Avogadro
Cofounder & CTO · 2022 – 2024
Avogadro was B2B vertical SaaS for chemical manufacturers. We raised $1M+ at a $5M valuation led by Bienville Capital and wound down in 2024.
Building the Team
We built a team of 4 engineers selected from over 500 applicants and conducted 20+ customer discovery interviews with chemical manufacturers in the specialty chemicals space.
What We Built
- Formulation management with version control and regulatory compliance tracking
- Batch production with full traceability from raw materials to finished goods
- Quality control workflows integrated directly into production processes
- Regulatory documentation automated for FDA, EPA, and state requirements
Why We Wound Down
The product worked. We spent a year embedded with the operators and engineers who would use the software daily, and they loved it. What we missed was that the engineer-user wasn't the buyer. Plant managers and CFOs couldn't pull the trigger on a new system, even with internal champions advocating for it.
What I Took From It
Two lessons. First, in vertical B2B you sell to the decision-maker, not just the end user — a principle that now shapes how we sell CopperCore from week one. Second, watching a great product fail on the commercial side, when I could only meaningfully contribute on the technical side, was a direct push toward business school. The Wharton MBA was a deliberate response.