North Forge is excited to welcome a new Manufacturing Mentor, Steven Pham.

One of the many perks of being a part of the North Forge Founders Program is our world-class mentors and subject matter experts who can advise in all fields of business. Steven is an engineering graduate, designer, and entrepreneur who specializes in aiding projects to a minimum viable product stage (MVP) and ultimately aids with full production roll-out. 

His background in mechanical engineering has helped him excel in many other fields of business such as business development and energy consultation. He’s also helped companies such as ASKJA, a Winnipeg-based skate armor company, get the appropriate testing for their product while reducing testing costs. 

What expertise do you bring as a mentor to North Forge?

As a user of the North Forge Fabrication Lab, I really got the chance to experience all that North Forge has to offer first-hand. I’ve worked with so many companies that have gone from those initial stages of idea validation all the way to rolling something out on the market, and I’ve had to learn a lot on the way. I feel like I can help businesses with the lessons I have learned, having experienced it all myself. 

In terms of expertise in my field, I’ve helped companies through product testing so that they can bring their products to market. I’ve also helped many projects get to the MVP stage, then ultimately roll-out production as well. The combination of my background in engineering and my previous experience in startups has given me a good sense of what businesses should expect in terms of realistic timelines, as well as what they should expect for product testing. 

In a pitch, people tend to focus on what their product is and why it exists. I can help people understand how to turn that idea into a real product that’s tested and ready for the market. 

What drew you to be more involved with North Forge? 

The community and connections at North Forge make it very unique. I remember being at the North Forge Fabrication Lab, watching mentors help other people with their business ideas and it was inspiring to watch. North Forge really fosters that community, it encourages people to go out and network, to put themselves out there. Getting to be a part of such a welcoming community of founders, mentors, and aspiring business owners, is really what drew me to North Forge. 

What do you like about mentoring? 

I like to mentor because it gives me the opportunity to bring all of my learned experiences from working with startups, as well as my knowledge in product testing and integrated design, together to help other people. I know what it’s like to have a concept but have no idea if it’s actually worth pursuing. I really want to help businesses in all of those stages and use the lessons I have learned from my experiences along the way to help them grow. 

To learn more about the Founders Program click here 

To get in touch with Steven, email  spham@67.231.26.222