upside
By Jay Clouse and Eric Hornung
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[Powderkeg] The founding story of Indianapolis darling startup Lessonly
2410
Culture, when built correctly can be your key differentiator. When built incorrectly it can be your Achilles' heel. Today we do a deep dive into the founding story of Indianapolis darling startup Lessonly. Lessonly is a market leader in training software and was acquired by San Diego-based Seismic in 2021. We sit down with co-founders Max Yoder and Conner Burt to discuss Lessonly's development over the last decade and why culture has always been a North Star in the companies evolution. Max and Conner both started their professional career by means of the Orr Fellowship, a two-year, Indianapolis-based fellowship focused on developing the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs. Max began working on Lessonly after winding down his first startup. Conner was working in sales at ExactTarget (acquired by Salesforce) at the time. The two were roommates and Conner became an early adopter of the original Lessonly platform, where he used it to help train an international sales team of ExactTarget. Learn more about the Lessonly journey and hear the words of wisdom this dynamic duo has about growing a high-performing, venture-backed tech company. If you like this episode, please subscribe and leave a review on iTunes. You can also follow on Soundcloud or Stitcher. |
Dec 08, 2021 |
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[When Pigs Fly] #42: Making Medical Bills Bearabill (feat. Lisa Matsuyama & Forest Satterfield of Bearabill)
3409
Making medical bills Bearabill. We chat with Lisa Matsuyama and Forest Satterfield, the founders of Bearabill, to learn how they're building a startup that predicts future healthcare costs, identifies medical billing errors and overcharges, and how they're negotiating on your behalf for lower bills. Follow When Pigs Fly: |
Dec 01, 2021 |
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[Lay of The Land] #15: Justin Bibb (Mayor-Elect of Cleveland)
3033
Lay of the Land’s fifteenth conversation is with Justin Bibb, the new Mayor-elect of Cleveland. This conversation originally aired on March 18, 2021 and covers a lot — through a lens of technology, entrepreneurship, and equity, we explore Justin’s vision for the city of Cleveland. Really enjoyed this conversation and hope you do too! ———— Justin Bibb is a proud Cleveland native who grew up in Mt. Pleasant on the southeast side of the city. He has dedicated his career to rebuilding neighborhoods and making cities safer, healthier, and more resilient. Justin currently serves as the Chief Strategy Officer of Urbanova, a start-up focused on solving the unique challenges faced by mid-sized cities. Over the last 15 years, Justin has worked at the intersection of government, business, and the nonprofit sector as an executive and nonprofit leader. He interned for President Barack Obama when he was in the U.S. Senate and has served as Special Assistant for Cuyahoga County, Head of the Global Cities Practice at Gallup, and most recently, Vice President for KeyBank. He co-founded Hack Cleveland in 2014 following the death of Tamir Rice and launched Cleveland Can't-Wait in 2019, a nonprofit focused on advancing racial equity and economic opportunity in underserved neighborhoods across the city. Justin also serves on the boards of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, Teach for America – Ohio, Destination Cleveland, and LAND Studio Inc. ———— Learn more about Justin’s Candidacy: https://www.bibbforcle.com/ Follow Justin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JustinMBibb Follow Justin’s Campaign on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BibbForCLE ———— Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Connect with Jeffrey on Linkedin or on Twitter Follow Lay of The Land on Twitter |
Nov 17, 2021 |
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Powerspike // connecting brands and creators on Twitch with a self-serve advertising platform [UP094]
3815
Interview Begins: 8:51 Debrief Begins: 51:07 A.J. Damiano is the co-founder and CEO of Powerspike.
Their platform merges influencer marketing with programmatic advertising, enabling brands to create an influencer campaign just like they'd make a media buy.
There's no negotiating, no having to tediously search through lists of thousands of influencers, and most importantly, no heavy lifting. Simply tell PowerSpike what you want, and it delivers results.
Foodnerd was founded in 2015 and is based in New York City. Advertise with an upside classified – This episode of upside is sponsored by SPMB. SPMB is one of the fastest-growing retained executive search firms in the country, closing hundreds of C-level searches every year. For over 40 years, SPMB has specialized in recruiting upper management and board members to VC-funded startups everywhere from early-stage to growth stage. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/spmb to learn more. – This episode of upside is sponsored by En Blazes. En Blazes is an Operations Strategy Agency that prepares your org for scale.
– This episode of upside is sponsored by GoingVC.
Subscribing is a steal at less-than $200 PER YEAR. So sign up TODAY if you want to start your venture capital career TOMORROW - and be sure to use the discount code UPSIDEFM for 20% off your first year. Visit goingvc.com/research to learn more. |
Nov 10, 2021 |
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[Chicago Capital] Ezra Galston of Starting Line on Resiliency, Starting Line Fund II, & the State of Chicago Tech
3217
This week on the feed we're featuring the Chicago Capital Podcast. Chicago Capital is hosted by Matt Castellini and explores the Venture Capital and Entrepreneurial ecosystem in Chicago. Matt is currently getting his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business while working in early stage VC. He grew up in the Chicagoland area and attended Notre Dame for undergrad. He became obessesed with podcasts and podcasting after college. He finally decided to start one when I saw an opportunity to spotlight a city that I felt was not receiving the national recognition it deserved. Matt is also the author of Venture Scenes, where I blog about Startups, Venture Capital, and Movies. Ezra Galston is the Founding Partner at Starting Line, a Chicago-based early-stage venture capital firm that invests in leading consumer products and brands. In this episode, they cover:
Subscribe to Chicago Capital Podcast |
Nov 03, 2021 |
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[Middle Tech] Symba: Evan Knowles on Building the Only Mobile-First CRM for the Real Estate Industry
3549
This week on the feed we're featuring the Middle Tech Podcast. Middle Tech was created to advance the business ecosystem in this region by providing news, entertainment, and educational content related to startups, entrepreneurship, and technology.
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Oct 27, 2021 |
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[Fast Frontiers] Scott Dorsey, co-founder and managing partner at High Alpha and former CEO of ExactTarget
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This week on the feed we're featuring the Fast Frontiers Podcast by Refinery Ventures. Refinery Ventures is based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They bridge the gap and mentor teams between post-seed and Series A funding where they invest $1M to $2M. Tim Schigal is the Managing Partner at Refinery Ventures, and the host of Fast Frontiers. Tim created ShareThis, a social media pioneer that nearly a billion people use to share online content every month. ShareThis, based in Palo Alto, CA, was one of the fastest growing companies in the country, growing to $50 million in less than four years which earned him the EY Entrepreneur of the Year in his region. Tim also launched and managed Cintrifuse, one of the best performing fund of funds in the country, investing in 15 top-tier early stage funds across the U.S. Tim has been in venture capital since 1998. In this episode from December 8, 2020, Tim interviews Scott Dorsey, co-founder and managing partner at High Alpha, a venture studio in Indianapolis. Scott is the former CEO and co-founder of ExactTarget, which was acquired by Salesforce in 2013 for more than $2.5 billion dollars. A couple of powerhouses in this episode! You can learn more about Refinery Ventures at refinery.com. OK, enjoy this episode of Fast Frontiers, right after this.
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Oct 20, 2021 |
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[614 Startups] Sam Baddoo of Fleri
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On this episode, Elio interviews Sam Baddoo, Founder of Fleri. Fleri helps immigrants protect the people who matter most back home with health insurance. Every year immigrants in the Diaspora send billions of dollars to Africa oftentimes to pay for healthcare. Without direct insight into how the funds are being spent and whether adequate treatment is being provided, immigrants are left to worry about whether the money they are sending will contribute to their loved ones wellbeing. Fleri is changing that by allowing immigrants to purchase health insurance for the loved ones creating a win-win-win-win situation for the policyholder, patient, doctors and insurance companies. First, the policyholder knows that they are providing access to high-quality healthcare for their loved one and they can see what treatments have been received. Next, the patient has access to vetted physicians and receives care in clinically sound facilities. The doctors are able to treat patients with the ability to pay thereby providing capital for infrastructure investment and finally, insurance companies have the premiums to build robust networks and offer more affordable plan options. Fleri is building a commercial solution to what has been an intractable problem in the developing world by creating a robust healthcare insurance ecosystem with incentives for all stakeholders. Subscribe to 614 Startups |
Oct 13, 2021 |
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[Think Like An Owner] Badge Stone – Earning His Badge and Making His Mark in Search Fund Investments
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This week's feed drop features Alex Bridgeman and his podcast, Think Like An Owner. Alex's guest is Badge Stone. Badge started his search journey with Stone Pump & Trench that was on the verge of bankruptcy when he acquired it. After turning it around, he acquired another company called Perimeter Security. He sold both and made investing in searchers his full-time role through his firm, WSC & Company, alongside two other partners. Badge has invested in over a hundred searchers and has extensive experience as both an investor and operator. WSC’s seven-person team is based in Charlotte, North Carolina and is investing and of its second fund, a $100 million fund closed earlier this year focused on the traditional search fund model. During our discussion, we talk about turning Stone Pump & Trench around, lessons learned from over a hundred search fund investments, a few notable companies, he’s been a part of, what’s typically missing in a new company, and a wide range of discussion on board construction and usage for entrepreneurs and investors alike. This episode is fantastic and I learned a ton and I think you will too. You can subscribe to Think Like An Owner on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Breaker, and TuneIn. Follow Alex Bridgeman on Twitter |
Oct 06, 2021 |
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What’s coming next for the team at upside [JE021]
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This week, we’re sharing a quick update about what’s coming up for the feed for the rest of the year. Due to some competing life priorities, we need to take a short break from recording new interviews. But our feed isn’t going dark – each week, if we don’t share one of our own interviews, we’ll be hosting a feed drop of other great shows in the startup and investment space. And along the way, we’ll be jumping in to share how we’re continuing to build the upside network behind the scenes. Learn more about the upside network Advertise with an upside classified |
Sep 29, 2021 |
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Foodnerd // making nutrient-dense superfoods more accessible through the process of sprouting [UP093]
3225
Interview Begins 8:35 Sharon Cryan is the founder and CEO of Foodnerd. Foodnerd specializes in 100% plant-based superfood products that are designed to increase the world's understanding or accessibility of truly nutrient-dense foods. They use raw, sprouted, organic ingredients that are GMO-free and never pressurized or treated with chemicals or preservatives, allowing them to maintain up to 98% of nutrients. We discuss:
Foodnerd was founded in 2017 and based in Buffalo, New York. Advertise with an upside classified – This episode of upside is sponsored by SPMB. SPMB is one of the fastest-growing retained executive search firms in the country, closing hundreds of C-level searches every year. For over 40 years, SPMB has specialized in recruiting upper management and board members to VC-funded startups everywhere from early-stage to growth stage. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/spmb to learn more. – This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – This episode is sponsored by SavvyCal. SavvyCal is the most intuitive and powerful scheduling tool on the market. In fact, we just started SavvyCal to book interviews with our guests! You can create personalized links in seconds and even allow recipients to overlay their calendar on top of yours. You really gotta see how this works, and you’ll wonder why it wasn’t always this easy. Sign up to create a free account at savvycal.com/upside and when you're ready to test out a paid plan, use the code UPSIDE to get your first month free. – This episode is sponsored by SnapShooter. Over 40 percent of businesses will suffer a data loss at some point in their history. That’s the type of event that could destroy your business. SnapShooter is a software as a service that’s built for backups. SnapShooter has processed over 145 petabytes That’s a staggering amount of data. New users can setup 1 free backup job with no credit card required. Go and check out their integrations with AWS, DigitalOcean, WordPress, Laravel, CraftCMS and many more. Use code upside for 10 percent off your first year of SnapShooter. Learn more at upside.fm/snapshooter. |
Sep 22, 2021 |
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Sam German of SPMB // recruiting upper management and board members to startups across the country [CC082]
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Interview Begins 5:05 Samantha (Sam) German is a Client Partner in SPMB’s Emerging Markets Practice. SPMB is one of the fastest-growing retained executive search firms in the country, closing hundreds of C-level searches every year. For over 40 years, SPMB has specialized in recruiting upper management and board members to VC-funded startups everywhere from early-stage to growth stage. They work with companies specializing in:
They bring the knowledge of a large, global firm and combine it with the personalized service and attention of a boutique. SPMB has been doing this for a long time. And they are bringing their Silicon Valley success and heritage all across the country. They have a dedicated team focused on serving clients in the Mountain West and Midwest emerging tech markets. They have successfully relocated dozens of top-tier candidates from the East and West Coasts to the Central US and Canada – including Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Bozeman, Phoenix, Edmonton, Toronto, Denver, Boulder, Austin, Salt Lake City, and beyond. We discuss:
Advertise with an upside classified – This episode of upside is sponsored by SPMB. SPMB is one of the fastest-growing retained executive search firms in the country, closing hundreds of C-level searches every year. For over 40 years, SPMB has specialized in recruiting upper management and board members to VC-funded startups everywhere from early-stage to growth stage. They can do the same for you. |
Sep 15, 2021 |
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[REWIND] Firebrand Ventures // Closing a new $40M for the merged fund [RE007]
5810
John Fein and Chris Marks are the managing partners of Firebrand Ventures. John started Firebrand Ventures in 2016, and we interviewed him in 2018. Prior to founding Firebrand, John served as Managing Director for Techstars, a leading startup accelerator with over 40 programs around the world. While at Techstars he ran three accelerator programs in Kansas City and invested in 30 startups. Companies that have gone through Techstars programs have raised a total of over $9 billion in funding and have a collective market cap of over $25 billion. Prior to Firebrand, Chris was the Founder and Managing Partner of Blue Note Ventures, an early-stage venture fund investing in great technology companies and serving entrepreneurs committed to authentic leadership. After co-investing in several companies together out of their respective funds, it became obvious that Chris and John not only shared a similar investment strategy, but also an underlying set of values around how they partnered with entrepreneurs. In late 2019 they decided to join forces and merged Firebrand and Blue Note. Advertise with an upside classified – This episode of upside is sponsored by SPMB. SPMB is one of the fastest-growing retained executive search firms in the country, closing hundreds of C-level searches every year. For over 40 years, SPMB has specialized in recruiting upper management and board members to VC-funded startups everywhere from early-stage to growth stage. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/spmb to learn more. – This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – This episode is sponsored by SavvyCal. SavvyCal is the most intuitive and powerful scheduling tool on the market. In fact, we just started SavvyCal to book interviews with our guests! You can create personalized links in seconds and even allow recipients to overlay their calendar on top of yours. You really gotta see how this works, and you’ll wonder why it wasn’t always this easy. Sign up to create a free account at savvycal.com/upside and when you're ready to test out a paid plan, use the code UPSIDE to get your first month free. |
Sep 08, 2021 |
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Republic // helping anyone invest in private companies [CC081]
3419
Interview Begins 8:02 Debrief 50:00 Kendrick (Ken) Nguyen is the co-founder and CEO of Republic.
We discuss:
Republic was founded in 2016 in New York City, New York. Advertise with an upside classified – This episode of upside is sponsored by SPMB. SPMB is one of the fastest-growing retained executive search firms in the country, closing hundreds of C-level searches every year. For over 40 years, SPMB has specialized in recruiting upper management and board members to VC-funded startups everywhere from early-stage to growth stage. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/spmb to learn more. – This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – This episode is sponsored by SavvyCal. SavvyCal is the most intuitive and powerful scheduling tool on the market. In fact, we just started SavvyCal to book interviews with our guests! You can create personalized links in seconds and even allow recipients to overlay their calendar on top of yours. You really gotta see how this works, and you’ll wonder why it wasn’t always this easy. Sign up to create a free account at savvycal.com/upside and when you're ready to test out a paid plan, use the code UPSIDE to get your first month free. – |
Sep 01, 2021 |
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SavvyCal // taking the awkwardness out of scheduling and making it easy [UP092]
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Interview Begins 8:16 Debrief 54:58 Derrick Reimer is the founder and CEO of SavvyCal.
We discuss:
SavvyCal was founded in 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Advertise with an upside classified – This episode of upside is sponsored by SPMB. SPMB is one of the fastest-growing retained executive search firms in the country, closing hundreds of C-level searches every year. For over 40 years, SPMB has specialized in recruiting upper management and board members to VC-funded startups everywhere from early-stage to growth stage. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/spmb to learn more. – This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – This episode is sponsored by SavvyCal. SavvyCal is the most intuitive and powerful scheduling tool on the market. In fact, we just started SavvyCal to book interviews with our guests! You can create personalized links in seconds and even allow recipients to overlay their calendar on top of yours. You really gotta see how this works, and you’ll wonder why it wasn’t always this easy. Sign up to create a free account at savvycal.com/upside and when you're ready to test out a paid plan, use the code UPSIDE to get your first month free. |
Aug 25, 2021 |
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[REWIND] Rootine // Personalized daily health using DNA, blood levels, and lifestyle data [UP076]
3763
Interview begins: 6:52 Debrief: 44:32
Rootine was founded in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2018 and creates custom daily vitamins based on your DNA, lifestyle, and blood level data. Follow Rachel Sanders: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-soper-sanders/ Website: https://rootine.co/ Key Points:
– SPMB is one of the fastest-growing retained executive search firms in the country, closing hundreds of C-level searches every year. For over 40 years, SPMB has specialized in recruiting upper management and board members to VC-funded startups everywhere from early-stage to growth stage. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/spmb to learn more. This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland. Click here to learn more about Taft – This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. |
Aug 18, 2021 |
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Vint // invest in equity shares of wine collections [UP091]
3809
Interview Begins: 7:25 Nick King is the co-founder and CEO of Vint. Vint is the first fully transparent platform for anyone to invest in fine wine and spirits. They democratize this high-returning asset class with SEC-qualified collections. Fine wine has returned over 9% annually and has low volatility over the long term. Wine has offered diversification benefits in both good times and bad times. In 2008, the S&P 500 dropped 38%, while wine remained stable. Vint takes a small sourcing fee for each offering. Vint also purchases between 0.5% and 10% of each offering. We discuss:
Vint was founded in 2019 in Richmond, Virginia. Advertise with an upside classified – This episode of upside is sponsored by SPMB. SPMB is one of the fastest-growing retained executive search firms in the country, closing hundreds of C-level searches every year. For over 40 years, SPMB has specialized in recruiting upper management and board members to VC-funded startups everywhere from early-stage to growth stage. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/spmb to learn more. – This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – This episode is sponsored by SavvyCal. SavvyCal is the most intuitive and powerful scheduling tool on the market. In fact, we just started SavvyCal to book interviews with our guests! You can create personalized links in seconds and even allow recipients to overlay their calendar on top of yours. You really gotta see how this works, and you’ll wonder why it wasn’t always this easy. Sign up to create a free account at savvycal.com/upside and when you're ready to test out a paid plan, use the code UPSIDE to get your first month free. – |
Aug 11, 2021 |
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BIG NEWS: We're on Product Hunt!
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Today we are launching the upside network on Product Hunt! We've put a ton of work in preparing for this campaign, and we'd love for you to check out our campaign. Just visit https://upside.fm/hunt to leave us feedback, questions, or a little love! Your support goes a long way. |
Aug 03, 2021 |
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Victor Gutwein of M25 // A conversation 200 episodes in the making [CC080]
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Interview Begins: 9:01 Victor Gutwein is the Founder and Managing Partner of M25 M25 is an early-stage venture firm based in Chicago, investing solely in tech startups headquartered in the Midwest. Since they launched in 2015, they've become the most active investor in the region. They are led by two of the youngest fund managers in the industry, and they enjoy challenging traditions. They invest broadly, and our unique, analytical approach to venture investing aims to reduce the risk, while maintaining the high returns typically associated with this stage of investing. They emphasize our expansive networks, and thrive on collaboration - helping to syndicate deals, encouraging fair terms as a best practice, and prioritizing relationships.
We discuss:
M25 was founded in 2015 in Chicago, Ilinois. Learn more about m25 Advertise with an upside classified – This episode of upside is sponsored by SPMB. SPMB is one of the fastest-growing retained executive search firms in the country, closing hundreds of C-level searches every year. For over 40 years, SPMB has specialized in recruiting upper management and board members to VC-funded startups everywhere from early-stage to growth stage. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/spmb to learn more. – This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – This episode is sponsored by SavvyCal. SavvyCal is the most intuitive and powerful scheduling tool on the market. In fact, we just started SavvyCal to book interviews with our guests! You can create personalized links in seconds and even allow recipients to overlay their calendar on top of yours. You really gotta see how this works, and you’ll wonder why it wasn’t always this easy. Sign up to create a free account at savvycal.com/upside and when you're ready to test out a paid plan, use the code UPSIDE to get your first month free. – |
Jul 28, 2021 |
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AireXpert // Keeping planes in the air with real-time synchronization for maintenance, tech ops, and flight crews [UP090]
3620
Interview Begins 8:09 Debrief 48:37 Andy Hakes is the founder and CEO of AirExpert. AireXpert offers maintenance control, quality assurance, base, line, and vendor maintenance, enabling users to experience reduced repair times, decreased delays, and lowered time costs, while mitigating the risk of FAA compliance. Andy has been an aircraft maintenance guy & aviation geek since 1989. A founding member of the AireXpert crew, he’s worked in Tech Ops and on the heavy iron for several decades. We discuss:
AireXpert was founded in 2018 in Buffalo, New York. Advertise with an upside classified – This episode of upside is sponsored by SPMB. SPMB is one of the fastest-growing retained executive search firms in the country, closing hundreds of C-level searches every year. For over 40 years, SPMB has specialized in recruiting upper management and board members to VC-funded startups everywhere from early-stage to growth stage. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/spmb to learn more. – This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – This episode is sponsored by SavvyCal. SavvyCal is the most intuitive and powerful scheduling tool on the market. In fact, we just started SavvyCal to book interviews with our guests! You can create personalized links in seconds and even allow recipients to overlay their calendar on top of yours. You really gotta see how this works, and you’ll wonder why it wasn’t always this easy. Sign up to create a free account at savvycal.com/upside and when you're ready to test out a paid plan, use the code UPSIDE to get your first month free. – |
Jul 21, 2021 |
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Jack Greco of Buffalo Bridge // the co-founder of Buffalo’s first unicorn on giving back to build the ecosystem [CC079]
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Interview Begins : 7:37 Debrief: 45:43 Jack Greco is the co-founder of ACV auctions. ACV auctions is an online marketplace for used cars. As of November 2019, the company was valued at more than $1.5 billion. Jack has built a reputation for supporting other founders in the Buffalo area as one of the most active angels and advisors in the region. He created Buffalo Bridge, a weekly curation of resources, opinions and insights from Western New York startup founders. Long Live Buffalo. We discuss:
ACV auctions was founded in 2014 in Buffalo, New York. Connect with Jack Greco on LinkedIn Advertise with an upside classified – This episode of upside is sponsored by SPMB. SPMB is one of the fastest-growing retained executive search firms in the country, closing hundreds of C-level searches every year. For over 40 years, SPMB has specialized in recruiting upper management and board members to VC-funded startups everywhere from early-stage to growth stage. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/spmb to learn more. – This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – This episode is sponsored by SavvyCal. SavvyCal is the most intuitive and powerful scheduling tool on the market. In fact, we just started SavvyCal to book interviews with our guests! You can create personalized links in seconds and even allow recipients to overlay their calendar on top of yours. You really gotta see how this works, and you’ll wonder why it wasn’t always this easy. Sign up to create a free account at savvycal.com/upside and when you're ready to test out a paid plan, use the code UPSIDE to get your first month free. – |
Jul 14, 2021 |
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Karla Gallardo of Viwala // providing revenue-based loans for women entrepreneurs in Mexico [CC078]
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Interview Begins : 6:57 Debrief: 37:08 Karla Gallardo is the CEO of Viwala. Viwala provides loans for women entrepreneurs who have high-impact businesses as well as a network of mentors and entrepreneurs who aim to reduce the gender gap in Mexican businesses. We discuss:
Viwala was founded in 2019 and based in Mexico City, Mexico. Advertise with an upside classified – This episode of upside is sponsored by SPMB. SPMB is one of the fastest-growing retained executive search firms in the country, closing hundreds of C-level searches every year. For over 40 years, SPMB has specialized in recruiting upper management and board members to VC-funded startups everywhere from early-stage to growth stage. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/spmb to learn more. – This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – This episode is sponsored by SavvyCal. SavvyCal is the most intuitive and powerful scheduling tool on the market. In fact, we just started SavvyCal to book interviews with our guests! You can create personalized links in seconds and even allow recipients to overlay their calendar on top of yours. You really gotta see how this works, and you’ll wonder why it wasn’t always this easy. Sign up to create a free account at savvycal.com/upside and when you're ready to test out a paid plan, use the code UPSIDE to get your first month free. – |
Jul 07, 2021 |
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Reclaim // a smart calendar assistant helping find time for your real priorities [UP089]
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Interview Begins 6:53 Debrief 52:25 Patrick Lightbody is the co-founder of Reclaim. Reclaim is a smart calendar assistant that can save you up to 40% of your workweek. Reclaim aligns your priorities to the time you spend every week, empowering you to rapidly rebalance your schedule and defend your time to work on what matters. Like a power tool for your time, Reclaim enables you to focus on the stuff you’re uniquely positioned to work on, not the painful process of managing your calendar. We discuss:
Reclaim was founded in 2019 and based in Portland, Oregon. Learn more or try Reclaim for free Advertise with an upside classified – This episode of upside is sponsored by SPMB. SPMB is one of the fastest-growing retained executive search firms in the country, closing hundreds of C-level searches every year. For over 40 years, SPMB has specialized in recruiting upper management and board members to VC-funded startups everywhere from early-stage to growth stage. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/spmb to learn more. – This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – This episode is sponsored by SavvyCal. SavvyCal is the most intuitive and powerful scheduling tool on the market. In fact, we just started SavvyCal to book interviews with our guests! You can create personalized links in seconds and even allow recipients to overlay their calendar on top of yours. You really gotta see how this works, and you’ll wonder why it wasn’t always this easy. Sign up to create a free account at savvycal.com/upside and when you're ready to test out a paid plan, use the code UPSIDE to get your first month free. |
Jun 30, 2021 |
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John Gannon of GoingVC // helping people break into venture capital [CC077]
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Interview begins: 6:28 Debrief: 41:25 John Gannon is the co-founder and general partner of GoingVC. John has mentored thousands of current and aspiring VCs through his VC Careers blog and email list, which counts VCs from top firms like Sequoia, KPCB, and Bessemer as subscribers. GoingVC was founded in 2016 with the goal of providing individuals with a more concrete pathway into venture capital. It has continued to grow into a vibrant, collaborative, and inclusive community of like-minded individuals who have the common goal of advancing their careers in the field. GoingVC was founded in 2016 and based in New York City. Subscribe to John Gannon’s Blog Advertise with an upside classified – This episode of upside is sponsored by SPMB. SPMB is one of the fastest-growing retained executive search firms in the country, closing hundreds of C-level searches every year. For over 40 years, SPMB has specialized in recruiting upper management and board members to VC-funded startups everywhere from early-stage to growth stage. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/spmb to learn more. – This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – This episode is sponsored by SavvyCal. SavvyCal is the most intuitive and powerful scheduling tool on the market. In fact, we just started SavvyCal to book interviews with our guests! You can create personalized links in seconds and even allow recipients to overlay their calendar on top of yours. You really gotta see how this works, and you’ll wonder why it wasn’t always this easy. Sign up to create a free account at savvycal.com/upside and when you're ready to test out a paid plan, use the code UPSIDE to get your first month free. – |
Jun 23, 2021 |
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Revisiting "Test City, USA" // now streaming online for free! [JE022]
1013
When we filmed Test City, USA in the summer of 2019 about the startup ecosystem in Columbus, Ohio, we knew the timing was special. Little did we know how good that timing was! Columbus has continued to gain momentum over the last two years. Here's a sample of the changes for companies and individuals featured in this film:
Test City, USA is now available to stream for free online. Visit testcityusa.com. Director: Kyle Skinner WINNER: OFFICIAL SELECTION: A film by The Up Company |
Jun 14, 2021 |
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Ginger Rothrock of HG Ventures // corporate venture capital investing in heavy construction and materials, environmental services, and specialty chemicals [CC076]
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Interview begins: 7:16 Debrief: 43:38 Ginger Rothrock is a Senior Director at HG Ventures. HG Ventures supports innovation and growth across The Heritage Group by investing and partnering with private companies developing new technologies and approaches in both our core and adjacent markets. We leverage the world class expertise of The Heritage Group operating companies and research center to offer a unique value proposition to our portfolio company partners. Founded in 1930, The Heritage Group is a fourth-generation family-owned business managing a diverse portfolio of more than 30 companies specializing in heavy construction and materials, environmental services, and specialty chemicals. We discuss:
HG Ventures was founded in 2018 and based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Learn more about the Heritage Group Learn more about the HG Accelerator powered by Techstars Advertise with an upside classified – This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – This episode is sponsored by SavvyCal. SavvyCal is the most intuitive and powerful scheduling tool on the market. In fact, we just started SavvyCal to book interviews with our guests! You can create personalized links in seconds and even allow recipients to overlay their calendar on top of yours. You really gotta see how this works, and you’ll wonder why it wasn’t always this easy. Sign up to create a free account at savvycal.com/upside and when you're ready to test out a paid plan, use the code UPSIDE to get your first month free. – This episode is sponsored by Fundboard. FundBoard makes free tools and content for founders. FundBoard's beta helps you quickly uncover investors that write checks for startups like yours. Building a FundBoard is really easy… but getting one built for you is even easier! And for a limited time, they're offering to make a FundBoard FOR YOU, pre-built with five investors that are a good fit for your startup so you can hit the ground running. This is an incredible offer for listeners of this show, so make sure you take them up on it! You have absolutely nothing to lose. Just visit upside.fm/fundboard. |
Jun 09, 2021 |
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Tom Cottingham of Flyover Future // building a news organization covering innovation in 20+ cities across the midwest. [CC075]
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Interview begins: 7:00 Debrief: 38:33 Tom Cottingham is the founder and CEO of Flyover Future. Flyover Future is a digital newsletter covering innovation and start-ups in the heartland. They cover the investors, the innovators and the ecosystems that help innovation thrive. We help our readers discover the amazing companies and initiatives throughout the midwest that make Flyover Country a vibrant center of 21st century innovation. We discuss:
Mucker Capital was founded in 2019 and based in Louisville, Kentucky. Learn more about Flyover Future Advertise with an upside classified – This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – This episode is sponsored by SavvyCal. SavvyCal is the most intuitive and powerful scheduling tool on the market. In fact, we just started SavvyCal to book interviews with our guests! You can create personalized links in seconds and even allow recipients to overlay their calendar on top of yours. You really gotta see how this works, and you’ll wonder why it wasn’t always this easy. Sign up to create a free account at savvycal.com/upside and when you're ready to test out a paid plan, use the code UPSIDE to get your first month free. – This episode is sponsored by Fundboard. FundBoard makes free tools and content for founders. FundBoard's beta helps you quickly uncover investors that write checks for startups like yours. Building a FundBoard is really easy… but getting one built for you is even easier! And for a limited time, they're offering to make a FundBoard FOR YOU, pre-built with five investors that are a good fit for your startup so you can hit the ground running. This is an incredible offer for listeners of this show, so make sure you take them up on it! You have absolutely nothing to lose. Just visit upside.fm/fundboard. |
Jun 02, 2021 |
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William Hsu of Mucker Capital // an accelerator committed to getting to you to your next round of funding [CC073]
2643
Interview begins: 7:07 Debrief: 38:45 William Hsu is a founding partner at Mucker Capital. He started his career as a founder, creating BuildPoint, a provider of workflow management solutions for the commercial construction industry not long after graduating from Stanford. Based in Los Angeles, Mucker invests in Seed and Series A rounds in Southern California and other underfunded ecosystems outside Silicon Valley. MuckerLab works with only 10-20 companies per year in annual cohorts. No three month bootcamps. No demo days. Just heads-down business building for one year -- or however long it takes to reach the next set of critical business milestones. We discuss:
Mucker Capital was founded in 2011 and based in Santa Monica, California. Advertise with an upside classified – This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – This episode is sponsored by SavvyCal. SavvyCal is the most intuitive and powerful scheduling tool on the market. In fact, we just started SavvyCal to book interviews with our guests! You can create personalized links in seconds and even allow recipients to overlay their calendar on top of yours. You really gotta see how this works, and you’ll wonder why it wasn’t always this easy. Sign up to create a free account at savvycal.com/upside and when you're ready to test out a paid plan, use the code UPSIDE to get your first month free. – This episode is sponsored by Fundboard. FundBoard makes free tools and content for founders. FundBoard's beta helps you quickly uncover investors that write checks for startups like yours. Building a FundBoard is really easy… but getting one built for you is even easier! And for a limited time, they're offering to make a FundBoard FOR YOU, pre-built with five investors that are a good fit for your startup so you can hit the ground running. This is an incredible offer for listeners of this show, so make sure you take them up on it! You have absolutely nothing to lose. Just visit upside.fm/fundboard. |
May 26, 2021 |
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Rally // buying & selling equity shares in ultra-rare, collectible assets [UP088]
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Interview begins: 5:59 Debrief: 50:11 Rob Petrozzo is the co-founder and Chief Product Officer for Rally. Rally is a liquid financial marketplace for buying & selling equity shares in ultra-rare assets the same way you buy & sell stocks. Together, we Rally to make investing behind ideas, emotions, and communities safe, easy, and accessible. They were the first to turn tangible assets into fractionalized public securities offerings. They were the first to establish a liquid secondary market for those securities. And they were they first to do this with SEC qualification. 200+ IPOs later, hundreds of thousands of shares of trading cards, classic cars, watches, memorabilia, the world's rarest literature, and modern collectibles are all actively trading on Rally. We discuss:
Rally was founded in 2016 and based in New York City. Advertise with an upside classified – This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – This episode is sponsored by SavvyCal. SavvyCal is the most intuitive and powerful scheduling tool on the market. In fact, we just started SavvyCal to book interviews with our guests! You can create personalized links in seconds and even allow recipients to overlay their calendar on top of yours. You really gotta see how this works, and you’ll wonder why it wasn’t always this easy. Sign up to create a free account at savvycal.com/upside and when you're ready to test out a paid plan, use the code UPSIDE to get your first month free. – This episode is sponsored by Fundboard. FundBoard makes free tools and content for founders. FundBoard's beta helps you quickly uncover investors that write checks for startups like yours. Building a FundBoard is really easy… but getting one built for you is even easier! And for a limited time, they're offering to make a FundBoard FOR YOU, pre-built with five investors that are a good fit for your startup so you can hit the ground running. This is an incredible offer for listeners of this show, so make sure you take them up on it! You have absolutely nothing to lose. Just visit upside.fm/fundboard. |
May 19, 2021 |
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[REWIND] Peter Livingston of Unpopular Ventures // early stage investing through a syndicate [CC058]
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Interview begins: 5:16 Debrief: 43:55 This week we’re revisiting CC058, a coffee chat with Peter Livingston of Unpopular Ventures. In this episode, we explored syndicate investing. Unpopular Ventures is led by Peter Livingston, whose experience is almost entirely in startups – as both an operator and investor. He was the first engineer at iRhythm (IPO 2016) and was the founder/CEO at Lifesquare (backed by Kleiner Perkins). He has been angel investing since 2013, made >150 investments to date, and has produced investment returns well within the top decile of VC industry performance. Peter founded Unpopular Ventures to keep investing in startups – but with a bigger family, bigger checks, and bigger impact. We discuss:
Learn more about Unpopular Ventures: http://unpopular.vc/ Follow Peter on Twitter: https://twitter.com/unpopularvc Follow Peter’s Syndicate: https://angel.co/unpopularvc/syndicate Advertise with an upside classified |
May 12, 2021 |
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Venture Capital 101 with Scott Shane of Comeback Capital [When Pigs Fly #10]
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Interview begins: 6:23 Debrief: 50:32 This week we’re hosting an upside feed takeover from When Pigs Fly! When Pigs Fly is a podcast covering the Cincinnati business ecosystem on the upside podcast network. And in this episode, they talk to Scott Shane, the Managing Director of Comeback Capital, to learn precisely what venture capital is, what investment looks like for the investor and the entrepreneur, and why the midwest is underserved in the investment world. They discuss:
Learn more about Comeback Capital: https://www.comeback.vc/ Subscribe to When Pigs Fly: https://pod.link/1549482801 SavvyCal is the most intuitive and powerful scheduling tool on the market. In fact, we just started SavvyCal to book interviews with our guests! You can create personalized links in seconds and even allow recipients to overlay their calendar on top of yours. You really gotta see how this works, and you’ll wonder why it wasn’t always this easy. Sign up to create a free account at savvycal.com/upside and when you're ready to test out a paid plan, use the code UPSIDE to get your first month free. Advertise with an upside classified -- They can do the same for you.
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May 05, 2021 |
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Michael Cohn and Sean O'Brien of Overline // leading seed stage deals in Atlanta and the southeast [CC072]
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Interview Begins: 6:16 Michael Cohn and Sean O’Brien are the Managing Directors of Overline. Overline is an Atlanta-based, founder-operator led venture capital firm focused on investing in seed-stage businesses, primarily in Atlanta and the Southeast region of the United States. We partner with founders throughout their seed stage and lead investments ranging from $250K to $1.5 million. Prior to Overline, Michael served as both a managing director for Techstars Atlanta and the co-founder of Cloud Sherpas, which was acquired by Accenture. And Sean served as Chief Strategy Officer at PGi. We discuss:
Overline was founded in 2019 and based in Atlanta, Georgia. This episode is sponsored by SavvyCal. SavvyCal is the most intuitive and powerful scheduling tool on the market. In fact, we just started SavvyCal to book interviews with our guests! You can create personalized links in seconds and even allow recipients to overlay their calendar on top of yours. You really gotta see how this works, and you’ll wonder why it wasn’t always this easy. Sign up to create a free account at savvycal.com/upside and when you're ready to test out a paid plan, use the code UPSIDE to get your first month free. Advertise with an upside classified -- This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. |
Apr 28, 2021 |
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Best Shot // a digital companion for fertility patients [UP087]
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Interview begins: 5:49 Debrief: 51:25 Abby Mercado is the co-founder and CEO of Best Shot. Best Shot is a patient’s companion in fertility treatments, providing medication management & education, streamlining the pharmaceutical ordering experience and enabling safe, supportive micro-communities led by experts. Abby is a former venture capital investor, and current mom of IVF twins, who experienced a miscarriage resulting from an error made in administering one of her IVF medications. We discuss:
Best Shot was founded in 2019 and based in Denver, Colorado. This episode is sponsored by SavvyCal. SavvyCal is the most intuitive and powerful scheduling tool on the market. In fact, we just started SavvyCal to book interviews with our guests! You can create personalized links in seconds and even allow recipients to overlay their calendar on top of yours. You really gotta see how this works, and you’ll wonder why it wasn’t always this easy. Sign up to create a free account at savvycal.com/upside and when you're ready to test out a paid plan, use the code UPSIDE to get your first month free. Advertise with an upside classified |
Apr 21, 2021 |
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Jackie DiMonte of Chicago Ventures // ascending the venture career ladder and opening an office in Austin [CC071]
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Interview begins: 7:15 Debrief: 55:14 Jackie DiMonte is a partner at Chicago Ventures. Prior to joining Chicago Ventures, Jackie was a principal at Hyde Park Venture Partners, working with portfolio companies such as RoadSync, Podchaser, Fixer, FactoryFix, and PartySlate. Before that, she worked at Silver Spring Networks (now Itron), an IoT company for critical infrastructure, driving development and pilot projects for emerging smart city technology. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for Starting Block Madison and Chicago:Blend and a Venture Partner at Republic. We discuss:
Chicago Ventures was founded in 2012. Learn more about Chicago Ventures This episode is sponsored by SavvyCal. SavvyCal is the most intuitive and powerful scheduling tool on the market. In fact, we just started SavvyCal to book interviews with our guests! You can create personalized links in seconds and even allow recipients to overlay their calendar on top of yours. You really gotta see how this works, and you’ll wonder why it wasn’t always this easy. Sign up to create a free account at savvycal.com/upside and when you're ready to test out a paid plan, use the code UPSIDE to get your first month free. Advertise with an upside classified -- This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you.
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Apr 14, 2021 |
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Jessica Peltz-Zatulove of Hannah Grey // a first check venture fund investing in founders reimagining everyday experiences [CC070]
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Interview Begins: 7:12 Debrief Begins: 55:03 Jessica Peltz-Zatulove is a Founding Partner at Hannah Grey, a first check venture capital firm investing in customer-centric founders reimagining everyday experiences to improve work and life. She is also the co-founder of Global Women in VC, the world's largest and most active community for women investors, empowering women VCs around the world to better find each other to connect, collaborate, and create a sense of community. We discuss:
Haannah Grey was founded in 2020 and based in New York City and Denver. This episode is sponsored by SavvyCal. SavvyCal is the most intuitive and powerful scheduling tool on the market. In fact, we just started SavvyCal to book interviews with our guests! You can create personalized links in seconds and even allow recipients to overlay their calendar on top of yours. You really gotta see how this works, and you’ll wonder why it wasn’t always this easy. Sign up to create a free account at savvycal.com/upside and when you're ready to test out a paid plan, use the code UPSIDE to get your first month free. Advertise with an upside classified -- This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – This episode is sponsored by SavvyCal. SavvyCal is the most intuitive and powerful scheduling tool on the market. In fact, we just started SavvyCal to book interviews with our guests! You can create personalized links in seconds and even allow recipients to overlay their calendar on top of yours. You really gotta see how this works, and you’ll wonder why it wasn’t always this easy.
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Apr 07, 2021 |
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Protoball // building a first-person sports shooter indie game [UP086]
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Interview Begins: 8:19 Debrief 46:25 Zachary Spradlin is a co-creator of Protoball, a futuristic first-person sports game merging basketball, soccer, and high tech style. Players athletically jump, slide, run, and dash around the arena trying to pass the Protoball through the opponents goal. We discuss:
Protoball was started in 2018 and based in Cincinnati, Ohio. This episode is sponsored by Fundboard. You can build a tailor-fit list of startup investors in minutes with FundBoard. Learn more at https://upside.fm/fundboard Advertise with an upside classified |
Mar 31, 2021 |
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Chris Bergman // building Gylee Games and The Fund Midwest [CC069]
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Interview begins: 7:58 Debrief: 47:33 Chris Bergman is the founder and CEO of Gylee Games and a General Partner at The Fund Midwest. Gylee Games believes in building big worlds. They believe in games that can be enjoyed in smaller chunks, not requiring hundreds of hours, but a delightful experience in short bursts. Gylee Games creates games for PC, Console and VR. The Midwest Fund was born from The Fund, an NYC-based venture capital group. Founded in 2018 by an all-star cast of Jenny Fielding, Scott Hartley, Katie Hunt, Adam Carver and Matthew Brimer, The Fund has since expanded with micro-funds in Los Angeles, London and the Boulder/Denver region. And with each expansion, local founders and investors are tapped to lead each region. We discuss:
-- Learn more about The Fund Midwest: https://thefund.vc/community/midwest/ Learn more about Gylee Games: https://gyleegames.com/ Follow Chris Bergman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/chrisbergman This episode is sponsored by Fundboard. You can build a tailor-fit list of startup investors in minutes with FundBoard. Learn more at https://upside.fm/fundboard Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm Advertise with an upside classified: https://upside.fm/classifieds |
Mar 24, 2021 |
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The Launch Company // building the world’s first multi-user, mobile launch site for this planet and beyond [UP085]
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Interview begins: 6:51 Ben Kellie is the Founder and CEO of The Launch Company The Launch Company is building the world’s first multi-user, mobile launch site for this planet and beyond. They develop standardized hardware, ground support equipment, and processes. Ben has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from University of Alaska Fairbanks, as well as an M.S. in mechanical engineering from the Ohio State University. Before returning to Alaska, Ben worked in rocketry at SpaceX, designing and operating launch sites, and ran the first missions to return a first stage from orbit. We discuss:
The Launch Company was founded in 2015 and based in Anchorage, Alaska. Learn more about The Launch Company: https://www.launch-company.com/ Follow Ben Kellie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/northroadben This episode is sponsored by Fundboard. You can build a tailor-fit list of startup investors in minutes with FundBoard. Learn more at https://upside.fm/fundboard Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm Advertise with an upside classified: https://upside.fm/classifieds They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – This episode is also sponsored by Fundboard. FundBoard is a free tool to help you find startup investors and manage your fundraising process. You can build a tailor-fit list of startup investors in minutes with FundBoard. Learn more at https://upside.fm/fundboard |
Mar 17, 2021 |
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[REWIND] SuperRare // creating a tokenized digital art marketplace [RE006]
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Interview begins: 11:40 Debrief: 58:48 John Crain is the Founder and CEO of SuperRare. SuperRare is a marketplace to collect and trade unique, single-edition digital artworks. Each artwork is authentically created by an artist in the network, and tokenized as a crypto-collectible digital item that you can own and trade. Each artwork on SuperRare is a digital collectible– a digital object secured by cryptography and tracked on the blockchain. That’s just a fancy way of saying they’re probably scarce items that can be collected, and that hold value just like cryptocurrencies like ether and bitcoin. You can think of SuperRare like Instagram meets Robinhood. A new way to interact with art, culture, and collecting on the internet! Key points:
Learn more about SuperRare: https://superrare.co/ Follow John Crain: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnacrain/ Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm Advertise with an upside classified: https://upside.fm/classifieds
They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – This episode is also sponsored by Fundboard. FundBoard is a free tool to help you find startup investors and manage your fundraising process. You can build a tailor-fit list of startup investors in minutes with FundBoard. Learn more at https://upside.fm/fundboard |
Mar 10, 2021 |
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Splash Financial // helping people refinance their student loans [Lay of The Land #9]
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Interview begins: 4:27 This week we’re hosting an upside feed takeover from Lay of The Land! Lay of The Land is a podcast covering the Cleveland business ecosystem on the upside podcast network. And in this episode, Jeff talks with Steve Muszynski, the founder and CEO of Splash Financial. Jeff and Steve discuss the student loan crisis and how Splash, one of Ohio’s fastest growing companies, is helping people save on their student loan debt. We discuss:
Splash Financial was founded in 2015 and based in Cleveland, Ohio. Learn more about Splash Financial: https://splashfinancial.com/ Subscribe to Lay of The Land: https://pod.link/1539921799 Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm Advertise with an upside classified: https://upside.fm/classifieds -- This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. |
Mar 03, 2021 |
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Tribevest // making it easy for individuals to pool their capital and invest together [UP084]
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Interview begins: 5:22 Debrief: 41:15 Travis Smith is the founder and CEO of Tribevest. Tribevest makes it easy to launch an investor entity, pool capital, and experience wealth-building with friends, family, and people you trust. Tribevest’s all-in-one-platform helps you assemble your tribe, align on your expectations, file your LLC, author your bylaws, open a business bank account, and easily pool capital from your members. We discuss:
Tribevest was founded in 2016 and based in Columbus, Ohio. Learn more about Tribevest: https://www.tribevest.com/ Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm Advertise with an upside classified: https://upside.fm/classifieds
They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. |
Feb 24, 2021 |
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Huckabuy // improving your search results with a technology-based approach to SEO [UP083]
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Interview begins: 6:33 Debrief: 46:48 Geoff Atkinson is the founder and CEO of Huckabuy. Huckabuy’s Software improves your search results, drives more organic traffic, and makes your website faster. Their software creates Google’s Perfect World on your website to queue up the perfect conversation with Search Bots and grow your organic traffic. Prior to Huckabuy, Geoff was the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Analytics at Overstock. At Overstock, he developed expertise in SEO and managed everything from pricing algorithms to content generation, to buying rain jackets in New York City’s garment district. In 2007, he was named on Advertising Age’s “Top 40 Under 40” list. We discuss:
Huckabuy was founded in 2015 and based in Park City, Utah. Learn more about Huckabuy: https://passiv.com/ Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm Advertise with an upside classified: https://upside.fm/classifieds --- This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. |
Feb 17, 2021 |
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Passiv // transforming your brokerage account into a portfolio management tool [UP082]
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Interview begins: 5:52 Debrief: 34:02 Nick McCullum is the Director of Growth for Passiv. Passiv turns your brokerage account into a modern portfolio management tool. Passiv allows you to set a target portfolio and get email notifications when your portfolio drifts from that target. Passiv then lets you rebalance with one click! We discuss:
Passiv was founded in 2017 and based in New Brunswick, Canada. Learn more about Passiv: https://passiv.com/ Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm Advertise with an upside classified: https://upside.fm/classifieds -- This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. |
Feb 10, 2021 |
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Introducing When Pigs Fly [JE021]
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This week we’re excited to introduce you to the first new show on the upside podcast network: When Pigs Fly. Hosted by Allie Martin and Patrick Bailey, When Pigs Fly is a podcast that uncovers Cincinnati's rich business history from the 1800s to today. We talk to companies to learn the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, what it takes to grow a successful business and to simply prost to future innovation. When Pigs Fly will air every Tuesday beginning February 2 on the upside podcast network. Subscribe to When Pigs Fly: https://pod.link/1549482801 Learn more: https://whenpigsfly.fm Follow When Pigs Fly on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WhenPigsFlyPod Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm Advertise with an upside classified: https://upside.fm/classifieds -- This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Feb 03, 2021 |
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Craftom // making it easy for companies to ship customized gifts, office equipment, and more [UP081]
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Interview begins: 5:01 Debrief: 40:42 Caleb Musser is the founder and CEO of Craftom. Craftom is a B2B gifting and shipping platform that makes it easy to send hyper-designed corporate gifts, products and office equipment to anyone, whether they’re working from home, in the office, or somewhere else entirely. It started with a cigar box and a tough sales job. In 2013, Craftom founder Caleb Musser was searching for a unique way to stand out with business owners while selling printers and copiers door-to-door. So he scrounged up vintage cigar boxes and sent them with personalized notes and gifts to unresponsive business owners. The reaction was eye-opening. Executives who wouldn’t take his calls before started connecting with Musser and giving him time on their busy calendars. The success of this home-spun hack revealed two key insights that are still engrained in Craftom.io’s DNA today: Customization and personalization are everything, and nothing beats quality materials and products. By combining cutting-edge design technology with quality products, Craftom has designed and created gifts that sit on the desks of Fortune 500 CEOs, NFL owners and Presidents of the United States. Craftom was founded in 2019 and based in Charlotte, North Carolina. We discuss:
Learn more about Craftom: https://craftom.com/ Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm Advertise with an upside classified: https://upside.fm/classifieds
This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Jan 27, 2021 |
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Landon Ainge of Assure Syndicates // matchmaking founders with the right venture investors [CC068]
3025
Interview begins: 6:02 Debrief: 42.:02 Landon Ainge is the Managing Director of Assure Syndicates. Assure Syndicates is a division of Assure. Assure is the pioneering leader in providing comprehensive structuring and administrative management services (specifically Special Purpose Vehicles) to the private investment ecosystem. Assure Syndicates’ mission is to connect the right investors with the right businesses. Assure Syndicates is a one-of-a-kind hybrid that aligns with fellow investors while advocating for the founder. We provide fundraising guidance to founders, then commit our own capital to the deal. We discuss:
Learn more about Assure Syndicates: https://syndicates.assure.co/ Follow Landon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LandonAinge Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm Advertise with an upside classified: https://upside.fm/classifieds
This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Jan 20, 2021 |
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Between Two Hedges // building companies with one foot in and one foot outside Silicon Valley [CC067]
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Trent and Travis Hedge are brothers from Columbus, OH, who left for Silicon Valley. But since that time, both have continued to visit and advocate for Ohio and other parts of the country. Travis Hedge is the co-founder of Vouch Insurance (YC S19). Vouch Insurance is an insurance company designed for startups. It was developed by founders for founders and redesigned everything about business insurance from scratch. The company offers a platform that works with clients to manage, mitigate, and avoid risks. Vouch Insurance was founded in 2016 and has its offices in San Francisco and Chicago. Trent Hedge is the co-founder of Atmos (YC S20). Atmos offers the entire homebuilding process all in one place—from design to move in. Atmos was founded in 2019 with a presence in SF, Raleigh, Durham, and Charlotte. Learn more about Vouch: https://vouch.us Follow Travis on Twitter: https://twitter.com/The_HedgeFund Learn more about Atmos: https://buildatmos.com Follow Trent on Twitter: https://twitter.com/trenthedge Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm Advertise with an upside classified: https://upside.fm/classifieds --- This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Jan 13, 2021 |
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[REWIND] Intrinio // affordable, real-time financial data [RE005]
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Today is the final episode in our “Rewind” Series. Rachel Carpenter is the co-founder and CEO of Intrinio. Intrinio is a financial data company on a mission to power fintech innovation by providing affordable, high-quality data to developers and engineers from fintech companies, large institutions, hedge funds, startups, and universities. Their mission is to power the innovators defining the future of finance through modern data technologies. That means automating the data supply chain with advanced infrastructure and machine learning, delivering high-quality data through cutting-edge tools designed for developers and engineers, and getting it all in the hands of people who are challenging the system. Learn more about Intrinio: https://intrinio.com Follow Rachel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rachel_Ann_C Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm |
Jan 06, 2021 |
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[REWIND] Fiveable // social learning for AP students [RE004]
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Today is the fourth episode in our December series called “Rewind.” Amanda DoAmaral is the founder and CEO of Fiveable, which is based in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Fiveable is an online streaming and content platform helping high school students study and master their AP exams. Started just two years ago, Fiveable offers live and pre-recorded videos, study guides, as well as community building resources. After teaching in Oakland for several years with Teach for America, Amanda DoAmaral began Fiveable as a way to help her old students who needed guidance in studying for their AP exams. In only a couple years, Fiveable has grown to include teachers from various types of backgrounds and boasts a 92% pass rate from their students. Since we chatted in November 2019, Fiveable has raised more than $3.8M in funding. We discuss:
Learn more about Fiveable: https://fiveable.me/ Follow Fiveable on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinkfiveable Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm Advertise with an upside classified: https://upside.fm/classifieds |
Dec 30, 2020 |
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[REWIND] FreshFry // extending the life of frying oil [RE003]
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Today is the third episode in our December series called “Rewind.” Jeremiah Chapman is the founder and CEO of FreshFry. We first talked with Jeremiah back in July 2018 in episode 12 of this show. FreshFry, located in Louisville, Kentucky, creates plant-based product that helps food service businesses extend the life of frying oil. FreshFry’s “pods” strip water, acids, metals, and other impurities out of cooking oil, slowing breakdown by several days and helping businesses save on costs while improving food taste. Since we chatted, FreshFry has raised $3.3M in July 2020 from Lightship Capital and the USDA. Learn more about FreshFry: https://www.freshfry.me/ Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm Advertise with an upside classified: https://upside.fm/classifieds |
Dec 16, 2020 |
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[REWIND] Opendorse // pioneering athlete-driven marketing [RE002]
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Today is the second episode in our December series called “Rewind.” Blake Lawrence is the founder and CEO of Opendorse. We first talked with Blake back in April 2019, and our episode aired on July 17, 2019. Since that time, Opendorse has grown a lot. They’ve not only raised a Series A, but just this week they announced a partnership with Team USA. Opendorse is the athlete-marketing platform that helps the biggest brands in sports share content on social. Founded by two former major college athletes, Opendorse was built seeking to make it easy for athletes and their partners to work together to engage their fans. Today, more than 7,000 athletes use Opendorse to share content with their 1.4b social media followers. Top sports properties including the PGA TOUR, LPGA, NFLPA, WTA, and New Jersey Devils, and college properties including Michigan, Clemson, and Nebraska Athletics partner with Opendorse to send content to athletes to share through their social media channels. More than 1,500 brands also use opendorse to engage professional athletes and their audience. Learn more about Opendorse: https://opendorse.com/ Follow Blake on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Blake_Lawrence Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm Advertise with an upside classified: https://upside.fm/classifieds |
Dec 09, 2020 |
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[REWIND] Balto // AI for contact centers [RE001]
5289
Today we are introducing our December series called “Rewind.” In this series, we will introduce one of the companies we’ve had on the show, give a quick update, and replay that episode in its entirety. We think this will be a really fascinating look back on these companies to see how far they’ve come over the last 6-18 months. And we’re kicking this series of with Balto. We talked to Balto CEO Marc Bernstein in June of 2018. At the time, Balto described itself this way: "Balto helps sales, service, and accounts receivable reps win as much revenue as possible from every phone call. Teams use Balto’s artificial intelligence software to analyze phone calls in real-time – live while the call is still happening – and instantly provide reps recommendations on how to communicate as effectively as possible before it’s too late. For more information visit Baltosoftware.com” Since our conversation with Marc in June 2018, Balto raised $1.3M in October 2018. Then, they raised another $3M in September 2019. Both of those rounds featured Stage Venture Partners, another former guest on this show. And then, just over a month ago in October 2020, Balto raised a $10M Series A led by Sierra Ventures bringing their total funding to date up to around $14.3M since we spoke with them. Today, Balto describes themselves this way: "Balto is the leader in real-time guidance for contact centers. Powered by AI, Balto's software solution evaluates both sides of a phone call and instantly delivers critical information that enables agents to perform at the highest level humanly possible. With Balto, contact centers deliver world-class customer experiences, increase conversions, and decrease agent ramp time. Current customers include contact centers in sectors such as insurance, telecommunications, retail, financial services, and healthcare. For more information, visit balto.ai." Super similar, but a little different. We are big fans of Marc here on the show, so we love seeing his team continue to grow and succeed. Now, we’ll share with you the original interview with Marc from June 2018. Knowing where the team has gone now, it’s an awesome listen to hear where they started. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode as you listen, you can tweet at us @upsidefm or email us hello@upside.fm. And check out our new branding! We’ve refreshed our show artwork here, as well as our entire website. Check it out and let us know what you think. Follow Balto: https://balto.ai/ Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm Advertise with an upside classified: https://upside.fm/classifieds |
Dec 02, 2020 |
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Things we’re actually thankful for in 2020 [JE020]
833
This year has been unlike any other. And this Thanksgiving is likely to be unlikely any other, too. With the difficulties that 2020 has brought everyone – founders, investors, and communities – there are still some bright spots to celebrate. In today’s short episode, we talk about some of the positives 2020 has brought us and startup communities that we can still be thankful for. From the upside family, we hope you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving! Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm Advertise with an upside classified: https://upside.fm/classifieds |
Nov 25, 2020 |
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Introducing Lay of the Land [JE019]
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This week we're excited to introduce you to the first new show on the upside podcast network: Lay of The Land. Jeffrey Stern is a New York City transplant building companies in Cleveland. And TheTagan is an Atlanta-born strategist with a passion for creating content to amplify voices. We love learning about the Cleveland ecosystem and, if you're listening to this podcast, we bet you do to. We both moved here to work at startups, and we've had our fair share of ups and downs. We use those experiences to have REAL conversations about both opportunities and challenges in Cleveland. We found from our experience and talking with local friends it was HARD to learn about ALL the Cleveland business ecosystem has to offer - Cleveland native or not. There is a dynamic network of resource hubs & initiatives that make it difficult for anyone to get a holistic view of Northeast Ohio. And so, we're building this podcast to give you what we would have wanted when we arrived in Cleveland: a Lay of the Land. Lay of The Land will air every Thursday beginning December 3 on the upside podcast network. Subscribe to Lay of The Land: http://layoftheland.fm/subscribe Learn more: https://layoftheland.fm Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Nov 18, 2020 |
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Coming soon: the upside podcast network [JE018]
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We’re excited to share with you a major project that we’ve been working on behind the scenes! Starting in 2021, the upside podcast network will be launching a growing number of localized business podcasts. The upside podcast network helps local teams to produce high-quality shows covering their local business ecosystems. Hosts on the ground will interview business leaders in their local communities, produced and supported by upside. The journey begins this month with our first show: Lay of the Land. Hosted by Jeffrey Stern and TheTagan, Lay of the Land covers the Cleveland business community. In this week’s episode, we’ll talk about why we’re building a network, what it means for the future of business podcasts, and how you can get involved. Want to get in touch about your own show? Email us: hello@upside.fm
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Nov 11, 2020 |
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Healium // self-management of stress using biofeedback and virtual reality [UP081]
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Interview begins: 7:01 Sarah Hill is the CEO and Chief Storyteller of Healium. Healium is a virtual and augmented reality tool for the self-management of stress powered by the user's own brainwaves and heart rate. Healium is the world’s first biometrically-powered VR/AR immersive media channel controlled by the user's brainwaves and heart rate via consumer wearables. Hill's XR experiences are clinically validated in 3 peer-reviewed journals and have been viewed more than 7 million times. After 20 years as a TV reporter covering trauma, Sarah’s media diet of reporting the day's headlines ultimately made her sick. Sarah developed Healium for herself as well as the 41 million others who struggle with anxiety. Healium was founded in 2015 in Columbia, Missouri. Learn more about Healium: https://www.tryhealium.com/ Follow Sarah Hill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahhill1/ Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm Key points:
This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Nov 04, 2020 |
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SuperRare // creating a tokenized digital art marketplace [UP080]
4095
Interview begins: 6:56 John Crain is the Founder and CEO of SuperRare. SuperRare is a marketplace to collect and trade unique, single-edition digital artworks. Each artwork is authentically created by an artist in the network, and tokenized as a crypto-collectible digital item that you can own and trade. Each artwork on SuperRare is a digital collectible– a digital object secured by cryptography and tracked on the blockchain. That’s just a fancy way of saying they’re provably scarce items that can be collected, and that hold value just like cryptocurrencies like ether and bitcoin. You can think of SuperRare like Instagram meets Robinhood. A new way to interact with art, culture, and collecting on the internet!
Learn more about SuperRare: https://superrare.co/ Follow John Crain: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnacrain/ Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Oct 28, 2020 |
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Nexme // an on demand real estate platform [UP079]
3920
Interview begins: 6:34 Vanessa is the Co-Founder and COO of Nexme. Nexme is an on demand real estate platform that delivers instant access to homes and full-service, professional real estate agents. All at the click of a button. Nexme charges buyers and sellers a 1.5% commission fee — roughly half of the traditional rate. It connects the site’s users with licensed real estate agents who have at least two years experience and done 10 transactions. Through the agents, it provides home sellers with services including staging, photography and open houses. Buyers and real estate agents have the opportunity to rate each other and properties being listed. The company does not take a commission from sales, but rather charges agents, inspectors, builders and others involved in the process a monthly subscription fee. Nexme was founded in 2019 in Seattle, Washington. Key points:
Follow Vanessa Alvarez: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valvarez1010/ Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm
They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Oct 21, 2020 |
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Rob Eloff of Lateral Capital // the history and future of venture capital in Africa [CC066]
4016
Interview begins: 7:18 Rob Eloff has spent his career investing, living, and working in developing markets. Prior to co-founding Lateral Capital he was a Venture Partner with Conversion Capital and established Frontier Dawn Partners, an evergreen vehicle for capital deployment to early-stage, technology-enabled founding teams in sub-Saharan Africa. Rob started his career in capital markets at JP Morgan, Johannesburg, became an Executive Director at Goldman Sachs and Investment Director at ACI. He spent ten years based in Johannesburg, Moscow, and London transitioning across hedge fund coverage and private equity buyout advisory in markets including sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Rob holds a masters degree in finance from Cambridge University and a bachelor's degree with dual majors in philosophy and economics from the University of Cape Town. Key points:
Learn more about Lateral Capital: https://latcap.co Follow Rob Eloff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-eloff-54991b72/ Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm -- This episode is sponsored by Enterprise Rising Conference. This year, Enterprise Rising is October 20-21 and totally online. If you're an enterprise SaaS startup then this will be the best online event you could attend all year. Get your tickets here and use promo code upside to save an additional 20%. – This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland. Click here to learn more about Taft – This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Oct 14, 2020 |
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John Fein and Chris Marks of Firebrand Ventures // why two venture firms merged to become one [CC065]
3220
Interview begins: 8:54 John Fein and Chris Marks are the managing partners of Firebrand Ventures. John started Firebrand Ventures in 2016, and we interviewed him in 2018. Prior to founding Firebrand, John served as Managing Director for Techstars, a leading startup accelerator with over 40 programs around the world. While at Techstars he ran three accelerator programs in Kansas City and invested in 30 startups. Companies that have gone through Techstars programs have raised a total of over $9 billion in funding and have a collective market cap of over $25 billion. Prior to Firebrand, Chris was the Founder and Managing Partner of Blue Note Ventures, an early-stage venture fund investing in great technology companies and serving entrepreneurs committed to authentic leadership. After co-investing in several companies together out of their respective funds, it became obvious that Chris and John not only shared a similar investment strategy, but also an underlying set of values around how they partnered with entrepreneurs. In late 2019 they decided to join forces and merged Firebrand and Blue Note. Key points:
Follow John Fein and Chris Marks: - https://www.firebrandvc.com/team-members/john-fein - https://www.firebrandvc.com/team-members/chris-marks Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm This episode is sponsored by Enterprise Rising Conference. This year, Enterprise Rising is October 20-21 and totally online. If you're an enterprise SaaS startup then this will be the best online event you could attend all year. Get your tickets here and use promo code upside to save an additional 20%. – This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland. Click here to learn more about Taft – This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Oct 07, 2020 |
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Nathan McDonald of Keiretsu Forum // a global community of angel investors with 53 chapters across four continents [CC064]
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Interview begins: 8:37 Nathan McDonald is the CEO and Managing Partner of Keiretsu Capital as well as the Chairman of the Keiretsu Forum Northwest. Keiretsu Forum is a global investment community of accredited private equity angel investors, venture capitalists, and corporate/institutional investors. Keiretsu Forum is a worldwide network of capital, resources, and deal flow with 53 chapters on 4 continents. Keiretsu Forum members invest in high-quality, diverse investment opportunities. Keiretsu Forum and Keiretsu Capital (the exclusive worldwide fund partner of Keiretsu Forum) are ranked as the most active venture investors in the USA. The Keiretsu community is also strengthened through its involvement in social and charitable activities. Keiretsu Forum was founded in the San Francisco East Bay in California in 2000 by Randy Williams.
Learn more about Keiretsu Forum: https://www.keiretsuforum.com/ Follow Nathan McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanmcdonald1/ Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm This episode is sponsored by Enterprise Rising Conference. This year, Enterprise Rising is October 20-21 and totally online. If you're an enterprise SaaS startup then this will be the best online event you could attend all year. Get your tickets here and use promo code upside to save an additional 20%. –
Click here to learn more about Taft – This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. –
Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Sep 30, 2020 |
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Mary Grove of Bread & Butter Ventures // from Google and Rise of the Rest to Minneapolis [CC063]
3246
Interview begins: 10:30 Mary Grove is Managing Partner of Bread and Butter Ventures. She brings nearly two decades of leadership experience in technology, early-stage investing, and startup ecosystem growth. She began her career working on the Google IPO, and went on to lead new business development partnerships, negotiating early-stage product and technology deals worldwide. Mary then served as the founding director of Google for Startups, leading the company’s global efforts to support entrepreneurs in over 100 countries. After her 15 year career at Google, Mary worked as an investment partner at Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund where she led dozens of investments in a range of sectors including healthcare, enterprise software, and fintech. She also built the fund’s portfolio support platform and built a network of over 150 mentors and partners to guide startup growth. She is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Silicon North Stars, a nonprofit that she and her husband Steve founded in 2013 to help young Minnesotans from underserved communities pursue careers in tech. Mary serves on the boards of Vital Voices, the Minneapolis Foundation, and the Techstars Foundation. She earned her BA and MA from Stanford University. Mary and her family moved from Silicon Valley to Minneapolis in 2018 and she loves cooking, hiking, and getting to know Minnesota through the eyes of her three-year-old twins. Mary's bread and butter is helping organizations build teams and infrastructure to operate at scale, building partnerships, and home-cooked Thai recipes. Key points:
Learn more about Bread & Butter Ventures: https://www.breadandbutterventures.com/
Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm This episode is sponsored by Enterprise Rising Conference. This year, Enterprise Rising is October 20-21 and totally online. If you're an enterprise SaaS startup then this will be the best online event you could attend all year. Get your tickets here and use promo code upside to save an additional 20%. – This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland. Click here to learn more about Taft – This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Sep 23, 2020 |
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Documo // Fax and document management for highly-regulated industries [UP078]
3796
Interview begins: 11:02 Matt Valeo is the founder and CEO of Documo. Documo creates document workflow solutions that make working with documents easy, more secure, and better for the planet. Their product suite includes mSign, mFax, and mDrive. Documo was founded in 2017 and based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Key points:
Learn more about Documo: https://www.documo.com/
Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm --- This episode is sponsored by Enterprise Rising Conference. This year, Enterprise Rising is October 20-21 and totally online. If you're an enterprise SaaS startup then this will be the best online event you could attend all year. Get your tickets here and use promo code upside to save an additional 20%. – This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland. Click here to learn more about Taft – This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Sep 16, 2020 |
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Ashley Flucas of Flucas Ventures // turning 100 angel investments into an AngelList syndicate [CC062]
3413
Interview begins: 8:44 Ashley Flucas is an angel investor and syndicate lead with Flucas Ventures. By day, Ashley is a general counsel/partner at a real estate finance fund (infrastructure, sports arenas and large-scale condo, apartment and commercial buildings) with approx $3B AUM (LPs are overseas HNWIs). By night, she is an active angel investor who has participated in more than 100 deals through AngelList and direct investment. Flucas Ventures is sector and geography agnostic primarily focused on pre-seed to series A-stage deals, but occasionally sharing compelling late-stage deals.
Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm Key points:
This episode is sponsored by Enterprise Rising Conference. This year, Enterprise Rising is October 20-21 and totally online. If you're an enterprise SaaS startup then this will be the best online event you could attend all year. Get your tickets here and use promo code upside to save an additional 20%. – This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland. Click here to learn more about Taft – This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Sep 09, 2020 |
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Einar Vollset of TinySeed // lessons from the first cohort of the accelerator for bootstrappers [CC061]
2481
Interview begins: 9:28 Einar Vollset is a General Partner at TinySeed. TinySeed is a year-long, remote accelerator designed for early-stage SaaS founders. He is also a YC-alum, former Cornell CS Professor, and the founder of Discretion Capital, a tech-focused M&A investment bank. He sold his first startup to Google in 2010 and exited his most recent in 2016. Know more about Einar Vollset: https://tinyseed.com/people TinySeed Website: https://tinyseed.com/ Listen to our interview with Rob Walling: https://upside.fm/rob-walling-tinyseed/ Key Points:
This episode is sponsored by Enterprise Rising Conference. This year, Enterprise Rising is October 20-21 and totally online. If you're an enterprise SaaS startup then this will be the best online event you could attend all year. Get your tickets here and use promo code upside to save an additional 20%. – This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland. Click here to learn more about Taft – This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Sep 02, 2020 |
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SLP Toolkit // Helping Speech Language Pathologists manage their caseloads [UP077]
4344
Interview begins: 8:54 Debrief: 1:02:09 SLP Toolkit™ is a web-based app with built in assessments and tools that give a school-based Speech Language Pathologist the confidence s/he needs to take charge of her busy caseload. The software is designed to help SLPs collect data to determine communication strengths and needs, as well as monitor progress over time. Features include built-in present level assessments, progress monitoring tools, daily data, strategies for teachers/parents, a therapy scheduler, and a customizable goal bank. Lisa Kathman and Sarah Bevier are former Speech Language Pathologists who have bootstrapped the company. SLP Toolkit was founded in 2015 and is based in Phoenix, Arizona. Know more about Lisa Kathman and Sarah Bevier: https://www.slptoolkit.com/about/ Website: https://www.slptoolkit.com/ Key Points:
– This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland. Click here to learn more about Taft – This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Aug 26, 2020 |
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Rootine // Personalized daily health using DNA, blood levels, and lifestyle data [UP076]
3671
Interview begins: 6:52 Debrief: 44:32
Rootine was founded in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2018 and creates custom daily vitamins based on your DNA, lifestyle, and blood level data. Follow Rachel Sanders: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-soper-sanders/ Website: https://rootine.co/ Key Points:
– This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland. Click here to learn more about Taft – This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Aug 19, 2020 |
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.CLUB // exclusive rights to sell a generic top level domain name [UP075]
3804
Interview begins: 7:12 Debrief: 48:41 Colin Campbell is the founder and chairman of.CLUB Domains, a domain registry that owns the generic top-level domain rights to .club domains. Colin took two internet company's public in the heat of the 1990s and is a wealth of knowledge on all things internet. Domains are released by ICANN irregularly with the last offering in 2012, and Colin was able to secure the rights to.CLUB. .CLUB Domains was founded in 2011 and based in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Follow Colin Campbell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinccampbell/
Key Points:
– This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland. Click here to learn more about Taft – This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Aug 12, 2020 |
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Xendoo // personalized bookkeeping for small businesses [UP074]
3654
Interview begins: 6:03 Debrief: 48:54 Lillian (Lil) Roberts is the founder and CEO of Xendoo. Xendoo is a cloud-based bookkeeping and accounting service focused on small business owners. By harnessing technology we give our accounting teams more time to work directly with clients and their individual business needs. Xendoo offers a low, flat monthly rate with unprecedented service and response. Xendoo was founded in 2016 and based in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Key Points:
Follow Lillian Roberts: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chetan-parekh/ -- This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Aug 05, 2020 |
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Dave Sachse // investing in venture funds and startups as a family office [CC060]
2463
Interview begins: 6:49 Today we're talking with Dave Sachse, the founder, and managing partner of the Sachse Family Fund. The Sachse Family Fund is a family office venture capital fund based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In today’s episode, we’re finally exploring the family office investing model! Key Points:
Follow Dave Sachse: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-sachse-1244989/ ----- This episode is sponsored by Midwest Tech. Midwest. Tech is a virtual summit for startup founders and investors across the Midwest taking place September 8-10. The goal of the summit is to connect early-stage founders across the Midwest with venture capitalists and angel investors focused on pre-seed, seed, and series A fundraising. The event is free for founders. Apply by August 7 at midwest.tech/connect. – This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their professional advisors - including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. Ethos helps you live the one life you have to live the best way you can. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Jul 29, 2020 |
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Will Price of Next Frontier Capital // bringing venture capital to the rocky mountain region [CC059]
3598
Interview begins: 6:36 Today we're talking with Will Price the Founder and General Partner of Next Frontier Capital. Will founded Next Frontier Capital to partner with mission-driven, talented entrepreneurs to build Montana technology companies of impact, utility, value. Will’s career spans venture capital investing as well as operational, transactional, and advisory roles at both public and private companies. They focus on leading seed to early-stage Series A financings in the Rocky Mountains, with a preference to invest in rounds of $2-4m. With a Montana family history dating to the 1850s, Will is passionate about investing in the state’s promising future. Key points:
Learn more about Next Frontier Capital: https://www.nextfrontiercapital.com/
This episode of upside is sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations. They can do the same for you. Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more. – This episode of upside is also sponsored by Tresta. Tresta is a mobile app that lets you do business calling and texting from anywhere. With Tresta, you can set up your business phone number, download the app, and start calling and texting UNLIMITED right away. Tresta is the best business phone app on the market, whether you’re a founder or freelancer / just starting your business, or you’re already established. Growing your network and your business is all about communication. You’ve got to be available, no matter where you are. Tresta offers the call management features that empower you to communicate smarter and more efficiently, like auto attendants, call recording, user groups, and more. And you don’t need any special equipment – just the smartphone you’re already using. Tresta is easy to configure, so you can set everything up yourself – all online. It’s just $15 per user per month, with no contract, so start your free 30-day trial today at https://tresta.com/upside – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Jul 22, 2020 |
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Peter Livingston of Unpopular Ventures // early stage investing through a syndicate [CC058]
3265
Interview begins: 5:16 Unpopular Ventures is led by Peter Livingston, whose experience is almost entirely in startups - as both an operator and investor. He was the first engineer at iRhythm (IPO 2016) and was the founder/CEO at Lifesquare (backed by Kleiner Perkins). He has been angel investing since 2013, made >150 investments to date, and has produced investment returns well within the top decile of VC industry performance. Peter founded Unpopular Ventures to keep investing in startups - but with a bigger family, bigger checks, and bigger impact. Key points:
Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Jul 15, 2020 |
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CC057: Saurabh Sharma of Jump Capital // Series A and B capital for cloud infrastructure and enterprise software
2544
Interview begins: 6:08 Debrief begins: 37:58 Today we are talking with Saurabh Sharma He is a partner at Jump Capital, a thesis led sector-focused and operating centric venture capital firm specializing in series A and B in growth-stage investments, Jump Capital invest in data-driven technology companies within the FinTech, B2B SaaS, IT data infrastructure and media sectors. Saurabh has a diverse background in investing, operations & product management and leads Jump's efforts in Enterprise Software and IT Infrastructure, his career as a High-Performance Computing researcher at French National Institute for Scientific Research where he focused on Compiler Optimization for mission-critical computing.
--- This episode of upside is also sponsored by Tresta. Tresta is a mobile app that lets you do business calling and texting from anywhere. With Tresta, you can set up your business phone number, download the app, and start calling and texting UNLIMITED right away. Tresta is the best business phone app on the market, whether you’re a founder or freelancer / just starting your business, or you’re already established. Growing your network and your business is all about communication. You’ve got to be available, no matter where you are. Tresta offers the call management features that empower you to communicate smarter and more efficiently, like auto attendants, call recording, user groups, and more. And you don’t need any special equipment – just the smartphone you’re already using. Tresta is easy to configure, so you can set everything up yourself – all online. It’s just $15 per user per month, with no contract, so start your free 30-day trial today at https://tresta.com/upside – Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Jul 08, 2020 |
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CC056: Chetan Parekh of P&G Ventures // identifying and developing the next generation of billion-dollar brands
3024
Interview begins: 6:08 Debrief begins: 42:55 Today our guest is Chetan Parekh. Chetan is the Senior Brand Director & Innovation Portfolio Leader at P&G Ventures. He leads a multi-disciplinary team in charge of creating new businesses and building partnerships to serve the aging consumer and their caregiving ecosystem. His portfolio focuses on building brands behind innovative technologies and business models to shape the rapidly emerging at-home aging space.
Procter & Gamble Ventures focuses on creating these new brands and businesses that improve how people care for their families, clean their homes, and elevate their well being. They put out some of their focus areas for new consumer brands. And they’re focused on chronic conditions, sleep, nontoxic home and garden, women’s wellness, personal performance, active aging, male wellness, and menopause. Key points:
Learn more about Procter & Gamble Ventures Startup Studio: https://pgventuresstudio.com/ Follow Chetan Parekh on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chetan-parekh/
--- Upside classifieds Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience? Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show. Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:
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Jul 01, 2020 |
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UP073: Pear Commerce // creating a win-win-win for consumers, brands, and retailers
3750
Interview begins: 8:38 Debrief begins: 51:03 Today we’re talking with Eric Martell, the founder of Pear Commerce. Pear Commerce enables CPG companies to drive real transactions from existing national ads and retailers to build their online channel with new customers and repeat purchases. Pear Commerce is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Eric is a venture partner at Generator. He was the managing director of Generator Minnesota until September 2018. Eric’s foray into startups happened in 2009 when he co-founded EatStreet with Alex Wyler. Eric collaborated with Alex to build early iterations of EatStreet’s product and various tech-enabled marketing tools and strategies. Eric eventually transitioned to lead the company’s data-driven efforts to make EatStreet’s marketing, sales, and operations as efficient as possible. Key points:
Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full-stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups, and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity -- This episode is also sponsored by RIMS. RIMS is a global organization dedicated to the profession of risk management. For nearly 60 years, RIMS has delivered the latest strategies and resources that allow risk professionals to grow, innovate, and succeed—in any business. RIMS works with industry leaders to produce content and online training that business professionals turn to. Topics include business continuity, cyber risk, risk management techniques, the fundamentals of insurance, and more. There is also a private, members-only site where people can discuss sensitive issues and get honest answers. Members have been leaning on each other as we all navigate the global pandemic. If you're concerned about the safety of your employees and the sustainability of your organization, you need the resources and connections RIMS provides. Learn more at https://go.rims.org/upside. You can save 25% off a year-long membership. -- This episode of upside is also sponsored by Tresta. Tresta is a mobile app that lets you do business calling and texting from anywhere. With Tresta, you can set up your business phone number, download the app, and start calling and texting UNLIMITED right away. Tresta is the best business phone app on the market, whether you're a founder or freelancer / just starting your business, or you're already established. Growing your network and your business is all about communication. You've got to be available, no matter where you are. Tresta offers the call management features that empower you to communicate smarter and more efficiently, like auto attendants, call recording, user groups, and more. And you don't need any special equipment – just the smartphone you're already using. Tresta is easy to configure, so you can set everything up yourself – all online. It's just $15 per user per month, with no contract, so start your free 30-day trial today at https://tresta.com/upside |
Jun 24, 2020 |
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CC055: Jason Illian of Koch Disruptive Technologies // investing in emerging technologies for one of the world’s largest private companies
3133
Interview begins: 8:46 Debrief begins: 44:36
Jason was the founder and CEO of BookShout, the world's leading B2B e-book company. He has presented at the Goldman Sachs Technology & Internet Conference, the Credit Suisse Global Media and Communications Convergence Conference, and hundreds of other organizations. He has been featured on ABC, in The New York Times, and numerous radio interviews. As the mid-to-late stage venture arm of Koch Industries, KDT invests in technology companies that disrupt and transform Koch’s core businesses and expand into new platforms and capabilities. Segments being explored include artificial intelligence, blockchain and crypto, bio IT and genomics, and industrial robotics. Key Points:
Learn more about Koch Disruptive Technologies: https://kochdisruptivetechnologies.com/ Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm Connect with Jason: https://twitter.com/jasonillian – This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity – This episode is also sponsored by RIMS. RIMS is a global organization dedicated to the profession of risk management. For nearly 60 years, RIMS has delivered the latest strategies and resources that allow risk professionals to grow, innovate, and succeed—in any business. RIMS works with industry leaders to produce content and online training that business professionals turn to. Topics include business continuity, cyber risk, risk management techniques, the fundamentals of insurance and more. There is also a private, members-only site where people can discuss sensitive issues and get honest answers. Members have been leaning on each other as we all navigate the global pandemic. If you're concerned about the safety of your employees and the sustainability of your organization, you need the resources and connections RIMS provides. Learn more at https://go.rims.org/upside. You can save 25% off a year-long membership. |
Jun 17, 2020 |
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CC054: Patrick McKenna of One America Works // helping coastal companies open new offices in the heartland
3134
Interview begins: 7:40 Debrief begins: 45:20
Patrick started as a technology officer for the Army, then continued his career as a mergers and acquisitions banker on Wall Street. After he started his own company, he began his journey, trying to create a unique vision of the world and the ways companies access their talents nowadays. Today, Patrick is going to talk about the importance of analyzing and understanding the conditions in which today's talents are being formed and how this knowledge can set significant leverage for people who are starting their companies outside Silicon Valley and other technological matrices in America. Key Points:
Connect with Patrick: https://twitter.com/patrick_mckenna This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity This episode of upside is sponsored by Tresta. Tresta is a mobile app that lets you do business calling and texting from anywhere. With Tresta, you can set up your business phone number, download the app, and start calling and texting UNLIMITED right away. Tresta is the best business phone app on the market, whether you’re a founder or freelancer / just starting your business, or you’re already established. Growing your network and your business is all about communication. You’ve got to be available, no matter where you are. Tresta offers the call management features that empower you to communicate smarter and more efficiently, like auto attendants, call recording, user groups, and more. And you don’t need any special equipment – just the smartphone you’re already using. Tresta is easy to configure, so you can set everything up yourself – all online. It’s just $15 per user per month, with no contract, so start your free 30-day trial today at https://tresta.com/upside - This episode is also sponsored by RIMS. RIMS is a global organization dedicated to the profession of risk management. For nearly 60 years, RIMS has delivered the latest strategies and resources that allow risk professionals to grow, innovate, and succeed—in any business. RIMS works with industry leaders to produce content and online training that business professionals turn to. Topics include business continuity, cyber risk, risk management techniques, the fundamentals of insurance and more. There is also a private, members-only site where people can discuss sensitive issues and get honest answers. Members have been leaning on each other as we all navigate the global pandemic. If you're concerned about the safety of your employees and the sustainability of your organization, you need the resources and connections RIMS provides. Learn more at https://go.rims.org/upside. You can save 25% off a year-long membership. |
Jun 10, 2020 |
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CC053: Andrew D'Souza of Clearbanc // revenue-based financing and the 20-minute term sheet
2958
Interview Begins: 7:11 In this episode, we'll be talking with Andrew D'Souza, the co-founder and CEO of Clearbanc. Along with his partners, he has raised hundreds of millions of dollars in venture capital. At the same time, they help entrepreneurs to grow their businesses exponentially. He started as a management consultant for a couple of years and then spent the last ten years building a few tech companies leading their sales marketing efforts and leading their fundraising efforts.
Key Points:
Learn more about Clearbanc: https://clearbanc.com/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity
OmniValley wants to help you make meaningful connections faster. Today OmniValley's platform connects over 600 investors spanning over 200 global ecosystems. Claim your profile: https://omnivalley.co |
May 27, 2020 |
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CC052: Nick Cooney of Lever VC // investing in alternative protein startups
2767
Interview begins: 5:50 Nick Cooney is the Founder and Managing Director of Lever VC. Lever VC is a new fund focused in alternative animal products, including alternative proteins, meats, and plant-based dairy products. Their portfolio includes some of the biggest brands in alternative animal products, including Beyond Meat and Impossible Burgers. Nick Cooney has been heavily involved in the alternative animal product industry over the past fifteen years. Today, he teaches us the three common ways alternative proteins are created, his opinions on the ethical questions relevant to this industry, and the future of alternative meat products. We discuss:
Learn more about Lever VC: https://www.levervc.com/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity This episode is also sponsored by OmniValley. OmniValley is a platform specifically and exclusively designed for investors. It provides transparency and access into entrepreneurial ecosystems – regardless of geography and market size. OmniValley wants to help you make meaningful connections faster. Today OmniValley's platform connects over 600 investors spanning over 200 global ecosystems. Claim your profile: https://omnivalley.co |
May 20, 2020 |
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CC051: Grady Buchanan of OmniValley // connecting startup investors between the coasts
3112
Interview begins: 6:11 Grady Buchanan is the founder and CEO of OmniValley. OmniValley is an exclusive online investor network focused on helping you create connections anywhere in the world. They work to showcase and foster under-ventured and emerging entrepreneurial ecosystems by connecting, matching, and introducing all relevant and participatory investor organizations. That includes institutional investors, venture capital firms, accelerators, and ecosystem supporters. Interview begins: 6:16 We discuss:
OmniValley was founded in 2018 and based in Madison, Wisconsin. Learn more and join OmniValley: https://www.omnivalley.co/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
May 13, 2020 |
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UP072: Muxy // powering viewer engagement for live streaming
4114
Interview begins: 6:29 Jared Steffes is the co-founder and COO of Muxy. Founded in 2014 and based in Austin, Texas, Muxy is an online service that develops interactive features for gaming and streaming platforms. Though optimized for Twitch, Muxy's extensions can be used for multiple streaming and video uses. To date, they have had over 120 million interactions through Twitch and are regularly creating new experiences for streamers. Jared has worked in the game design field for the past decade, having before worked for some prominent companies such as EA Sports, TapMe, and NVidia.
Learn more about Muxy: https://muxy.io/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity This episode is also sponsored by OmniValley. OmniValley is a platform specifically and exclusively designed for investors. It provides transparency and access into entrepreneurial ecosystems – regardless of geography and market size. OmniValley wants to help you make meaningful connections faster. Today OmniValley's platform connects over 600 investors spanning over 200 global ecosystems. Claim your profile: https://omnivalley.co |
May 06, 2020 |
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UP071: BackpackEMR // electronic medical records for mobile clinics in remote locations
3948
Interview begins: 7:50 Lori Most is the founder and CEO of BackpackEMR. Based in Bloomington, Minnesota, BackpackEMR is a medical EMR software designed for mobile clinics in rural, low-income markets. BackpackEMR is the sustainable, portable, non-internet dependent solution for electronic data recording in internationally underserved areas. Lori Most has been in technology, coding, and design before coding was cool, having worked for prominent companies such as Target and United Health Group. Her pivotal decision to found a startup and create an EMR software came after a volunteering trip to South America. We discuss:
Learn more about BackpackEMR: https://www.backpackemr.com/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity This episode is also sponsored by Render Capital. The Render Competition is investing $100,000 into 8 startups and they want your startup to be one them! Early stage startups with a scalable model are encouraged to apply before May 15th. Startups from any location can apply. Apply for the Render Competition: https://render.capital/competition/ This episode is also sponsored by OmniValley. OmniValley is a platform specifically and exclusively designed for investors. It provides transparency and access into entrepreneurial ecosystems – regardless of geography and market size. OmniValley wants to help you make meaningful connections faster. Today OmniValley's platform connects over 600 investors spanning over 200 global ecosystems. Claim your profile: https://omnivalley.co |
Apr 29, 2020 |
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JE017: "Test City, USA" official release
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We've been waiting for today for a long, long time. Last summer, we filmed and produced a full-length documentary about the startup ecosystem in Columbus, Ohio. The film is called Test City, USA and is now available for you to watch online. The film premiered at Film Festival of Columbus in September 2019, and was the subject of our third issue of The Update. The film took home "Best Ohio Feature" at that festival, and we began throwing our hat in for other festivals. With festivals going virtual, we are pulling back. We participated in this year's virtual Columbus International Film Festival, but now we're excited to share the film with you. Read all about the film and rent or purchase it here: https://upside.fm/test-city-usa Purchase also comes with a 25-minute bonus commentary with Jay reflecting on the film, now 7 months after its initial release. In an effort to provide relief to the families and small businesses affected by COVID-19, we are committing 50% of all proceeds to WeFeedCbus. With your help, WeFeedCbus aims to provide local restaurants affected by COVID-19 the financial support needed to deliver safely packaged meals to front line workers and community organizations in need. Donations go straight to local restaurant providers partnering with WeFeedCbus to help pay for individually packaged meals that are delivered to communities experiencing food insecurity and our frontline workers in Columbus. It's a great way to spend part of your weekend, and we hope you'll watch the film and let us know what you think. Synopsis: WINNER: "Best Ohio Feature" by the Film Festival of Columbus 2019 Directed by: Kyle Skinner A film by The Up Company Watch Test City, USA: https://upside.fm/test-city-usa |
Apr 27, 2020 |
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UP070: Xena Workwear // stylish steel-toe shoes designed for women
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Interview begins: 7:50 Anastasia Kraft is the founder and CEO of Xena Workwear. Xena Workwear is a footwear and soon-to-be apparel company dedicated to designing stylish and safe apparel for women in STEM. Based in Milwuakee, Xena Workwear's first products launched less than a year ago, and since then, they already have impressive supporters and plan to soon expand their apparel to include other items. Originally from Kazhakstan and Germany, Anastasia first realized her business idea while working in project management manufacturing, where she noticed a disconnect between the professionalism of the women in STEM and the safety apparel they had to wear. In today's interview, Anastasia details not only the process of creating a shoe but also her frustration with the inequity between women's and men's safety apparel. We discuss:
Check out Xena Workwear: https://xenaworkwear.com/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity This episode of upside is sponsored by Tresta. Tresta is a mobile app that lets you do business calling and texting from anywhere. With Tresta, you can set up your business phone number, download the app, and start calling and texting UNLIMITED right away. Tresta is the best business phone app on the market, whether you’re a founder or freelancer / just starting your business, or you’re already established. Growing your network and your business is all about communication. You’ve got to be available, no matter where you are. Tresta offers the call management features that empower you to communicate smarter and more efficiently, like auto attendants, call recording, user groups, and more. And you don’t need any special equipment – just the smartphone you’re already using. Tresta is easy to configure, so you can set everything up yourself – all online. It’s just $15 per user per month, with no contract, so start your free 30-day trial today at https://tresta.com/upside |
Apr 22, 2020 |
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CC050: Matt Hunckler of Powderkeg // connecting talent to startups in the Midwest
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Interview begins: 6:10 Matt Hunckler is the founder and CEO of Powderkeg. Powderkeg is a platform connecting tech talent in the middle of the country to the Midwest companies they're searching for. Founded in 2017 after emerging from Verge, one of Matt's earlier companies, Powderkeg has more than 10,000 active members, all with the goal of staying connected to startup communities outside of Silicon Valley. An Orr Fellow from Indiana University, Matt has had a hand in a number of startups. He's been passionate about Midwestern startup communities for a while, and in today's interview, he shares his ideas on the current trends happening outside the Valley. We discuss:
Learn more about Powderkeg: https://powderkeg.com/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Apr 15, 2020 |
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CC049: Alex Lazarow // why the Silicon Valley playbook is outdated
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Interview begins: 7:32 Alex Lazarow is the author or "Out-Innovate: How Global Entrepreneurs from Delhi to Detroit Are Rewriting the Rules of Silicon Valley." Alexandre (Alex) Lazarow has spent his career working at the intersection of investing, innovation, and economic development in the private, public, and social sectors. He is a venture capitalist with Cathay Innovation, a global firm that invests across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.
In today's episode, Alex shares his research into innovation outside of Silicon Valley, including successful attributes that are often overlooked when working outside the Valley, and the surprises he found in his research. We discuss:
Check out Alex's book: https://amzn.to/2JT0MMt This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity This episode of upside is sponsored by Tresta. Tresta is a mobile app that lets you do business calling and texting from anywhere. With Tresta, you can set up your business phone number, download the app, and start calling and texting UNLIMITED right away. Tresta is the best business phone app on the market, whether you’re a founder or freelancer / just starting your business, or you’re already established. Growing your network and your business is all about communication. You’ve got to be available, no matter where you are. Tresta offers the call management features that empower you to communicate smarter and more efficiently, like auto attendants, call recording, user groups, and more. And you don’t need any special equipment – just the smartphone you’re already using. Tresta is easy to configure, so you can set everything up yourself – all online. It’s just $15 per user per month, with no contract, so start your free 30-day trial today at https://tresta.com/upside |
Apr 08, 2020 |
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CC048: Mike Duda of Bullish // the strategic creative and capital partner behind brands like Casper, Birchbox, Peloton, and more
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Interview starts: 6:20 Mike Duda is a Managing Partner at Bullish. Bullish is a marketing operating partner focused on the growth business and has helped develop companies like Birchbox, Peloton, Casper, and Harry's. Through both investment and creative services, Bullish helps early-stage companies progress in their market. Mike has extensive experience in marketing and advertising, having served in numerous director positions at Deutsch. Our conversation today dives heavily into marketing and advertising strategies as well as some of the methods Bullish uses to currently help their partners. We discuss:
Learn more about Bullish: http://bullish.co/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Apr 01, 2020 |
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UP069: Relish // relationship coaching in the comfort of your own home
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Interview starts: 6:15 Lesley Eccles is the founder and CEO of Relish, an app developed to help guild couples create healthy relationship skills and conversations. Originally from Scotland, Lesley is also known as a cofounder of the sports fantasy service, FanDuel. Just three months after leaving FanDuel, Lesley founded her own startup, Relish, with the hopes of giving back to others and exploring how technology can improve and preserve relationships. Today, Relish is considered one of the top relationship training apps, using guidance from therapists, counselors, and academics. In our talk with Lesley, she shares how her experience from FanDuel helped her build a second successful startup. We discuss:
Learn more about Relish: https://hellorelish.com/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Mar 25, 2020 |
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CC047: Elias Torres of Drift // opening offices outside of silicon valley (live from Embarc Collective’s grand opening)
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Interview begins: 5:29 Elias Torres is the co-founder and CTO of Drift. Jay recently had the chance to talk to with Elias Torres at Embarc Collective in Tampa Bay. Having worked in software all his life, Elias has been a part of impressive businesses, including IBM and Hubspot, and has founded two software based companies. A Nicaraguan native, Elias discusses his story of immigrating to America and the opportunity he commits to in other LatinX founders and in his home town, Tampa Bay. With his extensive experience, he leaves us with valuable tips in starting effective and strong teams. We discuss:
Learn more about Drift: https://www.drift.com/ This episode of Upside is sponsored by Tresta. Tresta is a mobile app that lets you do business calling and texting from anywhere. With Tresta, you can set up your business phone number, download the app, and start calling and texting UNLIMITED right away. Tresta is the best business phone app on the market, whether you’re a founder or freelancer / just starting your business, or you’re already established. Growing your network and your business is all about communication. You’ve got to be available, no matter where you are. Tresta offers the call management features that empower you to communicate smarter and more efficiently, like auto attendants, call recording, user groups, and more. And you don’t need any special equipment – just the smartphone you’re already using. Tresta is easy to configure, so you can set everything up yourself – all online. It’s just $15 per user per month, with no contract, so start your free 30-day trial today at https://tresta.com/upside |
Mar 18, 2020 |
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UP068: Fiveable // live-streaming test prep for AP classes
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Interview begins: 7:02 Amanda DoAmaral is the founder and CEO of Fiveable. Fiveable is an online streaming and content platform helping high school students study and master their AP exams. Started just two years ago, Fiveable offers live and pre-recorded videos, study guides, as well as community building resources. After teaching in Oakland for several years with Teach for America, Amanda DoAmaral began Fiveable as a way to help her old students who needed guidance in studying for their AP exams. In only a couple years, Fiveable has grown to include teachers from various types of backgrounds and boasts a 92% pass rate from their students. We discuss:
Fiveable is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Learn more about Fiveable: https://fiveable.me/ This episode of Upside is sponsored by Tresta. Tresta is a mobile app that lets you do business calling and texting from anywhere. With Tresta, you can set up your business phone number, download the app, and start calling and texting UNLIMITED right away. Tresta is the best business phone app on the market, whether you’re a founder or freelancer / just starting your business, or you’re already established. Growing your network and your business is all about communication. You’ve got to be available, no matter where you are. Tresta offers the call management features that empower you to communicate smarter and more efficiently, like auto attendants, call recording, user groups, and more. And you don’t need any special equipment – just the smartphone you’re already using. Tresta is easy to configure, so you can set everything up yourself – all online. It’s just $15 per user per month, with no contract, so start your free 30-day trial today at https://tresta.com/upside |
Mar 11, 2020 |
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CC046: Lakshmi Sarah // Storytelling in Virtual and Augmented Reality (live from CES 2020)
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Interview starts: 6:05 Lakshmi Sarah is the co-founder of Tiny World Productions. An educator and journalist, Lakshmi covers the intersection between VR/AR and storytelling, and she recently co-wrote a book titled 'Crafting Stories for Virtual Reality.' Much of Lakshmi's work includes stories on refugees or immigrants, with the intention of creating empathy and shifting prospective for individuals through this medium. Tiny World Productions create their own 360-view experiences as well as help and workshop others' work in immersive technology. Some of their work includes 'Homelessness in San Francisco' and 'The Wait: Inside the Lives of Asylum-Seekers in Germany.' We discuss:
Learn more about Tiny World Productions: https://tinyworldproductions.com/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Mar 04, 2020 |
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CC045: Elizabeth Galbut of SoGal Ventures // the first female-led millennial venture capital firm (from CES 2020)
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Interview starts: 6:10 Elizabeth Galbut is the Founding and Managing Partner of SoGal Ventures. SoGal Ventures is the first female-led millennial venture firm, and they are leading the way in investing in diverse founding teams and products across the USA and Asia. Their focus includes companies working on female sexual health and wellness, aging, and death-related decisions. A Forbes 30 Under 30, Elizabeth is incredibly knowledgeable and experienced in the fields in which she invests. In today's episode, she walks us through some of the issues she and SoGal Ventures are tackling through their diverse outlook. We discuss:
Learn more about SoGal Ventures: http://www.sogalventures.com/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Feb 26, 2020 |
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CC044: Doug Clinton of Loup Ventures // exploring frontier technologies (from CES 2020)
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Interview starts: 6:38 Doug Clinton is the managing partner of Loup Ventures. A Midwest-based venture firm, Loup Ventures was founded in 2017, and to date, they have made exciting investments focusing on frontier tech. Their latest concentrations include neuro-tech and BCI, as well as anti-aging companies. In today's interview, Doug maps out the scene of frontier tech and gives us his thoughts on the consequences such technologies may have in the future. We discuss:
Learn more about Loup Ventures: https://loupventures.com/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Feb 24, 2020 |
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CC043: James O’Connor of the Pittsburgh Knights // operating a professional esports team (from CES 2020)
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Interview starts: 6:09 James O'Connor is the cofounder and president of the Pittsburgh Knights, a global esports team of 30+ players and streamers, headquartered in one of the most well-branded sports cities in the country. With his knowledge of management, program development, economic development, veteran affairs, data-analysis, and strategic planning, his 10+ years of professional gaming experience, and his desire to bolster his hometown, he is driving the Pittsburgh Knights to become one of the most esteemed esports teams in the world. In 2018, the Knights announced their partnership with six-time Super Bowl Champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 2019, the Knights brought on another strategic partner with Pittsburgh roots - multi-platinum recording artist Wiz Khalifa. We discuss:
Learn more about the Pittsburgh Knights: https://knights.gg/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Feb 19, 2020 |
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UP067: eFuse // connecting gamers to professional opportunities & esports scholarships
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Interview starts: 7:22 Matthew Benson is the founder and CEO of eFuse, a new platform used to connect anyone in or interested in the gaming world to other opportunities, talent, and people in the Esports community. Sort of like a LinkedIn for gamers, eFuse allows members to compile their stats into one portfolio and create connections as they search for professional and collegiate gaming possibilities. Prior to founding eFuse, Matthew worked for the Ohio Innovation Fund shortly after college. He had the idea for eFuse while in school and is now celebrating the company's two-month beta launch. We discuss:
Learn more about eFuse: https://efuse.gg/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Feb 19, 2020 |
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CC042: Jordan Davis of Smart Columbus // Looking into the future of smart cities (from CES 2020)
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Interview starts: 6:24 Jordan Davis is the Director of Smart Columbus for the Columbus Partnership, leading strategy and public-private partnerships for the Central Ohio region’s $550 million smart cities initiative. She was instrumental in Columbus becoming the sole winner of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Smart Cities Challenge in 2016 and since has managed the upstart of a new joint venture for the region focused on realizing a connected, autonomous, shared, and electric transportation ecosystem that improves people’s lives. Jordan facilitates collaboration between the public and private sector, secures new private investment in the Acceleration Fund, oversees public affairs, and supports the long-term strategy to sustain the Smart Columbus Initiative. Additionally, she oversees an aggressive electric vehicle adoption program, shared mobility growth plan, autonomous vehicle deployment, and a dynamic corporate engagement portfolio. We discuss:
Learn more about Smart Columbus: https://smart.columbus.gov/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Feb 12, 2020 |
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CC041: Bryan Darr of Ookla // demystifying the 5G revolution (from CES 2020)
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Interview starts: 7:25 Bryan Darr is the Executive Vice President of Smart Cities at Ookla, the company behind Speedtest.net. Bryan began his career in wireless communication back in 1985 selling car phones. Through his sales, he gathered information and began writing roaming guides. These guides ultimately led him to start his own business, American Roamer, eventually known as Mosaik, and now owned by Ookla. Today, along with providing internet speed tests, Ookla tracks cellular coverage all over the world. We discuss:
Learn more about Ookla: https://www.ookla.com/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Feb 10, 2020 |
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UP066: Locomation // commercializing autonomous trucking with convoy technology (from CES 2020)
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Interview begins: 5:25 Tekin Meriçli is the cofounder and CTO of Locomation, a company focused on developing autonomous trucking. Founded in 2018, Locomation hopes to implement autonomous driving technology into freight trucks to create convoys of semi-autonomous, highway-travelling trucks. Tekin became interested in computer technology from a young age while growing up in Istanbul. An alumni of UT Austin, Bogaziçi, and Carnegie Mellon, he has a multitude of engineering experience in the field, which he brings to Locomation. We discuss:
Learn more about Locomation: https://locomation.ai/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Feb 05, 2020 |
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CC040: Recapping CES 2020 with fellow Media Trailblazers Hayden Field (Entrepreneur) and Lindsay Bjerregaard (Aviation Week)
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Interview begins: 4:02 This episode begins our coverage of CES 2020. Lindsay Bjerregaard is a Digital Editorial Producer with Aviation Week and Hayden Field is an Associate Editor at Entrepreneur. Lindsay and Hayden, along with us, were brought to CES through its Media Trailblazer Program, which aims to recruit journalists to the tech-inspired convention. It was the second year of CES for each of us, so together we discuss our thoughts on the different products showcased, the highlights of the show, and the future of the conference. We discuss:
Follow Lindsay Bjerregaard on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AvWeekLindsay This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Feb 03, 2020 |
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CC039: Catharine Dockery of Vice Ventures // investing in good companies operating in “bad” industries
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Interview starts: 5:40 Catharine Dockery is the founding partner of Vice Ventures, an NY-based early stage venture firm focusing on companies working in "vice" industries such as cannabis, alcohol, sex techs, psychedelics, harm reduction drugs, and online gambling. Founded in 2019, Vice Ventures aims to challenge conventional investing and works specifically with companies normally excluded form investments due to vice clauses. A neuroscience and finance double major from NYU , Catharine has an impressive finance background, including experience working at the New York stock exchange and Citigroup, contracting at a PR firm for hedge funds, working with Andy Dunn's investments, and running her own blog. We discuss:
Learn more about Vice Ventures: https://www.viceventures.com/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Jan 29, 2020 |
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UP065: Renewlogy // Turning plastic waste into fuel through chemical recycling
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Interview begins: 7:00 Priyanka Bakaya is the founder and CEO of Renewlogy. Founded in 2011, Renewlogy has the technology to break down plastics into its basic molecular form, where it can then be reused for other products or as fuel. In the last year, Priyanka has used the Renewlogy technology to begin Renew Oceans, a non-profit currently working in India to capture and recycle ocean plastics. Priyanka has been well recognized and awarded for her efforts in plastics recycling. Still, plenty of hurdles exist in Renewology's, and she discusses the challenges caused by poor recycling and waste infrastructure and strict regulations. We discuss:
Learn more about Renewlogy: http://renewlogy.com/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Jan 22, 2020 |
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CC038: Casey Allen // building the Twin Cities enterprise SaaS community
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Interview starts: 7:15 Casey Allen is the founder of Enterprise Rising, a Minneapolis-based conference specific to SaaS startup topics. 2020 will be Enterprise Rising's fifth year, and they pride themselves on focusing on under-discussed or taboo topics related to founding a startup. Casey himself has started five companies as well as a B2B SaaS accelerator and discusses his personal experience going from one to the next. This year, he will also be launching a boot camp called SeedMN for first-time angel investors with the hopes of teaching successful founders how to give back to the startup community. We discuss:
Learn more about Casey: https://angel.co/caseyallen This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Jan 15, 2020 |
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UP064: Fitt // curating health and wellness recommendations for your city
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Interview starts: 6:25 Anthony Vennare is the cofounder and CEO of Fitt, a discovery platform that broadcasts different health and wellness opportunities and locations in different cities. Fitt functions similar to Yelp or Eater for fitness, with the ultimate goal of connecting communities and fitness enthusiasts to health events and people in their cities. Alongside his company, Anthony also runs a fitness newsletter branded as Fitt Insider. After opening and growing a gym business with his brother in the Pittsburgh area, the two began Fitt in 2017. In today’s episode, Anthony discusses their experience owning and closing this gym as well as the succeeding projects that followed, such as writing for health and wellness magazines and helping others start their own fitness businesses. We discuss:
Learn more about Fitt: https://fitt.co This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Jan 08, 2020 |
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UP063: Visible // powering communication for founders and investors
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Interview starts: 7:45 Mike Preuss is the co-founder and CEO of Visible, an investor reporting platform for startups. Beginning in 2014, Visible is a completely remote company used by over 2,000 businesses. They help founders update their investors on their business and maintain accountability and trust throughout growth. An Orr Fellow from Indiana University, Mike Preuss was the Business Development Manager for Formspring before Visible. We discuss:
Learn more about Visible: https://visible.vc/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Jan 01, 2020 |
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JE016: 12 episodes of Christmas
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Happy Holidays from the upside team! Last year, we shared an episode called: JE006: eight crazy months of upside. This year, we're back and sharing the 12 episodes of Christmas — 12 exceptionally notable episodes we recommend listening to again. The episodes mentioned, in order:
Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm |
Dec 25, 2019 |
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CC037: Neal Bloom of Fresh Brewed Tech // uncovering the past and building the future of San Diego
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Interview starts: 5:50 Neal Bloom is the founder of Fresh Brewed Tech and the host of the podcast, Tacos & Tech. Fresh Brewed Tech is a media company dedicated to raising awareness of local tech ecosystems in local areas through storytelling. Having started as a way to connect tech-focused San Diegans, Fresh Brewed Tech is currently expanding and starting to aid other regions by creating local unified tech ecosystems. His podcast, Tacos & Tech, has the same goal as the Fresh Brewed Tech brand. Neal began his entrepreneurial work with Portfolium. He also currently serves that a chair for Startup San Diego. We discuss:
Learn more about Fresh Brewed Tech: https://freshbrewedtech.com/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Dec 18, 2019 |
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UP062: Mainvest // helping anyone invest in Main Street businesses
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Interview starts: 6:07 Nick Mathews is the CEO and cofounder of Mainvest. Based in Salem, Massachusetts, Mainvest began in 2018 with the incentive to provide investment opportunities to smaller community markets through local investors. In just a little over a year, the company has an 85% success rate, helping fund fifteen different companies with another fifteen live right now. A Massachusetts native, Nick helped launch Uber in Boston during the company's expansion period and worked with the company for over six years. In today's episode, he discusses a bit of his experience at Uber and how his work there compares to Mainvest's current goals. We discuss:
Learn more about Mainvest: https://mainvest.com/ -- This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Dec 11, 2019 |
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CC036: Matt Cordio of Skills Pipeline // Getting a lay of the land in Startup Milwaukee
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Interview starts: 6:32 Matt Cordio is the founder and president of Startup Milwaukee. Startup Milwaukee is a community dedicated to encouraging and growing Milwaukee's startup environment. They offer events and programs focused on helping tech startups find mentorship, talent, capital, and a network. Originally from Milwaukee himself, Matt Cordio started his entrepreneurial experience making and selling furniture. In addition to Startup Milwaukee, he is the founder and president of Skills Pipeline and the co-founder of 5 Lakes Forum. We discuss:
Follow Matt on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MattCordio This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Dec 04, 2019 |
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JE015: Thanksgiving 2019 // strikes, turkeys, and three things we're thankful for
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This Turkey Day, we want to take the time to express our gratitude. We are so thankful for you, our listeners, for the startup movement happening between the coasts, and for the success that this podcast has had. As a gentle reminder, please check out the listener survey if you have a few minutes to spare. Enjoy your Thanksgivings, and see you next week!
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Nov 27, 2019 |
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CC035: Kim Jefferson and Lydia Beechler of BLASTmedia // building a holistic PR strategy for startups
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Interview starts: 6:00 Kim Jefferson is the Senior Vice President and Lydia Beechler is the Director of Accounts at BLASTmedia. BLASTmedia is a nationally recognized PR agency that concentrates on B2B SaaS media relations. With 15 years in the industry, BLAST works with different staged companies and focuses on more than just news, often including thought leadership content into the media as well. Kim Jefferson and Lydia Beechler, who both have a background in writing, discuss the deliberate process that make successful relations and the different factors that lead to good media. They also give some insight into the BLAST PR startup program specifically designed for seed and series A companies. We discuss:
BLASTmedia was founded in 2005 and based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Learn more about BLASTmedia: https://www.blastmedia.com/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Nov 20, 2019 |
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UP061: The Bee Corp // using infrared to measure colony size to support beekeepers and growers
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Interview begins: 6:49 Ellie Symes is the co-founder and CEO of The Bee Corp. The Bee Corp is a startup focusing on improving and creating sustainable methods for commercial bee pollination. Based in Indianapolis, The Bee Corp offers commercial beekeepers and growers a technical application called Verifli that tracks beekeeping strategies at a quick and cost-effective rate. Ellie and her co-founder began the idea for the company after starting a beekeeping club in college. They have since received two grants to continue their passion for creating sustainable solutions for the environment. We discuss:
The Bee Corp was founded in 2016 and based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Learn more about The Bee Corp: https://www.thebeecorp.com/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Nov 13, 2019 |
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CC034: Greg Robinson of 4490 Ventures // leading Series A/B rounds in underserved markets
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Interview starts: 6:38 Greg Robinson is the Managing Director of 4490 Ventures. 4490 Ventures is an early stage venture fund based in Madison Wisconsin that invests in Midwest, tech based companies. Founded in 2014, 4490 Ventures aims $5-8 million per investment, and their portfolio includes companies such as EatStreet, Abodo, and SwervePay. Before 4490 Ventures, Greg served as the Managing Director at Peninsula Ventures and also co-founded Cogent Technologies, an enterprise software company. In today's episode, he shares with us his insights into working in different areas of the country and how these various landscapes change the investment game. We discuss:
This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Nov 06, 2019 |
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UP060: Perceive // using spatial recognition to measure consumer behavior in the real world
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Interview begins: 6:15 Everett Berry is the CEO and founder of Perceive, an experience-analysis computer vision software designed to give companies an automated method for analyzing business in a physical space. Everett began forming his idea for Perceive six years ago during his freshman year in college when he would peruse the campus's video feeds. Having since received several grants for his company, Everett currently runs Perceive out of Indianapolis and hopes to expand his team in the near future. Everett discusses his insights on the recent changes in the events, retail, and restaurant businesses and how Perceive is providing companies an efficient and dynamic analysis of their customer experience through video analytics. We discuss:
Perceive was founded in 2015 and based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Learn more about Perceive: https://www.perceiveinc.com/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Oct 30, 2019 |
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CC033: Alex Rubalcava of Stage Venture Partners // investing in early-stage enterprise software
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Interview starts: 6:23 Alex Rubalcava is a General Partner and Co-Founder of Stage Venture Partners, an L.A.-based VC firm that invests in upcoming software technologies. Alex began his investing career with Anthem Venture Partners in Los Angeles before switching to public market investing. He founded Stage Venture Partners in 2015 with his co-founder, and the company has since worked with startups including Balto, Sightline, and Iris.TV. Well-versed in venture capital and investing, Alex shares with us some valuable insights into the investing world, including his experiences in both private and public environments and what he looks for in companies when wanting to invest. We discuss:
Learn more about Stage Venture Partners: http://www.stagevp.com/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Oct 23, 2019 |
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UP059: WorkHound // workforce retention via direct feedback from the frontline
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Interview begins: 6:13 Max Farrell and Andrew Kirpalani are the co-founders of WorkHound. WorkHound is a platform that allows frontline workers to provide feedback to the companies for whom they work. Max and Andrew began WorkHound in the hopes of eliminating a barrier that exists between the workers and the companies, with the ultimate goal of increasing worker retention rates and thus the success of the companies. Originally designed for truck drivers, WorkHound has since expanded to other professions such as technicians, mechanics, construction workers, and visiting healthcare providers. We discuss:
Learn more about WorkHound: https://workhound.com/ |
Oct 16, 2019 |
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CC032: Kate Shillo Beardsley of Upslope Ventures // scaling early stage investments across the country
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Interview begins: 7:10 Kate Shillo Beardsley is the Managing Partner of Upslope Ventures. Formerly known as Galvanize Ventures, Upslope Ventures is committed to investing in early stage startups. Located in Denver, they look for startups throughout the country and currently have a hand in ten U.S. markets. Having unknowingly entered venture capital in the late 2010s, Kate Shillo Beardsley has been instrumental in some major investments done in the late 2000s and early 2010s. She discusses her passion for early stage investing and how the landscape has changed since she started. We discuss:
Upslope Ventures was founded in 2014 (as Galvanize Ventures) and based in Denver, Colorado. Learn more about Upslope Ventures: https://www.upslope.vc/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Oct 09, 2019 |
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UP058: Audience Awards // creating opportunity for filmmakers through contests, festivals, and distribution
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Interview begins: 7:35 Paige Williams is the founder and CEO of Audience Awards. Audience Awards is an online platform that organizes contests and film festivals in hopes of providing more opportunity and exposure to independent filmmakers. Operating in Montana, Audience Awards opens submissions to anyone who has a story to share while offering prizes such as camera equipment and mentorship with industry regulars. Audience Awards now hosts 65,000 filmmakers and covers an audience of 200,000 viewers. Paige, an experienced filmmaker herself, shares her thoughts in hoping to grow those numbers and offers insight into how their company has shown success. We discuss:
Audience awards was founded in 2013 and based in Missoula, Montana. Learn more about Audience Awards: https://theaudienceawards.com/ |
Oct 02, 2019 |
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CC031: building a network of generous entrepreneurs in the Midwest // a coffee chat with Joni Cobb (Pipeline Entrepreneurs)
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Interview begins: 5:20 Joni Cobb is the founding President and CEO of Pipeline Entrepreneurs. Pipeline is a network of high-performing entrepreneurs who call the Midwest home. Their entrepreneurs and experts give generously of their time, talent and capital so that they can build global businesses from wherever they choose. Pipeline takes zero equity in their Member companies, focusing on the entrepreneur first.
We discuss:
Pipeline Entrepreneurs was founded 2006 and based in Kansas City, Missouri.
This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Sep 30, 2019 |
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JE014: the update issue three // Test City, USA preview
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A short episode this week discussing our latest issue of the update. The update is a quarterly publication that usually features editorials, trends, and stories happening outside of Silicon Valley. We had big plans for this issue of the update, namely sharing our documentary, "Test City, USA" with you. But, complications arose and timelines changed, so the update issue three is a "skinny" version of itself. Tune into the episode to hear more and read the update issue three for a full behind-the-scenes look at how we produced a documentary in less than four months and where we plan to go from here. Synopsis: WINNER: 2019 Best Ohio Feature by the Film Festival of Columbus Directed by: Kyle Skinner A film by The Up Company Read the update issue three: https://upside.fm/update/issue-three/ |
Sep 25, 2019 |
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UP057: OROS Apparel // making outerwear obsolete with NASA-inspired technology
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Interview begins: 6:05 Michael Markesbery is the co-founder and CEO of OROS apparel, an outdoor and sportswear company that has revolutionized the technology in outdoor clothing. Founded in Cincinnati and now based in Portland, Oregon, OROS makes outdoor apparel using their own NASA-inspired aerogel technology called SolarCore. An online, direct-to-consumer brand, OROS offers several products with the aim of making outwear less bulky and, perhaps one day, eliminating the need for outwear at all. Michael recounts his inspiration for the product and for the company, and how he and his partner started building the brand as pre-med students and continue to watch it grow. We discuss:
OROS was founded in 2014 and based in Portland, Oregon. Learn more about OROS: https://www.orosapparel.com/ |
Sep 18, 2019 |
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CC030: investing in socially responsible, high-growth companies // a coffee chat with Rose Maizner (RenewableTech Ventures)
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Interview begins: 5:30 Rose Maizner is a partner at RenewableTech Ventures and a co-founder of Womenpreneurs. RenewableTech Ventures is a Salt Lake City based venture capital fund focused in cleantech. An impact investment fund, Renewable Tech Ventures has helped a number of green energy startups find stamina in the venture market. Rose discusses her journey from nonprofiteer to becoming a partner in a venture capital fund and Renewable Tech Ventures's current outlook on funding. Rose is also a co-founder of Womenprenuers, an all-women network focused on empowering and educating women in entrepreneurship and venture capital. She talks about the need for these communities and how she came to lead one. We discuss:
RenewableTech Ventures was founded 2010 and based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Learn more about RenewableTech Ventures: http://www.renewablevc.com/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Sep 16, 2019 |
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UP056: Kush.com // a budding B2B marketplace for legal hemp and cannabis transactions
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Interview begins: 5:30 Chase Nobles is a co-founder and co-CEO of Kush.com. Seattle-based company Kush.com is a platform that allows entities within the hemp and cannabis industries to interact and buy and sell product. Kush.com has become one of the principal sites in the trading of cannabis and hemp goods and continues to strive to lead these markets. Chase tells us how Kush.com has progressed from a tourism and media business to the platform it is today. He walks us through how he and his team have built a thriving network based in quality relationships and legal product, as well as some of their focuses for the future. We discuss:
Kush.com was founded in 2016 and based in Seattle. Learn more about Kush.com: https://kush.com |
Sep 11, 2019 |
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CC029: providing equal access to the Triangle startup community // a coffee chat with Molly Demarest (American Underground)
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Interview begins: 6:30 Molly Demarest is the General Manager of American Underground. The American Underground is based in the Durham-Raleigh area in North Carolina and focuses on connecting startups and founders in the region with the different resources needed to help their companies flourish. A Durham native herself, Molly discusses the development of the American Underground since its start six years ago and how the American Underground has in turn helped develop its community. The American Underground prides itself on their intention to help women and minority founders find their places in the startup landscape. Companies they work with include Bee Downtown, DaVinci Ed, LoanWell, and IdeaBlock. We discuss:
American Underground was founded 2010 and based in the Triangle of North Carolina. Learn more about American Underground: https://www.americanunderground.com/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Sep 09, 2019 |
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JE013: Happy Labor Day // don’t work too hard
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We want to wish all of the listeners a happy Labor Day and thank you all for their continued support. Thanks to all of the support to date, the upside podcast will have some exciting updates in the coming months, so be sure to tune into the coming content, and if you like what you hear, a friendly review in the iTunes store is always appreciated! Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm |
Sep 04, 2019 |
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CC028: building turnkey programs for entrepreneurs and creatives // a coffee chat with Joe Kirgues (gener8tor)
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Interview begins: 05:49 Debrief begins: 41:15 Joe Kirgues is a co-founder of gener8tor. One of the top companies in its field, gener8tor offers accelerator programs whose missions are to promote local investors and companies investing in their own communities’ startups and entrepreneurs. Operating in Milwaukee, Madison, and Minneapolis, gener8tor is known for its unique cohort of five model within its accelerator programs that, since its beginnings in 2012, have seen 75 graduates. To date, gener8tor has developed nearly a dozen different accelerator programs whose disciplines range from tech and med-device to music and art. The company continues to grow and has expanded to several different cities around the country. Graduates of gener8tor include EatStreat, Swannies, docalytics, Datica, Bright Cellars, and SpeechMED to name a few. We discuss:
Learn more about gener8tor: https://www.gener8tor.com/ This episode is sponsored by Integrity Power Search, the #1 full stack high growth startup recruiting firm between the coasts. They partner with venture capitalists, private equity groups and CEOs to build amazing teams for the world’s most disrupting companies. Learn more about or get in touch with Integrity Power Search: https://upside.fm/integrity |
Sep 02, 2019 |
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JE012: the fourfront // four trends we are watching develop
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On today's episode, we analyze four predominant themes we've encountered lately in the startup and investing arena. Our four on the fore includes: 1.) hiring talent
Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm |
Aug 28, 2019 |
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UP055: Hurry Home // enabling renters to become owners of affordable homes
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Interview begins: 07:16 Jada McLean is the co-founder and CEO of Hurry Home. Hurry Home finances houses through shared ownership, enabling renters to become homeowners and offering a streamlined investment opportunity. Despite there being 3 million houses for sale in the bottom tier real estate market at any given time, banks are unable to profitably originate mortgages for these properties.
Learn more about Hurry Home: https://www.hurryhome.io/ |
Aug 21, 2019 |
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CC027: raising an opportunity fund for a mission driven accelerator // a coffee chat with Barbara Bickham (WIF AX)
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Interview begins: 06:02 Barbara Bickham is the co-founder and Managing Director of WIF AX. WIF AX (Women’s Innovation Fund Accelerator) is a Qualified Opportunity Fund building women-balanced and environmentally-sustainable organizations within QOZ’s nationwide. They plan to use a mix of incubation, shared workspace, and business finance while requiring participants to have a C-suite made up of at least 50% women, and operational plans which contain environmental sustainability considerations. WIF AX was founded in 2019 and based in Los Angeles, CA. Learn more about WIF AX: https://wifaxvc.com/ Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm |
Aug 19, 2019 |
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UP054: AdAdapted // serving smarter ads for CPG companies
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Interview begins: 07:15 Michael Pedersen and Molly McFarland are the co-founders of AdAdapted. AdAdapted is a digital engagement and insights platform for CPG brands and agencies. The AdAdapted platform offers CPG brands the ability to directly target their primary consumers in the apps they use to plan and shop.
AdAdapted was founded in 2012 and based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Learn more about AdAdapted: https://adadapted.com |
Aug 14, 2019 |
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CC026: matching top talent with startups between the coasts // a coffee chat with Kaleb Dumot (Integrity Power Search)
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Interview begins: 07:06 Kaleb Dumot is the founder and CEO of Integrity Power Search. Integrity Power Search (IPS) is a recruiting agency focused on connecting amazing people to world class technology companies in the middle of the country. Since 2012, they have conducted 600+ searches for 84 portfolio companies, which have raised a collective $2.5B in venture capital financing. IPS was founded in 2012 and based in Ohio.
Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm Vote for upside for the 2020 SXSW Panel Picker: https://upside.fm/vote |
Aug 12, 2019 |
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UP053: emocha // improving medication adherence through remote video observation
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Interview begins: 08:26 Sebastian Seiguer is the Co-Founder and CEO of emocha Mobile Health. emocha is a mobile health platform that saves lives by connecting remote patients to health care providers. They improve medication adherence using video technology and human engagement. emocha leverages a CDC-endorsed model called Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) where healthcare workers watch patients take every dose of medication, monitor side effects, and provide critical support.
emocha was founded in 2014 and based in Baltimore, Maryland. Learn more about emocha: https://www.emocha.com/ Vote for upside for the 2020 SXSW Panel Picker: https://upside.fm/vote |
Aug 07, 2019 |
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UP052: Seek // augmented reality on the web for eCommerce
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Interview begins: 04:40 Jon Cheney is the founder and CEO of Seek. Seek is Augmented Reality on the web for eCommerce. SeekView allows a consumer to visualize a product in their life before they buy it. Seek has an advanced and powerful system to provide a scalable solution for AR in e-commerce on the web. Prior to founding Seek, where Jon currently resides as CEO and founder, he provided 12 years of management over several organizations. Jon is passionate about building strong teams and inspiring them to lead their industry. He sees the potential in everyone around him and doesn't accept anything less than greatness. He is driven forward by his faith and desire to serve others. Seek was founded in 2016 and based in Lehi, Utah. Try it at: https://seekxr.com |
Jul 31, 2019 |
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UP051: UbiQD // making low-hazard quantum dots
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Interview begins: 08:48 Hunter McDaniel is the founder and CEO of UbiQD. UbiQD is a cleantech materials company that manufactures low-hazard quantum dots (QDs) and nanocomposites. The company focuses on applications that utilize its nanomaterials to manipulate sunlight, enabling solar windows and spectrum-controlled greenhouses. Spun out of technology developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Washington, and Western Washington University, UbiQD envisions a future where quantum dots are ubiquitous in a wide spectrum of applications. UbiQD was founded in 2014 and based in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Learn more about UbiQD: https://ubiqd.com/ -- This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland. Learn more about or get in touch with Taft: https://www.taftlaw.com/ |
Jul 24, 2019 |
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UP050: opendorse // helping athletes share more content (feat. Braxton Miller of the Philadelphia Eagles)
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Interview begins: 09:02 Blake Lawrence is the founder and CEO of opendorse. opendorse is the athlete-marketing platform that helps the biggest brands in sports share content on social. Founded by two former major college athletes, opendorse was built seeking to make it easy for athletes and their partners to work together to engage their fans. Today, more than 7,000 athletes use opendorse to share content with their 1.4b social media followers. Top sports properties including the PGA TOUR, LPGA, NFLPA, WTA, and New Jersey Devils, and college properties including Michigan, Clemson, and Nebraska Athletics partner with opendorse to send content to athletes to share through their social media channels. More than 1,500 brands also use opendorse to engage professional athletes and their audience.
opendorse was founded in 2012 and based in Lincoln, Nebraska. Learn more about opendorse: https://opendorse.com/ -- This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland. Learn more about or get in touch with Taft: https://www.taftlaw.com/ |
Jul 17, 2019 |
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UP049: Zive // freeing you from the browser with desktop applications
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Interview begins: 08:39 Eric Shashoua is the founder and CEO of Zive, makers of the app, Kiwi for Gmail. Kiwi for Gmail turns native Gmail into a full desktop application, dramatically upgrading the entire user experience, & adding features like default email client, multiple accounts, multiple windows, etc.
Zive was founded in 2013 and based in New York City, New York. Learn more about Kiwi for Gmail: https://www.kiwiforgmail.com/ -- This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland. Learn more about or get in touch with Taft: https://www.taftlaw.com/ |
Jul 10, 2019 |
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CC025: impact investing and reversing demographic trends // a Coffee Chat with Robert Zulkoski (Vermont Works)
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Interview begins: 06:34 Robert Zulkoski is the Chairman and Managing Partner of Vermont Works. Vermont Works is an Independent Alternative Investment Firm Supporting Vermont’s Job & Economic Development. Vermont Works was founded in 2016 and based in Burlington, Vermont. We discuss:
Learn more about Vermont Works: https://www.vermontworks.co/ |
Jul 08, 2019 |
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JE011: happy July 4th // the update issue two
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Happy US Independence Day from the upside team! Per our holiday tradition, we're keeping it short and sweet this week so we don't take you away from what really matters. So we don't have an interview this week, we just have a conversation between the two of us recapping the update issue two, which was released on June 4, 2019. The update is a quarterly publication featuring editorials, trends, and stories happening outside of Silicon Valley. Our second issue focuses on the future of work. Featured Articles: tilr embraces data and finds their own way to scale into 20 states why geography still matters Read the whole issue here: https://upside.fm/update/issue-two/ Sign up to receive the update: https://upside.fm/update |
Jul 03, 2019 |
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CC024: investing in the picks and shovels of esports and gaming // a Coffee Chat with Josh Chapman (Konvoy Ventures)
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Interview begins: 05:19 Josh Chapman is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Konvoy Ventures. Konvoy is an early-stage venture fund focused exclusively on esports & video gaming. They are dedicated to partnering with and supporting founders in this industry at the earliest stages. Konvoy was founded in 2017 and based in Denver, Colorado. We discuss:
Learn more about Konvoy Ventures: https://konvoy.vc/ |
Jul 01, 2019 |
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UP048: Balto // selling sales software to salesmen (feat. David Geiger of TeamDynamix)
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Interview begins: 07:44 Marc Bernstein is the CEO of Balto. Balto helps sales, service, and accounts receivable reps win as much revenue as possible from every phone call. Teams use Balto's artificial intelligence software to analyze phone calls in real time - live while the call is still happening - and instantly provides reps recommendations on how to communicate as effectively as possible before it's too late. Here’s a preview on what’s in store for you on this episode:
Balto was founded in 2017 and based in St. Louis, Missouri. This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland. Learn more about or get in touch with Taft: https://www.taftlaw.com/ |
Jun 26, 2019 |
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CC023: connecting recent college grads to startups // a Coffee Chat with Amy Nelson (Venture for America)
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Interview begins: 06:33 Amy Nelson is the CEO of Venture For America (VFA). VFA is a two-year fellowship program for recent grads who want to work at a startup and create jobs in American cities. Fellows learn important startup skills at our month-long Training Camp, apply for jobs within our vetted company network, and work for two years as full-time, salaried employees in one of 14 cities.
Learn more about Venture For America: https://ventureforamerica.org/ |
Jun 24, 2019 |
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UP047: Momentous // supplements used by professional athletes and available to you (feat. Tenika Seitz)
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Interview begins: 09:33 Matt Wan is the founder and CEO of Momentous. Momentous is a nutritional supplement company driven by science, consumed by transparency, and grounded in experience. With products designed by NFL, NBA, and NHL human performance experts, Momentous has leveraged the best knowledge in sports in order to deliver innovative products that only use high quality ingredients, absolutely no fillers, are certified safe, and taste phenomenal. Momentous was founded in 2016 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Follow Tenika on Twitter: https://www.instagram.com/tenikatime/ This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland. Learn more about or get in touch with Taft: https://www.taftlaw.com/ |
Jun 19, 2019 |
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CC022: connecting the coasts to the heartland // a Coffee Chat from the Comeback Cities Tour
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Interview starts: 06:15 This conversation took place on the third Comeback Cities tour on May 15, 2019, aimed at connecting venture capitalists from the East and West Coasts with investment opportunities in the heartland. It also had stops in Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Youngstown. This conversation includes: Ashley Brasier and Janou Gordon from Lightspeed Ventures Partners, a Bay Area VC firm focusing on early stage investments in the enterprise technology and consumer space. Courtney Buie Lipkin from First Round Capital, a Bay Area and Philadelphia based early stage VC fund specializing in technology based around real estate, manufacturing, logistics, agriculture, and transportation, among other industries.
Nitin Pachisia from Unshackled Ventures, a Bay Area based early stage venture capital fund for immigrant founded startups. Patrick McKenna from HighRidge Venture Partners, which invests in early stage companies and focuses on tech startups bases outside of Silicon Valley Peter Rojas from Betaworks Ventures, a seed stage venture capital fund based in New York and the Bay Area investing in network-focused, consumer-facing media businesses. Roy Bahat from Bloomberg Beta, an early stage venture capital fund based in the Bay Area and New York focused on investing in the future of work. Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm |
Jun 17, 2019 |
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UP046: MITO Material Solutions // chemical additives for tougher composites
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Haley Keith is the co-founder and CEO of MITO Material Solutions. MITO Material Solutions developed a nano-additive named the “MITO T-Series.” The T-Series is mixed in with any epoxy or resin, which then toughens composite parts by 100% while decreasing the chances of mechanical failure by 80%. This allows industries to pick which value they would like to have in their products: a 100% increase in toughness, or up to a 35% decrease of materials needed. MITO Material Solutions was founded in 2015 and based in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Learn more about MITO Material Solutions: https://www.mitomaterials.com/ Learn more about or get in touch with Taft: https://www.taftlaw.com/ |
Jun 12, 2019 |
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UP045: GTI Fabrication // scaling modular construction through pre-fabrication
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Interview begins: 09:04 Rich Stapleton is the co-owner and CEO of GTI Fabrication. GTI Fabrication creates modular containerized solutions. Products include Modular Shower, Kitchen, Gym, Farm, Security, Office, Mobile Beverage, Mobile Showcase, Modular Construction, and Currency Mining Units. GTI Fabrication was founded in 2015 and based in Buffalo, New York. Learn more about GTI Fabrication: https://www.gtifabrication.com/ -- This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland. Learn more about or get in touch with Taft: https://www.taftlaw.com/ |
Jun 05, 2019 |
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UP044: Semtive // building a peer-to-peer power grid using wind turbines (feat. Benjamin Stafford of Clean Energy Economy Minnesota)
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Interview begins: 07:30 Ignacio Juarez is the Founder and CEO of Semtive. Semtive is a Clean Energy startup that was born in Argentina. They believe that access to clean energy should be effortless and affordable. In order to achieve that, the company developed Nemoi, a vertical axis wind turbine designed to work at very low wind-speeds making it ideal for commercial and residential use in urban and suburban areas. Through its state of the art all-in-one micro inverter the whole Nemoi system becomes smart and, using AI and blockchain technology, Nemoi systems nearby can communicate with each other to improve energy management and efficiency. Nemoi can work as a stand alone system or in combination with other energy sources and storage devices. Semtive was founded in 2009 and based in Austin, Texas. Learn more about Semtive: https://semtive.com/ // Benjamin Stafford is the Director of Policy and Public Affairs for Clean Energy Economy Minnesota. He serves as advocate and liaison to key industry stakeholders, elected officials, community leaders, and policymakers. He works with member companies and stakeholders to develop and implement strategies to ensure CEEM's organizational interests are advanced in legislation and regulatory policy work. Follow Benjamin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenjArtStafford // This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland. Learn more about or get in touch with Taft: https://www.taftlaw.com/ |
May 29, 2019 |
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UP043: inKind // redesigning restaurant financing with House Accounts (feat. Kevin Tien of Himitsu and Hot Lola's)
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Interview begins: 07:12 Johann Moonesinghe is the co-founder and CEO of inKind. inKind has invented a new form of finance where they purchase a bulk amount of food and beverage credit up-front from a restaurant, and then sell it to guests over time. They purchase large dollar amounts of credit in the restaurants (average $100,000) for a discount and then sell the credit to consumers as large gift cards (average $750) with a bonus. inKind was founded in 2016 and based in Austin, Texas. Learn more about inKind: https://www.inkind.com/ // Kevin Tien is the Executive Chef at Himitsu in Washington, D.C., and Hot Lola’s in Arlington, VA. He was nominated as a Rising Star Chef of the Year by the James Beard Foundation, and has now used InKind to open two restaurants. Learn more about Himitsu: https://www.himitsudc.com/ // This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland. Learn more about or get in touch with Taft: https://www.taftlaw.com/ |
May 22, 2019 |
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CC021: thinking big, fearing less, and listening deeply in Madison // a Coffee Chat with Scott Resnick (StartingBlock)
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Interview begins: 05:12 Scott Resnick is the founder and former executive director of StartingBlock Madison. StartingBlock is a 50,000 sq foot entrepreneurial hub which opened in 2018. Scott led efforts to raise millions dollars to build the “beacon for Midwest startups” particularly around technologies spurred by the University of Wisconsin. The organization connects startups to corporate partners clustered in the healthcare, manufacturing, insurance and gaming industries, and provides links to mentors and capital partners.
Learn more about StartingBlock: https://www.startingblockmadison.org/ |
May 20, 2019 |
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UP042: Threatcare // automated third-party threat detection
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Interview begins: 07:55 Marcus Carey is the founder and CEO of Threatcare. Threatcare allows organizations to better defend against cybersecurity threats by improving vulnerability management and defense capabilities. Threatcare’s Violet platform is a Breach and Attack Simulation Technology that allows security teams, incident responders, and network forensic practitioners to reduce their attack surface by continuously monitoring their cybersecurity posture.
Learn more about Threatcare: https://www.threatcare.com/ // This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland. Learn more about or get in touch with Taft: https://www.taftlaw.com/ |
May 15, 2019 |
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CC020: bootstrapping the world’s largest real estate community to over 1m members // a Coffee Chat with Josh Dorkin (BiggerPockets)
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Interview begins: 07:00 Josh Dorkin is the founder and former CEO of BiggerPockets. BiggerPockets.com is the nation’s largest and most active real estate investing social network, designed to simplify and enhance networking, deal making, data evaluation, education, marketing and transactions for investors, consumers and professionals. As of January 2019, the BiggerPockets podcast had amassed over 58 million downloads and was the top real estate investing podcast on iTunes. Their publishing arm, BiggerPockets Publishing, launched in 2013, has published 17 print books. These titles remain near the top of the real estate charts since launching, selling almost 350,000 collective copies in just five years. BiggerPockets was founded in 2004 and based in Denver, Colorado. Learn more about BiggerPockets: https://biggerpockets.com |
May 13, 2019 |
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Library Magic Pt. 2 // Jay's one year reflection
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Hey guys, welcome to part two of Library magic. Eric and I are celebrating one year of upside, and as he mentioned last week in part one, we were particularly struck by Monique Villa’s comment in our fifth Coffee Chat: “It’s sort of like novelists, whenever you read a book, you’re getting the benefit of someone’s life’s work that they’ve put into book form. And I really think of founders that way. Anytime I meet a founder, I’m absorbing something that they’ve been working on for years or sometimes decades -- sometimes longer than I’ve been alive -- and I just love diving into something and learning about a new industry. And learning about a new way that this industry is being looked at by people who have been, frankly, often times confined by the traditional industry and, and see this opportunity of what the world could become.” We’ve spoken to over 100 founders in this past year, and published more than 40 of those conversations as episodes here on upside. That’s over 100 “founder novels” in our library. But these aren’t your typical books. We’re not interested in collecting an incremental set of Harry Potter books, and more interested in collecting the rare books that are difficult to find or discarded based on their cover. We’re looking for what the book world calls, “first editions.” First editions are prized because they are as close as a reader can get to the source. They are the way the book first appeared to readers, with the original cover art, and sometimes even the original typos. One of my virtual mentors, Seth Godin, also talked about the value of books in his interview on the Tim Ferriss Show: “A book is a screaming bargain. You pay $15-20, and you have something that might change your life; you have something that reminds you 20 years later, sitting on the shelf, where you were when you read it.” I’d say the same is true of running a podcast for a year. It’s an order of magnitude more expensive and a whole lot more work, but you build a library that no one else has. You have control over your library. And our library is eclectic. Over the past year, we’ve spoken with founders in more than 30 cities, including founders outside of the United States. We’ve spoken with bootstrapped founders and we’ve spoken to venture investors. We’ve spoken with community builders and we’ve spoken with community members. We’ve spoken to immigrants, and we’ve spoken to former academics. Our conversations have ranged from virtual reality athletic training to enterprise blockchain to children’s toys. We’ve augmented our learning with the perspectives of guests that are users of a product or investors in a particular market. And while reading the books of others, we were writing our own. Our story is one of exploring the fringes. We’re just as interested in learning about defense drones as we are in material science and Quantum Dots. We look through an investors’ lens through most of our interviews, but we’re just as interested in exploring the fringes of the financing options that are available to bootstrappers and indie hackers like TinySeed and Earnest Capital. For a long time, the founders we speak with were considered on the fringes of investable geography. Investors weren’t all that interested in traveling to Tulsa, Oklahoma, or Lincoln, Nebraska. But these locations aren’t by chance… Preteckt, a commercial vehicle prognostics company and SOMAVAC, an out-patient medical device, found a home in Memphis, Tennessee, where accelerators brought them to the doorstep of their ideal clients. Freshfry, a technology that purifies cooking oil, calls Louisville home, where they can sit within the franchising capital of the world. Frank Jackman of Local Crate setup shop in Minneapolis, where he both learned from Schwann’s and build his geographical advantage through local depots for food delivery. ...and they aren’t the disadvantage they were assumed to be. Corbett Morgan of LOOP Returns is building a reverse-logistics infrastructure to let ecommerce companies all over the country compete with Amazon. ShearShare is located outside of Dallas where they have access to the largest percentage of licensed cosmetologists, while employing a remote team of engineers. The same is true of Vlipsy, a consumer app in Ohio that promises its engineers a better life through remote work. It turns out, it’s not so crazy to start a financial data platform in Florida, or a travel and swim apparel company in St. Louis. The advantages of areas inside the coasts aren’t just cost-savings, but instead include things like proximity to customers, supply chain and logistic advantages, and access to Fortune 500 companies who Summer Crenshaw told us would take her call when you’re in their backyard, “because they are nice, and they want to help.” And you don’t have to get giant checks to start -- sometimes, like in the case with Nick Potts, living in a trailer in your parents’ backyard can afford the runway to get your first contract with a national pharmacy chain. These founders are scrappy. That may be teaching themselves to code in the case of Seth Miller of Rapchat, or that may be finding non-dilutive funding through grants and pitch competitions like Tony Bova of Mobius. Of course, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows, and sure, some founders are located by happenstance. There are still strides to be made in terms of investor education in local ecosystems and convincing investors to invest in other ecosystems. Just about every ecosystem we speak with could use more density and diversity in terms of talent, capital, and support. Our episode with Stephanie Manning was my first exposure to the idea of a “platform” team within Venture Capital. I think “platform” as a concept will mature first within ecosystems, and then across ecosystems. Because none of the founders we’ve spoken to bought into the narrative that you must be in Silicon Valley to start a company. None of the community builders either. They’re finding a way and writing their own narrative. And with this podcast, we just so happen to be the beneficiaries of those narratives. Now, as Eric would tell you, I don’t read a lot of paper books. When you’re a founder, you don’t have time to learn for learning’s sake. Instead of picking up a book “just in case” you need that knowledge later, you’re more often forced to learn things “just in time” for you to use them. And for the last several years, I’ve found myself in this camp. And it’s for this reason that I often find myself opting to learn directly from the “books” of others. When a problem comes up, I find someone I know has already faced or solved that problem, and I look first for their insight. I gravitate to audiobooks and recorded conversations, just like we have here on the podcast. Looking forward, we will continue to collect new and interesting stories here on our show. We’re always looking for those first editions. Thanks to our earliest guests for jumping under the microscope with nothing but an idea. Thanks to Matt Pasternack and Pat Gibson for helping us create the look and sound of the show without a moment’s hesitation. Thank you to Andy Curran and Alex Wittenberg for recording our first interviews which were so bad that they’ll never see the light of day. Thanks to Taft for making their first podcast sponsorship with us. Thanks to Nathan for making Eric and I sound much smarter in post-production than we ever do in actual production. And thanks to you for listening to our show and supporting us. We’re always grateful to hear from you, and look forward to sharing more with you over the next trip around the sun. I assure you, we’ll keep exploring those fringes. Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm |
May 08, 2019 |
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CC019: take two // a surprise Coffee Chat with Nathan Todhunter (editor)
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We've had a lot of success in our first year of upside. Or at least it seems that way, through the magic of post-production! A few weeks ago, our editor + audio engineer Nathan told us he had a surprise for us. Soon after, we had an episode in our Dropbox we weren't expecting -- a collection of bloopers from the past year. Nathan is "the man behind the curtain" who makes Eric and I sound like we know what we're talking about. If you heard the episodes in the form that he hears the episodes, it wouldn't be pretty. And we thought it fit perfectly between our two-week series of reflections on one year of upside. You've heard us at our best -- and now you can hear us at our worst. Enjoy.
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May 06, 2019 |
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Library Magic Pt. 1 // Eric's one year reflection
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On upside, failure hasn’t really been the default. Most initiatives have come naturally and been met with, at worst, mildly positive reception. For the last few months, Jay and I have been struggling to find to an appropriate way to commemorate one year. We planned a multi-week festival of podcasts. Too much. Today, we’re going to try something different. I’m going to speak to you host to listener, one to one, on my takeaways from one year of upside and what I see in the future. Monique Villa changed my perspective of the podcast when she said that, to her, “founders are like books.” This podcast - therefore - is a growing, curated library. Growing up, I was fascinated by libraries. Being surrounded by books is one of the two environments in which I feel a sense of complete belonging. The ability to disappear into a rack of books or simply peruse the aisles puts me in a state of awe. The output of thousands of human brains sitting on racks of dead trees waiting for your undivided attention. But when you choose a book and you read a book, that’s where the magic happens. Mrs. Wilder, our grade school librarian, used to let me sneak into the library on bathroom breaks to read a few extra pages of the books I burrowed about the shelves, out of the sights of the Dewey decimal system and curious classmates. We had a book limit of 5 books per week, causing those with prominent shelving to incite a stampede during library time. When i could, I read those. When I couldn’t I read rest of the library - the undervalued titles that didn’t get the shelf space they deserved, the books with ugly covers, or boring titles on something like insect species. Great books make you feel by teaching you something you already know in a way that’s different from what you know. When you read a great book, you aren’t being lectured, you’re having a dialogue. They say to never judge a book by its cover, and it’s my belief that you can’t truly judge a book until you’ve finished it. I’ve found parallels between traits of great books and traits of great founders. First, they weave a thread through every chapter, through every answer. Sometimes unintelligible at first but always present. The history of the word “mantra” stems from Hindi and the act that ceremonializes and ratifies a ritual. To great founders, this ritual is their life’s work. They can’t answer a question about their business without hinting at the bigger vision. Nick Potts, the CEO of Scriptdrop, can hardly go 20 minutes without talking about his goal of helping one billion patients.
Ashlee Ammon from Mixtroz literally made shirts to wear to a conference that said “Black Female Founder Fund Me” because she recognized she didn’t fit the model. Then she became the 37th black female founder to raise $1M in VC. Great founders don’t conform, they make their nonconformities shine and build a competitive advantage around it. Third, they come highly recommended. Early on, Jay and I learned to use scarcity in our asks. We rarely ask for intros to more than 2-3 companies in an ecosystem and give very specific guidelines for what we are looking for. Usually, the same founder or two will emerge. In the Ross Baird / Village Capital model, founders know real founders. The local tech darling isn’t usually the best company. Ezra Galston is a fantastic example of this. We asked for the best early stage venture capitalist in Chicago and three separate people recommended Ezra. In a world where your reputation matters, and matters a lot, those kind of people are who we aspire to talk to and who we aspire to be. My favorite song by The Head and the Heart is called Library Magic. It’s a song about being inspired by those who live the lyrics they create. It’s a song about living your lyrics. In this last year, Jay and I have created a library of over 60 episodes of founders, venture capitalists, and community builders who eat, sleep, and breathe their mission. It’s inspiring. It’s eye-opening, And, it’s humbling that they spend time away from their mission with us. We constantly feel the warm embrace of Library Magic whispering through the dusty aisles. On a note looking towards the future, Nassim Nicholas Taleb says that the unread books in a library are more valuable than the read books. Those unread books present opportunity, potential growth, and new learning. I cannot wait to find new books and pull them into our ever growing upside library. Thank you to everyone who has listened thus far, our fortitude would be immensely challenged without you. Thank you to our first sponsor, Taft, who took a gamble on us and a crazy non-traditional idea for sponsorship. Thank you to Nathan, without whom we would be still be podcast tadpoles. And, finally but most importantly, thank you to everyone who has been on the show - featured guests, insight guests, guest hosts - you have helped us in ways untold.
Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm |
May 01, 2019 |
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CC018: building the front door to #StartupCincy // a Coffee Chat with Eric Weissman (Cintrifuse) (Live from Cincinnati Podcast Festival 2018)
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This episode comes from the Cincinnati Podcast Festival on November 1, 2018. Eric Weissman is the Vice President of Communications, Community & Economic Inclusion at Cintrifuse. Cintrifuse has one clear mission: to make Greater Cincinnati the #1 tech startup hub in the midwest and among the most attractive innovation hubs in the nation. It creates jobs, brings talent, attracts investment, and unlocks our region’s potential to lead innovation in a wide range of industries. Eric was part of the founding team of Cintrifuse. Responsible for establishing the strategy, messaging, branding and positioning for the effort to catalyze growth through attracting and retaining startups. He leads the team credited with igniting the #StartupCincy effort, evolving it from just a social media hashtag to a movement and now a reputable community recognized from coast-to-coast. Learn more about Cintrifuse: https://www.cintrifuse.com/ |
Apr 29, 2019 |
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UP041: HoloMe // human holograms made easy with augmented reality
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Interview begins: 07:10 Janosch Amstutz is the Founder and CEO of HoloMe.
HoloMe was founded in 2017 and based in London, United Kington. Learn more about HoloMe: https://www.holome.co.uk/ // This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland. Learn more about or get in touch with Taft: https://www.taftlaw.com/ |
Apr 24, 2019 |
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CC017: building a world class venture firm in Chicago // a Coffee Chat with Ezra Galston (Starting Line)
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Interview begins: 05:47 Ezra Galston is the Founding Partner at Starting Line. Starting Line is a thematic early stage venture capital fund focused on investing in consumer services and products that are both cheaper and better. They want to be the number one stop for any entrepreneur building a consumer brand outside of the coast. Starting Line was founded in 2018 and based in Chicago, Illinois. Learn more about Starting Line: https://www.startingline.vc/ |
Apr 22, 2019 |
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UP040: Plus One Robotics // solving the cluttered pile problem with vision-based robotics (feat. Nick Solaro of Drive Capital)
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Interview begins: 07:58 Erik Nieves is the Founder and CEO of Plus One Robotics. Plus One Robotics develops computer vision software to enable robotic automation in supply chain applications. The integration of off-the-shelf high-performance manipulators with Plus One's advanced vision capabilities enables robots to bridge the gap between steady state volume and surge. Plus One's technology mitigates the persistent shortage of manual labor and allows warehouse personnel to flow from monotonous tasks to higher-value work. Plus One's novel approach to human-robot collaboration and supervised autonomy ensures the systems are scalable, flexible and fault-tolerant. They've received $10.6M in funding to date from Pritzker Group Venture Capital ($8.3M Series A) and Schematic Ventures ($2.4M seed) Plus One Robotics was founded in 2015 and based in San Antonio, TX.
Nick Solaro is an investment partner at the Columbus venture capital firm Drive Capital. One of Nick’s focuses for Drive is its investments in robotics companies, of which the firm has made a handful in recent years. Learn more about Drive Capital: https://www.drivecapital.com/ // This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland. Learn more about or get in touch with Taft: https://www.taftlaw.com/ |
Apr 17, 2019 |
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CC016: a new source of funding and optionality for early stage founders // a Coffee Chat with Tyler Tringas (Earnest Capital) and Kevin McArdle (SureSwift Capital)
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Interview begins: 06:02 Tyler Tringas is the General Partner at Earnest Capital. Earnest Capital provides early-stage funding, resources and a network of experienced advisors to bootstrappers, indie hackers, makers and real businesses.
Earnest Capital is a collaboration between Tyler Tringas and SureSwift Capital and was founded in 2018. Learn more about Earnest Capital: https://earnestcapital.com //
SureSwift is a holding company that actively invests in, and holds on to emerging media and SaaS properties with the intent to provide exceptional value to existing and future clients. We are a team of 75+ remote individuals in 14 times zones. SureSwift was founded in 2015 and based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Learn more about SureSwift Capital: https://www.sureswiftcapital.com/ Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm |
Apr 15, 2019 |
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UP039: Backtracks // data analytics for podcasters (feat. Meb Faber of Cambria Investment Management)
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Interview begins: 07:29 Jonathan Gill is the founder and CEO of Backtracks. Backtracks is an analytics and hosting platform that helps podcasters know & grow their podcast audience. They are an audio-oriented, highly technical team that have worked on 30+ albums, voted in the Grammy Awards, worked on NASA space station software, hold multiple patents, built massive e-commerce and payments systems (for the likes of Dell, American Express, Visa, etc.) Backtracks was founded in 2016 and based in Austin, Texas. Learn more about Backtracks: https://backtracks.fm/ // Meb Faber is a co-founder and the Chief Investment Officer of Cambria Investment Management. Meb is the manager of Cambria’s ETFs and separate accounts. He is also the host of The Meb Faber Show podcast and has authored numerous white papers and leather-bound books. He is a frequent speaker and writer on investment strategies and has been featured in Barron’s, The New York Times, and The New Yorker. Meb graduated from the University of Virginia with a double major in Engineering Science and Biology. Follow Meb on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MebFaber // This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland. Learn more about or get in touch with Taft: https://www.taftlaw.com/ |
Apr 10, 2019 |
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JE008: consume, contribute, create // how founders, VCs, and community builders should podcast
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Nearly a year into publishing weekly episodes of the show, we have a lot of thoughts about the world of podcasting and specifically how startup founders, VCs, and community builders can leverage podcasting. So this week, we are sharing with you the three main strategies for engaging with the podcasting medium. Namely, consuming, contributing to, and creating podcasts. Especially if you plan to try to appear on podcasts or create your own, you need to hear this. Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm |
Apr 03, 2019 |
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CC015: geography and investing, should location matter? (live from SXSW 2019) // a panel with Andy Sparks (Holloway), Rachel Carpenter (Intrinio), and Brandon Bryant (Harlem Capital)
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Last month, we had the pleasure of hosting a panel at SXSW called Geography vs. Investing: Should Location Matter? This would not have been possible without the support and voting of our listeners, and we really appreciate your help. Please enjoy the panel, recorded in full, including audience Q&A at the end. Panel description: But even with world-changing companies being built all over, access to capital is still concentrated in Silicon Valley. But we’ve found investors inside the coasts investing in Silicon Valley, as well as Silicon Valley investors funding companies inside the coasts. This panel examines the role geography plays in investment, what role it SHOULD play, and how investors can find companies with upside regardless of geography. // Brandon Bryant received his degree in economics from Ohio State University and worked at Bank of America Merrill Lynch as an investment banker for 3 years. Afterwards he transitioned to the marketing world as a social media content creator (@wallstreetpaper) working with companies like Uber, Microsoft, Walmart, WSJ and GQ. He also co-founded Harlem Capital, an early stage venture capital fund that is focused on investing companies founded by people of color and women.
// Rachel Carpenter is the Chief Executive Officer and a founding partner of Intrinio, a disruptive financial data platform launched in 2015. Based in the company’s Florida office, Rachel has overall responsibility for Intrinio including driving its strategy and position for long term growth. She is an advanced front-end web developer and a graduate of The Starter League Advanced web design course. Rachel graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BBA in both Finance and Management and minors in Spanish and European Studies. Rachel is a member of the Forbes Finance Council, a member of the Data Coalition advocating for open, structured data, and a Board Member at CASA (Community Action Stops Abuse), the largest domestic violence shelter in Florida. Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rachel_Ann_C
Andy Sparks is the Co-Founder & CEO of Holloway, a new digital publishing company focused on publishing the best knowledge on navigating the challenges of modern work for all to find. Holloway is backed by NEA and The New York Times. Previously, he co-founded Mattermark, a provider of data on private companies that raised more than $17M and sold for far less than that. Andy graduated from The Ohio State University, lives in San Francisco, and will be publishing a book on how to raise venture capital later this summer.
Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm |
Apr 01, 2019 |
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UP038: Clever // lowering real estate transaction costs by connecting sellers to agents (feat. Erik Berg of Rev1 Ventures)
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Interview begins: 08:30 Ben Mizes is the founder and CEO of Clever Real Estate. Clever Real Estate is a nationwide referral service that helps you sell your home and save on commission. Clever's network of partner agents includes over 1,000 top local agents, who provide Clever home-sellers (and buyers) with full service to list and market their home -- and help with all of the paperwork and negotiations to get you through to closing -- but at a fraction of the usual cost: just a flat fee of $3,000 if your home sells for less than $350K, or 1% commission if your home sells for more than $350K. // Erik Berg is an Investment Fund Analyst for Rev1 Ventures. Erik helps to source and evaluate high-growth technology companies for potential investment. He regularly conducts due diligence on startups as part of Rev1’s investment process including financial analysis, reference checks, legal document review, and return modeling. Additionally, he helps coordinate the investment closing process by ensuring all key deliverables are executed on and properly documented. Follow Erik on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aBergsEyeView // Learn more about Clever: https://listwithclever.com/ |
Mar 27, 2019 |
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CC014: connecting the Air Force and innovation // a Coffee Chat with Vince Pecoraro and Luis Cordova (AFWERX)
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Interview begins: 06:46 Vince Pecoraro is the Capability Lead of Agile Contracting for AFWERX. Established in 2017 by the Secretary of the Air Force and reporting to the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, AFWERX is a catalyst for agile Air Force engagement across industry, academia and non-traditional contributors to create transformative opportunities and foster an Air Force culture of innovation. The ultimate aim is to solve problems and enhance the effectiveness of the Air Force. AFWERX combines startup urgency with the largest pool of motivated talent in the world to uncover opportunities to improve Air Force capabilities, connect and engage the right stakeholders, and facilitate outcomes. AFWERX has hubs in Austin, Washington D.C., and Las Vegas. Learn more about AFWERX: https://www.afwerx.af.mil/ |
Mar 25, 2019 |
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UP037: Preteckt // real-time vehicle prognostics using machine learning
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Interview begins: 06:44 Ken Sills is the co-founder and CEO of Preteckt. Since developing the initial prototype of this hardware/software solution in 2015, Ken has been focused on building Preteckt's team of engineers, scientists, business developers, and sales professionals so that the automotive industry can benefit from Vehicle Prognostics as a Service. Ken has over two decades of R&D experience creating solutions that couple hardware, software, and data science. Preteckt uses machine learning to predict vehicle service needs before they get serious. Trucks on their network learn from each other so that our customers can predict breakdowns weeks or months before they cause downtime. Their connected hardware gives real-time, unparalleled insight into vehicle maintenance needs. It's like driving with a master mechanic in your engine compartment. Preteckt was founded in 2015 and based in Memphis, Tennessee. Learn more about Preteckt: https://preteckt.com/ |
Mar 20, 2019 |
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CC013: how Pittsburgh leverages state funding to spur innovation // a Coffee Chat with Terri Glueck and Leah Simoncelli (Innovation Works)
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Interview begins: 06:32 Terri Glueck is the Director of Communications at Innovation Works. Leah Simoncelli is the Coordinator of the AlphaLab Gear Hardware Cup. As Director of Community Development & Communications, Terri Glueck leads Innovation Works’ communications efforts. Having joined Innovation Works in its own startup phase, Terri has helped build Innovation Works’ brand as one of the nation’s most active seed-stage investors and a global model for technology-based economic development. Leah runs the AlphaLab Gear Hardware Cup, an international pitch competition for early-stage hardware startups. She leads the outreach, marketing, and event management efforts for the US regional competitions, connecting entrepreneurs, angels, VCs, and the startup community across the nation. She also provides support to partners holding Hardware Cup events around the world, including partners in Israel, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and India. Additionally, she manages marketing for the AlphaLab Gear program, which includes everything from traveling to meet startups around the US to creating and implementing a social media strategy to planning collaborative events in the AlphaLab Gear space. Innovation Works is the Ben Franklin Technology Partner of Southwestern PA and is supported by the Department of Community and Economic Development. The Innovation Works mission is to introduce, connect, support and expand the startup & entrepreneurial ecosystem within Southwestern Pennsylvania, making the region a center for innovative startups and tech investors from around the country. They are the largest seed stage investor in Southwestern PA, having invested $78M over nearly 400 companies. Founded in 1999, Innovation Works is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Learn more about Innovation Works: https://www.innovationworks.org/ |
Mar 18, 2019 |
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UP036: Periodic Edibles // getting into the weeds of building a cannabis brand
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Interview begins: 05:52 Wayne Schwind is the founder and CEO of Periodic Edibles. Periodic Edibles creates cannabis-infused caramels with consistent and repeatable effects. Wayne graduated from Michigan Technological University in 2010 with a Bachelors in Chemical Engineering. Upon graduation he moved to Portland, Oregon for a job in technical sales in the industrial water treatment industry. In July of 2015 he left the sales position and started Periodic Edibles. After a year and a half in the medical market, they received our State recreational license on February 1, 2017. Since then our team has gotten Periodic Edibles into more than 150 retail locations. Learn more about Periodic Edibles: https://periodicedibles.com |
Mar 13, 2019 |
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JE007: why we created the update, issue one
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Last Friday, March 1, we released issue one of the update. In this week's episode, we explain why and go behind the scenes of how it came together. At upside, we focus on startups, startup communities, and startup investing outside of Silicon Valley. We have our ears to the ground, arms wide open, and platform ready to tell the stories of amazing founders, venture capitalists, and community builders from across the country who are tackling problems in their own unique way. From the outside, it seems that our communities aren’t being understood. So we launched the update, a publication featuring editorials, trends, and stories happening outside of Silicon Valley. Our contributors live in the world outside of Silicon Valley and we think you’re going to love their genuine perspective. Articles: building relationships with investors — before you need their money by Allie Felix
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Mar 06, 2019 |
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UP035: Exaeris // pulling drinkable water out of thin air (live from CES 2019)
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Interview begins: 06:52 John Galbraith (CEO) and Michael Joyce (COO) are the co-founders of Exaeris Water Innovations. Exaeris developed a patent-pending atmospheric water generator based on technology developed at the University of Tulsa that provides a consistent and reliable source of water. The AcquaTap™ from Exaeris captures and collects pure water from the atmosphere. A single unit is about the size of a shoebox and is capable of producing up to five gallons of clean water per day. Exaeris was founded in 2015 and based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Learn more about Exaeris: http://www.exaeris.com/ |
Feb 27, 2019 |
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CC012: how Cleveland is rallying their community around a new tech movement // a Coffee Chat with Bernie Moreno (Blockland)
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Interview begins: 06:26 Bernie Moreno is the President of the Bernie Moreno Companies. He has 20+ years in the retail automotive business. In 2005, he purchased what has become the largest volume Mercedes-Benz dealership in the Central US. At one point, he owned 21 dealerships. He is on the board of Dryver, a personal driver company and owns Hotcards, an online print broker. He also founded Ownum, which is an incubator for blockchain and other technology companies. One of those first companies is Champ, which digitizes car titles. His was the first Mercedes-Benz and Porsche dealership in the US to accept virtually all kinds of crypto currency. Bernie helped start the Blockland Cleveland Blockchain Solutions Conference, an effort to make Cleveland the epicenter of blockchain technology for business and government applications. The Blockland initiative exists to educate and promote real-world blockchain applications, while establishing and leading a blockchain ecosystem with support from private, public and philanthropic individuals and organizations. The Solutions Conference took place in Cleveland December 1-4, 2018, with over 2000 attendees, 149 speakers, and more. Learn more about Blockland Cleveland: https://www.blocklandcleveland.com |
Feb 25, 2019 |
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UP034: Testcard // at-home medical diagnostic using urinalysis and your smart phone (live from CES 2019)
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Interview begins: 07:09 Luke Heron is the co-founder and CEO of Testcard. TestCard is a medical diagnostic test contained within a traditional postcard. The unique, patent-pending ‘flat-pack’ product is embedded with three fold-out urine dipsticks. The accompanying easy-to-use mobile application turns a mobile phone’s camera into a clinical grade scanner, providing the user with an immediate and accurate result from the TestCard, communicated in easy-to-understand wording on the phone screen. This episode was recorded at CES 2019, where Testcard was named a Top Emerging technology by Digital Trends. Testcard was founded in 2017 and based in London, UK. Learn more about Testcard: https://testcard.com/ Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm |
Feb 20, 2019 |
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CC011: making the startup ecosystem bigger in Texas // a Coffee Chat with Bryan Chambers (Capital Factory)
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Interview begins: 07:03 Bryan serves as Capital Factory’s Vice President of Accelerator and Investment Fund. Bryan is a business development and investment professional experienced in portfolio management and venture capital transactions. Prior to joining Capital Factory, Bryan established the Blackstone Launchpad and UT Dallas Seed Fund at the University of Texas at Dallas where he actively advises students, entrepreneurs, and early-stage ventures and serves as a member of the entrepreneurship faculty. Bryan is a founding team member and at Fixd Repair, an insurance technology and home services business where he led the business corporate development strategy. Bryan has spent his career working with and investing in venture-backed startups including ReachLocal, LevelUp, and Fran POS. //
They meet the best entrepreneurs in Texas and introduce them to their first investors, employees, mentors, and customers. According to Pitchbook, Capital Factory has been the most active investor in Texas since 2013. Founded in 2009, Capital Factory is based in Austin, Texas. Learn more about Capital Factory: https://www.capitalfactory.com |
Feb 18, 2019 |
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UP033: SOMAVAC® Medical // improving outpatient recovery from major surgeries
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Insight begins: 08:27 Esra Roan is the co-founder of SOMAVAC® Medical Solutions. Prior to her role with SOMAVAC®, she was an Associate Professor in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Memphis. Esra's more than 15 years of experience in product development and biomedical research gives her the tools to enhance the lives of patients with products that make a difference. Her education is in Mechanical Engineering (TTU and U of Cincinnati).
SOMAVAC® Medical is a medical device company with a mission to change how patients recover after major surgeries, wherever that may be. Its first FDA cleared product, the SOMAVAC® 100 Sustained Vacuum Device, addresses seroma and hematoma formation with the first continuous suction device. SOMAVAC® Medical was founded in 2016 and based in Memphis, Tennessee. // Dr. Marc Guay practices Otolaryngology with University Hospitals as an ear, nose, and throat doctor serving the community of Sheffield Village, OH. Dr. Guay received his medical degree from Loyola University Chicago and is certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology. He completed his internship in general surgery at Loyola University Medical Center and a residency in otolaryngology at Cleveland Clinic.
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Feb 13, 2019 |
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CC010: the pros and cons of angel funds // a Coffee Chat with Todd Federman (North Coast Angel Fund)
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Interview begins: 06:10 Todd Federman is the Manging Director for the North Coast Angel Fund. Todd has served as the Executive Director of North Coast Angel Fund since its founding in 2006. Prior to joining NCAF, Todd worked as a full-time independent consultant for the brand strategy team at a leading web services company, co-leading efforts in developing word-of-mouth marketing and experiential marketing initiatives. Previously, Todd worked for DiamondCluster, a global management consulting firm subsequently acquired by PWC. At Diamond, his work included managing the development and launch of a consumer software product, assessing the cost/revenue implications of an enterprise architecture strategy for a leading health insurer, and architecting a new continuous improvement organization for a regional Blue Cross Blue Shield provider. Previously, Todd co-founded, and remains active with “One With Nature,” an all-natural line of body care products carried in 4,000 retail locations. Todd currently serves on the Boards of Directors for NCAF portfolio companies StreamLink Software, DecisionDesk (formerly CitizenGroove), and Petbrosia. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Youth Opportunities Unlimited, a Cleveland non-profit that empowers urban teens through job training, placement and entrepreneurship education. Todd holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Kent State University and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. //
Founded in 2006, North Coast Angel Fund is based in Cleveland, Ohio. Learn more about North Coast Angel Fund: https://www.northcoastangelfund.com/ |
Feb 11, 2019 |
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UP032: Astral AR // drones that stop bullets and prevent tragedy (live from CES 2019)
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Interview begins at 07:40 Leah La Salla is the co-founder and CEO of Astral AR.
She studied CAD design in college and then spent a decade in software engineering – including five years as a Federal employee – while teaching herself to program in an additional 9 languages, and mentoring around a hundred in women in coding. Leah’s worked on wide range of technically unusual products including fabrication application development, industrial printing, and more conventional app development and app security. She built Astral’s original prototype in between assembling the company team out of the personal and professional network she has built over the course of the last fifteen years. As the inventor of neuromechanical drones with a permanent patent filed on 9 inventions, she hacked NASA with a toaster.
Astral AR builds drones that stop bullets. Their integration of technologies is unbiased by design and exclusively for deployment by uniformed first responders (police, fire, emergency managers) on behalf of lifesaving public safety and search and rescue at scenes of potential or active gun violence. They bring situational awareness, anomaly detection, and an autonomous bullet-stopping flying shield to traffic stops, schools, large public venues, structure fires, and hostage rescues as well as in disaster zones. Astral AR was founded in 2015 and based in Austin, Texas. Learn more about Astral AR: https://www.astralar.com/ Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm |
Feb 06, 2019 |
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CC009: building a collaborative startup ecosystem in Memphis // a Coffee Chat with Katie Milligan (Start Co.)
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Katherine (Katie) Milligan brings the power of public policy to building entrepreneurial communities. She serves as Chief of Staff at Start Co. where she supports the development of corporate, governmental, and investment relationships to support building inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems. Katie previously served as the Director of Small Business and Entrepreneurship for the Delta Regional Authority (DRA), a federal agency that works to improve regional economic opportunity in the eight-state Delta region. While at the DRA, Katie launched the Delta Entrepreneurship Network, a competitive fellowship program to identify entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship support organizations in the Delta. She is a founding member of the Start Here Initiative, a community-led effort in Little Rock seeking to close the gap that exists for women and minorities in access to capital in entrepreneurship. Katie has a B.A. in political science from the University of Mississippi and a M.P.S. from the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service.
Start Co. is a non-profit venture development organization founded in 2008 and located in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee. Start Co. supports the development of corporate, governmental, and investment relationships to build and grow an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem. Learn more about Start Co.: http://neverstop.co/ Follow Katie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kmilligan24 |
Feb 04, 2019 |
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UP031: Woobo // a fuzzy, interactive robot companion for child development (live from CES 2019)
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Feng Tan is the co-founder and CEO of Woobo. Feng is a graduate of Tsinghua University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and Robotics. He also received a Ph.D. in Robotics from MIT. Woobo was founded with one goal in mind: to bring children's imaginary friends to life. By using cutting-edge robotics and AI technology, Woobo provides all children with a smart companion who can talk, amuse, inspire, and grow alongside them. Founded in 2015, Woobo is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This episode was recorded at CES 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Learn more about Woobo: https://www.woobo.io/ |
Jan 30, 2019 |
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UP030: Sense Arena // professional hockey IQ training using VR technology (live from CES 2019 feat. Shane Darrow of Forecheck, Backcheck, Paycheck)
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Bob Tetiva is the founder and CEO for Sense Arena. Sense Arena is a unique, powerful, and innovative tool for developing hockey players, improving their cognitive skills and hockey sense. Using virtual reality, they bring the ice to players' homes, gyms, and centers so they can execute drills just as on the ice but with 1000 times more repetitions. Founded in 2017, Sense Arena is based in Prague (Czech Republic) and Boston, Massachusetts. This episode was recorded at CES 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. // Shane Darrow is the host of Forecheck, Backcheck, Paycheck. Listen to Forecheck, Backcheck, Paycheck on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/forecheck-backcheck-paycheck/id1389666153? // Learn more about Sense Arena: https://www.sensearena.com/ |
Jan 23, 2019 |
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CC008: the first startup accelerator designed for bootstrappers // a Coffee Chat with Rob Walling (TinySeed)
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Rob Walling is a General Partner of TinySeed. He has bootstrapped multiple startups to exit, most recently Drip. He runs MicroConf, co-hosts Startups for the Rest of Us, and has been advising, mentoring and investing in startups for more than a decade. // TinySeed is a year-long, remote accelerator designed for early-stage SaaS founders. It's built by Rob and Einar, two serial entrepreneurs who saw a gap in the ability for non-unicorn startups to raise early-stage funding. It was founded in 2018, and is taking applications for its first cohort until February 15, 2019. Learn more and apply to TinySeed: https://tinyseed.com Follow Rob on Twitter: https://twitter.com/robwalling |
Jan 21, 2019 |
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UP029: CareAlert // helping seniors live independently with in-home sensor technology (live from CES 2019)
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Anand Krishnan is the co-founder and head of platform engineering for CareAlert. Anand is an entrepreneur and technologist with over 20 years of experience building and leading high-performing technology teams in North America, Europe, and Asia. He has founded a technology services company, a renewable energy company and a AI talent platform company. Anand holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Bangalore University and an MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. // CareAlert is a device that looks after the wellbeing of seniors living independently. It allows caregivers to contact seniors via voice using an app, and is independent of any cell phone or landline. CareAlert contains no camera to maintain the dignity and privacy of seniors. Installation is as simple as plugging them into an outlet. Founded in 2016, CareAlert is based in Atlanta, Georgia. This episode was recorded at CES 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Learn more about CareAlert: http://carealert.io |
Jan 16, 2019 |
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CC007: the rise of platform in venture capital // a Coffee Chat with Stephanie Manning (Lerer Hippeau)
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Stephanie Manning is the Director of Platform for Lerer Hippeau. Lerer Hipeau is an early-stage venture capital fund based in New York City. As founders and operators themselves, Lerer Hippeau see returns in relationships. They seek entrepreneurs with product vision, consumer insight, focused execution, and unwavering ambition. Their portfolio companies include Allbirds, Axios, Bark Box, Bench, BuzzFeed, Casper, Giphy, Glossier, Splash, and more. Learn more about Lerer Hippeau: https://www.lererhippeau.com |
Jan 14, 2019 |
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UP028: Summersalt // a direct-to-consumer travelwear brand for women (feat. Karen Howland of CircleUp)
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Lori Coulter is the Founder, CEO and President of Summersalt. Prior to Summersalt, Lori owned and operated Lori Coulter Swimwear for 11 years. Summersalt is a direct-to-consumer, travelwear brand. Their flagship product is designer swimwear without the designer price tag. With a patent on recommending garments based on body type and consumer preference, Summersalt uses more than 10,000 scans of real women’s bodies and some 1.5 million measurements to create what it says are designer-quality garments. Summersalt was founded in 2017 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri. //
CircleUp is an investment platform providing capital and resources to innovative, early-stage consumer brands. CircleUp is comprised of internally-managed funds, an investment marketplace and credit division, which are all powered by Helio, a proprietary machine learning platform that evaluates more than 1.2 million consumer and retail businesses to predict future business success. Learn more about Summersalt: https://www.summersalt.com |
Jan 09, 2019 |
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UP027: ShearShare // an on-demand marketplace for stylists who need work space
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Dr. Tye Caldwell is the Co-founder and CEO of ShearShare. Tye holds a Doctorate of Professional Barbering and is a #1 best-selling author on how to achieve long-term success in the beauty and style industry. He is a recognized beauty expert with more than 20 years of experience in salon and barbershop operations, company culture, customer retention, and team building, he is often called upon to speak at cosmetology and barber schools nationwide. Courtney Caldwell is the Cofounder & COO of ShearShare. Prior to cofounding ShearShare, Courtney managed a boutique consulting firm where she fast-tracked international sales & marketing success for brands such as Zendesk, Zenefits, and Qualtrics. Courtney is a winner of two 2016 Killer Content Awards, named a 2015 Direct Marketing News "40 Under 40" Honoree, a "Top #Nifty50 Women in Tech on Twitter,” and Distinguished Young Alumna of the Year by Texas Military Institute. // ShearShare connects salon and barbershop owners to licensed stylists to fill unused suites and stations on demand. Salon and barbershop owners make money on their empty chairs while licensed cosmetologists and barbers find professional space to work by the day. Founded in 2015, ShearShare is based in Dallas, Texas, and a 500 Startups alum. Learn more about ShearShare: http://shearshare.com |
Jan 02, 2019 |
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JE006: eight crazy months of upside
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Happy holidays from the upside team! We're keeping it short and sweet this week so we don't take you away from what really matters. So we don't have an interview this week, we just have a conversation between the two of us recapping 2018. We've learned a lot in our first year of podcasting, and in this episode we recap the episodes and major takeaways from the last eight crazy months of the pod. Sign up to receive the update: https://upside.fm/update |
Dec 26, 2018 |
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UP026: Bark // predictive software for keeping children safe online
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Titania Jordan is the CMO and Chief Parent Officer of Bark.us. She is also host of CONNECT with Titania Jordan, and former host of NBC Atlanta affiliate WXIA’s weekly television show Atlanta Tech Edge. // Bark is an internet safety solution that helps parents and schools keep children safer across social media, text messaging, and email. Bark works with over 25 social media platforms, iOS and Android texting, and email accounts. Their technology continuously and securely analyzes your child's online activity 24/7. They keep parents in-the-know in real time with email and text alerts that not only tell you what your children are doing online, but also how to address it. Founded in 2015, Bark is based in Atlanta, Georgia, and a Techstars alum. Learn more about Bark: https://bark.us |
Dec 19, 2018 |
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CC006: tackling the Series A/B capital gap in Ohio // a coffee chat with Bill Baumel and Jill Raderstorf (Ohio Innovation Fund)
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A conversation with Bill Baumel and Jill Raderstorf of the Ohio Innovation Fund live from The Starting Line by the Ohio State University College of Nursing. The Ohio Innovation Fund is driving growth in the Ohio entrepreneurial ecosystem. They are bridging the gap between Silicon Valley and the Midwest by amplifying their companies’ access to capital and experienced talent, while redefining growth expectations among our founders and CEOs. They are committed to supporting the next generation of groundbreaking technologies, companies, and industries; in Ohio. Leveraging his Silicon Valley experience, founder Bill Baumel joined with founding partners The Ohio State University and Ohio University, along with additional anchor partner Kent State University, among other investors, to create the next generation of companies and industries in Ohio. The vision was collaborative in nature, promoting growth and impact across the region. Learn more about Ohio Innovation Fund: https://www.ohioinnovationfund.com/ // Prior to the Ohio Innovation Fund, Bill was a partner with RWI Ventures, a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley. He has over twenty years of experience investing in such areas as SaaS, big data, cyber security, and med tech – resulting in four public companies, nine acquisitions between $100 million and $800 million, and one private autonomous-driving company currently valued at $1.2 billion. His investments have been acquired by companies including Medtronic, Dell, SAP, Intuit and Stryker. He earned a BSBA summa cum laude from The Ohio State University, with an MBA with high distinction from the University of Michigan. Jill began her career as a Risk Management Examiner with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, leading risk management examinations of banks ranging from $100 million to $1B+ in asset size. She then shifted to the private sector as a Senior Underwriter at JP Morgan Private Bank. In this role she managed a $3 billion consumer loan portfolio supported by hedge fund assets and fine art. She earned a BSBA magna cum laude from Creighton University and an MBA from The Ohio State University. |
Dec 12, 2018 |
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CC005: getting into venture and startup ecosystems // a coffee chat with Monique Villa (ModernCapital)
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Monique Villa is the founder of Modern Capital in Nashville, Tennessee. ModernCapital is a collective of creative thinkers from the private, public, and civic sectors shaping the modern economy. Based in Nashville, ModernCapital believes the best talent will Build in the Southeast. // Monique is also on the investment team for L.A.-based venture firm Mucker Capital, looking at Southeast companies, and she has created a local firm focused on supporting regional startups. She built a fellows program for aspiring venture investors and has hired three fellows -- all are women. Learn more about ModernCapital: https://www.moderncapital.co/ |
Dec 05, 2018 |
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UP025: Vlipsy // a search engine for short form videos as an alternative to gifs
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Chris Nickless is the founder and CEO of Vlipsy. Chris has introduced brands to the concept of emojis and stickers, and worked with 30+ messaging companies to launch expressive new products during the chat boom. He invented an Ad:Tech patent for sponsored expression within chat interfaces in 2015. Chris was the CEO of Meemo which was acquired by Kik and served as the Director of Media Solutions at Kik where he drove content for any products related to platform engagement through media (emojis, stickers, GIFs and video). // Vlipsy is the video clip search engine. Use it to find and share clips from your fave internet videos in Twitter, Slack, Messenger, Viber, Skype, Kik and more. Vlipsy is a Techstars alum founded in 2017 and based in Canton, Ohio. Learn more about about Vlipsy: https://vlipsy.com/ |
Nov 28, 2018 |
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JE005: happy Thanksgiving from upside
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Happy Thanksgiving! Jay and Eric spend some time talking about what we are thankful for this year, and share a preview of what is to come in 2019. Sign up to receive the update: https://upside.fm/update |
Nov 21, 2018 |
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UP024: Intrinio // powering fintech innovation with access to financial data
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Rachel Carpenter is the co-founder and CEO of Intrinio. Intrinio is a financial data platform with a marketplace for financial data APIs and analytics applications built with those data feeds. Their mission is to democratize affordable, easy to access financial data for developers and investors. Intrinio was founded in 2012 and based in St. Petersburg, Florida. Learn more about Intrinio: https://intrinio.com/ |
Nov 14, 2018 |
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UP023: Super Dispatch // an automated back office for the car hauling industry
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Bek Abdullayev is the founder and CEO of Super Dispatch. Super Dispatch is a platform that enables automotive logistics companies to eliminate paperwork, manage loads, drivers, and billing all in one place. Super Dispatch was founded in 2013. An alum of the Techstars Sprint Accelerator, it is based in Kansas City, Missouri. learn more about Super Dispatch: https://www.mysuperdispatch.com |
Nov 07, 2018 |
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CC004: Tampa’s Emerging Entrepreneurial Hub // a coffee chat with Allie Felix (Embarc Collective)
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Allie Felix is the Director of Programming & Partnerships at Embarc Collective. Embarc Collective is a physical innovation hub in Tampa Bay, Florida. They are a startup collective - curators of experiences, resources, and environment.
Allie's experience spans venture capital, business development, and community. Having spent time with Draper University in Silicon Valley and Work-Bench in New York, Allie has worked closely with innovators from students to top entrepreneurial leaders on special programming and content, high-impact events, and curated partnerships learn more about Embarc Collective: https://www.embarccollective.com/ |
Oct 31, 2018 |
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CC003: Opportunity Funds // a coffee chat with Peter Brack (Hypothesis Ventures)
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Since this recording, the US Treasury has released new guidelines as it comes to Opportunity Zones. Click here to read the press release, or here to download a PDF of the new guidelines.
Hypothesis partners with mission driven entrepreneurs in domestic emerging markets and Opportunity Zones across the U.S. They believe there is a "tremendous opportunity to build a world-class venture firm focused on domestic emerging markets outside of the Bay Area.” According to Fortune, an Opportunity Zone-focused fund allows investors to defer federal taxes on any recent capital gains until 2026, reduce that tax payment by up to 15%, and pay as little as zero taxes on potential profits from the fund if the investment is held for 10 years. At the same time, the influx of capital could help revitalize underserved communities across America. The broader legislation, called the Investing In Opportunity Act, was part of Donald Trump’s tax reform package. The tax incentive is the brainchild of tech billionaire Sean Parker, who said it came out of a million-dollar bet with Peter Thiel.
Prior to Mucker Capital and KohFounders, Peter was co-founder and CEO of two companies (Redgate Media Group and One Media Group), both of which went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Prior to co-founding Redgate Media Group and One Media Group, Peter was Senior Vice President, Time Inc., where he was responsible for the revenues and overall profitability of TIME & FORTUNE’s Asia editions. learn more about Hypothesis Ventures: https://hypothesisvc.com/ |
Oct 24, 2018 |
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UP022: Concur // mission-driven skincare for a healthy microbiome (feat. Ross Baird of Village Capital)
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Lindsey Moeller is the founder of Concur, formerly known as Balm Skincare. Lindsey is also the founded of Botavi Labs and holds a degree in biology and molecular genetics from the Ohio State University. Concur creates holistic skincare products that agree with our natural biology and protect the microbiome. Concur focuses on getting to the core of skin issues using natural science. Concur, formerly known as Balm Skincare, was founded in 2016 and based in Columbus, OH. learn more about Concur: https://shopconcur.com/ // Ross Baird is the President of Village Capital and the author of the Innovation Blind Spot. Ross developed the Village Capital concept in 2009, and has led the development of programs worldwide. Before launching Village Capital, he worked with First Light Ventures, a seed fund focused on impact investments. Prior to First Light, Ross worked on the development of four education-related start-up ventures: the Indian School Finance Company in Hyderabad, India, the National College Advising Corps in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and two ventures using technology to promote civic participation. He has a MPhil from the University of Oxford, where he was a Marshall Scholar, and a BA from the University of Virginia, where he was a Truman Scholar and a Jefferson Scholar. follow Ross on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rossbaird |
Oct 17, 2018 |
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UP021: GenoPalate // personalized nutrition recommendations from your DNA
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Sherry Zhang is the founder and CEO of GenoPalate. She has a PhD in molecular biology from Marquette University and has used DNA technologies to understand obesity and metabolic disorders. GenoPalate analyzes individual's genetic data, demographic and lifestyle information to deliver personalized insights for optimal healthy eating via DNA-based profiling. Their DNA analysis provide customers with genetic-based recommendations for foods that are scientifically best for their diet. GenoPalate was founded in 2016 and is based in Milwaukee, WI. learn more about GenoPalate: https://www.genopalate.com |
Oct 10, 2018 |
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UP020: Three Firefighters // airflow control and personnel accountability for burning buildings
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Michael Maher is the Founder and CEO at Three Firefighters. He has 17 years of public service experience as a career firefighter and paramedic. Three Firefighters develops tools and equipment that helps make firefighting safer and more effective by augmenting manpower. The DoorBoss affixes to the door frame of the primary door used by firefighters. This controls airflow and allows the hardware to also account for personnel entering and exiting a structure for use in real time. Three Firefighters is based in Zanesville, OH. learn more about Three Firefighters: https://www.threefirefighters.com |
Oct 03, 2018 |
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UP019: Wicked Sheets // bed sheets for the fight against night sweats
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Alli Truttman is the President and CEO of Wicked Sheets. Wicked Sheets provides moisture-wicking and cooling sleep products for people suffering from night sweats and hot flashes. Founded in 2008, Wicked Sheets has appeared on QVC and is based in Louisville, KY. learn more about Wicked Sheets: https://wickedsheets.com/ |
Sep 26, 2018 |
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CC002: Kansas City rising // a Coffee Chat with John Fein (Firebrand Ventures)
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John Fein is the founder and Managing Partner at Firebrand Ventures, a venture fund that invests in the greater Midwest. Prior to founding Firebrand John served as Managing Director for Techstars where he ran three accelerator programs in Kansas City. follow John on Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnfein |
Sep 19, 2018 |
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CC001: Silicon Valley to Nashville // a coffee chat with Andrew Goldner (GrowthX)
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Andrew Goldner is a Founding Partner of GrowthX. He has been in the technology sector since 1998, based in New York City, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Palo Alto. GrowthX helps companies and countries commercialize innovation through capital, talent and know-how. Andrew is a Kauffman Fellow, Trustee at the Nashville Children’s Theatre, Founding Organizer of Nashville Entrepreneur Week, Regional Board Member of Venture for America, and a proud Mentor at Alchemist Accelerator in Palo Alto, Matter in San Francisco, WeWork in Nashville, and, nationally, at Galvanize. Andrew received his undergraduate degree from the University of Cincinnati and his law degree from Georgetown University. follow Andrew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/agoldner |
Sep 12, 2018 |
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UP018: Cuddle Clones // creating plush replicas of your pet
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Jennifer Williams is the co-founder and Chief Cloning Officer of Cuddle Clones. Previous to founding Cuddle Clones, Jennifer spent 10 years as a benefits consulting actuary. // Cuddle Clones creates custom stuffed animals of your special pet as well as a variety of other unique pet gifts. The company is based in Louisville, KY. learn more about Cuddle Clones: https://cuddleclones.com |
Sep 05, 2018 |
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UP017: Set Scouter // simplifying residential film location scouting
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Alex Kolodkin is the founder and CEO of Set Scouter. Alex has a master of arts in media production and a bachelor of arts in radio & television arts from Ryerson University. // Set Scouter simplifies film production, starting with location scouting. Set Scouter is a 500 Startups alum based in Toronto, ON. learn more about Set Scouter: https://setscouter.com |
Aug 29, 2018 |
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JE004: four myths for investment outside of silicon valley
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people have been talking. we've heard gossip, complaints, and excuses when it comes to raising capital outside of silicon valley. this week, we have a 1-on-1 episode talking about four of the common myths we hear as it comes to starting companies and finding investment outside of silicon valley. we discuss the myths:
tune in, and listen to what we think we've learned. follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm |
Aug 22, 2018 |
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UP016: mobius // finding wonder in waste
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Tony Bova is the co-founder and CEO of mobius. Tony is currently finishing his Ph.D. in Energy Science & Engineering at the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Lab, where he studied the production of bioplastics created from lignin, a waste product of the forestry and paper industries. he holds an honors B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Toledo. mobius (formerly Grow Bioplastics) is focused on converting organic waste to biodegradable plastics for use in agriculture, horticulture, food service, and beyond. mobius is based in Knoxville, TN. learn more about mobius: https://www.mobius.co |
Aug 15, 2018 |
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UP015: Mixtroz // putting connection back into "networking"
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Ashlee Ammons is the cofounder and COO of Mixtroz. previously, Ashlee began in a career as an Events Producer working with an impressive list of people including Oprah Winfrey, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Jay-Z and large brands like Moët Hennessy and Coca-Cola. // the Mixtroz mobile app makes meeting at live events easier, more effective, and efficient. Mixtroz is the 2018 Rise of the Rest Birmingham champion and based in Birmingham, AL. learn more about Mixtroz: https://www.mixtroz.com/ |
Aug 08, 2018 |
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JE003: listener feedback episode
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you've given us a ton of feedback over the last three months. on this episode, we discuss live on air the themes we've identified in listener feedback and how we plan to address that feedback moving forward. // do you have other feedback to share? tweet at us, @upsidefm or email us hello@upside.fm. you can also comment directly on our episodes on Breaker. we'd love to hear from you, whether you have thoughts, ideas, complaints, compliments, or guest suggestions for the show. follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm |
Aug 01, 2018 |
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UP014: 10XTS // building an enterprise blockchain ecosystem (feat. Anthony “Pomp” Pompliano)
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Michael Hiles is the founder and CEO of 10XTS, which builds transparent, decentralized, secure solutions for industry and governments using public and private blockchains, and more. // 10XTS is creating XDEX, a cloud-based blockchain platform that enables enterprises and organization to incorporate the power of a decentralized, immutable ledger system into their information systems and data strategy. The company is based in Cincinnati, OH. learn more about 10XTS: https://10xts.com/ // Anthony "Pomp" Pompliano is the Founder & Partner of Morgan Creek Digital Assets, a multi-strategy investment firm focused on providing access to blockchain technology and digital assets for institutional clients and wealthy family offices. follow Pomp on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APompliano |
Jul 25, 2018 |
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UP013: Local Crate // localized supply chain to decentralize meal delivery
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Local Crate is a locally-sourced meal-delivery service. Local Crate delivers fresh, delicious, seasonal meal kits in partnership with award-winning chefs, local farmers, and passionate makers. easy-to-make recipes and pre-portioned ingredients are sourced locally by growing region, reducing food and packaging waste. Local Crate is an alum of the Techstars retail accelerator and based in St. Paul, MN. // Frank Jackman is the co-founder and CEO of Local Crate. learn more about Local Crate: https://localcrate.com |
Jul 18, 2018 |
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UP012: FreshFry // frying oil purification through the magic of chemistry
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The FreshFry Pod is a safe and easier way to replenish and extend your frying oil life. The Pod works overnight by capturing and removing the impurities that make your oil look dark, smoke and taste bitter. FreshFry is based in Lousville, KY. // Jeremiah Chapman is the founder and CEO of FreshFry. learn more about FreshFry: http://www.freshfry.me/ |
Jul 11, 2018 |
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JE002: happy July 4th
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no interview or full length episode this week due to the July 4th holiday. but, we did want to share a couple of quick notes and updates for you! follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm |
Jul 04, 2018 |
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UP011: ParqEx // real estate technology solving a parking problem
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ParqEx is a platform that helps to "unlock" the value of privately owned parking spots, which are often underutilized and/or difficult to manage. The ParqEx marketplace helps owners to efficiently rent their parking to drivers on an hourly, daily, weekly or monthly basis. ParqEx is an alum of 1871 Chicago and the Gener8tor Accelerator, based in Chicago, IL. // Vivek Mehra is the founder and CEO of ParqEx. learn more about ParqEx: https://www.parqex.com/ |
Jun 27, 2018 |
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UP010: Upsie // a cheaper way to protect your stuff
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Upsie is a mobile app platform that provides an easier & better way to protect your stuff. You get the same warranties and coverage offered by other companies, but at an affordable price. Upsie is an alum of the Techstars Retail accelerator and is based in Minneapolis, MN. // Clarence Bethea is the founder and CEO of Upsie. learn more about Upsie: https://upsie.com/ |
Jun 20, 2018 |
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UP009: BYBE // the first legal way to discount alcohol purchases
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BYBE is the first legal way to discount alcohol purchases by embedding beer, wine and spirits rebates inside retail applications and websites. BYBE is an alum of the Techstars Retail accelerator in Minneapolis, MN and is based in Columbus, Ohio. // Kevin Mack is the Chief Experience Officer (CXO) of BYBE where he focuses on the evolution of the BYBE brand and creating integrated experiences for retailers and consumers. learn more about BYBE: http://bybe.io/ |
Jun 13, 2018 |
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UP008: Loop Returns // creating the perfect ecommerce customer returns experience (live from Columbus Podcast Festival)
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Loop helps you retain customers through one of the most fragile interactions they'll have with your brand: returns. By providing complete returns automation, in-line exchanges, and your own fully-customized returns app, Loop takes the pain out of returns for your team and for your customers. learn more about Loop Returns: https://loopreturns.com/
Corbett Morgan is the CEO of Loop Returns. Previous to that, he was a product manager for Klarna North America. |
Jun 06, 2018 |
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UP007: Kaleidoscope Group PBC // unlocking new private scholarships and creating the "uncommon app" to apply for them
5370
Kaleidoscope Group is a public benefit corporation that designs, administers and hosts private scholarships based in minneapolis, minnesota. the proprietary Kaleidoscope platform is used by private scholarship sponsors to host their branded scholarship websites and support their review and scoring processes; it is also used by thousands of students to access education funding in an easy-to-use "common app" that replicates a marketplace experience. clients include corporations, foundations and individuals. learn more about Kaleidoscope Group: https://www.mykaleidoscope.com/ // greg dehn is the founder and ceo of Kaleidoscope. most recently, he served as the board chair of Wilderness Inquiry, an organization dedicated to providing financial and guided support for wilderness experiences regardless of background or ability. previously, he served as a board director of eLumen, and as senior vice president and general manager, scholarship management services, Scholarship America. he has held numerous technology, service, product and general management roles with global organizations, including Boston Scientific, Medtronic, UnitedHealth Group and Target Corporation, and applies his energy today to creating access to education for others. |
May 30, 2018 |
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UP006: Swannies // creating an apparel brand for the modern golfer (feat. Web Smith of 2PM)
6039
Swannies is a lifestyle golf apparel and footwear brand. focused on creating golf wear for anywhere at an affordable price, starting with the introduction of world's first soft spike golf sandal. adam iverson is the co-founder of Swannies, which is based in minneapolis, minnesota. learn more about swannies: https://swannies.co/ // web smith is an investor and consultant based in columbus, ohio and pittsburgh, pennsylvania. he is director of partnerships at Cotton Bureau, which creates custom tees from the world’s best graphic designers, and founder of 2PM. 2PM is a curated, subscription-based letter with quick commentary on brands, data, and ecommerce. web co-founded Mizzen+Main in 2012. there, he worked extensively to find a founder-product-market fit, voice, and cost-effective approach to establishing mizzen+main's market leading position. he's been featured in the New York Times, Techcrunch, Pando Daily, Wall Street Journal, and Esquire. previously, he's written for Forbes, TechCrunch, and the Wall Street Journal. follow web: https://twitter.com/web learn more about 2PM: https://2pml.com/ |
May 23, 2018 |
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UP005: F13 Works // extending the aisle in ecommerce
5574
F13 Works bridges the gap between manufacturers and e-commerce websites. It provides manufacturers, drop-shippers and order fulfillers of all types with a connection to millions of online stores. Orders from third-party sites will seamlessly enter their production process and payments will be automatically processed. F13 Works is based in columbus, ohio. // Chris Sentz is the founder and CEO of F13 Works. Chris has a background in the development and implementation of customer-facing growth initiatives including marketing, interactive communications, and market development strategies for the e-commerce, consumer, and high-tech industries. Prior to F13 Works, Chris was a president at Skreened, a columbus ecommerce company, and has spent time at DYNAMIT and Blind Acre. learn more about F13 Works: https://f13works.com |
May 16, 2018 |
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UP004: ScriptDrop // improving prescription medication adherence
5898
ScriptDrop focuses on providing an in-workflow prescription delivery solution for pharmacies. no apps to download. no cost to the patient. they partner with pharmacies to offer a streamlined delivery solution and increase operational efficiency. their service is built into the pharmacy workflow, which allows for more focus on patient care and less time spent on administrative tasks. ScriptDrop is based in columbus, ohio. // nick potts is the co-founder and ceo of ScriptDrop, a prescription delivery and medication reminder service. prior to ScriptDrop, nick was a technical account manager at CoverMyMeds where he assisted pharmacy systems in integrating the CoverMyMeds technology via api and helped drive new pharmaceutical business. learn more about ScriptDrop: https://scriptdrop.com |
May 09, 2018 |
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UP003: LawnGuru // on demand outdoor services
5502
LawnGuru provides on-demand lawn care and snow removal services for clients in metro detroit, atlanta, cleveland, chicago, houston, philadelphia & washington dc areas. through its mobile and web-based applications, LawnGuru connects consumers with local outdoor service providers to take care of their lawn and snow removal needs within hours of each request.
LawnGuru is based in ann arbor, michigan. // skye durrant is co-founder of LawnGuru, which was part of batch 15 of 500 startups. skye graduated with a degree in neuroscience from the university of colorado, boulder. learn more about LawnGuru: https://lawnguru.co |
May 02, 2018 |
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UP002: Rapchat // empowering a hip hop community
5491
Rapchat is the best way for today's rap enthusiasts to create, collaborate, and connect with tomorrow’s stars. Rapchat partners with award-winning artists and top producers to deliver the hottest beats and the most user-friendly platform to make music and network. combining the convenience of a mobile recording studio with the power of a social network, Rapchat is the premier place for artists and fans to fine-tune their craft, while helping the world discover new talent. Rapchat is based in columbus, ohio. // seth miller is a co-founder and ceo of Rapchat. he is a graduate of ohio university in athens, ohio. Rapchat was in batch 15 of 500 startups in 2015. learn more about Rapchat: https://rapchat.me |
May 02, 2018 |
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UP001: tilr // skills-based job hiring
5682
tilr is a first-to-market, on-demand recruitment technology that empowers workers and companies alike. tilr’s proprietary technology matches based on workers’ skillsets, job requirements and location. this allows tilr to quickly fill open positions for employers while offering workers new opportunities.
// summer crenshaw is the cofounder and coo and cmo of tilr as a part of the leadership team at hi frequency marketing, summer developed tactics to drive online and offline brand activation. in her leadership role at hi frequency she was able to work with clientele including major and independent record labels, consumer product firms, video game manufacturers and major motion-picture studios. her efforts contributed to media exposure featured on media outlets such as cnn news and in a variety of publications including inc. magazine, brandweek, billboard, advertising age, adweek, and the economist. leveraging this experience, summer worked with careerbuilder.com as part of the start-up team that pioneered the cincinnati and the surrounding tri-state area market development. learn more about tilr: https://tilr.com |
May 02, 2018 |
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JE001: upside // a podcast about startups outside of silicon valley
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the startup investment landscape is changing, and world-class companies are being built outside of silicon valley.
these entrepreneurs are smart, resilient, resourceful individuals building a company at what many would consider a geographical disadvantage. we examine how they are charting a different path, changing their communities, and building impactful businesses with upside. every episode follows the same format: i. we share our research of the company ii. we interview the founder follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm |
May 02, 2018 |