Smart Scaling: Lessons on Customer Discovery & CEO Involvement

 

In this session, Vincent Martinez, co-founder of Nanoleq, a Swiss-based smart textiles company specializing in stretchable electronics for health monitoring, will share invaluable lessons from his entrepreneurial journey.

In November 2024, Nanoleq was acquired by Myant Corp., a Canadian leader in advanced materials for healthcare. This strategic acquisition aims to integrate Nanoleq’s advanced sensor technologies into Myant’s expanding portfolio of medical devices, enhancing Myant’s mission to pioneer the future of connected health.

Vincent will dive into the pivotal lessons that drove Nanoleq’s success: how early customer feedback shapes product-market fit, why CEOs need to be directly involved in sales, and the dangers of scaling too early. Whether you’re building a B2B or B2C product, Vincent’s insights into knowing your market, finding the right use case, and carefully scaling before achieving product-market fit can help avoid costly missteps and set your startup up for sustainable growth.

This session will be a must for founders and CEOs looking to scale with precision and build products that truly meet market needs. Don’t miss out on these game-changing insights from a successful founder who has lived through both the challenges and triumphs of growing a startup.

 

Opening Remarks @ 9:30am PT

Join us for opening remarks with Dina Wagner, Head of Member Success at Founders Network, to get the latest updates from the Network and opportunities for getting involved.

 

Keynote Speaker @ 9:40am PT

Vincent Martinez is the co-founder of Nanoleq (acquired by Myant), a pioneering smart textiles company that developed stretchable electronics for health monitoring. Born in France and based in Zurich for the past 12 years, Vincent holds a material engineering degree from UTT (France) and a PhD in micro-technologies from ETH Zurich. Throughout his career, Vincent has demonstrated a passion for advancing our understanding of the human body through technology. His optimism and curiosity have driven his work, as he strives to build meaningful products that contribute to a better knowledge of ourselves.

Since founding Nanoleq, Vincent has been responsible for the company’s vision, overall strategy, management, fundraising, and business development. Under his leadership, Nanoleq pivoted from a B2B focus on manufacturing sensors for textiles to launching the Oxa Life product—a B2C wearable for breathing and ECG monitoring. Nanoleq’s acquisition by Myant six months ago marked a new phase, where Vincent’s strategic vision helped accelerate user growth and recurring revenue.

In addition to his entrepreneurial accomplishments, Vincent has been recognized with multiple awards, including the ETH Pioneer Fellowship (2016) and the De Vigier Award (2018). He leads a dedicated team committed to improving health through the next generation of monitoring textiles.

 

Stage-Based Roundtables @ 10:30am PT

 

Complimentary Ticket:

Are you a full-time tech founder? Be our guest! We’re making our events available to tech founders everywhere. Enjoy a complimentary ticket to come learn from fellow tech founders, partners and investors. Already used your complimentary guest pass? Request an invite to see if you qualify for membership.

 

About Founders Network:

Founded in 2011, Founders Network offers lifelong peer mentorship to over 600 tech startup founders globally. Our platform, programs and high-touch service facilitate authentic experience sharing, warm introductions and long-term professional relationships. Additional benefits include over $500k in startup discounts and promotion to 2,000 newsletter readers. Members are located in San Francisco, New York City, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Toronto, London and other tech hubs. Each month our Membership Committee admits a new cohort of full-time tech founders who are nominated by an existing member. Learn more about us here

Confidentiality Policy

All information shared within Founders Network is strictly confidential. We are built on a foundation of trust, and the community takes confidentiality seriously. Investors, members, and staff all share experiences and opinions off the record. In this roundtable forum, we continue to model our fnValues of Reciprocity, Humility, Authenticity and Inclusivity. Read more about our Privacy Policy here.