How a Passion for Motorsports Turned into a Product with Alex Littlewood Founder of Motoroso

Cult of Startup Podcast

Today’s guest in this episode of Cult of Startup is Alex Littlewood, the founder, and CEO of Motoroso. Founded in 2013, Motoroso is an online hub for motorsports and automotive enthusiasts alike to plan, build, and share their dream vehicle projects -- from drawing ideas and inspiration through content to locating specific parts, accessories, and service providers.

Motoroso stemmed from Alex’s passion for working on and riding cars and motorcycles. In today’s episode, we get to the root of what the company’s all about and how it got to where it is now as a result of that passion.

Some questions I ask Alex:

• How did growing up in motorsports influence the work you’re doing today? [7:47]
• What was the experience of working at a startup that was later acquired by Google like? [11:40]
• What was the next phase after you left Google following the acquisition? [35:39]
• What the plan for making Motoroso happen while also working a 9-to-5 at your then-job? [45:37]
• What were some of the lean methodology procedures you used to get to the point of figuring out your idea before having the code for it written? [52:36]
• What was the application process for Techstars like? [1:07:59]
• What was it like going from Silicon Valley to Detroit? [1:16:05]
• What was the makeup of the Techstars experience and program? [1:26:32]
• What did the day-to-day of the Techstars program consist of? [1:35:02]
• What’s your opinion on the environment of accelerators? [1:38:05]
• What were the criteria in making the decision to move to San Luis Obispo, and where is Motoroso at today? [1:53:07]
• What do you want Motoroso’s next stage to be? [2:03:35]

Some Things You'll Learn In This Episode:

• What differentiates a “market network” from a “social network”
• What website inspired Alex’s idea for Motoroso
• How Alex’s career turned into a path focused on marketing
• What the challenge in helping to position the company for success was when it came to dealing with larger enterprises while at Wildfire
• A word of advice to anyone thinking about going into a startup
• How the idea of Motoroso came to fruition
• What factors went into deciding to start Motoroso and realizing it was the right move
• What side jobs Alex took on to make ends meet while making his vision happen
• Why it’s not necessarily the case new startups should always be in the Bay Area
• Why every startup founder should apply to an accelerator
• What accelerators are actually for
• The difference between an idea and an actual startup