A Season of Learning
My Journey Through American Underground’s I2E Cohort
For the past eight weeks, I’ve had the joy (and occasional butterflies) of being part of American Underground’s Idea to Entrepreneur (I2E) Cohort, an intensive program designed to help founders strengthen their ideas from the ground up. Since many of you have followed my ENSOhello journey from its earliest spark, I wanted to share what this experience was like, what I learned, and how it’s shaping the future of the app.
A quick look at American Underground
If you’re not familiar with American Underground (AU), it’s a startup hub in the heart of Durham that supports entrepreneurs across the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill). Over the years, AU has become a vital part of this region’s innovation ecosystem, offering coworking space, mentorship programs, workshops, and a vibrant community of founders. One of AU’s specialities is helping early-stage entrepreneurs refine their ideas in a supportive, collaborative environment. The I2E program is a perfect example.
Eight weeks. Many voices. One shared goal.
Our cohort included entrepreneurs of all ages, backgrounds, and perspectives, working on everything from skincare to pet products, travel platforms, fashion concepts, business tools, and more. The diversity in the room was not just inspiring, it was grounding. Every idea was wildly different, yet we were all wrestling with the same big question:
What problem are we really trying to solve?
Not:
“What do I think my brilliant solution should be?”
But:
“What is the actual problem, and do I love it enough to work on it for years?”
That distinction ended up being one of the most important things I took away.
Falling in love with the problem
To be honest, I was a little nervous at first. ENSOhello has been in motion for a while. What if I had moved too fast? What if I had anchored myself to a solution before deeply interrogating the problem?
But as we worked through exercises, frameworks, and lots of tough (but helpful) questions, I realized something reassuring:
I really am in love with the problem I’m solving.
The problem is clear:
Artists are struggling with the demands of digital marketing.
It takes them out of the studio.
They’ve never been taught how to do it.
And the emotional burden, frustration, self-doubt, inconsistency, and guilt are real.
I’ve always known this intuitively, but the I2E process helped me articulate it in a sharper, more grounded way.
Customer discovery: A quick primer
One of the biggest focuses of the cohort was customer discovery, which is essentially:
Talking directly to the people you’re hoping to serve, before you build anything.
The goal is to understand:
What they struggle with
What they’ve tried
What they wish existed
How they talk about the problem
And whether the problem is big enough for them to want help
Customer discovery isn’t about pitching. It’s about listening. And it’s never “one and done”. It’s an ongoing part of building any good product.
I was encouraged to see that the interviews and surveys I’ve already done were on the right track. But I also picked up new ways to make my conversations even more targeted as I continue gathering insights.
The legal side of building a startup
The cohort was co-sponsored by Hutchison Law, one of the Triangle’s top startup and venture law firms. They led in-depth sessions on:
founder partnerships
protecting intellectual property
preparing for future investors
and avoiding common legal pitfalls
Even as a creative founder, I found myself fascinated. There’s real comfort in understanding the legal landscape early, especially as ENSOhello grows.
Pitching to the AU community
In the final week, we were invited to present our pitch decks to the broader American Underground community. AU and Hutchison Law also selected two cohort participants to receive special support:
Three months of coworking space, and
Free legal hours from Hutchison Law
I’m excited (and still a little stunned) to share that ENSOhello was chosen as one of the winners.
I’m deeply grateful. Both for the recognition and for the vote of confidence in what ENSOhello can become. I’m also thrilled to plug into the AU community more deeply and have access to legal guidance as I move into these next development phases.
Closing thoughts
The I2E cohort was energizing, clarifying, and humbling in the best possible way. Building a company is never a straight line, and this program helped me strengthen the foundation beneath ENSOhello, something I know will benefit the artists we’re working so hard to support.
If you’re curious about any part of the cohort (customer discovery, pitching, legal prep, or startup strategy), I’m happy to share more. And if you’re a local entrepreneur, I highly recommend checking out American Underground’s programs.
More updates coming soon. Until then…
Create freely. Share easily.
-Sue
ENSOhello Founder
