Charlotte Angel Connection

  In this episode of the Charlotte Angel Connection, we talk with Heather McCullough of Society 54. During today's podcast you'll learn how Heather took a job and turned it into a business by paying attention to what she liked about her work. Heather's marketing expertise and her drive to help lawyers keep their attention on billable hours built the successful platform now employing 11 remote workers spread across the U.S. Highlights from the episode include: Carving out company with passion Finding leaks in the buckets and using your knowledge to offer value Transitioning from employee to business owner Why gamifying fires up the competitive juices Adding technology to aid a coaching business Coaching vs technology for scaling a business Knowing when to expand Life in the day of an all-female team Challenges and benefits of remote working Funding challenges and benefits of being a female founder How entrepreneurship affects the family How travelling across the US in a camper van is like being and entrepreneur Heather's impressive Georgia Bulldog bark Check out this episode to learn how Heather took a profession and turned it into a profitable business, creating an asset that her family is proud of, and her legal customers are grateful for. William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener. Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance. Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

In this episode of the "Charlotte Angel Connection", Marcia Dawood, a seasoned angel investor, accomplished TEDX Charlotte speaker, member of the Angel Capital Association and SEC Small Business Capital Formation Committee shares her recipe of "doing good by doing well" by “helping entrepreneurs' dreams come true'. Marcia takes us through her journey of becoming an angel investor, how ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) helped her see the true value of investing in start-ups to affect meaningful change, and the value that ALL angel's bring to the table when investing. Key Highlights: Comparing the angel investment environment across the U.S. Becoming and angel by “contributing through curiosity” and embracing “story time”. The value of waiting for the right opportunity. How to start with as little as $50. How a family ALS diagnosis inspired Marsha to use angel investing to give back. The value of company contribution to changes vs. charities. Encouraging the younger generation to get involved. Learn more about Marcia Dawood and the work she's doing to promote angel investing in the U.S. and abroad, by checking out her podcast, the Angel Next Door. We definitely recommend Marcia's Charlotte, NC TedX talk to learn more about her as well as the launch of her upcoming book.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener. Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance. Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

  In the latest episode of the Charlotte Angel Connection podcast, we had the privilege of speaking with Leo Adams, the visionary founder of Skye Link Aerial Imaging. At Skye Link, Leo and his team have harnessed the potential of drones to offer solutions in industries ranging from real estate and construction to renewable energy. They are at the forefront of utilizing drone technology to provide valuable insights, streamline operations, and enhance decision-making processes. We delve into the importance of systematizing processes for scalability. Leo emphasizes the significance of creating sustainable, repeatable systems within the business to reach new levels of growth. Key Highlights: Leo Adams' journey from drone hobbyist to the visionary founder of Skye Link Aerial Imaging. Utilizing drone technology to provide solutions across industries, from real estate to renewable energy. Harnessing the power of data for efficient operations and decision-making. The significance of systematizing processes for scalability and growth. Personal insights into Leo's morning routine, growth mindset, and approach to personal and professional development. Aligning business growth with conscious capitalism and value creation. An inspirational story of innovation, collaboration, and success in the dynamic world of drone technology. Tune in to this high-flying 152nd episode of the Charlotte Angel Connection podcast to gain a deeper understanding of how Leo Adams and Skye Link Aerial Imaging are redefining industries through the transformative power of drone technology.     William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener. Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance. Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

  Today, we have the pleasure of interviewing Steve Wilcenski, the co-founder of BN Nano, a company that specializes in developing nanomaterials with myriad properties and applications. With a focus on creating materials that are stronger, lighter, and more efficient in dissipating heat, BN Nano has captured the attention of various industries, including aerospace, defense, electronics, and clean energy. During our conversation, Steve delves into the fascinating world of nanomaterials, sharing the challenges he faced during the company's early stages and the strategic approach to expanding their customer base. He sheds light on BN Nano's groundbreaking work in water purification, revealing how their nanomaterials can remove harmful substances from water sources thus addressing environmental concerns we now face. Key Highlights: Introduction to BN Nano and its pioneering work in nanomaterials. Industries benefiting from BN Nano's materials: aerospace, defense, electronics, and clean energy. BN Nano's commitment to solving water pollution through innovative purification methods, through Invicta Water. Strategic partnerships and crowdfunding initiatives driving their growth. Plans to spin out the water purification division as a separate company. The urgency of BN Nano's mission to make a positive impact on global challenges. Tune in to the Charlotte Angel Connection's 151st interview with Steve Wilcenski to gain deeper insights into BN Nano's revolutionary nanomaterials. William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener. Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance. Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

  Today we welcome David Jones to the podcast. David founded Peak 10 (now known as Flexential), a hybrid IT infrastructure provider focused on colocation, connectivity, cloud, and managed solutions. David started Peak 10 in 1999 after being fired from a previous job. In 2010, he sold Peak 10 to a private equity group.  In 2014, they sold again to another private equity group (who is still the majority owner of the company).  David stayed on as Chairman until Peak 10 completed its acquisition of ViaWest in 2018, giving the newly formed combined company - Flexential - a national reach.  Today Flexential is a multi-billion-dollar company.   We cover many topics during our conversation with David, including… Surviving a recent critical health event & how it altered his sense of purpose The importance of recognizing and playing to teammates' strengths Raising $1.5 million in 4 weeks for the original Peak 10 business plan Why expecting success can be a mistake The power of resilience in health, business, and life … as well as some of David's accumulated wisdom from speaking with countless executives, founders, and investors. Please enjoy this conversation with David Jones.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.    Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.   Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results. 

  Today we welcome Alan Fitzpatrick to the podcast. Alan is the cofounder and CEO of Open Broadband, an internet service provider (ISP) focused on serving traditionally underserved areas. Alan and his cofounder, Kent Wenrich, started Open Broadband in 2016. Today, Open Broadband is one of Charlotte's fastest growing startups, having been named to Charlotte Business Journal's Fast 50 list each year since 2018. We cover several topics during our conversation with Alan, including… How $42B of federal government grants are changing the ISP space Rural and urban markets both containing underserved segments Meeting an angel investor through a startup pitch event in Raleigh Weighing exit opportunities in growth and decision-making How this business differs from their previous 2 software companies …as well as what's next for Open Broadband in the coming years. And for those brave souls who want to listen to our original podcast with Alan, here is Episode 35 and Episode 36. Please enjoy this conversation with Alan Fitzpatrick.    William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.    Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.   Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results. 

  Today we welcome Meggie Williams to the podcast. Meggie is the founder and CEO of Skiptown, an all-in-one ecosystem for bar, park, and pet care services. Skiptown started as a dog-walking company named Waggle in 2016. Fast forward to late last year when Skiptown closed a $28M fundraising round to expand the concept around the country. By next year, Skiptown will have launched in Atlanta, Houston, and Denver in addition to the Charlotte location (with more coming). During our wide-ranging conversation with Meggie, we cover topics including… Losing 95% of revenue during the beginning of COVID Why ‘Riding the Scooter in the Rain' is an important company value Her process for finding great investors and board members Being a mom and CEO of a fast-growing startup How Charlotte's entrepreneurial ecosystem has grown over the years …as well as what's next for Skiptown in the coming years. Please enjoy this conversation with Meggie Williams.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.  

  Today we welcome Alex Smereczniak and Dan D'Aquisto to the podcast. Alex and Dan are the cofounders of 2U Laundry, a laundry subscription service and laundromat franchising company. Alex and Dan became friends in 6th grade while growing up in Minnesota. Fast forward to today and 2U Laundry recently closed a $20M Series B round to scale their 2U subscription service and LaundroLab franchising model nationwide. We cover several topics with Alex and Dan, including… Pivoting before and during COVID-19 How they remain friends while holding one another accountable Lessons learned from raising and deploying 4 rounds of capital The benefits of great board members Incorporating the good, bad, & ugly into board updates …as well as what's next for 2U Laundry in 2023, and beyond. Please enjoy this conversation with Alex Smereczniak and Dan D'Aquisto.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.    Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.   Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results. 

  Today we welcome Sagar Shukla to the podcast. Sagar is a cofounder of Foresight, a B2B software company that helps sales and client success teams reduce churn and expand client relationships. Sagar started his career at Red Ventures and cut his startup teeth as one of DealCloud's earliest employees. Today, Sagar and his cofounder Nigel are using Foresight's seed round to help companies (including their former employer DealCloud) create customer-led growth infrastructure. We cover several topics with Sagar, including… Why studying abroad in Bolivia prompted an entrepreneurial epiphany How working at a large company is like the ‘Snap to Grid' feature The client question that led to founding Foresight The product-building stage vs. the company-building stage for founders What it's like returning to a more mature CLT startup ecosystem …as well as what's next for Foresight in 2023, and beyond. Please enjoy this conversation with Sagar Shukla.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.    Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.   Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results. 

Today we welcome Lauren Marturano to the podcast. Lauren is the founder and CEO of Zinnia, a software company that helps businesses plan in-person events such as offsites, client dinners, and more. Lauren began her career at Microsoft as an Enterprise Account Executive before joining Salesforce and eventually leaving corporate life to pursue entrepreneurship. Now, Lauren is getting ready to close a seed round that will help grow Zinnia's team and product. We cover several topics with Lauren, including why… Taking a 90% pay cut to pursue entrepreneurship was worth it. Being an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Atlanta Ventures helped Lauren launch Zinnia. Zinnia became a travel agency. Hypothesis-driven development helps keep product & sales aligned. Enterprise sales budgets are so resilient in economic downturns.  …as well as what's next for Zinnia in 2023, and more. Please enjoy this conversation with Lauren Marturano.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.    Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.   Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results. 

  Today we welcome Ernest Eich to the podcast. Ernest is the founder and CEO of Shandoka, an electric motorcycle company. Ernest began developing his electric motorcycle concept in 2012, performing custom carpentry during the day to bootstrap research, development, and early tinkering. Today, having received a utility patent in late 2022, Shandoka is successfully into a $12M fundraise and is opening a manufacturing facility in South Carolina. We cover several steps along Shandoka's journey with Ernest, including… Meeting dozens of famous inventors during his time in Colorado The pros and cons of living in an ecosystem not known for CleanTech Why CleanTechs play a major role in advancing developing countries' public health Unique challenges (and opportunities) presented by running a global hardware company Playing into the tailwinds of global interest in reducing carbon emissions …as well as what's next for Shandoka in 2023, and more. Please enjoy this conversation with Ernest Eich.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.    Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.   Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results. 

Charlotte Angel Connection Episode 143: Trey Phills Today we welcome Trey Phills to the podcast. Trey is the co-founder and CMO of Gymble, a software company helping athletic facilities, personal trainers, and athletic trainers better manage their businesses and client bookings. After graduating from Yale in 2019, Trey played in the NBA G League and launched his TikTok (@tphills), quickly growing to over 800K followers and becoming a TikTok Partner. During 2019 and 2020, Trey and his cofounders (Devon Oakley and Akim Mitchell) began working on the idea that became Gymble. Today, Gymble is participating in Techstars' Anywhere Accelerator as a member of the 2023 Winter Class. We cover a lot in our wide-ranging conversation, like … Parallels between professional/collegiate athletics and building a company How being transparent about getting cut helped Trey grow a sizeable TikTok following Techstars' process for helping founders do more, faster with systems Maintaining and growing a professional network by sharing social media expertise The importance of finding true believers instead of converting skeptics in both fundraising and sales …as well as Gymble's plans for 2023, and more. Please enjoy this conversation with Trey Phills.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.      

  Today we welcome Natalie Waggett to the podcast. Natalie is the co-founder and CEO of Ohanafy, a software company that provides end-to-end craft beverage management software for breweries. After starting out at Bank of America and joining nCino as an early employee, Natalie took a short break from the corporate world. During this break, the inspiration behind Ohanafy came after reading her friend Inez's book Life After Windows. Natalie reached out to Inez and, while catching up, learned the challenges associated with running a brewery. Shortly thereafter, Natalie (and her co-founders Ian Padrick, Chris Dowling, Davis Bryson, and Matt Keeter) launched Ohanafy to help breweries manage their businesses and build community. We cover several topics in this episode, including how Natalie… Learned to think big as one of nCino's earliest employees Transitioned from a banker mentality to a founder mentality Thinks about various trends such as Gen Z's decreased alcohol consumption Created internal systems that spawned multiple new product offerings …as well as why Natalie supports grassroots goal-setting over top-down planning. Please enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Natalie Waggett.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.    Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.   Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results. 

Today we welcome Tyler Traudt to the podcast. Tyler is the founder and CEO of DebtBook, a software company that provides debt and lease management software to government, higher education, and healthcare finance teams. After a two-year stint in Citigroup's public finance investment banking team, Tyler spent several years consulting for public finance teams before connecting with his cofounder, Erik Pelletier. They started DebtBook in 2019 and recently closed a $7.5M Series A round. We cover many topics in this episode, including how Tyler… Signed DebtBook's first 15 clients pre-product Thinks about fundraising (and why they've raised 4 seed rounds) Shaped DebtBook's culture as it scaled from 0 to 85 FTEs Learned to onboard new employees more quickly Shares DebtBook's 10-Year Vision regularly with new hires and at All-Hands meetings …as well as a few lessons Tyler learned from reading The Great CEO Within by Matt Mochary. Please enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Tyler Traudt.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.    Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results. 

  Today we welcome Dr. Margaret Kocherga to the podcast. Margaret is the founder and CEO of Margik, a hardware tech company looking to make organic-based lighting mainstream. A self-described ‘accidental entrepreneur', Margaret started Margik while earning her PhD in Nanoscale Science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. After founding the company, Margaret was awarded a NC IDEA grant, completed the Department of Energy's Chain Reaction Innovation program, and even appeared on Amazon Prime's Unicorn Hunters television series. We cover many topics in this episode, including how Margaret… Immigrated from Kyiv, Ukraine to Charlotte, NC at the age of 15 Recovered from an ACL tear that prematurely ended her ballet career Discovered her passion for science out of necessity Navigated different funding sources and grants to finance Margik Knocked on doors in Silicon Valley to land Margik's first commercial pilot …as well as how Charlotte can stop losing hardware tech startups to places like Silicon Valley, and more! Please enjoy this conversation with Margaret Kocherga.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.    Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.   Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results. 

Today we welcome Matt Beck to the podcast. Matt is the co-founder and CEO of Hoppy Planet, a food sustainability company fortifying everyday snacks with the nutrients and vitamins your body needs. While working for Google in Chicago, Matt launched the company along with his co-founder and wife, Allie. During the pandemic, they relocated to Charlotte and scaled the business to new heights by taking on additional funding, growing the product lines, and expanding Hoppy Planet's retail footprint. We cover several steps along Hoppy Planet's journey with Matt, like… Why chocolate chip cookies are the perfect food to make with cricket protein Experimenting with 45+ different recipes to crack the code on cricket cookies Maturing the company operationally by moving from Chicago to Charlotte Scaling recipes and ingredients from kitchen quantities to an industrial operation How paranoia helped 5x Hoppy Planet's SKUs in 4 months …as well as Matt's goals for the next 12-18 months for Hoppy Planet, and more. Please enjoy this conversation with Matt Beck.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.    Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.   Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.     

  Today we welcome Andrew Ashur to the podcast. Andrew is the founder and CEO of Lucid Drone Technologies, a YCombinator-backed company building industrial drones for labor-intensive tasks. While studying Economics and Spanish at Davidson College, Andrew learned mechanical, electrical, and software engineering to create Lucid Drones' first prototype. Fast forward to today and Lucid Drones is scaling rapidly to alleviate labor shortages in the service economy. We cover a wide variety of topics in this episode, like how (and why) Andrew… Increased the company's “surface area of luck” by cleaning Mercedes Benz Stadium Flew an early-stage drone into a tree minutes before an investor demo Powered through a chemical burn to clean a parking garage in the early days Found his first investor in Chicago and raised funds to fly there to pitch Lucid Drones Fundraises continually with a relationship- and traction-driven process …as well as the role NASCAR played in Andrew's decision to headquarter Lucid Drones in Charlotte, and more! Please enjoy this conversation with Andrew Ashur.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.    Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.   Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.   

  Today we welcome David Jones, General Partner of Bull City Venture Partners to the podcast.  BCVP has a great reputation across NC and the southeast and they just finished raising their 3rd fund. Over the pandemic, David reached out to me twice to check in and see how I was doing – and I'm not an investor in the fund or a company they've invested in. In a recent conversation with David, it hit me how founder friendly he had to be based on my interactions with him.   I had also recently been having conversations with founders who seemed timid to ask their venture partners/investors questions about what they can/can't do with company stock or how they should treat certain business situations that greatly impacted them.  As such, I reached back out to David to see if he would be willing to do a podcast discussing what it means to him when someone says a venture firm is founder friendly. Naturally, we start off the podcast learning more about David and how Bull City Venture Partners has developed over the years.  David was kind enough to discuss some aspects of their due diligence process and how it may differ from others.  And I think David's background getting into VC and the path of Bull City over the years is such a great story and so beneficial for them. From there, our discussion turned into what meant to David when I said ‘founder friendly VC'.  I thought it was great that one of the first things he said was it didn't mean they were easy on terms.  That's such an important point to make when talking about being founder friendly but then he opened up about working with founders AFTER funding them and how that dictates what founder friendly can really be.  David was naturally honest and open about where they have been helpful but also in some places where they be more engaged with their founders. Hopefully listening to this podcast will help all the founders out there know that they investors want them to be successful and have seen other founders be successful in the past.  As such, they are oftentimes more than happy to engage in discussions about ways to maximize the growth of the business to the founder(s). If you have any questions, we are going to do a founder only ‘office hours' in the coming weeks with David where only founders can join in a 60-minute discussion with David about aspects of their business they would like to get feedback on.  Please email me directly if you'd like to be included (william@portusadvisors.com).  If you've been on the podcast before, don't worry.  You will automatically receive the invite.     William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

    Today we welcome Matt Hudson, founder and CEO of Bildit (pronounced Build It), to the podcast.  Bildit has created a “rapid mobile app development platform for ecommerce brands”.  It's a concept Matt has had for quite some time and it's really excited to see him bring it to life. After spending years helping Belk build their mobile app and experience for their shoppers, Matt became acutely aware of the issues companies face when they are trying to deliver content and a shopping experience.  So as any good entrepreneur would do, he left Belk to create the business that could solve the problem for so many other ecommerce companies.  And he's built a team around him that is ready to pounce on the opportunity ahead of them.  They've got a team of 12 at the moment and with their current capital raise they are going to staff up as they start their growth phase. We had a fun time with our interview as we discussed a number of topics.  One area where I thought there was tremendous value for listeners is where we dove into how they created service revenue last year as they continued to build out there technology and how they are pivoting away from that now that the technology is ready to release.  Matt has a business degree from the University of Arkansas and he saw the team was capable of creating revenue last year rather than having to burn through cash and he jumped right into it.  Some investors will question the service revenue but creating cash early on is a great concept for entrepreneurs – especially in today's environment. It's a great podcast with Matt and I think you'll enjoy listening to how they are building the company.  Matt has been a huge benefit to the startup community as a mentor and friend.  He will have plenty of people in his corner pulling for Bildit as they grow and scale.     William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

  Today we welcome Rich Camacho, CEO and Co-Founder of BlueRecruit.  BlueRecruit is a startup based in Raleigh NC.  They match blue collar skilled workers to hiring companies based on experience and certifications desired by the hiring company. Rich is a graduate of West Point. Cattle ranching and military service runs in the blood of Rich's family. Thus, he followed in the family footprints and served in the Army as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot. Following his military service, Rich helped fellow veterans make the transition into corporate America.  While helping many of America's top companies, he recognized that the recruiting industry largely ignores the need of blue-collar workers and employers desperate for their talent. This inspired him to lead the team at BlueRecruit. In our podcast today, Rich shared his story of how and why he started BlueRecruit.  He talks about the database/platform they built for trades people and the importance of creating the marketplace.  We spoke about their growth pattern and what they have learned in their hiring process.  Their future focus along with partners is the importance of educating young people that the trades industry is an incredible opportunity. It's a fun podcast! William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.  

  Today we welcome Landon Glenn, CEO and Founder of ASA.  I met Landon at the RevTech Labs fall Venture 135 Conference.  We ended up sitting at the same table together and quickly started talking about ASA and his background. Landon was a key component of scaling Banzai (an online financial literacy application for kids).  During that time (about 5 years) Landon was attending 10 - 12 fintech conferences a year and kept hearing about fintech startups struggling to integrate with banks and the financial institutions.  ASA came about when Landon realized the difficulties of Fintechs partnering with financial institutions.  ASA has developed a solution that allows them to integrate with the banking system's core. Landon and Ryan Ruff, who has been through RevTech Labs' accelerator in 2017 with Envudu (know known as Spendpal),  started working on this problem as soon as Landon left Banzai.  What they have come up with is a very unique solution. The regulators here in the US want to see the banking system open up more as well so you've seen them move towards requiring the financial institutions integrate more with systems like Plaid - which is similar to the open banking/open API platform commonly being used in Europe.  But the open banking system has its own set of problems. Landon and ASA call their solution, colloborative banking, as it allows the Fintech and the banks to work together - to the benefit of the end user. Fortunately, they've already been working with regulators on their solution and it has been well received. What they have is a solution that allows fintech companies to quickly access data directly from the banks core processor (which Landon describes in our podcast).  As such, startups don't have to worry about the issues that come from scraping data and banks get to protect aspects of their business they can't with open banking. Sounds like a homerun right?  Listen to the podcast for more about Landon and ASA is doing and how they are doing it.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

  Today we welcome Paul Clark, Managing Director at VentureSouth, to the podcast.  Prior to co-founding VentureSouth, Paul was Senior Vice President of M&A at a multi-billion-dollar bank in South Carolina. Paul has extensive private equity investment and fund experience in New York and London.  In 2013 Paul, along with Matt Dunbar and Charlie Banks formulated the Venture South Plan. We've had Paul on the podcast before with portfolio company, Threatswitch, but this time we wanted to purely focus on the VentureSouth story and what they are doing.  As such, we turned to how Paul ended up in Greenville, South Carolina as the Managing Director of VentureSouth – ultimately this meant the transition from investing in large companies to startup stage companies.  From there, we dive into the early days of just being in a single city and how they've expanded from there to multiple cities across the Carolinas to where they are today. We also discuss how the VentureSouth model is different from other cities and what the process is like for founders. Listening to their process should be very helpful for both founders interesting in pitching to VentureSouth and investors wanting to know more about their process.  This opens us up to dive into the opportunities and challenges dealing with a southeast investor verses a west coast investor. It's a great podcast detailing how has become considered to be a top 10 early-stage venture firm developing and managing angel investment groups and funds throughout the Southeast. Their growth, which is highlighted by their 400 investors across three states and multiples funds and groups, has allowed them to deploy more than $80 million into 80+ companies. It's a great podcast and it is good to hear how VentureSouth deploys capital, has fun and does good. William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.    

  Today we welcome Dmitry Norenko, CEO and founder of upSWOT, to the podcast.  Dmitry and the team at upSWOT have been hard at work building a platform to help small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) make better decisions based on insight, personalized advice, and cashflow insights from within their banking portal. Dmitry and his team moved to Charlotte back in the summer of 2020.  Originally from Ukraine, they had moved out to California to take their business through an accelerator program on the west coast.  But upon completing those and being thrown full force into a pandemic, they relocated to Charlotte to continue what they started. Dmitry originally reached out to me in August 2020 - I remember asking him how he was holding up in the humidity!  Needless to say it was a little bit of a shock to his system.  But he and his team haven't let that stop them.  He immediately jumped into a demo of the software to show what they had been building and how impactful it can be for SMBs - and by extension the banks who service them. Over the last 2 years, the team has refined and expanded the offering and experience phenomenal growth.  They are now working with over 50 financial institutions - and this includes Mastercard. Sitting down with him in this podcast interview was great as we were able to talk about the business.  I love his comment that "he is his company and his company is him".  You'll listen to him in this podcast and realize that means it is high energy, focused, and impactful. I really enjoyed listening to him to talk about the cultural differences between building success in the US versus back home in Ukraine and in eastern Europe. He dives further into how he became different through a book he read at age 10.  The book, written by Theodore Dreiser, talked about a guy who kept trying and failing before he created success.  It obviously stuck with Dmitry because about 5 minutes before this story he said, "by making mistakes we become better."  They are definitely getting better. Listen to the rest of the podcast with Dmitry and learn about him and the company they've been building.  Learn how he wants the success of his company to change the cultural differences about success in the Ukraine.  And learn how they are going to continue to make mistakes on their way to building a successful company.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

Today, we welcome BJ McAndrews, co-founder of Flyp, to the podcast. BJ was introduced to me by Todd Buelow from Dualboot Partners (who was on Episode 95).  I always enjoy meeting startup founders in our introductory calls.  BJ and I hit it off right out of the gate.  Like so many founders, he has an infectious happiness about him.  After all he spends every day building his company - a company he wants to see change the way banking is delivered to millions of people. BJ is the kind of entrepreneur I've often thought Charlotte was creating but didn't know about.  He was a successful banker working in a coveted role.  He could have put it on cruise control and used his knowledge, experience, and connections to drive value to the bank all the way until he was ready to 'retire'.  But in early 2020, BJ decided to step away from the bank to start his own - Flyp. "Flyp was founded with one primary goal in mind: to help you get where you want to go in life."  BJ had read about the lack of mobility in Charlotte in the infamous report listing Charlotte at the bottom of upward mobility among top cities.  Access to banking is such a key component of wealth creation but far too many people don't have access to banking - or banking that doesn't penalize people (with excessive fees). Flyp issues a debit card utilizing Sutton Bank - the same bank used by Robinhood, Monzo, Cashapp, and many others.  With the debit card, they offer awesome rewards and no hidden fees.  This space has been gaining traction for a few years and Flyp's approach should give it an opportunity to get some early wins. And I think their approach to 'gamifying' aspects of banking, spending and financial literacy is a fresh approach.  BJ and I talked a little about all the creative ways they can and will do this on the podcast and then we further discussed over lunch a few weeks later. BJ is part of a class of entrepreneurs Charlotte should celebrate - the banks have loads of talent waiting to unlock economic value for the city.  The success BJ, and others like him have, should grease the wheels for others to follow in their footsteps and help create the next stages of momentum needed for Charlotte's Fintech growth.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

Today, we welcome Blake Wood, co-founder of APAY, to the podcast. Blake reached out to me back in 2018 to discuss the beginnings of what would become APAY and asking for advice.  At that point, Blake and his co-founder, Owen Brady, were still working in the bank and trying to figure out how to build their company.  They had a little bit of seed money but were trying to map their path forward to helping people better understand and manage their student loans. Fast forward to now and APAY was acquired this fall by Ramsey Solutions – Dave Ramsey's company.  It's a great match for them as Dave has long taught debt management as a solution to wealth creation.  It's an exciting step for them as they move to Tennessee to help bring their APAY app to the entire Ramsey Solutions audience. In our podcast today we learn about the beginnings of APAY and how they tackled various aspects of getting the company off the ground.  APAY became a way for people to better understand their student loans and tackle paying them off in the best possible way.  But before they were able to build it, they talked many potential users and even turned ‘know it all skeptics' into additional subscribers on their waiting list. Most importantly, we learn about their challenge during the pandemic.  The entire business model was turned upside down the minute student loan payments were suspended in March 2020.  And when the suspension of payments was extended to January 2022 it put further pressure on the business. Listen early in the podcast for his mention of his grandmother.  Then stick around till the end to hear as we wrap our discussion. I hope you enjoy this one.  Blake and Owen tackled an enormous problem, fought through a completely unforeseen pandemic that could have toppled their business, but they kept grinding through and ended up in a great place for their users, investors and the two of them.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

  Today we welcome Justin Adams and Pat Morrell, co-founders of Anduin.  Many of you know this is their second startup together as they sold Digitize.ai back in 2019 – which is now part of Waystar.  So, this is our first podcast dealing with co-founders in Charlotte who have built and sold and are now building again, together. For that reason, we get to dive into some great topics with them.  We didn't ask them, “what would you do differently”, we asked, “what ARE you doing differently?”  This dynamic allows us to cover some great aspects of their entrepreneurial journey.  We dove into the concept of Digitize.ai and how they jumped into it as co-founders.  We learn how they built the product and sold it customers.  Along the way, we hear about their travels to Atlanta as well as the sacrifices – personally and professionally – they both made along the way. As we run through their trials and tribulations with Digitize.ai, we naturally break straight into the discussion of how Anduin has been developed differently.  What have they instantly put into practice with the second startup and where are they seeing the results along the way? For a little background, Justin serves as the CEO of Anduin and was also the CEO of Digitize.ai.  Prior to the startup route, Justin spent his career helping transform organizations through technology and innovation from Fortune 500 firms to the United States Intelligence Community. He also sat on a board that advised a venture capital firm on promising new technologies Pat Morrell is the Chief Revenue Officer at Anduin.  Pat grew up Raleigh and spent some time in DC, dealing with campaign politics. He moved back to Raleigh to work for a start-up, Three Ships. Pat and I first met when he was with Skookum where he was the Director of Strategic Partnerships. Anduin started in June 2020. They help accounting firms fix their billing process and speed up their cash flow. Their intelligence-based billing solution automates and improves time-consuming back-office finance processes. Anduin's mission is to fix the work-to-cash cycle to help accounting firms save time, speed up cashflow, and deliver a superior client experience. It's a great podcast to hear of their success from their beginnings to where they are now.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

Today, we welcome Haley Sutton, Founder of Box Babe Gift Co., to the podcast.  I first met Haley when she was an intern for Packard Place a few years ago.  She was regularly at Packard Place as we recorded podcasts and showed up for startup/investing events.  So it was awesome to have her on the podcast to talk about her own startup and the path she has taken to get here. The one thing Haley continued to say in our podcast I loved was how it was worth swinging for the fences.  That's the mentality that has allowed her to flourish and grow as a person and as an entrepreneur.  While she has been selling goods online through Etsy and other platforms since she was 14 years old, her journey as an entrepreneur wouldn't prepare her for the twists and turns as she launched Box Babe Gift Co.  It took guts and grit to leave Element Brands, a position with health insurance benefits, in the spring of 2020 – right during the early days of the Covid19 pandemic. Yet, her bet on herself paid off.  She started working out of her apartment and quickly moved the business into her boyfriend's new house for extra space.  She quickly outgrew the house and continues to outgrow each space she moves the company into and the existing one is no different as she is already thinking she'll have to move again by the end of 2021. But growth hasn't come easy.  She looks to support small female business owners as they pack their boxes of gifts.  But maintaining a steady supply of product creates challenges for Haley and the company.  As such, Haley had to learn how to make candles from her home as a way to make sure they had plenty of supply.  It was a messy learning process but just demonstrates the mindset of an entrepreneur willing to do what it takes. Listen for the part in the podcast where we talk about Haley's “Jeff Bezos Moment”.  It's a great Bezos story and awesome to hear Haley's version of it too. I hope you enjoy this one.  Haley has an infectious mentality and attitude and she's using it to build a great company – one that is still swinging for the fences.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

Today we welcome Ben Boyer, co-founder and Executive Chairman of R-Zero Systems, to the podcast.  Prior to March 2020, Ben had worked in Venture Capital – getting his feet wet with Lehman Brothers as he came out of college. After the Lehman bankruptcy, he went to work for Tenaya Capital which was spun out of Lehman Brothers.  At Tenaya, Ben focused on global consumer and related investments, with an emphasis on vertical applications and network effect businesses. He led investments in companies based in four countries and on three continents.  In 2020, he remained a Partner at Tenaya Capital but he stepped away from raising new funds to focus on R-Zero Systems.  Ben now lives in Park City UT. Ben speaks about his early days at Lehman and the fall of the financial business.  He shares in-depth stories of investing in venture capital including some of the success stories. Ultimately, though , as Covid begins to develop in the US it brought back emotions of 9/11 – and what he could do to help.  This led to him to research pathogens, how they are treated and ultimately R-Zero was launched in April 2020. Ben started it with Grant Morgan and Eli Harris to help combat all known pathogens: COVID-19, seasonal flu, Norovirus, E.coli, MRSA, C.diff and whatever COVID-25 might be.  R-Zero designs hospital-grade disinfection solutions for the day-to-day realities of modern businesses. Ben explains UV-C disinfection and their goal to make it better and cheaper.  We discuss the roles and strengths of each of their founders and he shares his story of entrepreneurship. Great podcast and it's good to see that R-Zero is keeping to their goal to create safer communal spaces, today and forever.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

Today we welcome Noam Mani, Co-Founder of Quartix.  Quartix is a company combining technology with institutional cash to transform vendor early payments into a true win-win for both the buyer and the vendors.  I met Noam several years ago when he was participating in the QC Fintech Accelerator program (run by RevTech Labs). The company has come a long way since those early days and they are now growing quickly – which is a great testament to Noam, his co-founder (Dror) and the rest of team including his stable of advisors they picked up along the way (some of which he picked up as a result of his participation in in the accelerator program). Noam is originally from Israel but he and Quartix now call Charlotte home.  It's great to see founders like Noam and Dror come through the QC Fintech program and ultimately decide to call Charlotte home.  It's a testament to the types of mentors in the program as well as the quality of program Dan Roselli and the rest of the team over there have built. Noam served as an Engineer in the Israel Military and after fulfilling his military duties in Israel he became a consultant.  This is where the idea of Quartix started to brew.  His co-founder Dror was seeing the vendor payments as a real pain point and the two of them teamed up to deliver a powerful solution.  It's a complex problem for many of us who don't sit in this space to understand but Noam does a wonderful job walking us through the problem and the solution in today's podcast. At the end of the day, Quartix is a data and technology driven alternative lender operating in the US and Canada. Their mission is to improve the financial performance of supply chains on the buyer side and reduce the borrowing costs of SME suppliers by offering effective supply chain finance. Noam shares their takeaway from QC Fintech and how and why he Dror Polak, started Quartix what it took to start and how they keep up with the demand.  Noam also explains that working with both sellers and buyers will expand the business. We discuss working with funding partners, and how they add value. At the end of the podcast we discuss the different type of markets that utilize their service and the opportunities that scale the business and what's on the horizon for them in the future.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

Today, we welcome Jim Roberts to the podcast.  Jim is a familiar name in the Charlotte area startup and investor ecosystem.  Today, Jim runs the Wilmington Angels for Local Entrepreneurs (WALE), Network for Entrepreneurs in Wilmington (NEW), and his own consulting firm, Rojo Octo Ecosystem Consulting. Yet, in 2000, he started a non-profit ecosystem in Charlotte before moving to Ashville to start their startup ecosystem and angel network.  From there Jim was recruited to work for the Department of Commerce's International Trade Division in Raleigh.  In 2013 he moved to Wilmington to start UNCW's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE).  The CIE offers programs, services, and activities to promote and support entrepreneurship and the creation of innovative new ventures in Southeastern North Carolina. Jim has been around the entrepreneur ecosystem since it's infancy and has helped get several cities off the ground.  It was a great opportunity for him to talk about how Wilmington has – and continues to develop/support the startup ecosystem. Jim talks through the difference of what WALE does verses NEW.  NEW holds free monthly events for a wide variety of entrepreneurs, investors, professional service providers, and community supporters considering entrepreneurship. The mission of NEW is to make the Wilmington region a more nurturing community for local startup entrepreneurs to improve and diversify the regional economy. WALE on the other hand is a platform for local angels to invest in Wilmington area startups.  Jim also dives into the reason why he started WALE, why it is important is to local entrepreneurs and how people (even Charlotte area people) can become members. I also wanted to talk with Jim a little about the differences of working in Raleigh and Wilmington. We also dive into how UNCW's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship built an innovation organization in 8 years that has been globally ranked.  He explains how they started the ecosystem in the Coastal corridor and their success stories of their first conference. Jim discussed his excitement about the PBS Start-Up Series being filmed in Wilmington.  At the end of the podcast, we discuss the future of Wilmington's ecosystem. Anyone who has talked with Jim knows he has worked tirelessly across NC to build startup communities.  It is great to see the Wilmington area getting more than its fair share of press thanks to Jim's hard work in putting the city on the map.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

  Today we are pleased to welcome Luke Wilcox, CEO and founder of Ethos, to the podcast.  Luke was part of the most recent RevTech Labs program and we got the chance to sit down with him and a few of his classmates to talk about their experience with the world class program as well as learn more about their businesses. Ethos is a first-of-its-kind FinTech platform to align your money with the causes you care about, including racial justice, climate change, LGBTQ equality, and more.  Essentially, it is a tool allowing investors and their advisors identify the causes most important to them and then screen the investment world for opportunities best fitting for them.  Luke started this as he was trying to identify investments whose causes aligned with his own and it has grown rapidly since then.  At first Luke was targeting individual investors only but he has allowed the platform to grow and is working with financial advisors and others to broaden it's reach. Luke started his career with McKinsey and clearly learned a lot about business and growing them.  Luke is bringing that skillset to Ethos as it expands its screening capabilities and continues to grow the number of advisors and investor on the platform.   Listen in to today's shorter podcast to learn more about the business model and how Charlotte has and continue to help Ethos grow. William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

Today we are pleased to welcome Nish Krishna, CEO of Lend-Grow, to the podcast.  Nish was part of the most recent RevTech Labs program and we got the chance to sit down with him and a few of his classmates to talk about their experience with the world class program as well as learn more about their businesses. Lend-Grow is an online lending marketplace connecting borrowers with community banks to offer the best deals on loans.  Borrowers can check their rates in less than two minutes and get matched with the lender that has the best deal for their needs.  Nish and his team are having success building out a marketplace which is a tough thing to do.  But they are creating that success by partnering with local community banks who are looking to expand their reach.  It's a great concept to serve a very large niche. Nish started his career with Capital One which is a very data intensive company and he is bringing that skillset to Lend-Grow as it scales up the number of loans it can and will provide through its marketplace.   Listen in to today's shorter podcast to learn more about the business model and how Charlotte has and continue to help ArchiveCore grow. William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.  

  Today we are pleased to welcome Lennox McNeary, CEO of ArchiveCore, to the podcast.  Lennox was part of the most recent RevTech Labs program and we got the chance to sit down with her and a few of her classmates to talk about their experience with the world class program as well as learn more about their businesses. ArchiveCore is a creating a simplified credentialing process for complex industries.  Lennox understands this well as she is a physician as well as a co-founder and grew frustrated with the process of hiring in her profession.  The typical delays of 90 days or more are costing hospitals money and reducing access to care for patients. ArchiveCore is building a software - utilizing blockchain technology - and a process to help the process become much more efficient.  Listen in to today's shorter podcast to learn more about the business model and how Charlotte has and continue to help ArchiveCore grow.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

  Today, we are fortunate to have Nat Clarkson and Dan Roselli  join us on the podcast to talk with us about CFV Ventures. We all know Dan and Nat from their work at RevTech Labs/QC Fintech. We wanted the opportunity to sit down and explore what CFV Ventures has been up to since closing their first fund.  Since this is our first time talking with Nat on the podcast we spend a good bit of time learning more about his background before we shift the discussion over to the fund.  Once we dive into the fund discussion we get into what types of companies they are investing in and where they are investing. It's great to hear the relationships they are creating and the awareness this fund is having on the world's perception of Charlotte.  Listening to Nat and Dan talk I realized how far Charlotte's ecosystem has come and yet how much further it can continue to go.  Fortunately, Charlotte continues to recruit good companies and talent - in large part to the work of Dan, Nat and many others have had in supporting the ecosystem. Next week, I'll publish interviews with several of the companies from the recently graduated class of RevTech Labs.  These podcasts are short 20 minute versions meant to get a quick understanding of young startups and their founders.  I really enjoyed the opportunity to talk with each of the founders - I think you'll find them interesting and full of opportunity too.

Today, we are fortunate to have Jonathan Kite join us on the podcast to talk with us about Rent Ready. Jonathan and the Rent Ready team (including co-founders Ryan McMillan and Will Brugh) completed a $10 million Series A in March 2021 - another great raise for a Charlotte based company. Jonathan grew up in Charlotte and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Jonathan started out leading the IT and marketing functions for Rent Ready to ensure their technology platform is constantly adapting to meet customer and Service Pro’s needs. He co-founded Rent Ready after a 6-year tenure at Microsoft working as a technical account manager, operations consultant, and program manager. Jonathan has a passion for technology and how it unlocks new potentials. Rent Ready is a rapidly growing services platform that uses technology to help coordinate the process of getting vacant apartment homes ready to rent (“turn”). Built to eliminate the frustration of typical apartment turns, Rent Ready utilizes a proprietary logistics platform to connect communities to skilled professionals. Rent Ready is transforming the apartment turn process. They are a B-to-B model and Jonathan explains their processes of what communities need to do to get a unit ready.  They are in the process of releasing a mobile app. Rent Ready currently is in Charlotte, Raleigh and Atlanta and they have 35 employees. They just recently completed the Series A round and Jonathan discusses raising the capital and the importance of staying in touch with people who can add value and the network affect of building connections. We talk about the importance of keeping communication open with vendors and investment group.  Jonathan also shares their success of a new service line they launched because of the pandemic which has scaled to a national level and how they capitalized on it. At the end of the podcast, we discuss the roles of the three Co-Founders at Rent Ready, the diverse mind set it brings to lead the team, and the vision and importance of future product development.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

Today, we welcome back Matt Potere, CEO of Sunlight Financial, to the podcast.  Matt joined us early in the days of the podcast with Episode 20 and Episode 21. Back in these days, Sunlight Financial was growing rapidly and in the process of moving into their new office space as they 'graduated' from the halls of Packard Place.  Fortunately, Matt and the rest of his team have continued to see growth over the last couple of years - so much growth they will be going public through a merger with a SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company) later this year. Given this is our first podcast guest to take his company public, we wanted to sit down with Matt to get an update of what the company has been doing and what it sees ahead. As a quick reminder, Sunlight Financial is co-headquartered in NY and Charlotte.  They have recently expanded into home improvement financing and they continue to offer consumer loans for residential solar.  They are also expanding to new products, including energy storage and energy efficiency. Sunlight partners with leading solar installers nationwide to help homeowners save money and protect our environment. The company’s front-end tools and back-end credit expertise simplify and streamline home energy lending, enabling Sunlight’s channel partners to provide homeowners with the benefits of system ownership. At the beginning of the podcast we discuss the saturation of the solar market, or lack thereof.  In 2020, 3% of homes in the US have solar power. So while Sunlight has surpassed $4 billion in funded loans it translates to about 125,000 homes - meaning they have lots of opportunity ahead of them as a company if they just stayed in the solar installation market.  Naturally, we discuss a lot of what it has taken to get the company ready for the next stage, how Matt and his team have worked with their investors to position the company, and the culture they have worked hard to create for a 100 year company. Matt and I discuss some of their challenges during the 2020/2021 Covid pandemic. As we near the end of the podcast, we discuss the Charlotte energy and financial eco-system and what’s happening. It will be great to see what the future holds for Sun Light Financial.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

Today we welcome Mike Murphy, CEO and Co-Founder of ProctorFree and Kevin Eckert, Partner with TFX Capital to the podcast. Mike served in the Army and later worked as a defense contractor. Prior to starting ProctorFree, Mike worked as marketing director for Everblue Training Institute, a startup focused on marketing environmental sustainability and green building (Jon Boggiano – Founder of Everblue was on guest #3 on the podcast – listen to it here). ProctorFree is an on-demand, convenient, and cost-effective online proctoring solution for education and corporate environments. The ProctorFree platform allows organizations to elevate their credibility and reputation while providing convenient learning opportunities for a global audience. Kevin is originally from Update New York and joined marines before ultimately ending up in Charlotte. He worked for a private equity firm where he got the start-up bug.  In 2018, he joined TFX Capital.  TFX Capital is a founder focused venture capital firm led by former military leaders, investing in seed and early-stage Veteran-led businesses and startups. ProctorFree has been through successes and challenges over its years as a business and TFX Capital has been right there with them for almost the entire time.  As such, we dive into what those successes have been and how they’ve had to tackle the challenges.  This means the tough discussions and decisions Mike has had to have with his investors, the hard decisions he had to make to keep the business afloat at its low point and how they have been able to grow through the pandemic.  All this brings us back through the core vision of TFX Capital investing in former military leaders and why they see those founders as great CEOs. This is a great podcast with founder and investor.  It shows the strength of good relationships between the two and how making tough decisions can lead to results over time. Mike shares the stories how they recognized problems in testing, staffing and their milestones, as well as the actions they took during the pandemic.  Kevin shared what the focus for TFX Capital and their portfolios companies was in 2020 and how they executed it throughout the year. We also here from Kevin on the importance of the start-ups knowing when it is time to raise the next round of capital. At the end of the podcast, Mike describes the four customer segments of ProctorFree (1) higher education institutions (2) on-line courses and training (3) professional certifications and (4) brand name dedicated companies.     William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

Today, Juan Garzon jumps back on the Charlotte Angel Connection – his second time and first since his appearance as the 4th guest (listen to Juan’s first podcast here).  Juan is the Executive Director at Innovate Charlotte. Most of us have known Juan, or known of Juan, for nearly a decade now as he has been an integral part of the startup ecosystem.  Between his work over the years with Pitch Breakfast, launching the Start Charlotte newsletter (now Charlotte Inno), or any number of other things Juan has done to help startups over the years, Juan has been a tireless advocate of all things startup related in Charlotte. We wanted to catch up with Juan to discuss his new role as Executive Director at Innovate Charlotte.  We’ve spoken with Walt Frye and Keith Luedeman as they lead the organization in the past and wanted to hear from Juan how it will expand/grow as the ecosystem continues to build up strength and momentum. As you may know or recall, Innovate Charlotte is a nonprofit organization with a mission to enhance, elevate, and accelerate entrepreneurial success in the greater Charlotte region. Their focus is on cultivating an intentionally inclusive and high impact ecosystem that stimulates innovation, economic growth and societal change. Juan explains the VMS and Navigator Program along with other initiatives they offer to the Charlotte’s startup ecosystem.  We discuss the growth of entrepreneurship making Charlotte a destination as well as creating more opportunities for home-grown entrepreneurs. We also dive into how the City of Charlotte is getting involved to help grow entrepreneurship – with a goal of building a more diverse start-up community. Juan shares opportunities for other non-profit organizations. NCIdea, which supports entrepreneurs/mentor programs throughout North Carolina. Pitch Breakfast, which is a platform for companies to practice their pitch, has continued to operate throughout the pandemic and is waiting for guidance and when and how it can get back to being an in person event. At the end of the podcast we talk what it takes to have entrepreneurs stay engaged.  It’s a great podcast.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

  Today, Eric Mager and Marco Burgarello, of Bundle join the podcast.  I’ve been a fan of Marco’s since I met him while he was working with Dan Roselli at Packard Place.  And when I saw Eric pitch Bundle at a Charlotte Angel Fund meeting I knew he was a founder and Bundle was a company worth watching.  Bundle sits at the crossroads of privacy, technology, personalization, and a great user experience.  Considering the mortgage industry doesn’t deliver any of that, I figured it had a decent shot at success. But listen to the podcast today and you’ll hear for yourself why they are gearing up for more success.  Their platform provides a simple way for borrowers to compare mortgage rates while staying anonymous. They provide a place where the borrower controls the process, not the lenders bidding for the business.  As you’ll hear in the interview, Bundle guarantees to never sell or give away client contact information to banks or lenders, ever. The tough thing is Bundle is building a two-way market.  They have to sign-up mortgage brokers on their site to compete for the business.  And they also have to get consumers to the site to request bids.  In a year like 2020 when every mortgage broker was slammed with business regardless of what they did you would think Bundle would struggle to differentiate and build out a strong proof of concept. But that thinking would be wrong. Eric and Marco raised a small seed round in early 2020 to test the concept.  They had been through the QC Fintech Accelerator program – where they met.  But their seed round last year gave them the funds they needed to launch.  And now after the seed round validated their business model, they are back at it raising a larger Series A round to expand the ground game. But listen in to the podcast to hear the back stories.  I love hearing how Marco pitched Eric to be on the team.  For all you founders and people wanting to partner with founders take notes.  Marco took a bold move to position himself with Eric.  And just as importantly, Eric was humble enough to listen.  Hearing them talk back and forth you can see how they may have lightning in a bottle. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of competition in the mortgage industry.  Yet this duo has carved out their space and they are going to go after it with bold strokes and lots of industry expertise in their corner.  It’s going to be a really exciting company to watch over the next couple of years as more millennials come online to buy and refinance their houses. William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

  Today we welcome Gunner Cuevas, CEO and Co-Founder of CARL.  I met Gunnar a few years ago as he was coming through the QC Fintech Accelerator Program. His desire to bring unique quantitative strategies to a broader population caught my attention. CARL is the first to provide easy access to hedge funds through a simple to use mobile app. By taking advantage of new regulations and advances in analytics and computing technologies they offer investment opportunities not previously available to most investors. . Hedge funds have gotten a bad rap over the years as they are reported to continue underperforming the market.  But Gunnar saw how hedge funds can win.  He also saw how he could help investors win. This is CARL – the way to bring hedge funds to individual investors.  It’s clean and simple and has an opportunity to democratize this part of the investment industry. Gunnar is no stranger to startups. His first startup got off the ground when he was back home in Chile. After spending time traveling the world snowboarding, he met his wife and went back to school.  Gunner obtained his BS and MS from George Mason University.  After college he moved to NY and began working in a proprietary trading company where he built routing algorithms for market making. Gunner shares what he learned in his previous positions before founding CARL. In 2015, he started Eight Two Capital, a quant hedge fund. It was a result of this that he met his current business partner and together they founded CARL, a new technology platform for investing in quant hedge funds. Today’s podcast weaves these stories through along with the successes and challenges Gunnar and the team have had getting this up off the ground. Gunner explains CARL’s concept, investing in alternative investments and the hedge fund space.  CARL is currently in beta mode and we discuss the strategies currently on the platform and upcoming strategies that will join. We discuss the minimum investment and CARLS reporting tools which adds value to the space. We discuss the simplicity of the platform and how to invest or take money out - it is 100% digital.  He shares stories about the Beta testing and the growth of the platform thus far – they are having strong growth month over month. It’s a great podcast where we discuss the ins and outs of the platform and what it takes to be a startup founder and grind through successes to the next level. William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.    

Today, we welcome Chris Langford, a Partner at IDEA Fund Partners, to the podcast.  Chris has been active in the Charlotte startup scene since at least 2015 when I joined the Charlotte Angel Fund.  His education events, support of local founders, and availability to the ecosystem at large has been helpful getting the Charlotte startup community to where it is today. In this podcast, we wanted to learn more about Chris and how he ended up being in Venture Capital.  Chris has a great story of the journey he has taken and what he has learned along the way. He shares that information readily with local founders and investors too. Chris now leads the Charlotte office for IDEA Fund partners.  IDEA Fund Partners is one of the oldest and most active early-stage investment firms in the Southeast, their investment philosophy has been honed from years of experience.  They invest in entrepreneurs who are applying technology and business model innovations to industries in the earliest stages of digital disruption with an emphasis on underserved people, places, and stages. Chris did not start out wanting to be in this space though.  After college he spent some time as a financial advisor at T. Rowe Price before going back to the University of Florida to get his MBA. Obtaining his MBA led him to Investment Banking where Chris got an appreciation for companies being acquired.  From the investment banking world, Chris relocated to Charlotte and worked for Lowe’s in New Development and Strategic Development before he eventually founded and led Lowe’s Ventures.  With Lowe’s Ventures, Chris sourced and invested in transformative companies in the housing innovation sector. Chris has been a keynote speaker and panelist for major industry conferences and events. He sits on several Boards.  It is from this experience we discuss what Chris thinks makes a good board and why startups should have them.  Chris shares some success stories of the coolest investments he has made and what makes them amazing. Listen to the podcast and you will understand why Chris is a fanatic about technology and its impact on homes and the housing value chain. On a separate note, we wanted to mention the Charlotte Angel connection was recently listed as one of the Top 40 Angel Investor Podcasts out there (see full list here).  It’s pretty cool given this podcast started out as a way to see if we could help grow the number of Angel Investors in the greater Charlotte market.  Thank you to all our listeners, guests, and friends of the show.  We have really enjoyed it. William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

    Today we welcome Daniel Gouldman, CEO and Co-Founder of Ternio, to the podcast. Daniel is a big picture CEO who has the skillset to get down into details and who very much understands where his business is and where they are going to take it. Ternio is a global fintech platform built on blockchain. Their global banking platform, BlockCard, is fundamentally changing the way people interact with their money. The BlockCard, currently live in the United States, allows customers frictionless use of their cryptocurrencies in their account - connected to a Visa card. Ternio is a Visa Fast Track Partner and Daniel explains what that means. In the discussion we hit on a couple different area of interest. A natural place for us to land is diving into raising money. Daniel shares the importance of Ternio going to the marketplace to raise money. Not since Will McGuire’s podcast have we gotten a dose of the different types of private offerings but Daniel explains Regulation CF verses Regulation A offering. Daniel discusses cryptocurrency and its value. He explains what blockchain solutions are and the process of moving money now verses what Blockchain will allow.  He gives the example of the service PayPal now offers versus BlockCard’s service. In 2020 they doubled the size of their team. Not only are they going to have a very strong 2021, but something big is coming for them as well! He also shares where he feels where they will be in 3 years.  He discusses the marketplace and their focus today and their business in its next stage. It is a great podcast and I'm excited to learn what their big announcement will be. It's going to be an fun company to watch as they move forward.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

Happy New 2021! On today's podcast, we have John Dillard, founder and CEO of Threatswitch joining us.  In addition to John, we brought Paul Clark from VentureSouth as they have been an investor in Threatswitch for the last couple of years. As you'll hear John discuss, they just closed a $1.7 million capital raise in late 2020 and VentureSouth - in the middle of the global pandemic. "Threatswitch is transforming the way security and compliance teams work on security. They make it easier to comply with strict regulations by radically simplifying and automating high volume, data intensive and administrative tasks." We kick of this podcast talking with John about the 'art of raising capital.'  There isn't a right way to raise capital - one could certainly argue there are some wrong ways - and John talks about how he views it.  It's this early in the podcast you get a sense of who John is and how he has been able to grow Threatswitch. Throughout the podcast, we 'check in' with Paul to get his thoughts on the process from the investors perspective.  It starts out with Paul talking through the difference of investing in an existing portfolio company versus investing in a new company where they haven't done due diligence before. We also get Paul's view on what makes John special as he has successfully transitioned from a consultant over to the CEO of a startup/software company.  Lot's of people try to make that transition - myself included with my startup years ago - but aren't able to create a successful enterprise. This is a very good open discussion between a strong founder and a very well respected angel group.  It highlights the benefits of a good working relationship.  Any founder would be well served to listen to not only what is said, but how it's said - and just as importantly what doesn't get said. Hope you enjoy this one!   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

On today's podcast, we are fortunate to have Bianca L. Padilla and Jonathan Magolnick, co-founders of Carewell.  Carewell is a Charlotte-based, family-led ecommerce company with a mission to improve the lives of caregivers and their loved ones. Their story began with one goal: to find a way to provide better care for loved ones through easy, personalized service. Carewell’s story began in 2015, when its founders were among the 20% of Americans who act as informal caregivers. They were unable to find the guidance and selection they needed in one place.  Knowing the impact it could have, they formed Carewell to be a source of support for independent caregivers.  Their goal is to provide proactive service, compelling content, and expert-vetted products - you'll hear this in their voice and stories throughout the podcast. Bianca and Jonathan share their story about the learning curves of starting a company, the importance of customer care, and training.  We also speak about the variety of products, and working with the manufacturers. Bianca shares their story of raising a $5 million seed round in March 2020 and the process of working with investors.  Jonathan describes the high demands due to Covid, how they have doubled their staff during the pandemic and the struggles of training their staff remotely.  They discuss the challenges and successes the past 6 months (due to Covid) and the success of participating in the Venture from America program.  Bianca shares Carewell’s plans for the future. At the end of the podcast, they explain why they moved the business to Charlotte and also discuss Carewell being listed as one of the Best Places to Work in Charlotte. This wife and husband team are building a really strong business in Charlotte.  Listen to this interview and you'll certainly come away believing this business is part of Charlotte's future.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

  Trent Hawthorne, COO at Rabbu, joins us on the podcast today. Trent is a Charlotte native, and he thinks of himself as a builder, who always wanted to be an entrepreneur.  Early in his career he worked for Kyck because he knew he wanted to start his own startup one day and was looking to learn while doing it with another company.  Kyck's founder, Mac Lackey, has mentored many local entrepreneurs over the years and several startups have since spun out of Kyck (including the Rabbu who was on the podcast several years ago - click here to listen). While with Kyck, Trent relocated to London in 2013 and eventually met his wife while over there.  They moved back to the US in 2015 and Trent shared his stories of successes and struggles while at Kyck.  After Kyck, he worked for Palmetto Solar out of Charleston. Here he started working on his own business idea that he had originally started doing at Kyck - StandupPro was born during this time.  Standup Pro is a software product that empowers you to run a 15-minute meeting with your team that will transform a business. In 2019 he went to Rabbu, where he is COO.  Rabbu is a flexible asset management platform that seeks to provide property investors higher returns on their portfolio through short, medium and long-term tenants.  He talks about learning a new skill at Rabbu - sales.   We discuss their business model during COVID. Trent and his wife continue to run StandupPro as well.  They funded it on their own and found a partner from Palmetto Solar.  Trent discusses his core belief in what makes StandupPro different. Trent also posts a weekly thought through "One Sharable Thing".  It's a short but impactful thought expanded upon in a brief write-up delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning.  I highly encourage you to sign up as it will cause you to stop and think. For those interested in Standup Pro their Website is standuppro.io.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

Anya Johnson and Will McGuire with CrowdfundNC join us for the podcast today. Will joined us a few years ago to talk about crowdfunding and his own company, CrowdfundNC. I wanted to circle back around and talk with Will and Anya about the crowdfunding initiatives in North Carolina as well as what the industry in general looks like.  I have long been a believer that local entrepreneurs are good investment opportunities as potentially investment opportunities for people willing AND able to take the risk. Companies like CrowdfundNC make it easier for local people to invest in local businesses.  As Charlotte in particular – and North Carolina/South Carolina – continue to grow more entrepreneurs will start businesses looking to capitalize on that growth.  There are some new regulations coming out which impacts accredited and non-accredited investors too. We discuss the opportunities in Raleigh and with Crowdfunding.  Anya encourages people to utilize the  website, NC Grind (https://ncgrind.com/) where people can go to find investment opportunities connected to North Carolina; get first access to NC business and investment news; and it provides education by luncheons, Networking events, etc. An emerging trend in early stage capital are syndicates – which are essentially groups of similar people/organizations coming together to build businesses in their community.  Examples could be investors in IoT, Med Tech, Fin Tech, real estate, etc.  Crowdfunding platforms are making it easier for people to form syndicates and organize capital around communities/industries.  Will and Anya dive into this during our call and I believe this is an area to watch in the coming years. Will and Anya discuss their connection to a large partner network with resources within North Carolina and outside the state to support community awareness , help raise funding, and connect people to other groups for support. Hear what CrowdfundNC has to offer – you will definitely understand their mission - to grow North Carolina's entrepreneurial ecosystem by democratizing access to capital for all businesses providing new economic opportunities for all.  Ultimately as we’ve said before on the podcast there are avenues developing that will allow investors to better invest locally just like avenues have developed in the food world for us to buy locally.  I’m excited to watch this trend and invite you to follow Will and Anya to stay in the loop.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.  

Today we welcomed Alex Smereczniak, co-Founder and CEO of 2ULaundry, to the podcast.  Many of you know the story of 2ULaundry as they have been operating out of Charlotte since 2016 (and we had his co-founder, Dan D’Aquisto as a guest on episode #7). Click here for the video version of the podcast. Yet, this was our first-time having Alex on the podcast where we learn he is originally from Redwing, Minnesota and went to college at Wake Forest.  While he was at college, Alex and some friends started a laundry business catering to college students but they sold it as they were graduating.  Alex then took on the “9-5” world with EY and moved to Charlotte.  While there, he started to see some startups out west try to tackle the laundry problem and he couldn’t help but give it another shot – 2ULaundry was born in 2016. 2ULaundry is the new way to do laundry and dry cleaning that helps people make time for what matters most in their lives. Customers receive exclusive access to a full suite of offerings including flat rate laundry and dry-cleaning prices, free pickup and delivery, next business day turnaround, and more. We discuss their initial business model and lessons learned and various pivots along the way.  In 2017 they vertically integrated without buying assets.  He shares their successful story of their first retail location in Charlotte and the impact it has had on the business. We also discuss their expansion into Atlanta, plans to expand (including franchising), and growth in the industry in general.  We discuss the fortunate timing of their capital raise in late 2019. Our discussion naturally evolves into Covid-19 and he discusses what they had to do to preserve cash – a constant theme for CEOs to think about these days.  During the beginning months of Covid they watched and discussed what needed to happen and how they had to reposition themselves – as we learn it was a great time for a pause/refresh. We finally dive into the future and their decision to franchise and their growing relationship with Electrolux. As is the case with so many of these podcasts, you walk away with a very high impression of Alex and 2ULaundry after this podcast.  The decisions CEOs of startups have to make under normal times comes through and the clarity with which Alex and the team have been able to pivot. For further information regarding a 2ULaundry Franchise, contact Alex Smereczniak at alex@2ULaundry.com.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

  This week we welcome Desmond Wiggan, a co-founder and CEO BatteryXchange to the podcast.  Like many entrepreneurs Desmond’s business model was disrupted as a result of Covid19.  As an African American entrepreneur, he also engaged in the community promoting equality for minority founders and changing the narrative for minorities in technology.  He’s also a new father. You’ll quickly learn that tackling all these things is just what Desmond does – he’s a fantastic person with great drive and self-awareness. Desmond was kind enough to talk through his journey with us.  In many regards, it started out with him running track in college.  Through his track team, he was able to learn how to be a leader.  He took that leadership and the know-how of doing what has to be done to win to the corporate world.  After spending time with Pepsi, Desmond took the opportunity to travel to China for his MBA. In the Spring of 2018 – just before leaving China - Aubrey Yeboah and Desmond developed the concept for BatteryXchange out of convenience of needing a charged battery for their cell phone. BatteryXchange is an IoT technology company that connects people, businesses, and communities to things that matter to each entity the most. On our podcast, Desmond discusses their business model pre-Covid and how they had to pivot to focus on businesses in the essential worker spaces including healthcare and public transportation.  He talks about crowd funding and shares his story of the hurdles of starting a new business as a black man.  We also discuss Desmond’s involvement with the Black Entrepreneurship Council, a new program initiated this summer through NC IDEA. It’s a great podcast, listen to the importance being a part of a community, globalization, and their core mission, to keep people connected. For those wanting to learn more about BatteryXchange and Desmond, register for an opportunity to meet the team, learn more about their products and understand their investment opportunity.  Registration can be found here – www.bxesummit.com/summit2020   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

  Lee Farabaugh and Joe Maxwell join me on the Charlotte Angel Connection today to discuss Core10. Lee Farabaugh is the Co-Founder and President of Core10.  She is a technology design, operations and innovation expert with over a decade of experience in fintech and health care IT – and she’s been fortunate to call Charlotte home before! Joe Maxwell is the Managing Partner with FINTOP Capital.  FINTOP Capital, is a venture capital firm managed by a team of seasoned operators, based in Nashville, TN. In addition, to being an investor in Core10 FINTOP capital was an earlier investor in DealCloud – a Charlotte startup that was sold several years ago (here founders Rob Cummings and Ben Harrison talk about their exit on Episode 78). Core10, founded in 2016 and backed by FINTOP Capital, is a leading US-based provider of API Integration and SaaS implementation services to the fintech and financial services industry. Their 100% US-based development team is located in smaller US Hereshore® communities, including Huntington, West Virginia, and Martin, Tennessee, where they offer clients expert resources at a competitive rate. These Hereshore® communities are selected because they produce highly educated developers in places with a significantly lower cost of living than the major US hubs and large cities. During the podcast we discuss their business value of providing high quality software in US from costing a fortune.  Listen to why Lee decided to start their business in West Virginia and Tennessee and learn about the success they have had in building relationships in the community, working with Universities, and becoming a community leader. We discuss the business model now and future, partnerships with other states, and the need for building an ecosystem. They share their success stories of making the deals happen, and what business has been like for Core10 for the past four months during the early stages of the Covid19 pandemic. You don’t want to miss this podcast and listen to their excitement and desire for everyone to win.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.  Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

  We are really pleased to have Jordan Schindler, CEO and Founder at Nufabrx (previously known as Textile-Based Delivery, Inc) on the podcast today (watch our podcast on Youtube). Much like our last podcast with Chris Wright from Whystle (click here), Jordan had to deal with a big change to his business model during March.  While he was in the midst of launching into Walmart and had just finished a capital raise, the need for more masks in the US was/is directly in their line of work.  As such, we explore this pivot and the impact with Jordan in detail. Before diving straight into the meat of the pivot, we learn Jordan grew up in Arizona and at an early age knew he had a passion for entrepreneurship.  He attended the University of Washington in Seattle.  Fighting an acne problem in college he sought out a dermatologist who essentially recommended Jordan to change his pillowcase more often.  It sounded like a crazy concept – wash your sheets to solve the acne problem.  As such, Jordan took to solve the problem in a different way – creating fabric that heals. Jordan shares his story of how he got involved with a group of people from MIT and how their relationship evolved.  He moved to the Conover, NC in 2016 to have access to the Manufacturing Solutions Center.  This was a pivotal moment in the business as it really opened lots of doors for Jordan and the business and provided him access to tools it would have been impossible (or highly expensive) to purchase on his own. Nufabrx is innovating smart materials which integrate state-of-art controlled release of active ingredients within garments, offering topical and transdermal benefit with high compliance, safety, aesthetics, and convenience.  Their patented platform technology enables the safe and controlled delivery of active ingredients to target locations on the body. Listen to his success story from a pillowcase to socks with built in pain relief to masks for today’s pandemic. **Special note, for every order they receive, they donate masks to healthcare first responders.**  You can order there mask and glove products here (www.theramasks.com).   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.  Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

Chris Wright, founder of Whystle, joins us today on the podcast. Chris is an entrepreneur obsessed with learning and relentless personal improvement. Chris is from Indiana, grew up in upstate New York and attended University of South Carolina.  After college he had a job with Deloitte and was fortunate to have a few months prior to his official start date.  During his time off, Chris started two businesses which was where he knew he wanted to come back to.  One of the businesses, which he still co-owns, sells private label men’s accessories thru an Amazon FBA (fulfillment by Amazon).  You’ll hear a few of the lessons he learned through this business as we dive through his journey. Chris spent two years as a consultant with Deloitte before he finally nailed down his next company - Whystle. Whystle is an on-demand cleaning service you schedule via an app.  Whystle’s goal is to provide simple to book, transparent cleaning services so people know what they were getting, how much they are paying and can get their time back! In our discussion today, Chris discusses his consulting assignments at Deloitte and what made him decide to leave Deloitte. With the demands of being a consultant, working long hours and traveling demands he had no time to maintain a “home”.  He first got the idea to start Whystle in the fall of 2018.  He thought it would be a great concept for professionals who – like him - lead busy lives so they could take back some of their free time. Chris built his website, got operational, and started Whystle full time in March 2019.  They had a successful first year, lots of ups and downs but successful. One year later COVID-19 happens and by end of March 2020 75% of their overall business had to pause services.  He discusses the challenges they experienced during this time. Listen to how they overcame the business challenges resulting from COVID-19 pivoted to a new service for commercial property owners, Whystle Disinfection Services.  Chris’ goal for Disinfection Services is to help businesses reopen safely and to help create a place where employees and customers are not fearful.  He discusses their back to business opening plan and discusses guidelines they have made available on their website for others to use.  Chris has made his back to business plan available online including a free 15 minute consultation.  Please follow this link for additional tips and details - https://www.whystle.co/back-to-business-action-plan. It’s a great podcast, you don’t want to miss it.  Chris is a great leader, a team player and truly has the desire to help and educate people on how to reopen and do it safe.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.  Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.