In this article, we share the details of the Anvil Founder Coaching Program in partnership with InnovatePGH to provide free founder coaching to any and all Pittsburgh Area founders who are looking to scale their startup. This program has been run twice in 2025 (see founder testimonials at the end) and will run twice more throughout 2026.
About Anvil Founder Coaching
Pittsburgh is a place where the hard things get done. From creating the polio vaccine to designing the ferris wheel, from creating the world’s best way to learn a new language (Duolingo) to holding the Guinness World Record for the longest freestyle rap, and many many more things.
Pittsburgh is known as the Steel City and has evolved from forging metal on an anvil to forging innovative startups leading the way in industries such as artificial intelligence, robotics, healthcare, and life sciences.
This program is open to all Pittsburgh area founders who are serious about building and scaling their startup business.
The Anvil Founder Coaching Program includes monthly trainings covering these crucial topics for startup founders:
- Productivity & Reflection is a Superpower: How to get not only a lot done, but also the most important things done. If you don’t pause to reflect, document, and learn, you will be doomed to unconsciously repeat the same cycle over and over limiting your success.
- Customer Discovery: Don’t play yourself. Use a structured framework to build a product that your target customer actually needs and will pay for.
- Problem Validation: How to narrow your niche down into a problem that is real and worth solving.
- Growth: How to use marketing and sales experiments to begin, build, and scale revenue for your startup.
- Fundraising: I’ve raised $26M+ in growth financing over the past 5 years and share what I’ve learned in my tactical fundraising playbook.
- Leadership: Leaders can be ceilings or multipliers. Here we will cover an introduction on how to bring out the best in yourself, your team, and your startup.
Thanks to the support from InnovatePGH, the program will also include:
- Monthly Office Hours to provide further support to all participating founders.
- Flexible office space at Avenu for founders to work out of during programming days. Avenu is located in the Pittsburgh Innovation District in Oakland, centered among the region's leading research institutions and home to many startups.
- Additional expert-led workshops to cover topics such as legal strategy, storytelling, mental health, building an investment-ready startup, and more.
- A wrap-up event to showcase all the founders at the end of the program to the Pittsburgh Startup Community!
“The future of Pittsburgh’s tech ecosystem depends on bold founders ready to tackle big challenges. By providing founders with actionable strategies, expert guidance, and the resources to scale, the Anvil Founder Coaching Program ensures they can turn innovative ideas into transformative companies. We’re excited to add this to a growing list of programing within the Pittsburgh Innovation District, strengthening our region’s position as a global hub for cutting-edge technology and entrepreneurship.” - Sean Luther, InnovatePGH President + CEO
All of this is completely free to all Pittsburgh Area founders who are looking to scale their startup.
Meet Your Coach: Max Polec, PCC
Max has 10+ years of experience in startups and business where his background was in growth strategy, operations, and talent development. He has worn many, many hats from startup employee to co-founder, accelerator director to ecosystem builder, and now as trusted coach.
More about Max:
- Since Max started as an executive coach, he has worked with 300+ startup founders and business executives.
- Max is an ICF-certified coach. The International Coaching Federation acts as the gold standard globally for coaching.
- Max is a certified Executive Coach through the Center for Executive Coaching.
About InnovatePGH
InnovatePGH is a next generation public-private partnership built to accelerate Pittsburgh’s status as a global innovation city. By facilitating an inclusive and multi-sector approach, InnovatePGH ensures all innovators can participate in Pittsburgh’ innovation economy. The partnership works to accelerate Pittsburgh’s position as a global innovation hub by improving Pittsburgh’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, providing tech-based economic development leadership and strategy, and managing a place-based Innovation District initiative in Oakland.
InnovatePGH has been partnered with The CEO Strategy since January 2024 to partner with hosting the What’s Your Business Idea? Event series providing Pittsburgh founders a platform to share what they are building via an elevator pitch to then get plugged into local resources. In 2024 alone, this event highlighted 88 founders (and counting!).
What Pittsburgh Founders Think
"Joining Anvil has been a game-changer for me as a solo founder across the critical months of our app pre-launch. Through Anvil, I not only leveled up my strategic thinking and execution, but also grew through finding a community of like-minded founders. Max's coaching also supported Peachy Day in receiving 500+ applications for our initial batch of summer interns! I came in looking for tactical support and will be leaving with a tribe of collaborators, coaches, and lifelong friends." - Sophia Fang, Founder of Peachy Day
“The Anvil program was an incredible opportunity for my early-stage deep tech startup. Each session delivered tangible outcomes and clear next steps. Max and Charles were consistently accessible and highly responsive, offering critical support on everything from hiring and fundraising to refining our pitch. The broader Anvil community was equally valuable, creating space to connect with other exceptional startups across different stages, share insights, and celebrate milestones. I’m truly grateful to have been part of the inaugural cohort and highly recommend the program to startups at any stage. Thanks in part to the feedback and guidance I received through Anvil, I was able to secure nearly $100K in non-dilutive funding through grants and competitions.” - Mitchell Fogelson, PhD, Founder/CEO of Beyond Reach Labs
“I've found that being in a cohort of founders at the same stage as you is invaluable, and Anvil not only has an active and collaborative cohort, but real and actionable guidance from Max. Max and Charles are really there to support founder needs in concrete ways. Having structure around goal setting and time management in particular has been really valuable to me.” - Georgia Crowther, Founder of The Reclamation Factory
“Anvil was a great way to meet other driven founders and get practical advice from Max. The sessions were grounded in real experience and gave me a handbook I’ll keep coming back to. One of the biggest ways it’s helped me is learning how to balance day-to-day tactics and metrics with high-level strategy, which made managing complexity much more doable. The group discussions helped me see things from new angles, and I left feeling more connected and better equipped for the next stage of building my company.” - Prem Viswanathan, CTO/Co-Founder of SwiftCX
“Entrepreneurship is a lonely journey—but you don’t, and shouldn’t, have to do it alone. I look forward to our monthly Anvil meetings, knowing I’ll walk away with new insights, actionable strategies, and an invaluable level of support from both the team and fellow founders. There’s no universal blueprint for building a business, but Anvil provides a strong foundation that we collaboratively tailor to our unique models. I’d absolutely recommend this experience—its value extends far beyond the program itself.” - Olivia Suchko, Founder of Olive
“As a new founder, the Anvil Founder Coaching Program demystified the abstract ideas I had about entrepreneurship and refocused my attention to tangible strategies that really drive business growth. The content of the program goes beyond the basics and gave me insights on how to navigate early-stage challenges such as identifying risks and how to prioritize them. Max and Charles are both excellent mentors who were always eager to provide the guidance and connections I needed to make important decisions for my startup. I highly recommend this program to anyone seeking to elevate their business and join a supportive founder community!” - Priscilla Prem, Founder & CEO of Pittsburgh Coastal Energy
“For my business joining Anvil has been a massive momentum shifter in all the right ways! As a founder, Anvil is like stumbling into the group chat you didn’t know you needed— full of people who have wrestled with the exact questions I hadn’t even thought to ask yet. What made it so powerful wasn’t just the expert sessions, but the intimacy of the space. The cohort felt like a mini braintrust; it's candid, generous, and surprisingly tactical. One moment that still blows my mind: I had been stuck on this product issue for weeks and had mapped out a multi-month workaround to pivot through it. Then, in one random post-training conversation, a fellow founder casually diagnosed the real blocker and introduced me to a free software tool that solved it completely. What I thought would take four months got handled in 20 minutes. Wild. This program helped me make meaningful progress not by giving me more to do, but by connecting me with people who helped me do the right things faster. I’m genuinely grateful. It’s hard to build alone; Anvil made sure I didn’t have to.” - Miles Mufuka Martin, Co-Founder & CEO of Relai
“The Anvil Founder Coaching Program is an undeniable growth catalyst for Pittsburgh’s startup ecosystem. Max and Charles have created something truly special. It’s common to receive open-ended, unproductive cheerleading as founders, but Anvil gives structured, sustainable support that prepares founders for the long-term leadership required for success. Being a solo founder, it’s a constant balancing act - especially in the early years. The way Max and Charles break down the training topics every month gives you time to digest it and fully absorb the material in a way that feels approachable. It makes that balancing act become more natural and achievable. I highly encourage founders to apply to Anvil for the structure, community and for your potential as a strong, prepared founder!” - Stephanie Barchetti, Founder & CEO of Innermore
“I applied to Anvil because I was looking for strategic support for my startup that wasn’t tied to giving up equity. Through the program, I deepened my understanding of what it means to lead a company and stay focused on what matters most. I gained not only clarity, but a stronger appreciation of the startup experience as a whole. Since joining, I’ve raised our prices and made tangible progress securing clients at that higher price point. Max and the Anvil team were consistently generous with their time and insight—whether it was reviewing a proposal, practicing negotiations, or making valuable introductions. I hosted an enterprise selling workshop, met potential customers, and connected with other thoughtful founders. All without trading away any piece of my business. I’m confident my startup moved faster and farther because of Anvil. I’m walking away with real traction, expanded network, and a stronger sense of direction. I’d absolutely recommend this to other founders especially those looking for meaningful progress without equity strings attached.” - Victoria Kallsen, Founder of Build Bedrock
“The Anvil Coaching Program was a great opportunity to get hands on learning about building my design consulting business. I received accountability and feedback from my coach and cohort so that I could reach my marketing goals, pitch my services confidently, and support to finally start executing my customer discovery. The program also provided me with vital entrepreneurial resources such as workspace and mentor connections for my business. The largest benefit was the level of clarity provided during Max's office hours and feedback sessions--I was able to make critical decisions to help me negotiate stronger contracts and raise my pricing 40%. Ultimately, Max has given me the strategies to get through many of the early stage struggles and raise my standards.” - Rene Canady, CEO of Equity Systems Consulting
“I applied to Anvil because I felt stuck and needed real guidance, not the usual stuff from around LinkedIn. Anvil gave me tools which sharpened my customer discovery and led me to raise $100K from $3K. I also learned how to get myself unstuck and found a cohort that makes this process far less isolating. I highly recommend Anvil, especially for solo founders and founders who want a path more suited to them than the stereotypical one.” - Krit Ravichander, Founder of Herada
“Joining Anvil has been pivotal for my AI X Bio deeptech startup. The hands-on expertise and therefore advice Max and Charles give out is super useful, and each single conversation with them has helped me make key decisions to move forward. The program is all things at one place: all the important bits an early stage startup needs mixed with the flexibility a founder needs when building from scratch. The program support really is imminent, along with the fact that they want their founders to win.” - Sanjukta Bhattacharya, Founder of Kleon AI
“We joined Anvil to pressure-test our assumptions and strengthen our go-to-market plan. We had just graduated from Alphalab and were coming off a big pivot, so the timing couldn’t have been better. We learned how to tighten our messaging, build a repeatable outreach engine, and start converting new partners. The founder community was incredibly supportive, honest, and collaborative. Even outside the Anvil sessions, Max and Charles were there for us, whether it was opening their network or grabbing a coffee to talk through the messy parts of the journey. It was an invaluable experience, and one we’re truly grateful for.” - Ketaki Desai & Cristina Ramirez, Co-Founders of DashStrom
“Being part of the Anvil Founders Coaching Program was one of the best decisions I made as a first-time founder. The program is a must for anyone who’s building for the first time or still early in their journey. It helps you build a solid foundation and brings much-needed structure to the chaos of early-stage building. What I appreciated most was Max and Charles’ approach. They don’t just coach from a distance, they truly run alongside you. They help you set meaningful goals, stay accountable, and consistently move toward the outcomes you care about. During the cohort, we made tremendous progress and ended up securing 8 pilot customers while continuing to refine our product and process. Their guidance played a big role in keeping us focused and moving in the right direction. If you're a new or early-stage founder looking for clarity, support, and real momentum, I highly recommend Anvil. It genuinely accelerates your journey.” - Hardik Panchal, Co-Founder of Elexis AI
“Being a part of Anvil helped me refocus when I was approaching burnout and simply overwhelmed with being a founder. During the experience, my business did make strides- we are now a finalist for PGH Lab, and my overall footprint in the greater Pittsburgh area has increased. However- the greatest help Anvil has provided is making me a better business owner: we are given the tools and responsive mentorship to really improve ourselves through this program. My time management is better- and it's strategic- and I am better at handling the not so fun aspects of being a boss, like letting people go. Knowing that Max and his team of experts were there for me during and after the Anvil journey meant a lot and I highly recommend other founders go through this program.” - Tia Christopher, Founder of The Orange Peel Collaborative
"I joined Anvil when Allervision was still fully consumer-facing. I knew the B2C allergy app wasn’t scaling the way I wanted, but I didn’t yet have the clarity or confidence to change direction. Working with Max and Charles shifted everything. Their questions, guidance, and the connections they opened up pushed me to rethink our assumptions, dig deeper into customer discovery, and most importantly learn how to speak the language of retailers. That shift is what ultimately helped me pivot Allervision into retail tech and build our ingredient-intelligence platform. The program didn’t just help me fix problems; it helped me see a different path entirely. I’m genuinely grateful for the clarity, accountability, and strategic grounding Anvil brought into my journey." - Varsha Sankar, Founder & CEO of Allervision
“We applied to Anvil to boost our team's productivity and streamline our organizational building process. The program taught us how to prioritize tasks effectively and leverage building our company. The program helped me directly with identifying productivity bottlenecks, implementing management best practices, and connecting with fellow founders for support. The rich knowledge base of expertise that Anvil provided helped me to develop set a direction to tangible growth model for our company. Working with a community of founders has been invaluable – the peer accountability and shared experiences have kept me motivated. I'd definitely recommend the Anvil program to other founders looking to level up their leadership productivity and management game. A must attend program for anyone starting their own company! Max is a very strong leader extremely organized to lead, guide and mentor the next generations of CEOs! He is an amazing, down to earth person who is focused on the future of any business’s success that he helps! Charles a quite listener of next generation business owners oftentimes sharing his insights helped us as a class to further develop our brand!” - Sudha Krishnasamy, Co-Founder of Integr8works
“The Anvil Founders Coaching Program has been genuinely invaluable for me. I don’t come from a traditional startup background, so having a place where I could get real context on what it actually means to be a founder made all the difference. Their support helped me understand the role more deeply, grow into it, and feel grounded in the journey. I’m really grateful to have had them as a resource while I’m evolving as a founder.” - Leslie Manson, Founder of Trottr
"Anvil was great from the very first session! It really helped me focus my time on the most impactful parts of my business. I was lucky because each session's topic lined up closely with where I was at in my own progression. Both Max and Charles went over the top to help all the founders any way they could. For me, they spent extra time helping me refine my pitch and my investor strategy. I would definitely recommend the program to any founder!" - Corey Stout, Founder of Motoria
“The Anvil Coaching Program truly felt like a gift from the universe. Starting a business in my 40s—with zero startup experience—while simultaneously launching a podcast and raising three young children felt like drinking from a fire hose. I asked the universe for guidance, and soon after, I received an email inviting me to join a startup coaching program called Anvil. I knew instantly it was the sign I’d been waiting for. Max is incredibly talented. His real-world experience, grounded approach, and sharp, compassionate mindset created a safe space to ask tough questions, get honest answers, and connect with like-minded founders. The community felt like a warm hug—supportive, inspiring, and real. What I learned through Anvil can’t be summed up easily because much of it is being applied in real time. My business growth follows a “slow and steady wins the race” model, and the lessons from Anvil continue to guide me every step of the way. The most powerful part? When the program ended, it didn’t feel like an ending at all. The relationships built through Anvil are genuine and lasting—something rare and deeply valuable. The Anvil Coaching Program is a true gift. Nurture it, and it will nurture you right back.” - Rachael Devore, Founder of Align
“The Anvil Founder Coaching Program came at exactly the right moment for Clean Plate Innovations—just as we're switching sectors from university pilots into K-12 districts, and the structure provided helped us think more critically about product-market fit and our path forward. The coaching pushed me to step back from the day-to-day and focus on the foundational questions that actually move the needle. The connections to Pittsburgh's startup ecosystem were an added bonus, but the real value was having a coach who understood that building a company is as much about the founder as it is the product. I'd recommend Anvil to any early-stage founder who's ready to do the real work.” - Nolan Sulpizio, Founder of Clean Plate Innovations
"Anvil arrived at a pivotal moment for us. We were in the process of spinning out Squary from another company and had just started to fundraise. Max and Charles didn't just offer frameworks; they made warm introductions to potential investors and helped us sharpen our positioning so we could speak credibly to what we were building. Beyond the tactical support, the real value was the cohort. Finding a group of Pittsburgh founders at a similar stage, who show up honestly and share what's actually working, made the journey feel far less isolated. I'm walking away with stronger conviction in our direction and genuine relationships I didn't have six months ago. Can't recommend it enough for founders in Pittsburgh." - Justin Waltrip, Co-Founder & Head of Engineering at Squary AI
“Founder classes, startup groups, and biz dev programs can be found anywhere nowadays. It can be so hard to extract real value. With Anvil, we experienced the exact opposite. Both Max and Charles operate based on action. Not fluff or buzz words, but aiming for what will actually help you achieve your goals (messy or not) as a startup founder. This is demonstrated by the success of the companies coming out of Anvil, and certainly by the progress we have made over the past few months. We're so thankful for the relationships we made and will take the no-bs attitude with us everywhere we go from here on out.” - Alex Dalton, Co-Founder of Unplugged AI
“When we applied to the Anvil Founder Coaching Program, we weren't sure what to expect, but we had heard great things about the program and wanted to connect with local founders. Max and Charles went above and beyond in helping us build connections within the local entrepreneurship ecosystem, while also providing valuable strategies across different aspects of our business and founder journey. We really liked the pace of the program. As founders, it's very easy for your time to be consumed by different commitments, but the monthly meetings are a sweet spot—they're not too demanding, yet not so far apart that you lose momentum. We would highly recommend this program to any early-stage founder looking for practical guidance and a network of local entrepreneurs.” - Aime Laurent Twizerimana & Nader Sawtarie, Co-Founders of Graphonos Materials Inc.
“Being selected for Anvil was one of the highlights of my journey with Delta BEAR. Max and Charles didn't offer one-size-fits-all advice; they took the time to understand where each founder was, asked the hard questions, challenged our assumptions, and provided practical guidance that could be applied immediately. Every session left me thinking differently about leadership, growth, and how to build a company with intention. Beyond the coaching, Anvil created an environment where founders could be honest about both wins and struggles. Those conversations, combined with the relationships formed throughout the cohort, have been just as valuable as the lessons themselves. Thank you, Max and Charles, for your generosity, your authenticity, and your commitment to building Pittsburgh's startup ecosystem. I'm incredibly grateful to have been part of the cohort and excited to continue building on everything I've learned.” - Dan Elliot, Founder of Delta BEAR
“Anvil was the first formal founder program I participated in and it was the perfect experience for me! Anvil meets you where you are and is incredibly supportive, encouraging and enriching for a founder's startup journey. Max's extensive experience in startups and CEO coaching provides an excellent and well-rounded curriculum on critical startup themes. The best part for me was the community among founders that Anvil creates. The exchange of experiences, ideas, and feedback among this cohort is meaningful and excellent for any startup founder.” - Todd Feiler, Co-Founder of Ringlet
“Anvil was exactly the environment I needed as a solo founder. The support, the people, the coaching, the connections, and the learning all played a huge role in helping me grow. Max and Charles were always incredibly helpful, supportive, and generous with their guidance. I came into the program having learned a lot on the fly, but through Anvil, I feel like I received a deep dive into some of the most critical areas of building and running a business. What I appreciated most is that it was not presented as a one-size-fits-all approach. I was given tools, frameworks, and perspective, while still being empowered to choose what works best for me and my vision. The phrase that’s shared within the container, “You sprint, we’ll sprint right beside you” is real. That is exactly what it felt like. Thank you for the opportunity, the support, and for believing in my vision.” - Jonathan “Quest” Brown, Founder of Heal, Homie
“I came into Anvil without a startup idea and without calling myself a founder. I had the urge to build something but no idea what it was. I was pushed to apply and honestly did not know what I would get out of it. What I found was bigger than an idea. Anvil helped me find myself and see that my value isn't any one lane, clinical, business, or technical, but the perspective that connects them all. The vibe, the community, and the shared struggles taught me what it actually means to start something. I walked away with a clearer sense of who I want to be, and a community that genuinely helps each other along the way.” - Kiran Cherlakola, Founder
"Anvil is a highly organized, methodical, and impactful form of coaching for early-stage entrepreneurs. Max is among the best leadership coaches and brings tremendous value to founders of the cohort through valuable coaching sessions and guest speakers. One of my favorite sessions was the personal productivity session and, in particular, the time and energy audit. Finally, both Max and Charles are wonderful connectors who constantly make new connections for founders in the cohort. If you're a highly ambitious, early-stage founder in Pittsburgh, Anvil is amongst the best investments you can make. During the Anvil cohort, we pivoted our business model and secured our first business contract!" - Shiv Panjwani, CEO of Agilow
“Starting a company can be isolating, and the Anvil program gave me a trusted group of founders to learn alongside. The discussions covered everything from customer discovery and fundraising to the day-to-day realities of building a business. Max has built a community that encourages openness, thoughtful feedback, and real progress. For me, Anvil was an opportunity to explore what building a business looked like before I jumped in full time and to ensure I was ready to tackle the challenges a founder faces. For any Pittsburgh area entrepreneur, I cannot recommend more how much having a community makes a difference.” - Jason Okerman, Founder of Gemba Robotics
“Anvil was truly an amazing experience, Max and Charles are truly professionals who deeply care about startup and Pittsburgh. They did a great job providing advice and guidance, all which was backed by extensive experience. Anvil did a great job connecting us with incredible speakers and providing quality content that I know I will carry with me the rest of my entrepreneurial career. I highly recommend this program to any founder in Pittsburgh who wants to take their business to the next level.” - Matthew Fraijo, Co-Founder of PGH Social Club
“Anvil has been an amazing experience. Coming from a technical role at a startup, the insights I have gained regarding the business side of operations are invaluable. I know I will be referring back to these slide notes for years as I progress through my career. The most important takeaway from this cohort has been learning how to balance my everyday life with a startup to avoid burnout. Not only did Max drive home the point that balance doesn't have to be complex, but the entire group reinforced this as well.” - Chase Baker, Co-Founder of Unplugged AI
“The Anvil program has been invaluable for me. It's an amazing opportunity to meet and network with other founders in the Pittsburgh start up scene. Max and Charles are a wealth of information on everything from productivity to fundraising. They're always available to chat, give advice or connect you with someone in their network. The community they've built with Anvil is amazingly valuable and supportive. The workshops are grounded in real stories and experience. Every session is a crash course on the start up journey that leaves you feeling empowered with actionable advice and resources. I highly recommend the program to any founders in Pittsburgh who want to level up.” - Chris Panko, Founder