the first Due Diligence Director for Keiretsu Forum Northwest and Global and helped build its structured process for evaluating startup investments.

If you’re raising now or planning to raise soon, this session will help you understand what investors may check and how to prepare before the requests start coming.

🔗 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘: https://luma.com/zw75f66c
📅 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: Tue, Sep 22, 2026
⏲ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: 11 am MT

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𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿

Juan Arango is the Senior Manager of Venture Development at the University of Utah’s Technology Licensing Office, where he works with founders, researchers, and early stage companies on venture development and commercialization.

Before joining the University of Utah, Juan worked closely with angel investors and startups through Keiretsu Forum, where he helped develop and run its due diligence process for evaluating investment opportunities.