Will Your Business Idea Work?

Location: Online.

Join senior product leader and entrepreneur Bernie Aho as he shares how to test business ideas, markets, and strategies before committing time or money. With 25+ years of experience building and scaling technology companies, Bernie will walk you through practical ways to size markets, stress test value propositions, run quick experiments, validate pricing, uncover real competitors, and shape product strategy based on data instead of assumptions.

About the presenter: Bernie Aho

Bernie is a senior product leader and entrepreneur with 25+ years of experience building, scaling, and operating technology companies. He is currently a Group Product Manager at Thinkific, where he works on enterprise and platform-scale products that help large organizations manage learning, content, and operations at scale.

He is also deeply involved in sports performance and safety as a founder and product leader at Kinmetrix, a sports technology company focused on data-driven neck strength training and athlete performance. In parallel, Bernie is the CEO and Co-Founder of Critiq, a platform that enables people to improve real-world skills through personalized expert video feedback.

Previously, Bernie co-founded TimeHero and ConceptShare, an award-winning creative operations platform that became a category leader and was later acquired. Across his career, Bernie has consistently focused on products where design, usability, and measurable business outcomes align.

Bernie is also a mentor at NORCAT Innovation Mill, supporting early-stage founders with product strategy, UX, and go-to-market execution. Outside of work, he is an avid photographer, designer, and lifelong gamer, interests that continue to shape his product mindset.