Finding the Fastest Path to Scalable Revenue

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8  |  12:00-1:00 PM PT  |  VIRTUAL

You've built a product customers value. Now comes the hard part: building a business that scales.

Who should you sell to first? What will make customers change what they're doing today? Who actually controls the buying decision? And where should you invest limited time and capital to create repeatable growth?

Join the Wharton SoCal Entrepreneurs Collaborative for an interactive session built around a real company facing these questions today.

NextPlay Nutrition, founded by Wharton alum Mike Girod and former NFL player Corey Linsley, has developed a technology-enabled nutrition platform for health and performance professionals. Its potential customers include performance centers, gyms and athletic programs - and, over time, clinics and healthcare organizations. The people who use the platform and the people who approve the purchase are not always the same, creating a classic growth challenge for an emerging business.

Mike and Corey have built the product and are learning from early customers. Now they're confronting the next challenge: how do you turn customer enthusiasm into a repeatable, scalable revenue engine?

Rather than a traditional presentation, we'll put NextPlay's real business decisions on the table and invite Wharton entrepreneurs, executives, investors and operators to weigh in.

If you were in the founders' seats, what would you do next?

The Live Business Challenge

NextPlay is at an inflection point familiar to many founders: several paths look attractive, but pursuing all of them is not a strategy. The session will ask the room to help pressure-test the choices that matter most:

·       Where should NextPlay focus first - performance and wellness, healthcare, or a more specific entry point?

·       How do you create urgency when the end user sees the value but the person controlling the budget is comfortable with the status quo?

·       What evidence will turn early enthusiasm into a compelling business case for the buyer?

·       What is the lowest-friction path to customers that can still become a large, defensible business?

How the Session Works

Mike and Corey will briefly share why they built NextPlay, demonstrate the product, and lay out what they're learning from the market. Then the room becomes part of the case: we'll debate the alternatives, challenge assumptions, and ask attendees to make the call they would make if they were advising the founders.

Expect an active working session, not a webinar. The goal is twofold: give NextPlay useful perspective on a real growth decision and surface lessons that founders, executives and investors can apply to their own companies and portfolio businesses.

Moderated by Ajay Joshi, Chair, Wharton SoCal Entrepreneurs Collaborative

Program Flow

The Opportunity  Why NextPlay exists, the customer problem and what the founders have built

See the Product  A short, high-level demonstration of the experience and value proposition

The Growth Decision  What the founders are learning, where adoption stalls and the paths in front of them

You're in the Room  A moderated discussion on market focus, buyer behavior, adoption, economics and the path to scale

The Call  What would you prioritize over the next 12 months - and why?

Featured Founders

Corey Linsley | Co-Founder

After playing 10 years in the NFL as an offensive lineman, Corey was diagnosed with a heart condition that forced him to reevaluate how he approached his health and wellness. Through an improved dietary routine, he lost close to 70lbs. He saw improvements in his lab results and felt the benefits in his day-to-day life. This ultimately inspired him to help individuals like himself take control of their health through nutrition.

Mike Girod | Co-Founder

Mike Girod has been on a health journey of his own after getting his MBA from Wharton. In 2021, with some help from an integrative doctor, Mike began his own research on how to reverse his insulin resistance and mitigate the APOE4 (Alzheimer’s gene) risk as much as possible. That research led him to the ketogenic diet, resulting in a complete 180 of his lab results. This process has informed Mike how much nutrition and diet can do for people, turning their lives around.

Event Details

Thursday, October 8
12:00-1:00 PM PT
Virtual - link shared upon registration

Free for Wharton SoCal members | $15 for non-members and guests

Tickets are non-refundable.

Hosted by Wharton SoCal Entrepreneurs Collaborative

A curated forum for founders, investors and operators to explore ideas, pressure-test opportunities and surface actionable insights.