​Founders are building in a new environment: faster cycles, noisier markets, and tools (including AI) that can accelerate execution, but don’t automatically create advantage. Strategy is still the differentiator: deciding what to do next, where to focus, and how to build something durable.

​Join Eric Boduch (co-founder of Pendo) for a candid fireside chat on what actually works for founders right now, drawn from building multiple software companies and working alongside early teams through 24 and Up Venture Studio. We’ll unpack the patterns behind fast traction, durable positioning, strong early hires, and investor-ready momentum, plus the mistakes founders make when speed becomes the default.

​You’ll walk away with:

• ​A practical lens on “where to play” and “how to win” in crowded categories

• ​How to pressure-test positioning and demand before overbuilding

• ​What great early hiring looks like (and the costly missteps to avoid)

• ​What investors respond to now: clarity, risk removal, and momentum signals

• ​How to use new tools (including AI) to move faster without losing focus

​Speaker

​Eric Boduch

​Eric Boduch is an entrepreneur, operator, and investor best known as a co-founder of Pendo, the software company that helped define the product experience category. He began coding at a young age, launched his first startup during the dot-com boom, and has spent his career building software companies across engineering, product, marketing, and strategy. In addition to his operating roles across startups and public software companies, he hosted Product Love, a podcast featuring many of the top voices in product management. Today, he applies that experience to helping build the next generation of software companies at 24 and Up Venture Studio.

​24 and Up is a venture studio founded by Eric Boduch that works side by side with experienced founders to build software companies from the ground up. The studio supports these companies across idea development, product strategy, market validation, go-to-market execution, and fundraising, taking an active role in helping teams move from concept to traction. Its portfolio includes Revcast, Troupe, Wayfound, 531 Social, Define, and Outplacer. It has established a strong early track record, with the first three companies launched by the studio all raising external capital.

​Location

​Tin Roof

​300 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27603

​Questions?

​This session is part of Raleigh-Durham Startup Week. Click here to learn more about the event, plus get answers to your FAQs.

​Track Supporter

​​​Thank you to Narrasoft for supporting the Strategy Track at #RDSW26!