A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders He built a farming robot that shoots weeds with lasers— then closed $10M in pre-sales before shipping a single one. | Paul Mikesell, Founder of Carbon Robotics.
Jul 15, 2024
Serial entrepreneur Paul Mikesell founded Carbon Robotics and created a farming robot using lasers to kill weeds, selling each for $1.5M. He shares insights on customer discovery, raising pre-product, and generating $150M in revenue. Learn about the challenges in hardware startups, storytelling for fundraising, and achieving product-market fit through pre-sales.
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Farmers' Openness to Technology
- Farmers are innovative and open to new technologies, including automation and robotics.
- There's a gap between venture capital and agriculture due to geographical and cultural differences.
Pitching to VCs
- When pitching VCs, focus on telling a compelling story rather than overwhelming them with information.
- Clearly present the problem, opportunity, and your solution in a concise and engaging way.
Discovering Weed Control Problems
- Paul Mikesell discovered farmers' weed control problems through conversations and farm visits.
- He learned about their challenges firsthand and gained insights by observing their practices.