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Ada Ryland

Background​

  • Works at Founders as a "minority-scale strategist" or "Founder of strategies."
  • Focuses on ideation, validation, and founder competency.
  • Previously studied in a "labor-training company" and claims to be the best at their model.
  • Expressed interest in education and Alpha Schools' model.
  • Has been researching and looking at frameworks for product-market fit and internal systems.

Connection to Alpha Schools​

  • Engaged in a discussion about Alpha Schools after being introduced by Cherie Werner.
  • Listened to Gary's explanation of Alpha's mission, AI integration, and expansion plans.
  • Showed interest in how Alpha Schools manages the "infinite variable problem" of scaling and adapting to different leadership and contexts.
  • Discussed the challenges of finding product-market fit and improving internal systems, suggesting she has experience in these areas.
  • Invited to the June 14th Alpha Schools event and seemed interested if available.
  • Offered Gary a ticket to the Texas Venture Forum Gala.

Key Discussion Points​

  • Founder Strategy: Her role involves helping founders with ideation, validation, and competency.
  • Product-Market Fit: Mentioned "trying to get the product market fit, that big thing that they're trying to get to. There's lots of little kind of changes."
  • Internal Systems: "I studied that earlier today and cobbled together a framework and organized a bunch of tools to help the team see more of what they have and don't have... Guessing it and being able to prioritize it."
  • Education Interest: "I am super interested in education Because right now our kids only get what they get."

Potential Collaboration​

  • Her expertise in founder strategy, product-market fit, and systems thinking could be valuable to Alpha Schools during its scaling phase.
  • Could potentially advise on internal frameworks and prioritization.
  • As someone working at "Founders," she may have a network relevant to Alpha Schools' growth and partnership efforts.

Interactions​

  • 2025-05-29: Met Gary Sheng at the Texas Venture Forum, introduced by Cherie Werner. Discussed Alpha Schools' model, scaling challenges, and her work as a founder strategist. Exchanged contact information (phone number). Invited to the June 14th Alpha event. Ada offered Gary a ticket to the gala happening that evening.