Ada Ryland

Ada Ryland is a strategist and venture design practitioner dedicated to helping founders navigate the complex early stages of building a startup.

Originally a mechanical engineer, Ada began her career in corporate engineering and manufacturing, where she applied Lean Manufacturing principles to streamline processes and improve efficiency. Working on the manufacturing floor, she quickly learned the difference between efficiency and true effectiveness, inspiring her shift to training, where people—and not just processes—take center stage.

After transitioning to IBM, Ada deepened her expertise in business consulting, professional training, and program design. In 2014 she began studying lean startup methodolgy and working founders in the early-stage, applying strategic tools to work though the tough challenges. She lead her consultancy, Ada Ryland Consulting, and worked with hundreds of founders. 

Today, Ada channels her experience into KeyChange, where uses her proprietary Venture Design framework and methodology to help founders make purposeful, strategic choices with clarity and intention. 

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Charles Martin

Charles Marin is a validated learning expert with over 15 years of experience creating products and businesses across diverse industries, from fintech and politics to major league sports. A Human Biology graduate from the University of Texas, Charles launched his entrepreneurial journey early on, becoming deeply involved in the Austin startup community. Driven by a passion for helping founders bring their ideas to life, he founded Flux Bucket, a software development agency designed to support early-stage entrepreneurs in launching and iterating their products.

During his seven years at Flux Bucket, Charles partnered with dozens of founders to launch companies in sectors ranging from music to finance, where he saw firsthand the critical role of Lean Startup thinking in shaping viable product strategies. His work emphasized the importance of capturing and acting on key insights—a process that often determined the direction and success of a startup.

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