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This book acts as a detailed field guide for machine inventors and founders to meet customer demand and financing objectives. It acts as a pivotal point in the ideation process whilst introducing a cadre of potential mentors, through interviews with some of the most respected luminaries in this field.
List of contents
Introduction: Adventure and Risks of Startups: Trailhead 1. Customer Discovery + Product Market Fit: Planning 2. Team Culture Drives Innovation: Base Camp 3. The Five Rules for Starting an Automation Company: Gear 4. Ready to Sell: Hiking 5. Business Model and Partners: Climbing 6: Capital Partners: Wildlife 7. Government as an Investor and Customer: Flora and Fauna 8. Scaling Up Growth Mountain: Summiting 9. Exit Opportunities: Rappelling 10. Be Humble and Careful Out There: Field Notes Appendix: Lexicon Of Startup, Robot, + Ai Terms
About the author
Oliver Mitchell is a partner at ff Venture Capital, where he leads investments in robotics, artificial intelligence, drones, industrial automation, and climate tech while building strategic alliances with limited partners and corporate venture groups. A seasoned investor, Oliver boasts a proven track record of successful exits, including two IPOs (Novocure and Ekso Bionics), a $1.4 billion private equity sale of TripleLift, and high returns from recent transactions, including the acquisition of Scite.ai by Research Solutions (RSSS) and CardFlight's growth equity round led by WestView Capital Partners. He currently serves on the boards of CivRobotics, Cambrian Robotics, and Paraspot AI, leveraging his deep tech expertise to scale transformative companies. Previously, he built and exited ventures such as Holmes Protection, AmeriCash, and RobotGalaxy, a national STEM-focused brand. As an Adjunct Professor at Sy Syms School of Business and the author of
A Startup Field Guide in the Age of Robots and AI, he continues to shape innovation, sharing insights on his blog as the "Robot Rabbi."
