Triangle Tweener Talks

In Part 1 of this two-part deep dive, Triangle Tweener Talks host Scot Wingo sits down with legendary Triangle founder Mike Doernberg to explore the earliest chapters of his career, from CPA to multi-exit entrepreneur.

Mike walks through the founding of Marathon, the rise of early PC-driven consulting, the creation and spinout of SmartPath, raising capital through the old-school angel gauntlets, navigating the DoubleClick acquisition, and why “retirement” lasted all of three months.


Tune in to hear:
  • What the early startup ecosystem looked like before the Triangle was “the Triangle.”
  • The origins of Marathon and how the rise of PCs and early web consulting created new opportunities.
  • How a project inside GlaxoSmithKline became the spark that turned into the SmartPath product.
  • Mike’s philosophy for spinning out products successfully, and why strict separation is essential.
  • Raising capital in the 90s and early 2000s: angel gauntlets, tough rooms, and memorable TIG stories.
  • The SmartPath exit to DoubleClick and why Mike now believes they sold too early.
  • How exiting young led him to a very short-lived “retirement” and why founders struggle to sit still.
Where to Find Mike Doernberg:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldoernberg/
PlayMetrics: https://home.playmetrics.com/

Where to Find Scot Wingo:
In this episode:
01:02 – Mike’s early background & move to NC
03:30 – Becoming a CPA but wanting more
05:54 – Early exposure to startups at Ernst & Young
07:50 – Why entrepreneurship became inevitable
09:50 – Story of Burl Software and Y2K
12:10 – How Marathon was formed
13:22 – Rising PC adoption and early web consulting
14:51 – Early e-commerce and building internet applications
17:00 – How the GlaxoSmithKline project inspired SmartPath
19:06 – The power of deeply understanding a customer problem
20:34 – Building early commerce & workflow applications
23:40 – SmartPath as an early low-code platform
24:59 – Why selling SmartPath was his biggest mistake
26:00 – Raising venture in the 90s & 2000s
28:20 – The TIG pitching gauntlet
30:00 – A founder’s early-career fear of the unknown
31:10 – The SmartPath exit to DoubleClick
33:00 – Life at DoubleClick & post-acquisition changes
35:20 – Mike retires for 3 months (Home Depot era)
36:50 – Why founders struggle not to build
38:45 – The addiction and community of company building

---

This episode of Triangle Tweener Talks is hosted by Scot Wingo, presented and produced by Triangle Tweener Fund, with creative assets and design support from Walk West.

------
Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:
  • Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/

What is Triangle Tweener Talks?

Why is Tweener Madness taking over Triangle Tweener Talks? Visit https://www.tweenermadness.com to find out!

A podcast for builders by builders in the Triangle. We explore the startup journey and stories with local Triangle founders, from the idea to the exit and everything in between. Hosted by serial entrepreneur and founder of the Triangle Tweener Fund Scot Wingo, and produced by Earfluence.