Shownotes
Bio
Born and raised in Eugene/Springfield, Oregon swimming in rivers, playing teenage mutant ninja turtles role playing games, playing music, having fun. Attribute much of my success to high school teachers who cared about the students at Springfield High. First job was at Figaro's Take And Bake Pizza, then VP of family construction company at 21, then worked his way into the engineering world helping design MEP systems for institutions like universities, VA, hospitals etc. From 2015-2023 helped as VP, Chief Strategy Officer, Interim CEO and President to take Arcimoto from a napkin sketch to a billion dollar publicly traded company and then through a major downturn. Currently working on a new BioTech startup Evergreen Bio.
Intro
Jesse Fittipaldi, an entrepreneur from Eugene, Oregon, epitomizes the drive for innovation as he discusses the inception of Arcimoto, an electric vehicle startup that sought to challenge conventional transportation norms. Central to our conversation is the notion of purpose-driven innovation, where Jesse emphasizes the importance of believing in a mission to create better solutions for the future. He recounts the journey of developing a small, efficient three-wheeled electric vehicle, a venture that faced considerable challenges yet aimed to disrupt the automotive industry with a fraction of the typical budget required. As Jesse transitions to his current work in biotechnology focused on neurological diseases, he continues to be motivated by a commitment to foster improvement within his community. Join us as we explore the entrepreneurial grit, resilience, and visionary thinking that define Jesse's remarkable journey.
Story
In a compelling dialogue, Jesse Fittipaldi recounts the inception and evolution of Arcimoto, an electric vehicle startup that emerged from the culturally rich environment of Eugene, Oregon. The discussion traverses the intricate challenges and triumphs associated with disrupting the automotive industry—a sector traditionally dominated by hefty investments and established players. Jesse's narrative is punctuated by a profound commitment to purpose-driven innovation, as he articulates the need for a paradigm shift in how society perceives transportation. The conversation probes into the philosophical underpinnings of entrepreneurship, as Jesse posits that the essence of successful ventures lies in their ability to address pressing societal needs through innovative solutions. His journey from Arcimoto to a new biotech venture highlights a continuous pursuit of meaningful impact, as he endeavors to harness scientific advancements in protein development to combat neurological diseases. This exchange not only illuminates the entrepreneurial grit required to navigate the tumultuous landscape of startup ventures but also underscores a broader vision for a future where technology serves humanity's greater good.
Takeaways
- Jesse Fittipaldi's journey exemplifies the significance of purpose-driven innovation in entrepreneurship.
- The evolution of transportation necessitates a reimagined vehicle concept for an autonomous future.
- Community engagement serves as a vital motivator, significantly impacting team morale and resilience.
- Securing investment in innovative startups often requires creative approaches beyond traditional methods.
- Jesse's experience illustrates the potential for disruption within established industries through novel ideas.
- The belief in a better future, akin to a Star Trek-like vision, fuels entrepreneurial grit and perseverance.
Links
- Evergreen BioWorks
- Jesse's LinkedIn
- Jothy's TEDx talk - On why those with disabilities tend to overachieve
- The Who Says I Can't Foundation - Jothy's non-profit that helps disabled kids get back into a sport they love to restore their self-esteem
- Our YouTube channel
- Designing Successful Startups — Jothy Rosenberg | Author | Speaker | Podcaster - Site with all podcasts
- Tech Startup Toolkit book
- Please leave us a review
Transcripts
Foreign.
Speaker B:Rosenberg, the host of Designing Successful Startups, where today's guest is Jesse Fittipaldi.
Speaker A:It's the, it's the belief that we have a purpose and the purpose is to make it better.
Speaker A:You know, like it, it, you, you look at history and it feels like it just continues to get better and better over time and you have your little spot there to do it.
Speaker B:Today on the podcast, we're talking with Jesse Fittipaldi, an entrepreneur who embodies the innovative spirit of Eugene, Oregon, a place he describes as where the real hippies from Berkeley moved.
Speaker B:Jesse takes us inside the creation of Arcimoto, the unconventional electric vehicle startup that dared to reimagine transportation from a small Pacific Northwest town.
Speaker B:What would vehicles look like in a world of autonomy when cars are no longer extensions of our identity, but purpose built machines for getting from point A to point B?
Speaker B:This question led Jesse and founder Mark Fromeyer to pursue a vision that traditional auto manufacturers wouldn't touch.
Speaker B:Creating a small, efficient three wheeled electric vehicle that challenged the status quo.
Speaker B:From securing initial investment from legendary banker Bill Hambrecht to their groundbreaking regulation a IPO that raised 19.5 million, Jesse shares the triumphs and struggles trying to disrupt one of the world's largest industries with less than a quarter of the typical billion dollar budget.
Speaker B:Now leading a biotech startup focused on developing new proteins to treat neurological diseases, Jesse continues to be driven by a simple yet powerful purpose to make things better.
Speaker B:Join us for a conversation about entrepreneurial grit, challenging industry norms and creating a future that resembles Star Trek more than the status quo.
Speaker B:Well, hello Jesse, and thanks for being on the podcast.
Speaker A:Love it.
Speaker A:Good morning.
Speaker B:Hey.
Speaker B:I like to start with letting people know where you are, where you're from.
Speaker B:So where are you originally from?
Speaker A:Grew up in Eugene, Oregon.
Speaker A:Springfield and Eugene, Oregon, which is, you know, famously known as the spot where Nike was founded.
Speaker A:So it's a track town, usa, University of Oregon, and a beautiful Pacific Northwest little community.
Speaker B:It was another refuge for hippies, wasn't it?
Speaker B:At some point?
Speaker A:Yeah, definitely.
Speaker A:When I was a kid, I heard often that the real hippies from Berkeley moved to Eugene.
Speaker A:So it was like, you know, we've got the country fair here, which is a big, big party out in the woods.
Speaker A:It's been going on since the 60s and we've got the Saturday market and farmer's market, that's been going on.
Speaker A: I think it was founded in: Speaker A:So to Speak.
Speaker A:A lot of the things that happen here happen in Eugene is because people just have a very strong belief system, you know.
Speaker B:Well, I guess you could say maybe the same thing is true for the startup you, you got going not that long ago called Arcimoto.
Speaker B:You don't normally think of a automotive startup coming out of Eugene, Oregon.
Speaker B:So tell us how that happened.
Speaker A:Yeah, amazing, amazing adventure.
Speaker A:Mark Fromeyer was the, the founder of Arcimoto and you could call him a hippie.
Speaker A:His father was the president of the university famously and had a lot of political influence or participation in the state.
Speaker A:So I feel like Mark had a lot of that belief in him about how to do things better.
Speaker A:And transportation was something that if you study it, it could be done better.
Speaker A:And, and it leads to, you know, the system is, you know, inefficient, the vehicles are inefficient and there's, it's just, it's just ripe for disruption.
Speaker A:And there was like this kind of paradigm moment, this opportunity where if you, if you started thinking about what the form factor of a vehicle would be after autonomy comes online and the consumer model changes, the ownership model changes of vehicles, it's highly likely that the vehicle form factor is going to change.
Speaker A:And in that likely will also be a major change in how cities are designed and all that stuff.
Speaker A:So in the beginning that, that question really I think sparked the vision of Arcimoto, right, Which is this, this is an opportunity that no one's working on.
Speaker A:No one is looking at the form factor of a vehicle after it can drive itself.
Speaker A:And you're, you're just calling it up and it's taking you to the movie.
Speaker A:It, it doesn't, it's not your identity, you know, it's, it's, it has, it's a purpose built machine.
Speaker A:That, that was really exciting to me, that idea that, that we could participate in this shift.
Speaker A: ng on autonomy at the time in: Speaker A:And, and we were invited to go tour their, their Black ops I call it.
Speaker A:And it was like a, for me it was like entering the Star wars hangar.
Speaker A:So we met the team that was working on that and they were really the only team at the time that was, that was, that had made major headway in that space and it created this, this sense of believability that this was happening at some point that again we had the opportunity to work on that form factor.
Speaker A:So the second trip that we took down there, this is before I was with the company, Mark And I went and we met with that group again.
Speaker A:And then we happened to meet with Bill Hambrecht, who's a legendary banker.
Speaker A:Hambrecht and Quist, he did Google's IPO or was involved in Google's ipo, came up with the idea of the auction.
Speaker A:He's involved in Apple's ipo, Just legendary guy.
Speaker A:And him and Clay Christensen were contemplating, you know, what is disruption?
Speaker A:How does disruption work?
Speaker A:And in fact, I think maybe that Clay Christensen disruption theory wasn't even invented when they were asking the question, how do ecosystems, business ecosystems that seem to be flush with incumbents all of a sudden get destroyed by some new company that comes in and just wipes everybody out.
Speaker A:And, and that was, that was the, you know, the Christensen model of disruption.
Speaker A:And, and our, our product fit that model.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Our cost was lower, our utility was less, but it opened up this, this opportunity for people that couldn't participate before because of the price point, and it had the right utility set for them that they would participate and that would become this new marketplace.
Speaker A:So Bill, Bill was really into that and we fit that model.
Speaker A:And so he, he, he gave us a, a cool check for $2 million.
Speaker A:There was like a, a secret algorithm that they used to like, determine whether or not you fit.
Speaker A:And if you fit the algorithm, I mean, this is, this is the, this is the story.
Speaker A:You know, if you fit the algorithm, then they would invest in you.
Speaker A:I, I, I love, I mean, I love that story.
Speaker A:I love the idea of, you know, somebody just betting on academic principles, you know, Right.
Speaker A:Be fun.
Speaker B:So it was three wheel vehicle, it was small, it was lightweight, full, fully electric.
Speaker A:So it would be, you know, really the first form, the first small form factor electric vehicle that met the utility set that we met.
Speaker A:I mean, no one else has ever produced a vehicle like it.
Speaker A:So small form factor.
Speaker A:Typically you would see this as a neighborhood electric vehicle that's limited to speeds of 35 miles an hour or 45 miles an hour.
Speaker A:And our vehicle was, could participate on all the roads, so it could go on the freeway if you wanted to take it.
Speaker A:So it had high speed, all electric, carried two people, had had dual seatbelts and, and a, and a, you know, enclosure over the top of you.
Speaker A:Really, really fun.
Speaker B:I feel like if you had had built this company in Europe, they would have gotten it completely.
Speaker B:It would have been very straightforward for them to say, oh, this is great.
Speaker B:I mean, they're already driving these tiny Fiats and these, you know, the idea of people that just drive around in pickup Trucks never once putting anything in the bed is unheard of over there.
Speaker A:The road, the systems, you know, the road system is built with freeways and, and highways and interconnected systems that get you from, you know, all, all A lot of the US cities are built this way.
Speaker A:So those small form factory vehicles are good for a neighborhood.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:If you live in Venice beach and you're just ripping around Venice beach, it's great.
Speaker A:But if you want to go to, you know, the other side of la, you have to go through, you know, you have to get on some freeways to do that.
Speaker A:And so it really limits the, the utility of the vehicle.
Speaker A:And, and you're right, like the kind of, the funny thing and, and was actually your leading question into is like why Eugene?
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:So you know, we're building vehicles in Eugene, which is definitely not known for that.
Speaker A:Well actually there, there's a, a lot of motorhome production that was done here.
Speaker A:So there was some, there was some like ideas that you know, this wasn't, this wasn't a deal breaker.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:And, and then you're, you're entering into a market where the consumer is like any, like almost anywhere else in the world.
Speaker A:This product would fly off the shelf.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:The US is probably the worst market to, to try to enter with a small form factor vehicle where our, you know, the identity of the consumer is wrapped into the car.
Speaker A:Like we're, you know, this is, this is a very challenging place to do this.
Speaker A:But you know, our belief system was everything's going to be automated so it doesn't matter where it's built.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:China's gonna automate the systems to build the things.
Speaker A:Why don't we automate the things systems to build the vehicle.
Speaker A:So that's, that's not a, that you know, that's not a deal breaker.
Speaker A:The, the consumer, you know, when you, when you talk to people on the street, the consumers are looking for this product.
Speaker A:They want something like there, there is enough consumers wanting a small form factor efficient vehicle that just, you know, I mean our vehicles are highly, very, very efficient, you know, and so enough consumers to make the product at least as large as Harley.
Speaker A:And so those points of contention were, I feel like we're addressable, price point is challenging and supply chain is highly underestimated.
Speaker B:I felt like, you know what I was guessing when we talked briefly before and I was sort of guessing that the answer, one answer to why Eugene might have been because then you're not on the radar screen of, of some, you know, as you're Trying to build it up, maybe you're not on the radar screen as opposed to, if you tried to build it in Detroit, you would have been noticed and they would have tried to squash you.
Speaker A:Yeah, possibly.
Speaker A:Yep.
Speaker A:The real, the reason for me personally to do it in Eugene, so it's a personal thing, is that I feel like to take on big projects like this, like, this is ostentatious.
Speaker A:Like, this is absolutely insane.
Speaker A:To try to start an automotive company.
Speaker A:Absolutely insane.
Speaker A:In order to do that, you need to have more belief, principles set that drive you daily to, to get through those things.
Speaker A:And the idea, I know this culturally for everybody, it, like the idea that we were doing this in Eugene was a huge deal for us.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:The impact that we were going to have on the community with the success of this company would be measurable.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And, and for instance, I, you know, it doesn't sound like a lot, and I, I, when I say this number, it's, it's, you know, this was a moment in time in the companies.
Speaker A:While we were scaling it, we were doing a business.
Speaker A:You know, we'd always have, every week we'd have a full, full team, team meeting.
Speaker A:And I remember we were at 75 people, which is nothing.
Speaker A:But then I started thinking that all 75 of those people lived in a house with a family.
Speaker A:And if you wrap those houses around cul de sacs, right, like, how many cul de sacs is that?
Speaker A:And how, how large of a neighborhood, how many houses to 75 houses, what does that look like?
Speaker A:You know?
Speaker A:And then Eugene, that's a measurable.
Speaker A:That'd be a measurable neighborhood.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:It would be significant.
Speaker A:And so that idea that, you know, we were, you know, working on a project to, you know, save the world and, and, and to do, to do better and to do that in a community that we were all passionate about and we wanted to improve, just gave that much more ammo to the team, that much more fuel to be inspired to, to work through the hard stuff.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Hi.
Speaker B:The podcast you are listening to is a companion to my recent book, Tech Startup Toolkit, how to Launch Strong and Exit Big.
Speaker B:This is the book I wish I'd had as I was founding and running eight startups over 35 years.
Speaker B:I tell the unvarnished truth about what went right and especially about what went wrong.
Speaker B:You could get it from all the usual booksellers.
Speaker B:I hope you like it.
Speaker B:It's a true labor of love.
Speaker B:Now back to the show.
Speaker B:Did anybody else invest besides Bill after you got going?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I mean, yeah, we, we had a, you know, it was, that time period was very challenging because Tesla was, you know, being shorted.
Speaker A:It had, the model hadn't been proven.
Speaker A:People thought Tesla was going to fail.
Speaker A:Everyone compared us to Tesla because the only thing that was on the market that, that was, you know, electric vehicles.
Speaker A:Everyone just thought of those, you know, comparable and everyone was shorting Tesla.
Speaker A:So raising money was, was very challenging.
Speaker A:You know, if you, if you talk to, you know, investors, usually investors invest in things they know, they understand Electric vehicle market isn't understood.
Speaker A:It's, you know, it was a, it was a bet.
Speaker A:So, you know, from the institutional side, it was really hard to raise money.
Speaker A: e to, to do the reggae IPO in: Speaker A:And that's, you know, we raised 19 and a half million dollars doing that.
Speaker A:And that was that, that, that instrument that that opportunity was, was part of Bill's plan in when, when we were originally starting was if we had a challenge through the institutional path of raising money that we, we could use this reggae IPO strategy that, you know, he, he was part of the team that wrote the legislation for that.
Speaker A:And it was another piece of this sort of, you know, passion for disruption, which is in, you know, in theory the, that the Jobs act regulation that created the reggae was done so that, you know, more mom and pops could participate in an IPO versus the incumbent, you know, banks that typically take that first pass.
Speaker A:So that was, that was part of his story that he, that he, you know, thought could be an option for us if we got, got into a pickle.
Speaker A:And so, you know, we raised 19 and a half there.
Speaker A:And then once we were in market, you know, there was a lot of trading and, and scrapping to get, get the rest of the money.
Speaker A:I think we raised, you know, somewhere in the order of 100, $150 million over the course of, of Arcimoto.
Speaker A:If I, if I.
Speaker A:Somewhere in that range and you know, for two.
Speaker A:So this is another to your, to your like the questions of like why when everyone like why.
Speaker A:Why did you do this when this condition exists.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:So automotive typically takes a billion dollars to get a vehicle into production.
Speaker A:Not a company, a vehicle, a billion dollars.
Speaker A:So, you know, when we talk to, you know, directors or VPs of, you know, of automotive companies, but the big, you know, the big automotive companies, they would just laugh at us and they'd say, you're, there's, you're not, you're never going to get that in the market for under a billion dollars.
Speaker A:And I think we could have got it in the market profitable, been making the company making money for 250 million.
Speaker A:I, I really do.
Speaker A:And that, that's, that's a, that's a big, that, that was with some cushion we, we almost made it and, and the company's not, the company's not gone so they, they could, there could be a, a miracle that they get a great customer in there and, and they, they're able to fire back up.
Speaker B:You almost shut it down.
Speaker B:The factory exists and I assume there's some inventory sitting there, but it's all very sort of quiescent at this point.
Speaker A:Yep.
Speaker A:Yeah, I, to be clear, I'm not involved with the company at all anymore.
Speaker A:So my statements are uneducated.
Speaker A:Yeah, they, they have some inventory in there and, and they've converted a lot of the, the inventory that they had I think to, to vehicles.
Speaker A:And so they have the opportunity to continue to test pilot the vehicles, which is what we were really at that stage of.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:We were testing the consumer market and we were testing the, the various options of that vehicle with potential large customers that would buy them into their fleet.
Speaker B:You believe there's a future for the whole concept to that the time wasn't right, the place wasn't right, you know, number of things weren't right, but that it, it has a future at 100.
Speaker A:Like no doubt in my mind if we, if, if, if we continue to move through safely through, you know, remain civilized and, and, and, and maintain the, the American dream of building a better future for everybody, this absolutely will happen.
Speaker A:There's no question it's a, it's an economic principle.
Speaker A:I mean as soon as vehicles are driving themselves, it becomes a commodity of price point.
Speaker A:Where you are, you're saying if I can get you to the movie theater for 25 cents, 25 cents, you're going to choose that.
Speaker A:Why would you pay $400 a month to own a vehicle?
Speaker A:And, and if that's the case, then it becomes a business.
Speaker A:A cost down run.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:A utility cost.
Speaker A:And, and it's just a fact.
Speaker A:75% or more of the roads of the miles driven are with one person in a vehicle.
Speaker A:So what form factor is that vehicle going to be?
Speaker A:We're going to be riding around in pods and you know, there's going to be delivery vehicles and construction vehicles and it's going to be, you know, purpose built machines and the fleet's going to diversify.
Speaker A:And you know, I used to make the joke.
Speaker A:Like, you know, no one's going to be driving Cadillac Escalades except for me.
Speaker A:So, you know, it's like, you know, there's going to be people that have their vehicles, of course, right, that are autonomous and do this thing and they're luxury and they, you know, whatever, but the majority of us are going to choose.
Speaker A:You know, I just need to get to the theater and it's convenient.
Speaker A:It's time like all that stuff gets solved with autonomy.
Speaker A:And it's, it's right there.
Speaker A:It's, it's, it's, you know, 10, 20 years away at most.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:But even short of autonomy, now we have a Kia ev.
Speaker B:It is perfect for almost every trip we take.
Speaker B:Like I said, minus the autonomy part, like you described.
Speaker B:And then you add to that the autonomous piece and, and then you, you add the, the ownership piece in the evolution is, is, is pretty clear.
Speaker B:And the first step is just get an, get an economical ev.
Speaker B:And it's not going to be a Tesla.
Speaker A:So if you look at the Tesla model, you know, that, that's what we were trying to go after was, you know, you know, not everyone can afford a, you know, $50,000 car.
Speaker A:And, and so, you know, where, where does that utility price point land?
Speaker A:How much utility does a vehicle need to have?
Speaker A:Where, you know, someone's like, oh, buy that, that suits that meets my needs.
Speaker A:And, and they're just, there's no, there's no, no vehicles in that space.
Speaker A:None right now.
Speaker A:Yeah, it, it's, it'll, it'll be interesting.
Speaker A:I mean, I, I, again, I really do believe that that is the future.
Speaker A:And, you know, it doesn't take much to disrupt these massive, you know, when people are, you know, they say, well, I'll never buy that.
Speaker A:I'll never do this, you know, and it's like, well, you know, economics sometimes change everything.
Speaker A:They, it doesn't allow, maybe it won't allow the F150 to be produced at volume because people won't be buying that many of them.
Speaker A:And that price goes up.
Speaker A:Now that becomes a, you know, it's just like, it's interesting to think about how these things can affect the marketplace and consumerism.
Speaker B:After Arcimoto it went down, you left, and then you're doing something new.
Speaker B:Tell us about that.
Speaker A:Yeah, I, I, I spent a year basically just having lots of coffees with people, trying to reincorporate and heal.
Speaker A:Is, was part of the journey and just listening to what people think, what, what excites them, you know, what ecosystems Are, are looking fun for the future.
Speaker A:You know, what people are excited about.
Speaker A:And then, and then starting to process that into my own, you know, what would be my next steps through the lens of the opportunity I was given to work on such an amazing project as Arcimoto, and to learn all of that stuff and, and say, all right, you know, if we could do, do another project again, how could we execute it knowing what we know now?
Speaker A:And so I met this team from University of Oregon, that's a biotech team.
Speaker A:And they're, they're working on a, they, they're, you know, there's the science side of basically being able to, in, in simple terms, to be able to create new proteins, massive scale in an animal model.
Speaker A:So we can basically test thousands and thousands and thousands of peptides at a, at a time to see if there's benefit in, in the animal.
Speaker A:So it's, it's a directed evolution model.
Speaker A:So you're, you're forcing mutations and then you're seeing if there's benefit and if there's benefit.
Speaker A:The assumption is it's that new peptide that that animal is creating and putting into its own biology and, and that, that could be a candidate for, you know, Alzheimer's treatment or neurological diseases or aging or whatever, whatever it is that we're going after.
Speaker A:And it's, it's the first that as, as we understand it, we're, we're the, the first people to discover the idea of being able to do this in animal models.
Speaker A:And so again, it's, it's, it's a, it's a company with a mission.
Speaker A:If the outcome is achieved, what a beautiful thing to solve in any of those categories.
Speaker A:Uh, and then of course, it has, you know, huge scale opportunity.
Speaker A:Um, and the team is, I, I love the team, which is just a huge, huge part of it.
Speaker A:You know, the daily grind, figuring out how to get this stuff going.
Speaker A:Um, yeah, so the company's called Ebio, and there's this flourishing community here in Eugene that's kind of come out of, you know, Phil Knight's investments in the U of O campus.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:There's all this new science that's happening over there, and there's, there's a disconnect between the science and the monetization piece.
Speaker A:And, and so this was just, for me was like the absolute perfect fit, which was, you know, I want to see one of those ideas flourish.
Speaker A:I want to see that whole life cycle happen where, you know, a donor, a generous donor helps, you know, create this idea and then out of that comes new ideas, and out of that comes new businesses, and then all of a sudden we're solving stuff, so.
Speaker B:Sounds great.
Speaker B:Sounds, sounds like you, you found something perfect.
Speaker B:That's great.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker B:I actually only have one final question for you.
Speaker B:What you did, that clearly took a lot of grit to, to do it and then, and what you went through to, you know, build it up to what it, what it was.
Speaker B:And I'm always curious to talk to startup people and ask them, what is your source of grit?
Speaker B:Where did it come from?
Speaker A:Wow, that, that's a, that's a good question.
Speaker A:We've got a purpose here.
Speaker A:It's the, I, it's the belief that we have a purpose, and the purpose is to make it better.
Speaker A:You, you look at history and it feels like it just continues to get better and better over time, and you have your little spot there to do it.
Speaker A:When you get the fish on, so to speak.
Speaker A:You know, it's just like it's everything you want.
Speaker A:Like, ev, it's the only thing you want is that, that idea to get to become real.
Speaker A:And it just gets better every day when you bring more people in and they start believing.
Speaker A:And I, I, I guess that might be where it comes from, the idea of Star Trek, that eventually we could have a Star Trek world.
Speaker A:I don't know, you know, that, that we could be a part of building it.
Speaker B:You know, it's, it sounds like you discovered this environment, this, this Eugene environment.
Speaker A:No question.
Speaker A:The joke is, is that, you know, Eugene is where the hobbits live.
Speaker A:It's just such a beautiful place.
Speaker A:The people, you know are driven.
Speaker A:You can have a sense of community here.
Speaker A:And that, that's really important, that that community is everything.
Speaker A:I mean, when you see people smiling, everyone's smiling because of the, the good work that everyone's been doing.
Speaker A:It's, it's, it's outstanding.
Speaker B:Well, thanks for doing this.
Speaker B:It's a pleasure to talk to you.
Speaker B:I could talk about Arcimoto in more detail for hours, but we had to limit it.
Speaker B:But it was wonderful to hear this much about it.
Speaker B:I appreciate it.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker A:I had a great time.
Speaker A:All right, see you later.
Speaker B:And that wraps up our conversation with Jesse Fittipaldi.
Speaker B:Here are the key tools from Jesse's toolkit for your own entrepreneurial journey.
Speaker B:First purpose driven innovation.
Speaker B:Jesse's work at Arcimoto wasn't just about building electric vehicles.
Speaker B:It was reimagining transportation for an autonomous future.
Speaker B:Having a clear why gives you resilience when challenges arrive.
Speaker B:Second community is fuel.
Speaker B:The measurable impact Jesse's company could have on Eugene became powerful motivation during difficult times.
Speaker B:Consider how your venture connects to and uplifts your community.
Speaker B:Finally, resource creativity.
Speaker B:Jesse's team aimed to build a vehicle for a quarter of the typical billion dollar budget, forcing innovative approaches that larger companies might over overlook.
Speaker B:As Jesse put it, true grit comes from the belief that we have a purpose here to make it better.
Speaker B:That mindset is perhaps the most important tool of all.
Speaker B:Join us next time as we continue exploring the strategies that drive successful tech entrepreneurs.
Speaker B:The show notes contain useful resources and links.
Speaker B:Please follow and rate us@podchaser.com designing successful startups.
Speaker B:Also, please share and like us on your social media channels.
Speaker B:This is Jothi Rosenberg saying TTFN Tata for now.
