Michael Hess

Inspirer
DISC Type : id

Co-Founder at Outset

San Francisco Bay Area, United States

Overview

Michael Hess is the Co-Founder of Outset, an AI-moderated research platform backed by Y Combinator, aiming to disrupt the qualitative data industry. He is focused on rapidly scaling the company, having led it through successful Series A and B funding rounds. He attended UCLA.

Before founding Outset, Michael served as a firefighter for CAL FIRE and the South Lake County Fire Protection District. He also was part of the founding team for Watch Duty, a nonprofit focused on disaster awareness, demonstrating a strong commitment to community safety and service.

To celebrate his companys Series B funding round, Michael got an Outset logo tattoo.

Personality Overview

Achievment Oriented

Generous

Confident & Optimistic

They don’t mind taking a stand if they believe in something.  They usually prefer to drive the conversation. They measure a product on its merit but can be influenced by strong testimonials.

Topics They Care About

Startup Culture
He emphasizes hiring for "culture add" over resumes and preserving the team's core values through rapid growth and multiple funding rounds.
Qualitative Research
As the co-founder of Outset, his primary professional focus is on reinventing how companies conduct qualitative research at scale using AI.
AI Quality Control
He is actively developing and promoting AI-driven solutions to screen for interview quality and detect fraud in real-time during research.

Media Appearances

Michael has no verified media appearances

Work History

8-2022
Co-Founder at Outset
12-2018
Firefighter at South Lake County Fire Protection District
3-2021 - 11-2022
Founding Team at Watch Duty
1-2022 - 8-2022
Co-Founder & CEO at Aldr
Firefighter at California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)

Education

Education details unavailable from Y Combinator
Education details unavailable from UCLA

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 7 Location : San Francisco Bay Area, United States Job Level : Leadership Designation : Co-Founder at Outset
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Insights For Selling To Michael

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Refer to testimonials from well known people to highlight the value of your product
  • Get them to a point where they are ready to bat for your product internally
  • Acknowledge their status and position during the conversation

DONT's

  • Don't be unorganized, be prepared for the pitch
  • Avoid focusing only on the product or its ROI, keep building trust subtly
  • Don’t be too verbose or overly friendly; a little bit, however, is fine

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Michael is

  • Product value plays a big role, followed by relationship and a sense of achievement.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Michael

  • If they do not firmly believe in you, they will refuse without hesitation.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Michael move?

  • If they develop confidence in your product and you, then they can make fast decisions.
  • Can Michael take some risk or not?

  • If necessary, they have the ability to take risky decisions.

You And Michael

Personality Compatibility


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