Matthew Salerno, M.S. Computer Science '23 | UNDERWRITEHQ
Describe your company: UnderwriteHQ provides pipeline and workflow management and automation for small to medium-sized real estate private equity firms.
Why did you apply to Race To Revenue? What are you hoping to get out of this experience? I applied because I am very passionate and optimistic about UnderwriteHQ and plan to work on it full-time this summer. I know my limitations as a founder and know I would not go very far working on it solely on my own. I hope to gain valuable insights from people with much more expertise and experience than me, which can help me be successful.
When is a time you failed forward? Before submitting UnderwriteHQ to the IDEA Center, I was working on another idea which I was also very optimistic about. I started building the software long before I had done any customer validation. By the time I tried validating the problem-solution, I realized there was no market for this idea. I failed, but I learned very valuable that it's very crucial to focus on the customer's needs and not just the idea. This led me to brainstorm further and eventually start working on UnderwriteHQ.
Where were you born? What is an interesting fact about your hometown? I was born and raised in Santa Clarita, CA. A not-so-fun fact about my hometown is it is the location of the Paul Walker car crash.
Would you rather go back in time or be transported to the future? I would rather go back and time and relive old childhood memories.
Who is the fictional character you have the most in common with, and why? Probably Spider-Man because he’s a similar age and is always trying to be something better by looking at the other superheroes, which is how I feel about the people in my life I consider heroes
Fun fact about you: I am on the football team at ND.
Lastly, what do you want to learn more about, relating to business development in general or your own company/venture specifically? I want to learn more about sales, marketing, and maintaining business relationships.