Bret Waters

Inquirer
DISC Type : dc

Author at The Launch Path

United States

Overview

Bret is a lifelong Silicon Valley entrepreneur, author, and investor who teaches entrepreneurship at Stanford University. A three-time founder and CEO with an MBA from Northwesterns Kellogg School, people who have worked with him often describe him as inspiring, brilliant, and insightful.

He has spent his entire life in Silicon Valley, attributing his residency to the areas excellent fish tacos. His stated passions are democratizing entrepreneurship and fish tacos, and he also enjoys traveling, with a recent trip to Mexico.

Unique fact: Bret explains that he has lived in Silicon Valley his whole life primarily because the fish tacos there are excellent.

Personality Overview

Demanding

Hard To Convince

ROI Conscious

They focus on objectivity in a pitch and pay little attention to bells and whistles.  They don’t always try to control the conversation but neither do they like yielding it fully. They respond well to confident salespeople.

Topics They Care About

Startup Development
Authored "The Launch Path" and teaches entrepreneurship at Stanford, focusing on helping founders move from idea to a launch-ready and funding-ready venture.
Social Entrepreneurship
Serves as an Executive Mentor at the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship, coaching founders of social ventures focused on global impact.
AI for Startups
He recently hosted a virtual roundtable discussion specifically on the topic of AI for startup founders, indicating a current focus on this emerging technology.

Media Appearances

Listen to the waves.. Want to launch a successful startup? It…. Featured in Medium (The Launch Path)

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The Launch Path Canvas. Featured in Medium

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The Launch Path book discussion with Executive Mentor Bret Waters. Featured in YouTube

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Work History

1-2024
Author at The Launch Path
1-2017 - 11-2018
Chairman at Tivix, Inc.
7-2016 - 2016
Chief Mentor at European Innovation Academy
4-2010
Teacher Guy at Stanford University
10-2008 - 1-2017
CEO at Tivix, Inc.

Education

MBA from Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management
1972 - 1976
Education details unavailable from Los Gatos High School

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 26 Location : United States Job Level : Junior Designation : Author at The Launch Path
URL has been copied!

Insights For Selling To Bret

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Make sure that you you respond to any queries from them quickly
  • Stress on the business value that your product offers
  • Be crisp while making the pitch

DONT's

  • Refrain from asking too many questions
  • Do not give up if they are not convinced, try again with a different approach
  • Don't try too hard to get friendly, let it happen with time

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Bret is

  • Conviction in the product matters to them, followed by proof points and strong testimonials.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Bret

  • They may not be very forthcoming, but they will say no if needed.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Bret move?

  • They are neither the fastest decision makers nor the slowest.
  • Can Bret take some risk or not?

  • They can take risks but after weighing up the pros and cons.

You And Bret

Personality Compatibility


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