We recently had the privilege of running a hybrid program with Intel Ignite—Intel’s deep tech corporate accelerator. This recap highlights the program and its impact, showing how we bridge corporate and startup environments in the service of driving growth and innovation.
The Intel Ignite Program: Why Actionworks?
Intel Ignite operates globally, helping deep tech companies master the art of enterprise sales. Intel’s size, network, and tech industry position offers an ideal environment for founders to learn about selling to large corporations.
Intel Ignite chose Actionworks for our expertise in:
Capital Raising Through Storytelling: We help founders create compelling narratives that appeal to investors. This skill is valuable in deep tech, where complex ideas need clear, persuasive communication.
Video Education: We lead modules on video production (looking and sounding professional in Zoom), camera presence, and creating video content to attract customers and investors.
We used a hybrid format for this engagement that included 30 hours of virtual founder coaching, followed by hands-on sessions at Intel’s office in Cambridge. This approach allowed us to give high-energy in person training complemented by sustained virtual support, which is ideal for helping people refine their home studios.
Program Participants and Results
Ten companies comprising 20 founders participated. These deep tech startups, many focusing on AI, had each raised at least a million dollars to be accepted to the program.
Chris Bahl, CEO of AI Proteins, stood out. After applying our techniques, Chris met with an investor who had previously declined. The investor said, “Something is different now” after engaging with Chris in his new video setup. Then he agreed to a $20 million investment for AI Proteins. Our results don’t usually come that quickly, but this was impossible not to share.
Some of the other participants included:
- Axoft: Brain-computer interfaces
- Subsalt: Synthetic data solutions
- Themis AI: AI applications
- Breachquest: Cybersecurity
- Antaris: Space software platform
Topics and Exercises
Here is a glimpse at some of the topics we covered and our frameworks for giving teams real-world tools for success:
| Topic | Framework/Exercise | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Storytelling for investors and customers | The Central Metaphor and The Cocktail Party Test | Two litmus tests that help simplify complex ideas for quick understanding by investors and customers |
| Creating clear value propositions for corporate decision-makers | Troika Consulting | A problem-solving exercise that allows founders to receive diverse perspectives on their business problems, which helps refine the value prop |
| Positioning in competitive markets | The XYZ Value Prop Exercise | A framework for distilling complex ideas, helping companies articulate their unique position in competitive markets |
| Effective Zoom pitches | The 10% Rule of Camera Presence | An approach that teaches founders how to manage their energy in virtual meetings and content creation |
| Video production for high-stakes meetings | The ALF (Audio, Lighting, Framing) method | A simple framework for improving video setups, critical for professional-looking remote business interactions |
| B2B Customer Acquisition | Landing Page Teardowns | A feedback-driven approach to making a strong first impression with customers, providing immediate, actionable feedback on digital presence |
The Impact: Deals and Investments
Marc Castleman, Managing Director of Intel Ignite, said: “Our teams stood out in the enterprise market. They raised more capital, had more meetings with corporate clients, and closed more deals thanks to Actionworks.”
Ricky Pelligrini, CEO of Knode.ai, added: “Cam improved our video presence for enterprise sales. He transformed my setup to a professional level. Now I’m confident talking to investors and customers. Cam knows setups, storytelling, and persuasive company pitches.”
AI Proteins’ $20 million investment shows how our techniques can improve a company’s ability to communicate their value to customers and investors.
Addressing Corporate Challenges
Corporations often struggle to work with startups and new technologies. Actionworks has 15 years of experience bridging the gap between established corporations and agile startups.
Deep tech companies often can’t explain their complex solutions’ business value. We help them create clear value propositions that make sense to large organizations.
Long decision-making processes in large enterprises can slow down tech adoption. We teach strategies to streamline these processes, helping both startups and corporate teams engage key decision-makers effectively.
The Troika Consulting exercise involves turning around so others can “talk about you behind your back”, which reveals that “what you say is not always what your customers hear”
Why Work with Actionworks?
Intel Ignite invited us to continue this engagement for the next year,. We appreciate them believing in us and our approach and love working with their teams.
For corporations seeking to improve their tech initiatives, we provide:
- New techniques for enterprise collaboration and communication
- Programs tailored to your industry and goals
- Virtual and in-person learning
- Methods that have created successful corporate-startup partnerships
Next Steps
Reach out to learn how Actionworks can help your corporation succeed in tech collaboration, leading to valuable partnerships and investments.
More on lessons learned from helping Chris Bahl (AI Proteins) raise capital here. If you want tips on video and startups, join my newsletter.