The Unintentional Entrepreneur with ElliptiGO Founder Bryan Pate
Bryan Pate was a runner who couldn't run anymore. Injuries forced him onto elliptical trainers but he grew weary of gym life. When he couldn't find an elliptical to ride outside, he and a partner invented one. His company, ElliptiGO, created a new category of elliptical and stand up bikes. He describes the journey of entrepreneurship as time-consuming, “You can’t give birth to an adult.” And never ending, “I don’t think we will ever succeed. Like I don’t think Steve Jobs ever felt like Apple had completely succeeded.” And one in which full commitment is necessary but also risky, “You have to take it personally and be obsessed with making it work. At the same time, you have to separate yourself from the outcome as well otherwise it can be tough emotionally.”
Prior to founding ElliptiGO, Bryan was a consultant at McKinsey, a military intelligence officer in the US Marine Corps, and a law clerk in the US District Court.
In this episode of What I Wish I Knew with Mike Irwin & Simon Daw, Bryan talks about what drove him from Stanford University to serve as an intelligence officer in the US Marine Corps and to Columbia Law School. Coming from a family of lawyers, he broke tradition to start ElliptiGO.
Connect with Bryan: LinkedIn // ElliptiGO
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Video Highlights: ElliptiGO Founder Bryan Pate
“I don’t think starting a company is a rational act.”
“You can’t give birth to an adult.”
“I don’t think we’ll ever succeed.”