Ep. 1: Bootstrapping from Prototype to Production, with Accrete AI

Welcome to the first episode of Crossing the Valley!

I’m excited to bring you Accrete AI’s story of tech transition. It’s a story about a commercial-first bootstrapped company finding its way in the defense market. The interview was super interesting, as our two guests have such different backgrounds: Prashant was a financial trader, while Brian had a 20+ year career inside the government. But they play off each other incredibly well, and have some absolute truth bombs for our listeners. This case study includes key takeaways, timestamps, company contracts (thanks to our friends at Procure FYI), and much more.

If you like the audio version, check us out on YouTube, and read on for the Case Study highlights!

And please let me know what you like and what you want more of! noah@frontdoordefense.com.

⏲️TIMESTAMPS⏲️

00:00 - Intro

01:43 - Prashant's Background and Accrete's Founding

08:47 - Brian's Background and Transition from Government

13:37 - Accrete's Commercial-first Strategy

17:47 - The DIU Application Process

24:24 - DIU's Acquisition and Transition Process

29:53 - How Accrete Built with the Customer to Pass Technical Milestones

32:44 - The First Transition

35:42 - Expectations vs. Reality of Transition

43:02 - Advice to Small Companies

50:17 - What Does the Future Hold?

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.valleycrossers.com