Leadership transitions are more than just a press release or new nameplate on the door. At Winston Starts, they are about welcoming a new perspective and vision for what’s next!
Our next chapter officially begins this week with Mike Schmid joining the organization as our new President.
Mike is no stranger to entrepreneurship. He founded inStryde right here; a venture-backed, Techstars portfolio company he built through Winston Starts and the Center for Creative Economy before taking it to the global stage. Since then, he’s stayed deep in the startup trenches, leading AI product teams and helping founders make smart bets, raise capital, and build companies that last.
Alongside leading Winston Starts, Mike will also serve as Greater Winston-Salem Inc.‘s first Vice President of Innovation. He has an ambitious vision to make Winston-Salem the best place in the Southeast to start and scale a company and we’re all in on that vision.
He’s No Stranger to What Founders Face
Mike knows exactly what it feels like to walk the entrepreneurial journey with the beginnings of a dream, a tiny team and more questions than answers.
“I’m joining Winston Starts as President, but I’m coming into the role as a founder and that experience absolutely shapes how I see this role” Mike shared with Winston Starts founders ahead of his first day.
“I also know that the right mentor, introduction, or conversation at the right moment can prevent a costly mistake, unlock a customer, open a door to capital, or make the next move clear.
At Winston Starts, we will build on that idea with a clear operating principle: #FoundersFirst.”
The north star of this next chapter is our commitment to organize every part of Winston Starts around helping founders build stronger companies.
Helping Founders Build Better Companies.
There is an exciting opportunity in this new season for our organization to take a fresh look at every part of the Winston Starts experience from mentors and programming to events and resources. Mike is ready to ask the question, “Is this helping our founders build better companies?”
“If it does, we’ll strengthen it. If it doesn’t, we’ll change it,” Mike says. “And this process will loop indefinitely.”
Winston Starts isn’t just successful because of how much it does for the entrepreneurial ecosystem, but by how much stronger its founders become because of it. “We will not protect something simply because it has always been done that way,” he says. “We will not confuse activity with value creation. More events are not the goal. Better companies are the goal.”
Just like any good business model, change isn’t just inevitable, it’s invaluable. Mike intends to bring that mindset to Winston Starts starting week one.
Making Winston Starts a Superpower for Founders
Mike isn’t coming into Winston Starts with the mentality that the organization is here to build companies for its founders.
The hard work and passion behind each company will always belong to the entrepreneurs.
But with the right ecosystem and support Winston Starts can make the founder journey a little less lonely, a little more informed and a whole lot more effective.
“You still have to build the company- we cannot do that for you,” Mike says. “But Winston Starts should help you move faster, make better decisions, reach the right people, avoid unnecessary mistakes, build momentum and ultimately scale.”
Come Build What’s Next with Winston Starts
Welcoming Mike as our new President isn’t just about what’s happening inside these walls, but an opportunity to reimagine what a community can look like that strengthens the founder journey as a whole.
We invite you to join us in the “Founders First” culture by embracing opportunities to get involved and listen to founders, understand what’s working, pay attention to what’s getting in their way, and help make a meaningful difference.
If you’re a founder, a mentor, an investor, or anyone connected to the Winston-Salem startup ecosystem, Mike would be happy to connect!