If you're stuck between having a startup and having something investors actually want to fund, this episode is for you. Our guest, Kevin Nesgoda—CEO of OutPaged and recent Founder Institute grad—dives into the messy middle of startup life, where great ideas often die without the right pressure, feedback, and mindset shift.

After years of daydreaming and building but still feeling stuck between "interesting" and "investable," Kevin joined an accelerator to stress-test everything. Hear what broke, what shifted, and what finally clicked—plus his advice on resilience, determination, and what's needed to push through.

Topics Covered;

Why most founders aren't actually fundable yet and how accelerators like Founders Institute expose the gap (and what they want in return)
What surviving cancer taught Kevin about building a startup
How OutPaged went from "cool product" to investable business
The mindset change that happens when you stop pitching and start pressure-testing your model
Why early founders misunderstand what investors are really evaluating
The B2C vs B2B framing decision that can make or break your raise
What mentors and investor reviews reveal that you can't see from inside your own startup
Why the solo-founder myth slows momentum and increases risk
How team design becomes a signal of scale readiness
What rejection teaches you when you treat it like data, not failure
How accelerators prepare you for capital, not just Demo Day
The difference between building something exciting and building something fundable

Guest Bio

Kevin Nesgoda is the CEO at OutPaged and a recent graduate of The Founders Institute. OutPaged is the platform that turns books into living, breathing worlds. It uses AI to pull apart character arcs, emotional threads, and world logic, then rebuilds them into immersive experiences through AR and XR. Kevin has talked to over 100 publishers, authors, and media founders. Everyone feels the same thing: it is time for a new chapter in storytelling. Download the app here.

About Your Host

Jayla Siciliano is an entrepreneur with 25+ years in consumer brands, product, and marketing. After raising her first angel round against all odds and later appearing on Shark Tank, where she closed a deal with Mark Cuban, she now helps founders become fundable, confident, and ready to attract the right investors. Entrepreneurship changed her life, and she's on a mission to help first-time founders raise their first round of angel funding and change theirs too.

Get Jayla's Founder Resources: https://seedmoney.mysamcart.com/seed-money/

Disclaimer

The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.