Cortney Woodruff, Co-Founder and CEO of Assemble, is bridging the gap between college and industry after living the problem himself. Tune in to hear how founders can stand out beyond traditional networks and pedigrees, why real-world experience helps founders spot what others miss, and what he'd tell any founder who feels like they're starting without a map.=== CHAPTERS ===00:18 --- Meet Cortney Woodruff, Founder and Angel Investor01:03 --- From Jackson, Mississippi to the World's Top Business Schools02:57 --- How to Seize an Opportunity With Almost No Notice05:48 --- Moving to San Francisco, Living in a Hostel, Building From a Garage 06:31 --- The "Laying Bricks" Metaphor for Building Something Hard 07:54 --- The Problem Assemble Exists to Solve09:56 --- Relevancy and Accessibility: The Two Pillars Behind Assemble11:45 --- How One Course Reached 18,000 Students in 30 Days15:02 --- Building What You Wish You'd Had: Finding Your "Why"17:11 --- When a $4B VC Firm Didn't Know What an HBCU Was 19:26 --- Does Being an Angel Investor Make Him a Better Founder? 22:24 --- The Hardest Part of Being on the Operating Side 25:15 --- Advice for Founders: Patience, Speed, and the Tortoise and the Hare27:45 --- Where to Learn More About Assemble----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, https://www.linkedin.com/in/kateadams22/🔗 Learn more Assemble at: https://www.assemble.fyi/This episode is produced by:Brenda Hernández Jaimes: Podcast Producer & Talent Coordinator, Ellas MediaAngela R. Chong: Audio Editor & Post-Production Producer, Amplify Podcasts

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.