Episode 4

full
Published on:

6th Apr 2023

Wins and Losses: The Power of Perspective with Kevin Craig of Tessellated

In this episode of the Rooted and Reaching podcast, hosts Nick Kuhn and Bethany Hartley speak with Kevin Craig, Chief Executive Officer at Tessellated, a company developing high-strength polymer films in partnership with The University of Notre Dame. Kevin shares his journey from the Air Force to working with Tessellated to create graphene. He also discusses how military veterans have the same skill set as entrepreneurs: being able to be decisive in the face of imperfect information and the ability to get punched in the face and keep moving forward. 

QUOTES

  • “Properly tabulate wins and losses. Two examples: When I was in the military, I had all the stripes, and people would walk in and go, this person must have been a success. But what I would tell them is my win-loss record. The Air Force actually told me no then told me yes on promotion. So I had a losing record, but ultimately I was successful. ” - Kevin Craig [12:38]
  • “Sometimes success means more hard work. So even when you get a win, cheer a little bit and get back at it.” - Kevin Craig [13:34]


TIMESTAMPS

[00:01] Kevin Craig’s Entrepreneurial Journey

[05:10] Translating Military Experience into Business Success

[06:21] Tessellated: Material Science and Graphene Technology

[10:26] Developing Graphene-Based Ballistic Materials




RESOURCES

Tessellated


CONTACT

Nick Kuhn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kuhnnick/ 

Bethany Hartley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethanyhartley/ 

Kevin Craig: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-craig/

Next Episode All Episodes Previous Episode

Listen for free

Show artwork for Rooted and Reaching

About the Podcast

Rooted and Reaching
Stories about local Startups and Founders in South Bend and Elkhart
There’s a job to do, and in the South Bend - Elkhart region, a midwestern work ethic is changing the narrative from rusty to ready. Our cities are opening up and working together as a region—universities are engaging beyond their campuses, sharing their brainpower and realizing that they’re bigger and better with the community behind them. Organizations are reaching out to newcomers and helping them build local networks, leveling the playing field. Infrastructure is being creatively adapted to be gathering places where new deals are made, new collisions happen, and new entrepreneurs take root. Join the Rooted & Reaching podcast, where we discuss the startup life with entrepreneurs with connections to the South Bend - Elkhart region.

In doing this, we will inform the general public and ourselves about what resources are available and the major pain points of entrepreneurs in our region. This podcast is also intended to tell the amazing stories of our local entrepreneurs in the hope that it will inspire another person in the region considering an entrepreneurial pursuit to take that leap of faith and see the supportive atmosphere in the area.