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Feb 10, 2017 · 19m · top-founders

EP 566: Scollar Founder Sold Company to AutoDesk in 08 Now Making $99 Smart Pet Collar with CEO Lisa Tamayo

Lisa Tamayo · 8m spoken Nathan Latka · 8m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

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In this episode of The Top, host Nathan Latka interviews serial entrepreneur Lisa Tamayo, exploring how she leveraged the multi-million-dollar exit of her previous SaaS startup to launch Scollar, an innovative smart pet collar company backed by disciplined unit economics and creative non-dilutive debt financing.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Nathan holds 48.1% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 4.3 Guest teaching 3.3 Guest disagreement 1.7 Nathan pushing back 2.8
05100:0010:000:28–4:21 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Weekly Contest Winner and Subscription Call to Action Nathan introduces Lisa and inquires about Scollar's modular smart collar and business model. Lisa details the hardware capabilities and validates Nathan's comparison to Fitbit by mentioning their partnership with Spanner.4:21–7:12 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Pre-Order Traction and Kickstarter Launch Strategy Nathan presses Lisa on low pre-order traction before grilling her on the acquisition price of her prior company. Lisa resists disclosing exact valuation figures beyond saying it was in the millions.7:12–9:45 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Capital Invested, Engineering Pitfalls, and Team Organization Lisa explains where the $600,000 invested capital went, highlighting the high failure rate and scarcity of qualified hardware engineers. Nathan clarifies internal payroll headcount versus outsourced agency staffing.9:45–12:52 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Securing Non-Dilutive Debt Financing and Lines of Credit Lisa details the nuances of securing non-dilutive credit lines for pre-revenue hardware startups by pledging real estate collateral. She also corrects Nathan when he confuses Safe-Bidco with Working Solutions.12:52–15:58 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Bill of Materials, Unit Economics, and Distribution Roadmap Nathan questions Lisa on the bill of materials and wholesale distribution math. Lisa walks through current beta manufacturing costs and targets for volume scaling.15:58–17:45 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 The Famous Five Questions with Lisa Tamayo Lisa completes the Famous Five rapid-fire questions, pausing briefly before naming Ben Horowitz, and shares entrepreneurial advice about trusting intuition.0:28–4:21 · Guest teaching 3/10 Weekly Contest Winner and Subscription Call to Action Nathan introduces Lisa and inquires about Scollar's modular smart collar and business model. Lisa details the hardware capabilities and validates Nathan's comparison to Fitbit by mentioning their partnership with Spanner.4:21–7:12 · Guest teaching 2/10 Pre-Order Traction and Kickstarter Launch Strategy Nathan presses Lisa on low pre-order traction before grilling her on the acquisition price of her prior company. Lisa resists disclosing exact valuation figures beyond saying it was in the millions.7:12–9:45 · Guest teaching 5/10 Capital Invested, Engineering Pitfalls, and Team Organization Lisa explains where the $600,000 invested capital went, highlighting the high failure rate and scarcity of qualified hardware engineers. Nathan clarifies internal payroll headcount versus outsourced agency staffing.9:45–12:52 · Guest teaching 6/10 Securing Non-Dilutive Debt Financing and Lines of Credit Lisa details the nuances of securing non-dilutive credit lines for pre-revenue hardware startups by pledging real estate collateral. She also corrects Nathan when he confuses Safe-Bidco with Working Solutions.12:52–15:58 · Guest teaching 3/10 Bill of Materials, Unit Economics, and Distribution Roadmap Nathan questions Lisa on the bill of materials and wholesale distribution math. Lisa walks through current beta manufacturing costs and targets for volume scaling.15:58–17:45 · Guest teaching 1/10 The Famous Five Questions with Lisa Tamayo Lisa completes the Famous Five rapid-fire questions, pausing briefly before naming Ben Horowitz, and shares entrepreneurial advice about trusting intuition.0:28–4:21 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Weekly Contest Winner and Subscription Call to Action Nathan introduces Lisa and inquires about Scollar's modular smart collar and business model. Lisa details the hardware capabilities and validates Nathan's comparison to Fitbit by mentioning their partnership with Spanner.4:21–7:12 · Guest disagreement 3/10 Pre-Order Traction and Kickstarter Launch Strategy Nathan presses Lisa on low pre-order traction before grilling her on the acquisition price of her prior company. Lisa resists disclosing exact valuation figures beyond saying it was in the millions.7:12–9:45 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Capital Invested, Engineering Pitfalls, and Team Organization Lisa explains where the $600,000 invested capital went, highlighting the high failure rate and scarcity of qualified hardware engineers. Nathan clarifies internal payroll headcount versus outsourced agency staffing.9:45–12:52 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Securing Non-Dilutive Debt Financing and Lines of Credit Lisa details the nuances of securing non-dilutive credit lines for pre-revenue hardware startups by pledging real estate collateral. She also corrects Nathan when he confuses Safe-Bidco with Working Solutions.12:52–15:58 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Bill of Materials, Unit Economics, and Distribution Roadmap Nathan questions Lisa on the bill of materials and wholesale distribution math. Lisa walks through current beta manufacturing costs and targets for volume scaling.15:58–17:45 · Guest disagreement 1/10 The Famous Five Questions with Lisa Tamayo Lisa completes the Famous Five rapid-fire questions, pausing briefly before naming Ben Horowitz, and shares entrepreneurial advice about trusting intuition.0:28–4:21 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Weekly Contest Winner and Subscription Call to Action Nathan introduces Lisa and inquires about Scollar's modular smart collar and business model. Lisa details the hardware capabilities and validates Nathan's comparison to Fitbit by mentioning their partnership with Spanner.4:21–7:12 · Nathan pushing back 6/10 Pre-Order Traction and Kickstarter Launch Strategy Nathan presses Lisa on low pre-order traction before grilling her on the acquisition price of her prior company. Lisa resists disclosing exact valuation figures beyond saying it was in the millions.7:12–9:45 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Capital Invested, Engineering Pitfalls, and Team Organization Lisa explains where the $600,000 invested capital went, highlighting the high failure rate and scarcity of qualified hardware engineers. Nathan clarifies internal payroll headcount versus outsourced agency staffing.9:45–12:52 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 Securing Non-Dilutive Debt Financing and Lines of Credit Lisa details the nuances of securing non-dilutive credit lines for pre-revenue hardware startups by pledging real estate collateral. She also corrects Nathan when he confuses Safe-Bidco with Working Solutions.12:52–15:58 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Bill of Materials, Unit Economics, and Distribution Roadmap Nathan questions Lisa on the bill of materials and wholesale distribution math. Lisa walks through current beta manufacturing costs and targets for volume scaling.15:58–17:45 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 The Famous Five Questions with Lisa Tamayo Lisa completes the Famous Five rapid-fire questions, pausing briefly before naming Ben Horowitz, and shares entrepreneurial advice about trusting intuition.

speaking balance: gold is Nathan, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Nathan 72.2% · guest 27.8%0:00 · Nathan 72.2% · guest 27.8%3:00 · Nathan 24.3% · guest 75.7%3:00 · Nathan 24.3% · guest 75.7%6:00 · Nathan 31% · guest 69%6:00 · Nathan 31% · guest 69%9:00 · Nathan 20.7% · guest 79.3%9:00 · Nathan 20.7% · guest 79.3%12:00 · Nathan 43% · guest 57%12:00 · Nathan 43% · guest 57%15:00 · Nathan 74.5% · guest 25.5%15:00 · Nathan 74.5% · guest 25.5%18:00 · Nathan 96.6% · guest 3.4%18:00 · Nathan 96.6% · guest 3.4%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 6:56 Lisa deflects acquisition price inquiry

Lisa firmly refuses Nathan's repeated attempts to pin down her previous exit valuation under forty million dollars.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 6:46 Nathan presses for specific acquisition figures

Nathan refuses to accept a vague answer about the Autodesk acquisition and directly pushes Lisa to confirm a valuation range.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 9:56 Lisa explains alternative pre-revenue debt financing

Lisa educates the host and audience on how pre-revenue hardware founders can secure debt through state programs by using property liens when SBA loans reject them.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 13:13 Nathan drives unit economics and margin breakdown

Nathan takes charge of the unit economics analysis, calculating volume scaling and wholesale margins while referencing professional pitch frameworks.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Weekly Contest Winner and Subscription Call to Action 4311 Nathan introduces Lisa and inquires about Scollar's modular smart collar and business model. Lisa details the hardware capabilities and validates Nathan's comparison to Fitbit by mentioning their partnership with Spanner.
Pre-Order Traction and Kickstarter Launch Strategy 5236 Nathan presses Lisa on low pre-order traction before grilling her on the acquisition price of her prior company. Lisa resists disclosing exact valuation figures beyond saying it was in the millions.
Capital Invested, Engineering Pitfalls, and Team Organization 4512 Lisa explains where the $600,000 invested capital went, highlighting the high failure rate and scarcity of qualified hardware engineers. Nathan clarifies internal payroll headcount versus outsourced agency staffing.
Securing Non-Dilutive Debt Financing and Lines of Credit 5623 Lisa details the nuances of securing non-dilutive credit lines for pre-revenue hardware startups by pledging real estate collateral. She also corrects Nathan when he confuses Safe-Bidco with Working Solutions.
Bill of Materials, Unit Economics, and Distribution Roadmap 5324 Nathan questions Lisa on the bill of materials and wholesale distribution math. Lisa walks through current beta manufacturing costs and targets for volume scaling.
The Famous Five Questions with Lisa Tamayo 3111 Lisa completes the Famous Five rapid-fire questions, pausing briefly before naming Ben Horowitz, and shares entrepreneurial advice about trusting intuition.

Statements from this episode (13)

Disclosure
Tamayo: Scollar is launching its Kickstarter campaign on January 24
“In fact, we're getting ready to launch our Kickstarter campaign on January, 24th.”
Lisa Tamayo Feb 10, 2017 ▶ 3:31
Assertion Supported
Tamayo: Scollar partnered with Spanner, the original Fitbit engineering team
“In fact, Nathan the Fitbit engineering team spanner is partnered with us on this particular product, the scholar mini.”
Lisa Tamayo Feb 10, 2017 ▶ 4:07
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Tamayo: Scollar secured only about 10 pre-orders in first four months
“Not very many just maybe, yeah, 10 or so.”
Lisa Tamayo Feb 10, 2017 ▶ 4:43
Insight
Tamayo: Hardware requires more caution because rapid iteration is too expensive
“Hardware is different than software. You know, it's more expensive. You can't, you know test and build and test and build. The software, the same way that you do with hardware, it's just more expensive. So you have to be much more careful with it.”
Lisa Tamayo Feb 10, 2017 ▶ 5:30
Assertion Not publicly verifiable
Tamayo: Autodesk acquired her startup Green Building Studio in the millions
“In the millions. It was in the millions.”
Lisa Tamayo Feb 10, 2017 ▶ 6:56
Disclosure
Tamayo: Scollar raised almost $600K from founders, friends, and family
“Almost 600.”
Lisa Tamayo Feb 10, 2017 ▶ 7:28
Disclosure
Tamayo: Scollar churned through eight electrical engineers before finding right hire
“I think before we landed on our vice president, Herman Elliott, who is a godsend we had eight other electrical engineers that we worked with separately who just couldn't cut it or didn't understand it or didn't, couldn't give us the time or weren't a good cult…”
Lisa Tamayo Feb 10, 2017 ▶ 8:12
Disclosure
Tamayo: Scollar has over 40 people working across team and partners
“There are four executives, two interns, and then all of the development partners. So all told, there's well over 40 people working on the team right now.”
Lisa Tamayo Feb 10, 2017 ▶ 9:25
Disclosure
Tamayo personally guaranteed Scollar's bank credit line with an investment property
“One of our investment properties is collateral, fully guaranteed is collateral for the loan.”
Lisa Tamayo Feb 10, 2017 ▶ 10:56
Disclosure
Tamayo: Scollar secured early $50,000 loan from California lender Working Solutions
“We had working solutions, which is out here in California, working solutions. They gave us an early 50,000 dollar loan.”
Lisa Tamayo Feb 10, 2017 ▶ 11:40
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Tamayo: Scollar smart collar bill of materials costs $45 to $50
“Right now the bomb is about 45 to 50 depending on the different components.”
Lisa Tamayo Feb 10, 2017 ▶ 13:01
Disclosure
Tamayo: Scollar collars will retail for $149 to $199 based on size
“No, retail is one 49 for the cat collar and small dog collar. And then when we move into the medium and large dog collar, that will be one 99. So we would sell them for about one 10 to one 50.”
Lisa Tamayo Feb 10, 2017 ▶ 14:13
Disclosure
Tamayo: Scollar will delay large retail distribution until 2018
“And we're not going to retail outlets yet. We're selling them through the store. We'll sell them through e-tailers, smaller specialty shops. And then in 2018, we'll open it up to bigger retailers.”
Lisa Tamayo Feb 10, 2017 ▶ 14:39
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