In this series of posts we’re “grilling” the mentors of the Startupify program with the hope of discovering who is best able to answer a standardized set of questions. Points for accuracy and un-originality will be assigned. Actually we’re just trying to learn more about them .. the kind of stuff that doesn’t appear in boilerplate bios.

Let’s get going and welcome our seventh contestant: Zak Homuth

What qualifies you to be a Startupify mentor?

• Three time founder & CEO
• Two time school dropout
• YC alum

What hurdles/failures/lessons have you encountered along your professional journey that early stage entrepreneurs could learn from?

1 very real startup failure (my second). And 1 very, very hard go-to-market struggle. We are continuing to hack on distribution. Hack on adoption. And Hack on engagement. I know a thing or two about legacy markets, about disruption, about building tools / platforms, and about raising money.

What excites you most about the Startupify program?

It’s in Guelph!

What characteristics have you seen in the startups you’ve mentored in the past that you feel are indicators for success?

I’m a big fan of pg on this one … relentlessly resourceful.

Second is that they’ve thought through their market. Nothing is foreign. They know other companies in the ecosystem, they’ve met with / heard of the names I bring up. They are plugged in. I shouldn’t ever know more about your market than you do.

BONUS: Which Startupify mentor are you most excited to collaborate with and why?

Alistair Croll. That guy is a boss.