Brice Englert on Building TradePending: From “No”s to Product-Market Fit in Auto Tech | PART 1 of 2
In this episode (Part 1), Brice shares the early story: how the idea formed, how he got the first version built, what the market told him at the beginning, and what he did to push through the inevitable uncertainty that comes with building from scratch.
This is the origin story and early foundation of TradePending, before the scaling years.
You’ll hear:
- How Brice got started and why he chose automotive as the arena
- What the earliest product looked like (and what didn’t work first)
- The “crowded market” problem, and how Brice found an opening anyway
- Early execution lessons: getting something live, getting customers, and learning fast
- The mindset shift from idea → real business momentum
TradePending’s story is a reminder that the early stage isn’t about having the perfect model, it’s about building something real, listening hard, and creating momentum one customer at a time.
Where to Find Brice Englert:
TradePending: https://tradepending.com
Where to Find Scot Wingo:
Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/
Timestamps:
01:57 – Introduction to Brice Englert
02:50 – How Scot discovered TradePending
05:30 – Brice’s background and early career
07:30 – Engineering, Air Force, and selling technology
08:15 – MBA and early entrepreneurship exposure
11:45 – Corporate lessons from UBS
14:00 – Entering auto tech through M&A
17:10 – How acquirers evaluate startups
22:00 – From corporate development to operator
24:10 – The idea behind TradePending
25:50 – Naming the company and early vision
27:00 – Leaving corporate and managing risk
30:55 – Taking the leap into entrepreneurship
33:25 – Early funding and staying lean
34:30 – Customer feedback and early skepticism
38:35 – Competing in a crowded market
40:00 – NC IDEA rejection
40:12 – Rejection as fuel
02:50 – How Scot discovered TradePending
05:30 – Brice’s background and early career
07:30 – Engineering, Air Force, and selling technology
08:15 – MBA and early entrepreneurship exposure
11:45 – Corporate lessons from UBS
14:00 – Entering auto tech through M&A
17:10 – How acquirers evaluate startups
22:00 – From corporate development to operator
24:10 – The idea behind TradePending
25:50 – Naming the company and early vision
27:00 – Leaving corporate and managing risk
30:55 – Taking the leap into entrepreneurship
33:25 – Early funding and staying lean
34:30 – Customer feedback and early skepticism
38:35 – Competing in a crowded market
40:00 – NC IDEA rejection
40:12 – Rejection as fuel
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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.
We couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors:
Gold Sponsors:
- Balentine: https://www.balentine.com/triangle-entrepreneurs
- EisnerAmpner: https://www.eisneramper.com
- Robinson Bradshaw: https://www.robinsonbradshaw.com
Silver Sponsors:
- Automated Consulting Group: https://automated.co
- Bank of America: https://business.bofa.com/en-us/content/technology-industry-group.html
2025 Sponsors:
- Extensis HR: http://www.extensishr.com/
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Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:
Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:
- Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/
