GROW by Good Combinator is the skills library for building AI-era ventures, products, and institutions. The flagship track is the Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) Certification — eight courses that take you from what an FDE is through running a practice as a founder. Each lesson pairs a working operator's method with a concrete artifact you can use the same day. Course 1: FDE Foundations is free. Hosted by Doug Liles, founder of Good Combinator and an elected Special District Commissioner in South Walton, Florida. New lessons drop Tuesdays. Start at goodcombinator.com/grow.
[Course 8 Lesson 8.8] Course 8 Mastery: Your 18-Month Practice Founder Plan - GROW by Good Combinator
Your 18-month Practice Founder plan: the final capstone.
In Lesson 8.8 of GROW Course 8 (FDE Practice Founder), Doug Liles works through it with you. An 18-month plan that turns everything in the track into an operating roadmap.
What you'll take away
- The capstone brief
- The 18-month arc
- Milestones
Chapters
(0:00) Cold open & the promise
(7:34) The capstone brief
(15:08) The 18-month arc
(22:43) Milestones
(30:17) Metrics
(37:52) Self-scoring
(45:26) The artifact & what to do Monday
Study guide, slide deck, blog companion, infographic (free)
- https://fde.goodcombinator.ai/lessons/FDE_Lesson_8_8
Audio companion is AI-narrated using NotebookLM. Explainer video is human-produced.
Public release
This full FDE Certification audio lesson is available publicly as part of GROW by Good Combinator.
Continue in GROW Skills Library: https://goodcombinator.com/grow/library
Episode metadata
Show: GROW by Good Combinator
Course: Course 8 - FDE Practice Founder
Lesson: 8.8
Season/Episode: 8/8
Runtime: 53:01
Access label: public-full-lesson
Source channel: spotify
Source audio: app/lessons/assets/course-8/8.8/8.8 Audio Podcast.m4a
Taxonomy: Domain=Practice Founder; Career stage=Founder; Skill level=Founder; Asset type=Capstone; Outcome=Found
CRM events: course_started, lesson_completed, cert_enrolled
Transcript and accessibility
Final transcript required before launch: https://goodcombinator.com/grow/courses/course-8/lesson-8.8/transcript
Accessibility requirement: reviewed audio, clear title, descriptive show notes, and transcript availability before launch.
Audio companion is AI-narrated using NotebookLM and disclosed here.
Credits
Host: Doug Liles
Producer: Good Combinator
Audio: NotebookLM AI narration (disclosed)
8 Aug 2026
[Course 8 Lesson 8.7] The Founder's Hiring Loop - GROW by Good Combinator
The founder's hiring loop for building a practice that runs without you.
In Lesson 8.7 of GROW Course 8 (FDE Practice Founder), Doug Liles works through it with you. A founder-level hiring loop that builds a bench, not just a hire.
What you'll take away
- Hiring as a founder
- The loop
- Bench building
Chapters
(0:00) Cold open & the promise
(6:30) Hiring as a founder
(13:01) The loop
(19:32) Bench building
(26:02) Onboarding to ownership
(32:33) Scaling the loop
(39:04) The artifact & what to do Monday
Study guide, slide deck, blog companion, infographic (free)
- https://fde.goodcombinator.ai/lessons/FDE_Lesson_8_7
Audio companion is AI-narrated using NotebookLM. Explainer video is human-produced.
Public release
This full FDE Certification audio lesson is available publicly as part of GROW by Good Combinator.
Continue in GROW Skills Library: https://goodcombinator.com/grow/library
Episode metadata
Show: GROW by Good Combinator
Course: Course 8 - FDE Practice Founder
Lesson: 8.7
Season/Episode: 8/7
Runtime: 45:35
Access label: public-full-lesson
Source channel: spotify
Source audio: app/lessons/assets/course-8/8.7/8.7 Audio Podcast.m4a
Taxonomy: Domain=Practice Founder; Career stage=Founder; Skill level=Founder; Asset type=Lesson; Outcome=Found
CRM events: course_started, lesson_completed, cert_enrolled
Transcript and accessibility
Final transcript required before launch: https://goodcombinator.com/grow/courses/course-8/lesson-8.7/transcript
Accessibility requirement: reviewed audio, clear title, descriptive show notes, and transcript availability before launch.
Audio companion is AI-narrated using NotebookLM and disclosed here.
Credits
Host: Doug Liles
Producer: Good Combinator
Audio: NotebookLM AI narration (disclosed)
7 Aug 2026
[Course 8 Lesson 8.6] The Founder-Layer Partner Agreement - GROW by Good Combinator
The founder-layer partner agreement that protects the practice.
In Lesson 8.6 of GROW Course 8 (FDE Practice Founder), Doug Liles works through it with you. The agreement terms a founder needs before scaling on partners.
What you'll take away
- Why it matters
- Key terms
- Protecting the practice
Chapters
(0:00) Cold open & the promise
(6:41) Why it matters
(13:23) Key terms
(20:04) Protecting the practice
(26:46) Negotiation
(33:27) Red lines
(40:09) The artifact & what to do Monday
Study guide, slide deck, blog companion, infographic (free)
- https://fde.goodcombinator.ai/lessons/FDE_Lesson_8_6
Audio companion is AI-narrated using NotebookLM. Explainer video is human-produced.
Public release
This full FDE Certification audio lesson is available publicly as part of GROW by Good Combinator.
Continue in GROW Skills Library: https://goodcombinator.com/grow/library
Episode metadata
Show: GROW by Good Combinator
Course: Course 8 - FDE Practice Founder
Lesson: 8.6
Season/Episode: 8/6
Runtime: 46:51
Access label: public-full-lesson
Source channel: spotify
Source audio: app/lessons/assets/course-8/8.6/8.6 Audio Podcast.m4a
Taxonomy: Domain=Practice Founder; Career stage=Founder; Skill level=Founder; Asset type=Lesson; Outcome=Found
CRM events: course_started, lesson_completed, cert_enrolled
Transcript and accessibility
Final transcript required before launch: https://goodcombinator.com/grow/courses/course-8/lesson-8.6/transcript
Accessibility requirement: reviewed audio, clear title, descriptive show notes, and transcript availability before launch.
Audio companion is AI-narrated using NotebookLM and disclosed here.
Credits
Host: Doug Liles
Producer: Good Combinator
Audio: NotebookLM AI narration (disclosed)
Contact GROW by Good Combinator
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