Startup Funding | Learn from Venture Capitalists, Angel Investors and CEOs of Disruptive Companies

On this episode of Startup Funding hosted by Dr. Roshawnna Novellus we have Azim Barodawala who is the CEO of Atlanta-based Volantio Inc, a technology based focused on helping industries with highly volatile pricing and availability. This technology particularly applies to the travel industry and increases conversion rates while reducing costs. He is also a graduate of Duke University and completed his MBA in the Walton School along with a Masters in International Affairs from the University of Pennsylvania. Azim, who has a strong passion for travel, innovation, technology, and strategy, has been able to utilize his significant international experience to solve the problem of last minute airline ticket sales. He talks about his experiences and why he decided to become an entrepreneur in a startup company. Azim explains better what Volantio Inc, actually does and how they are able to solve a major problem in ticket sales. “Are you really passionate about what you are doing?” According to Azim, passion is a huge part of a successful startup, sharing how his passion for traveling was a huge factor in changing the way Volantio Inc operated in the past. Volantio Inc was already setup before Azim came into the picture and he tells us how he was able to properly integrate and overcome that challenge. According to Azim, “financial concerns are the ones that can hold some people back” stating that monetary gains or glory shouldn’t be the main focus for startups, instead they should aim to solve a problem, in his case, Azim is trying to change and fundamentally impact how airlines are able to sell their tickets. We get to hear Azim’s best and worst parts of raising capital including the highlights of the fundraising process for his business. We get to learn network building tips like writing a thank you card to potential investors and leveraging personal connections which will make funding much easier. Speaking on the best advice he has received, Azim recommends a lecture he once heard on: 10 pieces of advice for a mega-successful career and a fulfilling life. These tips include focusing on objectives and starting your day early for higher effectiveness. The episode ends with Azim giving some words of wisdom to startup founders who want to raise money for their business. Roshawnna and Azim discuss:  [04:09] Azim talks about himself and why he decided to become an entrepreneur. [05:25] We get to hear more about the company and what has Azim fired up. [12:44] Azim talks about how he was able to come into the business. [16:50] Azim talks about his passion and how it was able to help him in the business. [20:25] “Tell us about the best and worst parts of raising capital.” [26:16] We learn what may have held him back from investing in the business. [34:52] Azim shares a personal habit that contributes to his success. [50:23] Azim shares words of wisdom for founders who want to raise capital.  

Today on Startup Funding hosted by Dr. Roshawnna Novellus we have Jessica Norwood who is a fellow of Nathan Cummings Foundation and the founder of The Runway Project which uses entrepreneurship as a way to bridge the wealth gap for black-owned businesses. They do this by providing the early pre-seed capital and business support a.k.a friend and family money. Jessica who is based in Mobile, Alabama and grew up between politics and entrepreneurship, believes that the entrepreneurial spirit has always been a part of her. As a result of a childhood surrounded by politics, she saw several opportunities where black entrepreneurship could be strengthened, more than what was already being done. Having done some work with some major foundations on food investment in Alabama, Jessica saw how she could get more direct investments to support the entire eco-system surrounding black farmers from the production side to the consumption side. The problem Jessica saw was that investors cared more about later stage, growth type of capital where assets may be used for collateral but many startups are undercapitalized from the very beginning. Also, friends and family money which represents a $60 billion industry was not readily available for African Americans because of the wealth gap. If you’ve ever wanted to know about trends in the food and agriculture industry, listen to Jessica talk about innovations in the industry including business to business operations and small scale in-house farming. Jessica isn’t only interested in the agriculture sector though, in her words “what I’m most passionate about is the entire eco-system surrounding how we deliver friends and family money to entrepreneurs of color in particular.” She also outlines the innovations and movements that are going on to make her idea a reality. Jessica also gives advice to people who aren’t accredited investors but wish to support startup companies ate the seed stage. When asked how we can open people's mind to the cultural realities behind black startup founders towards seeing more social enterprises evolve, Jessica states that with a greater inclusion of people who come from those communities to be a part of creating the solution we can effect a culture change by using diversity as a strategy to understanding where good business opportunities are. Don’t miss out on Jessica’s advice to startup founders so that they can be as attractive to investors as possible. Her advice includes greater inclusion and visibility and she also shares examples of how this can be done. That’s not all, we get to learn a personal habit of Jessica’s that contributes to her success in this deeply insightful episode. Roshawnna and Jessica discuss: [02:50] Jessica talks more about herself and her she came up with the idea for Runway Project. [06:01] We get to learn more about trends in agriculture and urban farming. [09:40] We learn what other sectors Jessica is interested in asides agriculture. [19:10] Jessica shares a story of an entrepreneur that helped her push forward to create her approach. [25:40] They talk about changing the cultural perception surrounding startup founders. [32:42] Jessica shares recommendations for entrepreneurs who can’t access funding easily. [41:40] Jessica answers an interesting question from Dr. Roshawnna

Bootstrap Capital, a non-profit organization, partners with the City of Atlanta to host EnrichHER, on April 27, 2017 at 6:00 PM at Atlanta Tech Village. EnrichHER is a citywide event featuring Atlanta’s most successful women executives; and local women-led companies will be given the opportunity to pitch their businesses for the chance to win a $5,000 grant. EnrichHer is an initiative developed by Dr. Roshawnna Novellus , with the support of Atlanta City Council President Ceasar C. Mitchell’s, “Back to Business” program. According to the 2016 State of Women-Owned Business Report , Georgia was listed as a top ten state for spurring economic growth among female business owners. “My Back to Business program is partnering with EnrichHER so that more women-led businesses may flourish within the City of Atlanta,” says Mitchell. EnrichHER will be an evening of sharing, learning and leading. The program includes networking, panel discussions, keynote presentations, and a business pitch competition. Dr. Novellus will share the stage with Lisa Nicole Cloud , founder, Women’s Empowerment Network and serial-entrepreneur; Kimberly Blackwell , advisor, PMM & NBWC ; Susan Oh , managing partner, Telemundo ; Veronica Maldonado-Torres , program director, Georgia Protege Project ; Genevieve Bos , managing partner, Thought Capital ; and Rashan Ali , multi-media personality. Judges for the business pitch competition will include: Grace Fricks , president, Access to Capital For Entrepreneurs ; Theia Washington , executive director, Women's Entrepreneurship Initiative ; and Dina Marto , founder of Twelve Studios . EnrichHer is the first city-wide effort aimed at connecting women in business with local resource organizations providing funding, childcare, mentorship, educational trainings, grant opportunities, and other business resources that increase long-term sustainability. “My vision for EnrichHER is to be a resource for networking and educating entrepreneurs on everything that is available to support and help them become successful.” states Dr. Roshawnna Novellus, “That's what makes us different. Many of these organizations do well, but operate in silos, sometimes their messages only go so far, limiting their reach, but if we unified all of these diverse businesses, they could truly benefit from each other." Tickets, speaker and panelist bios, and vendor opportunity information are available online at, EnrichHER.co . To join the conversation follow the hashtag #EnrichHER on Twitter , Instagram , and Facebook . ### About Dr. Roshawnna Novellus Dr. Roshawnna Novellus , known as the Wealthy Yogi, is the co-founder of Bootstrap Capital and Host of Startup Funding. She is passionate about helping business owners ready to attract funding. She provides financial investments to local businesses and educates them on financial management . Dr. Novellus has been featured in Forbes, Huffington Post, WSJ, and Rolling Out. She has also completed the Pipeline Angels Fellowship, a Kauffman program in angel investing. Roshawnna serves on the Commission on Women for the City of Atlanta, and was honored as one of the Women Who Means Business by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. About Bootstrap Capital Bootstrap Capital is laser-focused on helping early stage companies achieve what others believe is impossible. Bootstrap Capital is a non-profit organization that connects entrepreneurs with the resources, networks, and funding needed to be successful. Through their hybrid approach, they partner with passionate founders who are looking to transform large markets. Their tagline is: “We are entrepreneurs investing in entrepreneurs.”

Today on our EnrichHer edition of StartUp Funding hosted by Dr. Roshawnna Novellus we have Shade Smith who tells us more about why she decided to become an entrepreneur and what gave her the idea behind her clothing company She Unites. While trying to feel comfortable with her clothing styles as a lover of active gear, Shade Smith wanted to be able to seamlessly transition between her day to day activities and decided to create a platform which extends from fashion into a means of helping women achieve their goals and balance their lives. Shade Smith shares with us things she has been working on that has her excited including trying to get funding for her business and getting the name and brand to the mainstream so it gets easily recognizable. On the question of what success looks like for She Unites, Shade Smith sees success as a united front of women pushing the idea of feminism in a positive light and getting women to step outside their comfort zone and make a big mark on the society. When creating She Unites, Shade Smith had some challenges which she shares with us and also how she overcame them. One of which is having a busy schedule and having to balance various activities at once without being stressed out. Shade Smith also share with us what we can all do to make sure that She Unites is successful.   Roshawnna and Shade Smith discuss: [01:40] Shade Smith tells us more about why she decided to become an entrepreneur and what gave her the idea behind her clothing company. [02:50] We get to learn what is going on with She Unites right now that has Shade Smith excited. [03:21] Shade Smith gets to answer the question “What does success look like for you?” [04:40] Shade Smith shares with us obstacles she has overcome and what she learnt from that experience. [05:48] Here we see what impact She Unites has on the city of Atlanta. [06:40] Shade Smith tells us how we can help make her vision for She Unites a reality.

On our EnrichHer edition of StartUp Funding hosted by Dr. Roshawnna Novellus we have Martice Sutton the founder of Girls Going Global explains the reason behind her business, how she came up with the idea and what made her venture into entrepreneurship. A former international studies major, Martice always knew she wanted to make an impact in the community. After graduating from Spelman College she worked abroad on social enterprise in India where she worked with several girls organizations and decided that she wanted to do something to expose girls form her home town to the different cultures and experiences all over the world and created the startup company: Girls Going Global. Martice describes her initiative as a no-vacation experience, exposing girls to global cultures, global issues and ensuring they know that there is more to the world than their immediate community. Martice shares with us happenings in her business that has got her excited with over 40 girls coming from all over the country with plans of visiting new places and encountering their very first world wonder. She also shares the grand vision for Girls Going Global where she would love to see various chapters all over the country and being able to expose more girls to global experiences. Every entrepreneur is a problem solver and Martice is no exception, during our interview she shares with us several challenges she has had to overcome and how she learnt from them. Girls Going Global also has a huge impact in Atlanta with plans of engaging more Atlanta girls through education and opportunity creation. Martice also shares with us the ways we can help support her initiative and ensure it becomes a success.   Roshawnna and Martice Sutton discuss: [01:50] Martice tells us more about what Girls Going Global is, how she came up with the idea and what led her into entrepreneurship. [03:00] We get to know more on why it’s important to expose girls to cultures of different countries. [03:40] Martice shares with us happenings in her business that has her excited at the moment. [04:56] We get to learn about challenges which Martice has faced with starting up Girls Going Global. [05:41] Martice answers the question “How is your business impacting Atlanta?” [06:18] Martice shows us how we can help support her vision for Girls Going Global.

Today on our EnrichHer edition of StartUp Funding hosted by Dr. Roshawnna Novellus we have the crew of Dare Dream Dance who speak to us about how they came up with the idea for a dance academy and why they decided to become entrepreneurs: Cicely Kelly & Rae Coleman. Being Atlanta natives they saw the opportunity to develop a curriculum for dancers of this generation and have a noticeable impact in the community. Dare Dream Dance started in 2013 in a studio in Atlanta and today it has grown to become a wonderful program with so many different success stories and many different studios all over the country. Dare Dream Dance has an ambitious long term goal of being a recognizable name when it comes to quality dance and being the go-to school for anyone who is trying to become a booking working dancer and provide them with the tools they need to be successful for a long time. Creating a dance studio isn’t the easiest thing to do and Cicely of Dare Dream Dance shares with obstacles she has had to overcome and what she learnt from that. Dance isn’t all that’s on their minds though, being Atlanta natives Dare Dream Dance crew have various impacts on the city of Atlanta asides dancing with each member contributing in her own way to make the community better. We can all contribute to the success story of Dare Dream Dance and the crew shares with us how we can go about making their dance studio a success.   Roshawnna and Dare Dream Dance discuss: [01:50] The crew share with us how they came up with the idea and they decided to become entrepreneurs. [02:38] We get to see the long term vision for Dare Dream Dance. [03:38] Cicely shares with us some things she has had to overcome being a studio owner and how she learnt form that. [04:55] The Dare Dream Dance crew tell us how they have been impacting the city of Atlanta asides from their dance school. [08:00] The crew show us what we can to help ensure that Dare Dream Dance is a success.

On our EnrichHer edition of StartUp Funding hosted by Dr. Roshawnna Novellus today we have a new entrepreneur who has curated an awesome series of stories representing people of color: Lalanya Abner. She shares with us more about herself and what led her to become an entrepreneur. She says: “I think entrepreneurship honestly was in my blood”, being something that has always been in her family from before she was born, she’s is a natural at it. Being raised in a family of entrepreneurs doesn’t deter her as she plans to carve a name for herself. She tells that the inspiration behind her stories has always been children, she noticed that children of color were mostly underrepresented in the choice of available play material for children. Being an artist/creator/writer herself and with the help of friends they decided to solve a need. With an awesome educative series, they aim to teach children of color how to be entrepreneurs themselves. Presently parents can find this book on Amazon and on their website. It hasn’t been all easy though and she had some obstacles which she shares with us along with how she was able to overcome and learn from them. She sees success as having created a culture for young children they can be proud of, bridging the gap for children of color. Her stories are having an impact in Atlanta and hopes to leave a legacy for children of color through legacy planning and succession planning. “Spread the word” is what she has to say on how we can help to make her books a success.   Lalanya Abner and Roshawnna Novellus discuss: [01:42] Lalanya talks more about herself and what led her into entrepreneurship. [02:46] We get to know the inspirations behind her beautiful stories. [05:45] Lalanya and Roshawnna talk about obstacles and difficulties she faced in this business. [06:44] Lalanya answers the question “what does success look like for your business.” [09:19] We get to know what we can do to support this initiative.

Carver’s Produce is a Georgia Grown natural food distributor transforming how growers and buyers strengthen food deserts.

On our EnrichHer edition of StartUp Funding hosted by Dr. Roshawnna Novellus, today we have Jing Kālu who has created an innovative air filtration company. During our interview, Jing talks about why she decided to venture into entrepreneurship. In her own words: “Going green has always been on my mind…..doing something to make people healthier and happier”, creating a system to help people live healthier and happier is the inspiration behind her being an entrepreneur. Jing shares with us happening in her company that has her excited, from creating a more efficient air filtration system to pitching for investors for startup funding as she is actively trying to get capital to expand her company recently. By investing her own money she has been able to get a patent and finished the production process of the air filtration system and now is looking for a new way to expand. Every entrepreneur has had to overcome some form of obstacle or the other and Jing is no different as she has had to invest her retirement funds to start up the company and keep it going and attend meetings to market her product to prospective clients. Today her company is able to create any number of products of each model upon request. Jing also tells us how we can help make her multi-million dollar project a success. Roshawnna and Jing Carter-Lu discuss: [01:43] Jing talks to us about why she decided to become an entrepreneur. [02:38] Jing tells us what is going on in her company that has her excited at the moment. [03:12] We talk about investments and expanding her business. [04:00] Jing shares with us obstacles she has had to overcome as an entrepreneur. [05:07] We learn how we can all pitch in to help support the business right now.

On our EnrichHer edition of StartUp Funding hosted by Dr. Roshawnna Novellus we have Tracey Pickett the founder of Hairbrella today. She tells us more about why she decided to become an entrepreneur and what led her down the part of Hairbrella. Coming from a family mostly comprised of entrepreneurs, Tracey admits she has always wanted to be an entrepreneur herself, even after attending Law school and practicing for 5 years she still remained true to her dream. Tracey shares with us what is happening with Hairbrella that has her excited from creating a kick starter campaign where she was able to exceed her initial goal, to receiving all the product feedback that they can from their backers and implementing that into their production process and vetting several factories for larger scale production. Tracey sees the Sarah Blakeley’s story as an inspiration and admits that success for Hairbrella would be very similar to her story, being able to build an international brand that women all benefit from. Hairbrella has impacted the city of Atlanta by creating opportunities for beauty shop owners inspiring women to come up with innovative ideas and helping them with keep their looks despite the weather. We also talk about obstacles which Tracey had to overcome in the course of making her vision for Hairbrella a reality including the fear of selling and learning new things. We end the interview with Tracey showing us how we can help support Hairbrella and ensure it becomes a success. Roshawnna Novellus and Tracey Pickett discuss: [01:54] Tracey tells us more about why she decided to become an entrepreneur and what led her down the path of Hairbrella. [02:28] We get to learn about happening at Hairbrella that has Tracey excited. [03:02] Tracey tells us what success looks to her for Hairbrella. [03:56] Tracey shares with us the obstacles she has faced while starting up her company and what she’s learned from overcoming those obstacles. [04:57] Tracey shows us how Hairbrella has impacted the city of Atlanta. [05:55] We get to know how we can support Hairbrella and make the vision a success.

Today on our EnrichHer edition of StartUp Funding hosted by Dr. Roshawnna Novellus we have Nicole, a co-founder of Diversity Photos based in Atlanta. Nicole talks to us about her experiences as an entrepreneur describing how she found a need and was able to solve it by being innovative and thinking outside the box. Nicole starts by telling us why Diversity Photos are important and why she decided to become an entrepreneur. Nicole who is an Atlanta native started out in economic development and thereafter made her way to Atlanta where she decided to step out on her own and create a digital marketing firm. During the course of her business she discovered that there was a significant need for images containing more diversity content which could not be easily gotten from traditional stock photo websites. This gave birth to Diversity Photos and along with three other co-founders they have been able to create a platform to solve the need that she and her clients were experiencing. When asked what has got her excited about Diversity Photos right now, Nicole admits that their idea has successfully taken off a lot faster than they expected, presently they have over 20,000 images on their website and are processing about another 100,000 more. According to Nicole, success for Diversity Photos would mean creating a community of tens of thousands of photographers and becoming a household name for professional diversity images. Diversity Photos is also having an impact in Atlanta according to Nicole mostly in the photography community as well as the model community. By giving unknown photographers and models the opportunity to showcase their craft. Nicole also share with us some obstacles she has overcome during the course of her entrepreneurial career and business.   Roshawnna Novellus and Nicole discuss: [01:48] Nicole tells us more about why Diversity Photos are important and why she decided to be an entrepreneur. [03:07] Nicole gives us a sneak peak on happening at Diversity Photos that has her excited. [03:50] Roshawnna asks Nicole what success looks like for Diversity Photos. [04:38] Nicole tells us what impact Diversity Photos has had in Atlanta. [05:58] Nicole shares with us an obstacle she has overcome and how that helped her leverage her business. [07:23] Nicole tells us what listeners and readers can do right now to help make Diversity Photos a success.

Today on our EnrichHer edition of StartUp Funding hosted by Dr. Roshawnna Novellus we have Mary who has an amazing startup company focused on helping people get employment. During our interview Mary tells us more about how her company works and the driving force behind her success as an entrepreneur. When asked what led her to become an entrepreneur Mary replies: “I’ve always been an entrepreneur….I have always had a heart for helping people”. By utilizing the full potential of the internet, Mary’s goal was to create employment when computers became so popular and using a model that worked. Mary is no novice when it comes to running her own business having been in business for 17 years offering the type of services she does today, but this is the first time she has ventured to offer her services to small businesses who need it. Using an efficient model when dealing with small business which involves cold-calling Mary is able to convince small business that she can help them with the skills, knowledge, and people that can create value for them. Eventually Mary with her business want to create a standard for non-traditional employment for people who cannot get regular jobs for one reason or the other. Speaking on what has got her excited about her company, Mary says she is honing her skills in marketing herself and her company as it is a new process for her but one that she look forward to. Success means a lot to Mary in her own words: “Success for me has always been if I was responsible for employing a million people” and with an impressive repertoire of skills and strategies she is determined to make that happen. The company also has some positive impact on the city of Atlanta, by creating jobs and employment opportunities. Mary finally tells us how we can help her company successfully create employment for a million people.   Roshawnna and Mary discuss: [01:40] Mary tells us more about her company and what led her to become an entrepreneur. [02:48] Mary shares with us her effective model to work with startups. [04:08] Mary talks about marketing and happenings in her company that has her excited. [05:10] Mary answers the question “What does success look like for your company.” [06:40] Mary explains how her company’s works positively Impacts the city of Atlanta. [07:07] She shares ways we can help make her company a success.

On this EnrichHer edition episode of StartUp Funding hosted by Dr. Roshawnna Novellus we have Donna Burke who tells us how she became an entrepreneur and how she came up with the idea of creating a Barre Studio. Getting most of her entrepreneurial spirit from her parents, Donna decided to follow in their steps. Donna shares with us the story of how she got the idea for her very own Barre studio in Atlanta. Her story stems from when she started taking Barre, where she noticed her discomfort in boutique fitness settings, being overweight at the time and she began having confidence issues because of that. After identifying the problem, she decided to create a place where women could walk in no matter their fitness levels or looks or background and be able to make friends, learn about healthy living and nutrition. Donna created a Barre studio with emphasis on fun workouts and great music that everyone wants to come back to. When asked how she is able to keep her Barre studio open to people of all fitness levels, Donna says she started from the fundamentals, addressing issues we all try to work on and talking about them. Her Barre studio also has an open space where you are immediately in the midst of the workout group when you walk in, according to her, this helps create a laid back atmosphere which helps everyone open up a little bit more. Donna views success in her business as helping people in her Barre class achieve their desired weight goal or gain more confidence and generally be better than when they first came in. She also says she would like to make her success story impact more people. Donna also has an impact on Atlanta with various sporting events and charity programs with a focus on the younger generation. Being an entrepreneur comes with its obstacles and Donna shares with us an obstacle she has faced as an entrepreneur and how she was able to overcome it. She also shares information on what all viewers and listeners can do to help make sure that the business is successful.   Roshawnna and Donna Burke discuss:   [01:44] Donna tells us more on how she became an entrepreneur and how she came up with the idea of creating a Barre studio. [02:59] Donna shows us how she is able to keep her studio open to all kinds of people in all fitness levels. [04:00] Donna shares what success looks like for her in her business. [04:30] Donna shows us how she is having an impact on Atlanta. [06:32] Donna shares information on what all viewers and listeners can do to help make sure that the business is successful. rt.

On this EnrichHer edition episode of StartUp Funding hosted by Dr. Roshawnna Novellus we have Jeannell Darden who shares her experiences on starting her own beauty hair product Moisture Love. Jeannell has always been surrounded by entrepreneurs from her childhood and this influenced her decision to become one, she first created her product by trying to solve a need and now is in the process of building her own brand. Jeannell Darden is an Atlanta native and a Georgia Tech graduate who began making hair as a chore from when she was little, she grew to love it and decided to have a career in beauty. The idea for her beauty product came when she had a bad experience with the color and chemical treatment for her hair and decided to cut it off and go natural. However, it was really difficult to find good products for an all-natural hair and she decided to make her own hair products. Now things are looking up, Jeannell recently landed her first international distribution deal and is currently working on expanding her lab space. When asked what success means to her in her business, Jeannell says she feels enriched when she hears success stories from people who have used her products successfully and seeing herself actually create a company but ultimately her goal is to see Moisture Love become a household name when it comes to Moisture. Jeannell also gives us the lowdown on how she came up with the name “Moisture Love”. Jeannell also talks about the future of her business and gives listeners and viewers information on how they can help expand her brand.   Roshawnna and Jeannell Darden discuss: [01:50] Jeannell tells us about herself and why she decided to become an entrepreneur. [02:51] Jeannell shares information on what’s going on with her nosiness that has her excited. [03:30] Jeannell explains what success in her business means to her. [04:21] Jeannell tells us how the name “Moisture Love” came about. [05:03] Jeannell talks about the future of her business.

On this EnrichHer edition episode of StartUp Funding hosted by Dr. Roshawnna Novellus we have co-founders of Mini-Cities, Anita and India who share with us how they met each other and why they decided to be entrepreneurs. They both met each other while working at CDC and decided to go into business together. Anita and India who are Atlanta natives have been working with the homeless for some time before they decided to start their own business. They both explain to us how a person may become homeless, why homeless identification is important and give surprising examples of what may cause a person to be homeless. They also share information about recent happening with Mini-Cities that is making them excited. Anita and India also share what success with Mini-Cities means to them in terms of the amount of people they are able to help and the global reach of their brand. They explain how their work with Mini-Cities has been impacting Atlanta in terms of creating economic opportunities for people in need. Anita and India explain what readers and viewers can do to help ensure that their humanitarian business of eradicating homelessness becomes a success and information on joining or sponsoring their group.   Roshawnna Novellus, Anita and India discuss: [01:50] Anita and India share how they met each other and why they decided to become entrepreneurs. [02:41] Anita and India tell us why homeless identification is important. [04:08] Anita and India share with us what is going on at Mini-Cities that has got them excited. [05:00] Anita and India tell us what success in Mini-Cities looks like to them. [05:50] Anita and India explain how Mini-Cities has been impacting Atlanta. [06:51] Anita and India explain what viewers and listeners can do to help ensure their humanitarian business is a success.

Today on our Enrich Her edition of StartUp Funding hosted by Dr. Roshawnna Novellus we have the founder of Patientory. During our enlightening interview she talks about what inspired her to become and entrepreneur and how she came up with the idea for Patientory. Born in Jamaica her parents immigrated to Atlanta when she was 3 years old where her parents started a restaurant business. According to her, “I knew I always wanted to help people and I excelled in the sciences and mathematics so I knew I always wanted to be a doctor.” She recounts an experience she had after filling in and babysitting for David Rockefeller in New York City which opened up to her the immense potential of entrepreneurship. She decided to learn more on what entrepreneurship was and how to utilize her passion for helping people, which led her to start Patientory. With firm purpose she attended business school and ended up consulting for medical technology companies where she gained the experience needed to start her own business to help patients be more involved in their own healthcare on a platform with far reaching ramifications. She went on to tell us about exciting happenings at Patientory which include new partnerships and growth potential. Being an entrepreneur comes with several challenges and she tells us about an obstacle she was faced with and how she was able to overcome and learn from it. According to her choosing the right people for her team for the best value when building the platform was a great challenge and eventually a learning experience. She also explains what our listeners and readers can do right now to make sure Patientory is a success. Finally on the golden question of what success in Patientory looks like for her on a global scale she says: “being able to see patients engaged on the platform and use it to improve their quality of life”. With such drive and determination, we know that she is going places. Roshawnna Novellus and the Chrissa of Patientory discuss: [01:47]Chrissa tells us more about what brought her to entrepreneurship and how she came up with the idea for Patientory. [03:30]Chrissa tells us about happenings at Patientory that has her excited. [04:09] Being an entrepreneur means facing obstacles and she gives us examples of obstacles she has been able to overcome. [04:50]vChrissa gives us tips on how we can make Patientory a success. [05:18] Success is a relative term and she tells us what success means to her.

On this EnrichHer edition episode of StartUp Funding hosted by Dr. Roshawnna Novellus we are continuing our quest to highlight the best women led enterprises in the city of Atlanta. Today we have Linda Chatmon the creator of AppDiva and the founder and CEO of Contracts and Grants. She shares with us her entrepreneurial journey and how she came up with her awesome ideas, she has always wanted to train women to transition from welfare to work. Within 6 months she was able to leave her previous job and create her own company and has never looked back. She also talks about the AppDiva which is a suite of apps designed specifically for business professionals and entrepreneurs. The purpose of AppDiva is to give startups the opportunity to get referrals from their customers. Linda has successfully helped small businesses with proposal support, business development and she has been able to assist startups, corporations, and organizations, win over $356M in government contracts and grants since 2011. We get to learn on this interview what Linda is most excited about in her business right now including her e-learning system, the Fast Track series and the Q&A where she works with fellow entrepreneurs, showing them how to get government contracts. We get to learn about the biggest challenge that Linda Chatmon has had to face and surprisingly educating companies to let them know what they need before they need it tops her list. In a city full of entrepreneurs, Linda has been able to make an impact in Atlanta by changing the entrepreneurial ecosystem and help entrepreneurs get to the next level. She has been able to create and develop a system where contracts can be awarded to small businesses based on previous performance or performance on the Fast Track series. Knowing that we may be interested in getting on her platform Linda shares how we can become a part of her company's story and create our very own entrepreneurial success stories.   Roshawnna Novellus and Linda Chatmon discuss: [00:51] Linda talks to us about her whole entrepreneurial journey and how she came up with her awesome ideas. [01:52] She tells us what the AppDiva and her favorite features. [02:38] Linda tells us how she is able to help small business get over their self-imposed limitations. [03:55] We get to learn about the spectrum of services and products that are offered by her companies. [05:01] Having multiple businesses, Linda tells us what is happening right now that has her excited. [06:29] Linda shared and insight to her learning experience and experiences teaching companies what they need to know. [08:41] Linda share the process involved for anyone who wants to be a part of what she is up to.

Quyionah Wingfield is the CEO of Cool Moms Dance Too LLC, the innovative mommy and me dance fitness program for cool moms and their children. She is a mother, creative entrepreneur, intellectual property educator, writer, and a family health and wellness advocate who studies psychology at Georgia State University. Her love for and background in dance started very early on and grew at the age of 12 when she entered Star Quest National Dance Competition in Albany NY. With no formal training and one night of rehearsal, she placed 3rd in her category. Quyionah began training in dance while attending the Whitney Houston Academy of Creative and Performing Arts after moving back to NJ with her family. During this time, she was invited to perform at special events for the City of Newark and other private organizations. Quyionah’s professional experience includes working as the Assistant to the Communication Information Officer for DeKalb County Police Department; a promotions administrator contracting work with recording companies such as Interscope, Geffen, A&M, 1720 Entertainment, Universal and more. She became involved with civic issues using her platform as an on-air radio personality on the DCP Media Network in 2008 where her focus was self-development and business. In 2013, while conducting research for a concert app she created a successful concert meetup named “Atlanta Music Lovers and Concert-Goers” to innovate the concert experience for attendees and fans. Quyionah co-founded Cool Moms Dance Too (CMDToo) with her two daughters Jaira Jazzelle and Serenity Marie, created after the loss of their father. The loss devastated the family and dancing together became a form of therapy to cope with the difficulty and grief of losing a parent and partner. Cools Mom’s Dance Too is a mommy and me dance fitness program which encourages health and well-being physically and emotionally. CMDToo’s corporate responsibility promotes family fiscal health through kidprenuership and family business building. Currently, Quyionah is a standing member of the World Affairs Council of Atlanta and the Center for Innovation which enables her to develop creative ideas and produce change for families worldwide. Through her intellectual property courses and workshops Quyionah has created a family-based book publishing and entrepreneurship workshop name Read, Write and Live Your Life created to encourage literacy, entrepreneurship and publishing for the whole family. Although she has accomplished much, when asked she believes there is so much more to be done.

On this EnrichHer edition episode of StartUp Funding hosted by Dr. Roshawnna Novellus, we are continuing our quest to highlight the most amazing women-led enterprises within the city of Atlanta. Today we have Mia Martin the founder and CEO of Events for Less Marketing who in this insightful interview tells us more about her business and how she became an entrepreneur. Starting out in corporate sales and marketing about 14 years ago, Mia always knew she had that entrepreneurial spirit. Her opportunity came when she went back to school for digital marketing at General Assembly where she became passionate about digital marketing. By blending her digital marketing knowledge and corporate sales experience, Mia has been able to create opportunities not only for herself but also for small business owners. No surprise that she’s excited about helping small businesses grow, by developing the strategy they need with a mix of marketing to make their businesses a success. We get to see how Mia has been able to differentiate her services and grow in her niche. In her words: “I make sure that I do it right.” Her trick she says is by performing premium level services and with a strong work history showcasing her skills. Success for Mia would be to help as many small businesses as she can, and she also tells us how we can make Events for Less marketing a success.

Barbara Jones is the Founder/CEO of Lillii RNB Inc, a Retail IT Consultancy and Freeing Returns Inc, a Merchandise Returns Disrupter Tech Startup. Barbara Jones is a Technical Founder and 20 year Java Coder/Architect in the niche field of Retail IT at the Point of Sale. Barbara holds a Computer Science degree from the University of Texas at Austin and has lived in Atlanta, GA for over 10 years now. Barbara loves Technology and trains Women and Minorities in the niche field of Retail IT. Barbara has been an entrepreneur for close to 20 years.

Compassionate, Zealous, Visionary and Inspiring are just a few of the words that describe Jasmine Crowe, an HBCU alumna and MBA graduate who is working to make the world a better place one cause at a time. Jasmine’s goal is to foster change and create awareness about the leading socioeconomic issues and challenges of today, like poverty, education, and hunger. In 2011 she founded BlackCelebrityGiving.com (BCG) . The idea for the site came from the vivid awareness of a lack of media coverage for black celebrities doing positive things to impact our communities. BCG is the frontier in providing content of celebrity philanthropy, nonprofit organizations, and causes that directly correlate with the black community. Today lead by Jasmine, BCG has hosted activations in more than 20 US cities and the UK and Haiti and has collected and donated over 2 million items to causes worldwide and fed over 40,000 people through the Sunday Soul Homeless feeding initiative. She is the creator and executive producer of ChangeMakers a half-hour docu- series profiling how celebrities use their star power for social change which premiered on Magic Johnson’s network ASPIRE! In October of 2016, she created Goodr, a real-time food rescue app with a goal to reduce food waste and eliminate hunger. Jasmine recently wrote her first children's book titled “Giving is Good” which teaches youth the importance of giving back and she plans to open Atlanta’s first stand alone soup kitchen in the fall!

Felicia has over 20 years experience in the medical field with 10 of those being in Physical Therapy. After the near death of her 2-year-old son in 2002 to a choking incident that rendered her unable to help, Felicia invented a disposable CPR template called The CPR LifeWrap.This non-technical template provides the bystander with an attached one-way mouth barrier, visual hand placements and simple CPR instructions that can be in any language. Felicia is aggressively working with various businesses on getting the LifeWraps in schools, homes, hospitals with eventual licensing with first aid kit companies and AED brands."The CPR LifeWrap Empowers you to save a life no matter how old you are".

Alysse Daniels created Adventures With Mariah based on inspiration from her great-grandmother, Mariah Cutberth. Alysse is on the path to inspire children around the world to have the courage and to follow their dreams!  The original Mariah was born in the low country of South Georgia, outside of Savannah, in 1902. She was born poor and worked on a farm. From a young age, she dreamed of something better for herself and her future family. She wanted an opportunity for an education. So, at the young age of 15, in 1917, she migrated to Manhattan, New York by herself. When she arrived she joined the “Georgia Club”.     In that age, a lot of African Americans migrated to the North from the South, in search of a better life. So, there were clubs in New York named after each southern state. Once you joined the club, you were a part of a new family, and you could eat some down-home fried chicken and drink some sweet tea! Mariah was able to go to school and become a nurse’s aide.  She married and had one daughter (Alysse's grandmother, Alice). She made sure that Alice had a good education and numerous opportunities. Alice married and had three sons; Raymond,   Gordon and Ralph. One of her sons was Alysse's dad, Raymond!  Raymond is also featured in Adventures with Mariah as Grandpa. Alysse's  dad has fond memories of his grandmother Mariah, he describes her as having “Fire in her Soul” and credits her for exposing him to wonderful events and activities in New York, including taking him to matches, events, and rallies to encourage African Americans to vote. 

Roshawnna:                  Hi, I'm Dr. Roshawnna Novellus, host of Startup Funding and producer of the EnrichHER Initiative. We have another awesome entrepreneur today, Marissa with Toss, and I can't wait to hear all about what she's doing and how she's positively impacting the City of Atlanta. Marissa, can you tell us more about Toss and how the idea came about? Marissa:                  I ended up in a class my last semester of college learning JavaScript and fell in love with the coding life and had the idea. I was going to school at Iowa State University and graduated and knew I needed to be in a bigger city. Two years ago, I moved to Atlanta, just uprooted my life and haven't looked back.                                     I started getting into the entrepreneurial scene and going to meetups and different events, talking to people about the idea. Slowly but surely, people recommended me here and there. A lot of people got excited about it. It's a personal styling application. It uses what you own, based on event type and weather. Who wouldn't love that?                                     Everyone I met was like, "You need to do this. Go do this. Go do that," recommending me for different incubators and spaces to just check out. One female I met, a developer, told me to do a hackathon. I did the Women Who Code hackathon. It was the most incredible experience. It definitely made me feel like I belonged and I fit in in the community of the tech and startup scene. I went through that whole weekend. I was on a team of seven complete strangers. We ended up winning, which was really cool, super validating in the sense of I need to do this. I haven't really looked back. Roshawnna:                  Any advice for working with strangers that could help propel you? Marissa:                  Actually, all of the women that were there, it was their first hackathon, too, that was on the team. We were all in the same boat. The idea was around the social impact issue and helping newcomers, immigrants and refugees coming to the United States. It was an issue that everyone can understand and wanted to help out. We wanted to win so we obviously all got together and didn't have an issue. It was the most seamless and collaborative process you could ever imagine for some of the women, over 48 hours, trying to develop something out of nothing. Roshawnna:                  Right. Marissa:                  It was so cool. It was like have an open mind and respect people's opinions and go from there. Roshawnna:                  Yeah. I wish we could get together and solve all kinds of issues. Marissa:                  All the world's problems. Roshawnna:                  Now your platform is based on AI, right? Marissa:                  Um-hmm (affirmative). Roshawnna:                  Tell me a little bit more about that. Marissa:                  Okay. The idea of the more you interact with the app, the more you swipe through outfits that you like or don't like, the machine learning algorithm behind the scenes learns to not recommend those things for you again. The more you use it, the better it gets and the more it's personalized to you. It lends to the personal styling aspect. Roshawnna:                  What I use is the number of compliments I receive. This outfit, in particular, I was walking around and Fox News said, "Can we interview you for the Fox Fashion?" I was like, "Really?" I'll put that outfit in more rotation. Is there any way to add external feedback into the platform? Marissa:                  I'm working on more of a social aspect, so more catered to your closest friends. If you're friends call you up and say, "What are you wearing tonight," you could post to the event and all your friends can see what you're wearing, comment, and be like, "Okay, well, you're not wearing that cute leather jacket. Can I borrow it?" Roshawnna:                  Right. Marissa:                  "I know you have it." Yeah, some sort of inoperating system and they can go from there. Roshawnna:                  What are the most exciting things that you're working on right now? Marissa:                  We just wrapped up MVP, so we have a clickable prototype, which is really fun to just show people now. I've been talking about it for a couple of years. Now it's like, "This is what I want it to look like." Right now, I'm aggressively pursuing the financial model. Roshawnna:                  Okay. Marissa:                  I'm a member of ATDC. I've been going there. One of the prizes from the Women Who Code hackathon was a year membership. I've been using that and going through customer discovery. I've been taking classes for a while so the next tract is financial literacy. They help you build out your five-year financial model and that's really over my head.                                     I'm actually having a working session with a couple of friends tonight. One is a CPA, a good friend. He's going to help and another is a strategic financial manager for a startup here in Atlanta, both numbers guys from different ends of the spectrum. I'm buying some pizza and beer and we're going to hash some stuff out. Then classes start March 1st. Roshawnna:                  Perfect. I know you just finished your MVP and you're working on your finances so what does success look like after you get all this? Marissa:                  What I want Toss to be is this lifestyle and this brand that people embrace and accept and they share the stories of how the app gave them an outfit. They went into an interview or a date or ran a 5K in this cute workout outfit and they felt awesome. I want to hear those stories. I want to hear the success behind the people that have experienced personal success through the app. That's what success will feel like to me. Roshawnna:                  Right. If people feel awesome, they're more confident and they're able to go after their goals, so it's a whole life upgrade, right? Marissa:                  Um-hmm (affirmative). Roshawnna:                  How is this positively impacting Atlanta? Marissa:                  Through a little bit of what I've been doing and people have been needing, I've seen such uprise of this startup scene in Atlanta, the Silicon Valley of the South. I want to be at the forefront of that. I want to be a contributing player and be a resource that people can come to and be like, "You did this. How did you do it? How can you help me?" That's what I want to bring to Atlanta. Roshawnna:                  Great. What is one thing, or you could say more than one, that the listeners/viewers can do right now to support your success? Marissa:                  Throughout this process, the social impact or I guess equity in terms of the people I've met, I've seen this become the most valuable. The more people I'm introduced to and get to meet and steer me in the right direction to the next right person is really what I'm looking to get out of it in the near future, people that can help me and say, "I know somebody who loves fashion and technology and could connect you with the right people." That's ultimately what I need right now. Roshawnna:                  Great, all about the connections that work and leveraging that. Marissa:                  Yes. Roshawnna:                  One other thing. You said that you've been working on this for a couple of years. Can you talk to how you've been able to persevere and stick with it? Marissa:                  Persevering just by going to different events and meeting some awesome people that are passionate, it really fuels your fire to move forward. The more I talk about it to close friends and family, the more that holds me accountable. Then I have this grander purpose to not disappoint just myself but all these other people that are cheering for me and the other women out there that are starting their own companies and breaking into the tech scene. Roshawnna:                  Right, and ADTC has such a great collaboration system and education system. I know that all of that is helping you on your path to be successful. Well, Marissa, thank you so much for being a part of this episode and I wish you the most luck and success in your business. Marissa:                  Thank you so much.

Roshawnna:                  Hi. I'm Dr. Roshawnna Novellus, host of Startup Funding and producer of the EnrichHER Initiative. I am so excited to be highlighting so many awesome entrepreneurs from Atlanta. Today we have Jen from the Atlanta Beer Boutique. Jennifer:                  Hi. Roshawnna:                  Welcome. Jennifer:                  Thank you for having me. Roshawnna:                  Of course. Can you tell us more about how you came up with this idea? Jennifer:                  Sure. I've been drinking beer for a long time. I won't divulge how long, but my father actually got me started drinking beer. I used to ... He used to let me sip a little bit of his beer when he poured it. I was like five years old, so I've been on this beer thing for 38 years. A long time. Roshawnna:                  You told us now. Jennifer:                  I know, right? Busted. Papa's busted. I really got into beer interning. I used to have internships in Boulder, Colorado in the '90s, and that was when the beer scene was really just exploding on the west coast and in the mountains. I just got into really good beer. That was my first time having great beer.                                     I've always just had a taste for it. It is an acquired taste for sure, but I do believe that I ... Having that internship and having an opportunity to drink really good high-quality beer at an early age really just put me onto what beer really could be. From there, I just kind of fell in love with it and over the last maybe five or six years have been trying to figure out a way to make beer sort of my paying job.                                     It's not what I do during my full time, but it's my passion, so I've been working on creating this company, the Atlanta Beer Boutique, to kind of help me craft my own ... Pun intended, craft my own way in the industry. Roshawnna:                  I love it. Now can you tell us more about the booming beer industry in Atlanta and how you can break into that? Have you been able to break into the industry? Jennifer:                  Absolutely. It's growing here in Georgia as a state. We still are one of the very few states that, but this law will soon change, don't allow people to drink beer at a brewery. You can't just go up and like buy a beer at a ... Like a bar at the brewery, but that's changing, and what that change will bring ... Lots of new legislation that will really open up the floodgates and allow and really be more welcoming to breweries to locate here.                                     That's the only difference with Atlanta. We have the transportation. We have the location. We have the professional crowd and sort of the demographics that would be very welcoming to this beer culture, but we just didn't have the laws. Now that that's changing, I think we can expect to see the industry just take on a new level here in Atlanta, and my shop will create sort of a space for people to do that comfortably.                                     I'm very, very interested in providing high-quality beer, but also a very high level of customer service to my customers and for my clients, especially since beer is still kind of new here and people want to know about it and are curious about it, but don't really know where to start. That's the kind of niche that my business will fill, is to create a place where a shopping experience supersedes everything and creates just opportunity for everyone to enjoy it. Roshawnna:                  I was talking to a friend recently and he told me that there's so much money to be made in craft beers that people really don't know about, especially people of color. Jennifer:                  Absolutely. Absolutely. Roshawnna:                  So you're going to have an education process in addition to a venue where people can partake? Jennifer:                  Absolutely. Absolutely. I'm glad you brought that up, because I'd like to sort of be clear about what my vision is. It's not like many things that you see here in Atlanta. I will have a retail store, you just think like fancy wine shop. Roshawnna:                  Right. Jennifer:                  It will be like that, but with beer. There will be nice bottles of beer, glassware, books, all kinds of things to sort of round out your experience when you go home, but next to that a venue where I can hold my tastings, classes, workshops. It'll have a small commercial kitchen so that we can do home brewing lessons. It will just kind of be a playground really for people to explore beer. I'm real excited about it. Roshawnna:                  A playground? Jennifer:                  Yeah. Roshawnna:                  What's the most exciting thing that's going on with the Atlanta Beer Boutique right now? Jennifer:                  Gosh, it's kind of hard to just pick one, right? Like asking a mom to pick their favorite child. They're all exciting. Everything I'm doing is super exciting, but right now I really am focusing on opening up the store, and it's taking me way outside of my comfort zone. I'm not a big asker, but that's changing. I'm learning you have not because you ask not, so I am excited about finding funders to support my dream, to back me on opening the store. Roshawnna:                  What can the listeners, the viewers do right now to make your dream a reality? Jennifer:                  Follow me. That would be fantastic. I'm always trying to grow my presence online, my social media presence, so you can follow my blog, which is atlantabeerboutique.com. On Facebook I'm atlantabeerboutique and on Twitter and Instagram I'm atlbeerboutique. I just feel like right now my biggest barrier is just exposure, and it's because of what you said. A lot of this beer culture is very much like a fraternity and it is challenging sometimes to kind of break that stigma.                                     Then beer itself I think has a negative stigma. I think if people just experience it and learn more about it, learn more about me and what I'm doing, that will be a huge help to just changing the conversation around beer and changing the understanding about it being something that's actually very complex, very sophisticated, and yeah, I think that would be very helpful, if people could just open their minds and do that by learning more about me and what I do. Roshawnna:                  I challenge you to find out more about Jen and what she's doing and support her business. I just thank you so much for being a guest on this show and I wish you the best of luck. Jennifer:                  Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Roshawnna:                  Startup Funding is partnering with the EnrichHER Initiative to showcase the best women led enterprises from the city of Atlanta. Go to startupfunding.co and click on EnrichHER to learn about every entrepreneur that we showcase and how you can take part in this amazing initiative. Speaker 1:                  Thank you for listening to Startup Funding with Dr. Roshawnna Novellus. Visit startupfunding.co for tools, resources and events. Join us next time for another edition of Startup Funding.

Roshawnna:                  Hi, I'm Dr. Roshawnna Novellus, host of Startup Funding and producer of the EnrichHer Initiative. I am so excited to be highlighting so many fabulous entrepreneurs from the city of Atlanta. Today we have Diamonde from Blossom. Diamonde:                  Hello. No I'm excited, I really am excited. I like talking. Roshawnna:                  Tell us more about Blossom and all of the awesome work you're doing here in Atlanta. Diamonde:                  So Blossom is a digital television destination for women of color by women of color and it simply came from the fact that I was working in television production myself for actual networks and I would pitch my own ideas and I was rejected so many times. Granted I have no problem with rejection but God was like, "Girl just do it yourself if this is what you really want to do." I've just always been passionate about creating an opportunity for women of color to tell their story and have equal opportunity to do the work that others get to do. Roshawnna:                  Right I know that you and I met awhile ago when you were working on some projects and you had some ebbs and flows then. Diamonde:                  Oh my god, the challenges. Roshawnna:                  Can you tell me more about the challenges of breaking in to this industry? Diamonde:                  Well so as a producer in television you know I have a cameraman that gets paid good money to do his work so the quality is already awesome but when you become an independent creator you have to have more money and the quality may not be the same so that's something that I'm learning. How to leverage my resources or where to put my money so that we can create quality content because at the end of the day we're competing with the Netflix, Hulu and all the other digital television destinations. Having money to create or really figuring out how to use our resources to create at high levels has been the challenge but we're definitely overcoming it and we're getting it done. Roshawnna:                  I know that recently you've had a lot of great accolades mentioned in the newspaper, the events, what is the most exciting thing that's going on right now with Blossom. Diamonde:                  So exciting. Honestly it's creating the content. We have so many great ideas and a few good productions that are happening over the next eight weeks so it's really just getting those done. Also we're traveling. We're going to go meet other content creators outside of Atlanta just that we can elevate the work of our content creators on our platform now. If we just remain in the one space, our content creators can't really be seen so we're going to be traveling. Roshawnna:                  Awesome. Diamonde:                  Yes I'm excited. Roshawnna:                  So what does success look like for Blossom? Diamonde:                  Honestly it's having tons of content like if I want to put a numeric value on it, 500 pieces of content that are created by women of color. I just can't even imagine what that's going to look like if we have feature films, web series, talk shows, I mean this mass amount of content that was all created by women of color, I think you really start to give them a voice at that point. Roshawnna:                  Now I heard that there are a lot of content creators that exist right now but they have no platform to distribute their work. Diamonde:                  This is true. Roshawnna:                  So is all of the work going to be original? Diamonde:                  It's going to be both. Roshawnna:                  Okay. Diamonde:                  So we at Blossom create original content but then we also have filmmakers or talk show hosts or anyone that has content themselves. They may have a web series and they can put it on our platform. Roshawnna:                  Okay. Atlanta is a big hug for entertainment so how are you connected with the whole entertainment buzz? Diamonde:                  Yes well naturally this is why I got started in television production. I have those relationships and I've kind of been in the space but now I'm getting more connected with the Indy scene, which I love and enjoy because these creators are creating at high levels frequently. They're very passionate about it. Roshawnna:                  Mm-hmm (affirmative)- Diamonde:                  I'm connected in that space, I love it, it's good. Roshawnna:                  So how are you helping shape the scene in Atlanta? Diamonde:                  I mean it's different providing a platform for these Indy filmmakers. A lot of them strive right to get on ABC or to get on NBC or to have their film in a theater. Well we want to provide them with that opportunity and ultimately we have goals of creating true economic value in Atlanta, that takes money but we're going to get that. Roshawnna:                  Right. Diamonde:                  We definitely want to be and have a home here in Atlanta. Roshawnna:                  Okay so what can our viewers do right now to support Blossom and make sure you have the capital that you need to be successful? Diamonde:                  That's easy. Go to www.watchblossom.com. Get a free trial, subscribe, come in and let us know what you think. We just launched a month ago but we are in the process of onboarding lots of content. Like I said the goal is 500 pieces and hopefully within the year, that's our goal, it's gonna happen. Roshawnna:                  Well Diamonde I'm so happy that not only you're doing this but you believe in yourself so much to go out there and take this leap forward to bring this much needed content to the marketplace. I wish you the best of luck. Diamonde:                  Thank you so much. Thank you, I'm so excited. Roshawnna:                  Thank you so much for being a guest on Startup Funding. Diamonde:                  No problem. Roshawnna:                  Startup Funding partnering with the EnrichHer initiative to showcase the best women led enterprises from the city of Atlanta. Go to startupfunding.co and click on EnrichHer to learn about every entrepreneur that we showcase and how you can take part in this amazing initiative.

Jenn Graham is a social innovation designer that blends business strategy, behavior change theory, the art of storytelling and the power of design to build issue-based campaigns and community-based interventions that drive positive social change. Honored to feature Civic Dinners on #StartupFunding EnrichHER EnrichHER Edition: https://goo.gl/LACU8p   Roshawnna:    Hi. I'm Doctor Roshawnna Novellus, host of Startup Funding. Today, we are in the midst of our Enricher Initiative. We have Jenn of Aha! Strategy, who has this awesome program called Civic Dinners. Can you tell us more about Civic Dinners and what you're up to? Jenn Graham:    Absolutely. Thank you for having me, by the way. Civic Dinners is all about bringing people together around the table face-to-face to have conversations that matter. In today's day and age, when civility has hit a crisis level, we need more forums to bring people together face-to-face. What we hope to do is make significant challenges and the big issues of our time more accessible, more personable, more actionable so that we can activate a whole new generation of citizens. Roshawnna:    Right. How did you come up with this idea? Jenn Graham:    It started, honestly, as a social experiment. It was a few of my friends in my living room. We were wondering how do we find other people who care as much about Atlanta as we do. We know that they're out there, so we created a platform and a host tool kit to allow anyone anywhere to host a dinner and to bring people together to talk about what they love about Atlanta. It hit off. We learned a few things, like people wanted to make sure that they were heard by leaders. They wanted to know what was next. Where does the conversation go? How do we turn ideas into action?      That's when we partnered with the Atlanta Regional Commission to launch with the Millennial Advisory Panel and used dinners to bring 300 millennials together across the region to help plan what they dream, what they want for the next 25 years. Then that led to all sorts of other organizations coming to us, from non-profits and other governments saying, "How can we use dinners to engage younger audiences or a broad swathe of audience to bring people together to talk about issues that matter?" whether it's transportation or race or anything regarding ... Even bringing entrepreneurs together to share ideas, stories, and solutions to help make our world a better place. Roshawnna:    Yeah. I love having food as a startup place to bridge the gaps out there, because over food, people are more comfortable. Then they start talking about the things that really matter. Now, you've taken it from only food and that conversation to action. I really love that. Now, what are you most excited about that you're working on now? Jenn Graham:    I have to say, out of all of the projects, Civic Dinners is the thing that I'm focusing on most. What excites me the most is that, since the election and given our current times, a lot of people are finally woke. They've woken up to the tensions that are happening. More people are showing up. Actually town halls are finally being used. People are going to town halls. Civic engagement is a thing now, and so we want to try to capture that energy and enthusiasm and provide structure to it and some longevity, and create ... Basically become the platform for other organizations and cities to launch conversations that matter. Roshawnna:    What does success look like for Civic Dinners? Jenn Graham:    That's great. I would say three things. The long game is really about creating a culture shift, from trying to ... For example, right now, our face-to-face time has largely been replaced by Facebook feeds, and we're less likely to be friends with people who aren't like us. A, having more people reach out to the other, so to speak, and be comfortable in sharing ideas and hearing one another. A culture shift in that we don't try to separate ourselves. We seek out what's in common more than what's different.      That's the ultimate outcome, but I think another key factor to success is basically that serving dinners becomes the norm. Much like how Ted Talks helped bring structure and elevate the level of a presentation so that it's not just educational ... It's actually inspiring and delightful to be a part of ... we want to create that same experience around the dinner table, so that your average dinner party where you typically only talk to the people in front of you and aside from you, you actually create a whole table conversation. You hear from everyone, and you walk away feeling better than when you came in, not just with exchanging cards or information with just one or two people. That's the kind of the ... Making that. Finally, having Civic Dinners be the platform for cities and regions and companies to launch conversations that matter. Roshawnna:    Now, I can imagine when you started telling people you want to get different kinds of people together for a dinner, they were like, "Well, how is this the business? How is this going to grow?" Jenn Graham:    Yeah. Roshawnna:    Can you tell us more about how you overcame that obstacle and how you got so many organizations to team up with you so that you could be successful? Jenn Graham:    That's a great question. People have been coming together over the dinner table for a millennium, and other programs just like ours have been popping up all across the country, especially after the election. The big question is, "How do you make money? What is this? How is this a business?" Technically, it's not yet. We have two different versions of our platform that's available. We have free conversations that are going to be global that we end up having a dozen conversations that anyone anywhere can host for free and have those.      Then we use that as basically our calling card to say, look. We can also ... Any cities or big foundations or non-profits that really want to launch a conversation but don't want to necessarily manage it or have to organize it or even have the time and energy to dig in and figure out how to manage a program like that, we can do that for them. We have the platform. We have the tools and the host guides and the training all set up so that we can go in and target their particular constituents or their donors or anyone that they want to help stir up their existing fans and also create new fans by reaching new audiences. Roshawnna:    Now I know the people who are watching this video or listening on the podcast want to know how they can support you. What can they do right now to bring Civic Dinners to the next level? Jenn Graham:    That's great. Well, I would say if you know of an organization that is just rocking it, has energy behind it, but you feel like you can't quite engage with them. Maybe they're only sending you, "Hey, donate or volunteer this." Maybe suggest that they consider using Civic Dinners as a way to really get people to help understand what they do on a deeper level and help create more advocates in their community. That's one thing. The other easy lift is we have two conversations right now on our site. One's the beloved community, and one's the state of women. You can sign up to host or attend a dinner in your city or community and try it out. It's an amazing experience. You'll get to meet new people. You'll walk away with a whole new understanding of different perspectives and ideas and feel better for it. Roshawnna:    Will do. Thank you so much for participating in the Enricher Initiative. I know that so many people will be impacted by your ideas, and I just really appreciate you being here today with us. Jenn Graham:    Thank you. Thank you for having me. Roshawnna:    Of course.  Startup Funding is partnering with the Enrich Her Initiative to showcase the best women-led enterprises from the city of Atlanta. Go to startupfunding.co, and click on enrich her to learn about every entrepreneur that we showcase and how you can take part in this amazing initiative.

On this episode of StartUp Funding hosted by Dr. Roshawnna Novellus we have Dr. Tye and Courtney Caldwell who share their experiences on starting a new revolutionary system ShareShare which aims to change the way barbers, cosmetologists and beauty professionals do business. It comes as a solution for barbers who need access to professional salon space on demand. ShareShare is a B2B platform in the form of a free downloadable app. Dr. Tye and Courtney Caldwell who are based in Dallas are tech visionaries and pioneers, business professionals, philanthropists and entrepreneurs who aim to help beauty professionals around the world build efficient, passion filled businesses. They discuss on how they discovered a need and how they were able to solve that need by birthing Share Share and by doing that, disrupted the B2B business industry by building a first of its kind platform that allows stylists to find and book empty saloon space on demand. “Managing people is the way to run a business,” says Tye who holds a doctorate of professional barbering and is a number 1 bestselling author on how to achieve a long-term success in the beauty and style industry. Tye shares his singular experience having a job as the turning point turning him towards entrepreneurship. “Working hard should definitely give some value back to you” is one of the advice given to new entrepreneurs. Prior to cofounding Share Share with her husband Courtney spent the last two decades building winning teams as the vice president of marketing for marketing advocate global director of Oracle’s worldwide digital marketing strategy and innovation group. She shows us how her corporate experience helped her shape Share Share to what it is today. According to Tye “The next generation of barbers were looking for access over ownership. Not wanting to spend long stretches of time in any one saloon, they wanted to be able to move around, posting their travel schedule on social media, get clients to book with them and then travel around and see different parts of the world and still build a clientele from city to city.” Dr. Tye and Courtney Caldwell talk about finding the perfect partner when starting a business and how Share Share was born out of necessity and is here to stay as it solves a need in today’s economy.  Roshawnna, Dr. Tye, and Courtney Caldwell discuss: [03:45] Tye shares how he came up with the idea for Share Share. [08:25] Tye answers the question “Did you always know you were going to be an entrepreneur?” [10:17] Tye shares his one experience having a job. [12:46] Dr. Tye and Courtney Caldwell share what has got them excited about Share Share. [16:02] Courtney explains what Share Share is and how to get it. [18:22] Courtney shares how her corporate experience helped shape Share Share. [25:00] Courtney tells us what was holding her back from becoming a full-time entrepreneur. [28:17] Dr. Tye and Courtney Caldwell tell us what makes Share Share unique. [32:45] Dr. Tye and Courtney Caldwell talk about their team. [35:16] Dr. Tye and Courtney Caldwell give advice to entrepreneurs who want to raise capital. [41:25] Tye recommends some books with the listeners. [44:22] Dr. Tye and Courtney Caldwell talk about lifestyle and balance.

Chris Gilmore is a corporate attorney with Morris, Manning and Martin LLP where he focuses his practice on the representation of companies and investors in the virtual capital, private equity, and merger, and requisition. Transactions in a technology field. His clients range from startups raising a seed round to major capital firms providing series A and B funding to providing equity and Certegy buyers. He received a bachelor in political science with the minor in accounting in North Caroline state University and his Juris Doctor (J. D.) from Vanderbilt University law school. Roshawnna and Chris discuss:   [1:56] Chris shares the story of his beginnings as a corporate attorney. [2:55] Chris explains why he choose law even as someone that came from Atlanta. [3:47] he described the connection between political science and the startup community. [4:35] He shared his experiences that made him interested in startups. [6:37] He vividly explained the kind of deals that are very popular in Atlanta. [7:52] He explained what a startup entrepreneur should expect in engagement with an attorney. [9:58] He explained what a capitalization table is and characteristics of a clean capitalization table. [13:23] If you have all paperwork in order, he supported the act of giving equity in exchange for services. [15:32] In a situation whereby there is an issue with a bad cap table, he gave instances on how to tidy it up. [18:25] He told a story about situation, where you could really say that you are doing what you are meant to do. [20:47] He analyzed his mentors and how they helped him up in his career and a story behind it all. [25:25] As an experienced attorney, he explained what an investor should expect from an attorney. [28:50] He described what an entrepreneur-friendly term means. [33:11] Some investors use alternative contracts, he explained how it could be and its terms and condition. [35:16] Startups make several mistakes, and he pinpointed these mistakes. [38:16] He talked about the best advice that he has ever received. [39:17] He shared personal habits that contributed to his success. [40:30] He recommended a book that will help and stated his reasons. [41:44] He explained how he balanced work and lifestyle and his weekly schedule. [44:00] He talked about spending his free times. [46:12] He answered a very tactical question.

Today’s episode of StartUp Funding with Dr. Roshawnna Novellus features Jason Crain who is a co-founder and COO of Partpic a visual search technology built for hardware based in Atlanta Georgia. The marketing and Spanish graduate turned technology entrepreneur serves on a number of boards including Scholar Made Charter Schools, Atlanta Dream Academy, and The Scholarship Academy. Crain, a Kansas City native, discusses on how his experience working in various Technology firms set the tone for his entrepreneurial career, helping him realize the various opportunities available in the Technology industry.  He talks about the challenges of building a business and solving problems by know that the answers are not far away. He goes on to talk about fear of the unknown sharing how he overcame that fear saying “it’s the unknown that has been the fuel for me” adding that “entrepreneurs are professional problem solvers.” “When you are confident about the business that you are building then it’s very easy to turn around the naysayers” is just a piece of Crain’s advice for potential entrepreneurs. Crain shares advice on raising capital for start-ups using his experiences as a reference to encourage other to keep on being diligent. Other advice includes: making sure you need to raise capital, creating a well-researched investor’s diagram, and over-all, understanding the business entirely. Crain reveals the best advice he has ever received and shows us how the power of an idea mixed with the drive and perseverance of steadfast motivation brings about success in one’s chosen field. Roshawnna and Crain discuss: [2:33] Crain talks about himself and what made him venture into entrepreneurship. [4:36] What prevented lack of experience being an obstacle [10:02] Stories on experiences where potential clients did not buy your idea [12:04] How you know you are doing what you are meant to be doing right now [22:49] Knowing when you are ready [27:10] Jason gives us his take on raising capital [31:07] Characteristics to look for when expanding your team [34:05] Advice for other founders who want to raise capital [39:24] On publicity and the fundraising process [41:45] Best advice ever received [44:27] Personal habits which contribute to success

Andrew Gowasack is the type of startup CEO that understands the value of listening. Throughout his informative conversation with Roshawnna, Andrew reiterated this point throughout various contexts within his founder journey. In many ways listening is the foundation of Trust Stamp. Andrew talks about the incredible importance of customer discovery and how the diligence that he and his business partner put into this in the early stages has reflected in the market fit that Trust Stamp has been able to demonstrate. Rather than tell the customer what they should want, Andrew and his team at Trust Stamp have done the work to understand their customer’s needs. Through what Andrew describes as ‘micro-services’ Trust Stamp has created a rock solid service that continues to grow at an incredible rate. Andrew is an engaging speaker with thoughtful insights to share about the founder journey. His conversation with Roshawnna is peppered with helpful tips aimed at helping the listener to be the most successful person that they can be, in any endeavor. A must listen! Andrew and Roshawnna Discuss: 2:00 -- Andrew tells us about his background and how Trust Stamp began. 3:30 -- Andrew talks about his relationship with mentors. 4:30 -- Andrew digs into the details of Trust Stamp. 5:00 -- Andrew describes how Trust Stamp allows people to own their data. 7:00 -- Andrew discusses some aspects of Trust Stamp that have generated excitement for him and his team. 9:30 -- Andrew talks about the incredible importance of customer discovery. 10:00 -- Andrew discusses the difficulty of recognizing that a team member was a poor fit and how he dealt with this. 11:00 -- Andrew relates his tactics for team building. 12:30 -- On having the courage and the discipline to maintain the core tenets of your company vision. 13:00 -- On how Andrew knew that he was meant to be an entrepreneur and how he coaches himself through the tough times. 14:30 -- Andrew relays the importance of staying committed to the overall vision. 15:30 -- Andrew discusses some aspects of his former career that have carried him in to entrepreneurship, including the importance of relationship building. 17:30 -- How Andrew provides continued value for his clients through honesty. 18:30 -- Andrew’s alternative views on gaining funding. 20:30 -- Andrew talks about the concept of ‘sovereign or royal’. The decision needs to be made about what is prioritized, independence or wealth. 24:30 -- Andrew describes the unique nature of Trust Stamp’s ‘micro-services’. 28:10 -- Andrew talks about the go-to book to read for a startup founder. 30:00 -- On maintaining a balanced lifestyle while continuing forward with your drive and vision.

This episode of StartUp Funding features Ryan Wilson co-founder and CEO of The Gathering Spot. This lawyer turned co-working space owner shares his entrepreneurial journey from identifying a need to raising $3 million in funding.  Wilson, an Atlanta native, discusses the struggle of finding a place to work and hold meetings when he was working in the community while attending Georgetown University and Georgetown University Law Center. This struggle birthed the idea for The Gathering Spot. He goes on to share the many lessons he learned such as what to pitch instead of your business idea, developing a working business model, knowing your business inside and out as well as, understanding the industry landscape and your competition. “Get started, listen to feedback from potential investors and don’t get discouraged” is just some of Wilson’s advice for other start-ups looking to raise funds. Additional recommendations include: making time for doing things you love, an excellent book to read, the best advice he’s ever received and how to deal with the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. Wilson charges entrepreneurs “When you’re thinking about starting a business – there’s no one more capable than you to start it. A lot of times people wait around for the perfect moment or the perfect partner to start a business and, as a person that started one, I can tell you that person – or moment will likely not exist at the perfect time. Stars are not aligned that way… So, if you have an idea, go build that thing!” Ryan Wilson’s story is a testament to the power of perseverance, continuing to learn new things and boldness to pursue a vision.  Roshawnna and Ryan discuss: [4:26] Identifying the need for an alternative work and social space [11:05] Raising $3 million in funding [6:13] Many lessons he learned about being an entrepreneur [13:11] Ryan’s advice for other start-ups looking to raise funds [19:46] The best advice he’s ever received [18:25] How to deal with the highs and lows of entrepreneurship Social Media: SpotOnRW https://www.thegatheringspot.club/

Roshell Rosemond Rinkins is the type of entrepreneur that is interested in more than just personal gain. Roshell wants to see her product empower and enliven its users. Roshell is the woman behind Liquid Courage, a unique line of beauty products that aim to compliment the modern woman on the go. Liquid Courage comes on the heels of Roshell making the decision to exit the corporate world. Leaving behind the certainty and stability of a corporate role to embark on the journey of an entrepreneur is never easy. Roshell has worked against the odds to make Liquid Courage a success, and in her discussion with Roshawnna, she outlines insights in to how she made it happen. Roshell is the type of hard-working, DIY entrepreneur that so many young people yearn to be. The wisdom that she shares in this podcast is invaluable, and a special deal offer from Roshell for Liquid Courage products is the cherry on the cake for this great conversation!  Roshawnna and Roshell discuss:  3:00 Roshell discusses how she got her start as an entrepreneur.  7:00 The importance of community building.  10:00 Roshell recognized the need for her business in the beauty space.  13:00 How empowerment for women inspired Roshell to create Liquid Courage.  15:00 The experiences that brought Roshell to where she is today.   17:00 The importance of mentorship to Roshell’s path.  21:00 Education as a launch-pad for an entrepreneurial career.  23:00 Using education as a resource for networking.  25:00 Career decision making and planning.   26:30 The benefits of bootstrapping vs. gaining funding.  28:00 What makes Liquid Courage unique.  31:00 Community building and how it effects your brand and your business.  33:33 Outsourcing work and team building to hit goals.   35:00 The importance of creating a work/life balance.  40:00 A special offer and a piece of advice from Roshell. 

James Jones was able to do what so many people working within Corporate America dream of: break away and begin a career as a successful entrepreneur. With RaceIQ, James and his team have taken cutting edge securities software and applied to the the automotive industry. Throughout his conversation with Roshawnna, James shares insights in to how RaceIQ is working to provide solutions for the future of ransomware. James’ career journey has seen challenges, just as everyone’s has. Throughout his time working as an entrepreneur and subsequently investor, James has struggled to maintain the ever elusive healthy work/life balance. Developing and maintaining a structure for setting and hitting his goals in this regard is just one of the many insights that James shares in his discussion with Roshawnna. James’ enthusiasm for innovation and technology shines through when he speaks about his work and the pride that he takes in it. He has weathered the storm of startup instability to become an entrepreneurial success and he is open and honest in the wisdom that he shares. You’re going to want to give this one a listen! Roshawnna and James discuss: 2:30 James outlines his beginnings as an entrepreneur. 3:30 The exciting innovations in the automotive industry that James and his team have been working on. 8:00 How innovations in technology have affected our privacy and security in the automotive space and what RaceIQ is is doing to combat this. 13:00 James speaks about some of the challenges that he’s experienced as an entrepreneur. 14:00 Change and disruption happen so fast in today’s world, James talks about how this effects investment and entrepreneurship. 16:00 How mentors have helped to guide James through his journey as an entrepreneur. 16:30 How the mentor/mentee relationship is a two-way street. 20:30 Not all investors are alike: why you should research the type of investor you would like to form a relationship with. 21:00 How James approaches his investment decisions. 22:00 Condense your ideas: James uses Google to illustrate the stages of phenomenal growth that can sprout from simplicity. 25:00 The solutions that RaceIQ is providing today. 27:00 Leveraging your networks to grow your business. 29:00 How James’ experience in the corporate world informed his working life as an entrepreneur. 32:30 The challenges and the sacrifices that a startup CEO faces. 35:00 Understanding and dealing with failure. 37:00 Setting and reaching goals with two simple steps that James follows devoutly. 41:00 James speaks about the importance of habit building. 43:00 In a speed round of questions about advice and insight, James speaks about highlights in his career learnings. 48:00 On finding a work/life balance.

Thiago Olson is the type of guy that makes everything look easy. The center of national attention as a teenager that built a working nuclear reactor, Thiago went on to found Stratos and subsequently lead the company to an exit. Oh, and he has had a planet named after him. No big deal right?? Perhaps the greatest surprise in talking to Thiago about his career is that despite how he makes it look, his path has not always presented a smooth ride. He has faced the same daunting circumstances and ups and downs that we all face in our careers. For budding entrepreneurs, the wisdom that Thiago shares offers a valuable guide for realizing your goals and vision. In Thiago’s mind the future is bright. Have a listen to what he is excited about now in the world of tech and to hear some of his predictions for which industry trends have staying power!  Roshawnna and Thiago discuss: 3:00 Thiago shares the story how he got started as an entrepreneur and investor, what drives him in his role   7:00 Thiago relates how an experience in his youth shaped his working life for years to come.  8:30 Thiago discusses how the exit process looked for his company, Stratos, and how he came to be an advisor.   11:00 Thiago discusses industry trends that he is excited about right now, specifically, the Internet of Things.  18:30 Thiago talks about how to bounce back from a bump in the road and how to deal with the stress of entrepreneurship.  23:00 Thiago talks about managing money streams as an entrepreneur.  29:30 Learning to recognize which advice to accept and which to reject.  34:00 Some advice on negotiating revenue terms  36:00 The benefit of working with a great law firm.  37:00 Thiago talks about what he looks for in an idea and a team as an investor.   45:00 Common mistakes that founders make when they’re looking to raise capital.  49:00 Thiago shares an excellent piece of advice that he was given.  51:00 Recognizing how you can create a solution to a problem.   59:00 A curve-ball question elicits an interesting response from Thiago.  60:00 The importance of mentorship. 

Deen took a standardized test as a kid which recommended that he become a venture capitalist.  As a youth, he started a successful Ebay business after he paid his grandmother to buy him goods on her various vacation overseas. While at Howard University, he continued to excel in entrepreneurship throughout his tenure. In fact, his efforts helped his fraternity reach new heights in their fundraising goals. After meeting the perfect investor for his company in a casino in Las Vegas, he knew that it was time to move into running the company full time. Although he's still near the beginning of growing this current venture, the sky is the limit for this millennial entrepreneur. Roshawnna and Deen discuss: 2:00 – Deen talks about his background and the describes his company, Base. 4:30 – Deen discusses what aspects of Base excite him right now. 5:30 – Deen outlines what makes Base unique. 7:00 – How a traumatic experience in Deen’s life led to the inspiration for Base. 9:00 – Deen talks about how he knows that he was meant to be an entrepreneur. 16:00 – Deen talks about the value of mentorship in his life. 21:00 – Deen discusses the importance of team building and relays how he built his team for Base. 23:30 – Deen discusses how he has been able to create revenue streams for Base. 25:00 – Deen talks about how he has been able to spread the word about Base to a wide range of college campuses. 32:00 – Deen talks about some his life habits that have helped him to become a success. 33:00 – Deen talks about the qualities that a startup team must have to gain funding. 39:30 – Deen speaks to how he creates a healthy work/life balance. 46:30 – Some words of wisdom from Deen for potential entrepreneurs.

Jay experienced entrepreneurial success through real estate and his magazine publication in Florida. But something told him that he could help more people. He started meeting creatives at different conferences and networking events and discovered that many artists, do not have a platform to distribute their craft. So, he became lean. He downsized his home and sold his car so that he could make their dreams come true. Now he's on the verge of launching the RYSE platform globally. The passion that Jay Jackson brings to his multi-media platform, Ryze is impossible to ignore. In this discussion with Roshawnna, Jay speaks with pride about the work that Ryze has done and about what the future holds for the platform.   Jay’s journey has led him on many twists and turns. He discusses how he was able to turn the bumps in the road in to learning experiences that allowed him to get to where he is today. A huge proponent of attention for merit, Jay believes that the young people of today should admire the grit, determination and intelligence of entrepreneurs as they do the exploits of athletes. After listening to this frank and insightful conversation between Roshawnna and Jay, you’ll no doubt be convinced that Jay makes a great point! Roshawnna and Jay discuss: [2:00] How Jay got his start as an entrepreneur. [13:00] How to persevere as an entrepreneur when the odds are against you. [15:00] How Jay’s platform Ryse allows creative types to realize their visions while getting paid. [17:00] The value that mentorship has been in Jay’s work and in his life. [19:00] The importance of seeing the forest for the trees. Jay speaks of an instance in which he took a pay cut in order to work with someone that he could learn from. [20:30] How a difficult time in Jay’s career becomes a great learning experience. [25:00] How the ups and downs of Jay’s career have led him to where he is today. [26:00] Jay outlines the importance of wearing many hats in a startup environment. [33:30] On making new friends: Jay speaks on the importance of networking for success. [37:00] Dealing with rejection while raising capital. [44:30] Some advice for founders that feel that they are ready to begin raising capital.

He graduated from the University of Georgia and started his first business from his college apartment. After pitching his company 725 times over 8 months, he was finally able to raise the capital he needed to expand his business. Now Chris is a serial entrepreneur, podcast host and mentor. As a highly motivated and highly successful person, Chris Michael Harris has amazing insights to share about the ideas, actions and belief systems that have gotten him to where he is today. Chris was made for entrepreneurship. His drive for more than a pay-by-the-hour job led him to follow a career path that isn’t for the faint of heart. Still, Chris believes that everyone has a talent that can be monetized. Those that haven’t used it yet may just lack the confidence to let it shine.  Chris has created a lifestyle around his work and his enthusiasm for his chosen career path is contagious. The insights gained in a listen to Roshawnna and Chris’ conversation would be hugely beneficial to the budding entrepreneur and successful business person alike! Roshawnna and Chris discuss: [2:30] Why Chris decided to become an entrepreneur and how things looked starting out for him. [3:30] The importance of putting together a great team and a great game plan. [4:30] How to deal with regrets as an entrepreneur. [5:30] The importance of finding a great fit for yourself and your talents and how you’ll know when you’re there. [6:30] Chris’ belief in the importance of ‘gut feeling’ for entrepreneurship. [9:00] Chris explains that allowing mentorship in to his life has been paramount to his success. [10:00] Formal education was a huge boon to Chris’ career. Here he explains how and why. [16:00] The difference between money and smart money and what it can mean for your business. [19:30] Why you have to be committed to your ‘Why.’ [22:00] The importance of having a great team and how to put one together. [33:00] Chris shares some book suggestions for varying stages in the startup process. [34:30] Chris shares his regimen for maintaining both mental and physical

Born in the projects in Atlanta, he always had a strong love for family. Years later he attended Stanford University and majored in symbolic systems. Though he always has a love for sales and community investment, he looks forward to the reset afforded by extended vacations and service trips to Haiti, India and Costa Rica. His vision is for an inclusive world and now he is an entrepreneur, investor, and community advocate.

Tanya Van Court is a great example of a person that struck out on a dream to become a success. From modest beginnings as the flash of an idea that was born out of a comment that her daughter made, Tanya has been able to grow iSow into a viable business that has a great ethos and a lot of heart.    Tanya was able to recognize that our society teaches children terrible financial values. The materialism that we learn young follows us into adulthood and can lead to disastrous financial health for some people. Tanya has created a solution to excess in iSow and the success that iSow has enjoyed so far is evidence that it is a learning tool that really works. Tanya is an incredibly engaging speaker and the wisdom and insights that she shares in this great conversation with Roshawnna will make your day! Roshawnna and Tanya Discuss: 2:00—Tanya shares her background and talks about the beginnings of her company, iSow. 5:00 – Tanya details the ethos of iSow.com, which aims to teach children important financial values. 9:00 – Tanya talks about some aspects of iSow that she is currently excited about. 12:30 – Tanya talks about what she learned from a missed opportunity. 14:00 – Tanya talks about how she knew that she was in the right place when she started iSow. 15:00 – Tanya discusses her past experiences in Corporate America and how these shaped her into a successful leader of iSow. 18:00 – On how the concept of mentorship has changed in recent years, and the importance of finding mentors in various facets of your life. 20:00 – On the biggest hurdle that Tanya had to overcome in starting on her journey as an entrepreneur. 22:30 -- Tanya talks about how women in her life have helped her to push through difficult times. 24:00 – On what makes iSow unique and the powerful lessons that it can bestow on children. 29:00 – Tanya discusses the ups and downs of procuring funding for your idea. 37:00 -- Tanya gives some advice to founders that are looking to raise capital. 40:00 – Tanya relays a mantra that gets her through the tough days. 43:00 – Tanya talks about how she strikes a work/life balance and what her work days look like. l markets.

The passion that Kristina Montague brings to her role as Managing Partner of The JumpFund is immediately evident in her conversation with Roshawnna. The JumpFund is an investment fund that operates within an interesting and necessary niche: it is by women for women. After recognizing a gap in gender equality within the entrepreneur space, Kristina and her team of partners set out to create a fund that could bring some gender balance to the startup ecosystem. The enormous success that The Jumpfund has played a part in facilitating is evidence of the need that The JumpFund has fulfilled. As a whip-smart Angel Investor, Kristina outlines a laundry list of helpful tips for entrepreneurs that hope to attract investment. She also dives into the importance of creating programs that foster the growth of female-led companies, which are an unfortunate rarity in our society. Kristina brings a wealth of experiential knowledge to the table in this insightful and thought provoking conversation with Roshawnna! Roshawnna and Kristina discuss: 2:00—Kristina shares her background and the background and ethos of The JumpFund a fund of women investing in women. 5:00 – Kristina talks about the types of businesses that JumpFund looks to back. 8:00 – How Kristina came to be in the role that she is in now. 10:00 –Kristina talks about 36|86, a tech conference that The JumpFund back companies have had great success at. 12: 00 – Kristina talks about how her background in education has shaped her role as an Angel Investor. 16:00 –Kristina talks about the massive gamble that she took in leaving her secure role at the University of Tennessee to pursue the life of an Angel Investor. 21:00 – Kristina talks about what makes The Jumpfund unique. 24:00 – Kristina talks about the importance of relationship building in the investor/entrepreneur process. 26:00—Kristina details what she looks for in a team to invest in. 27:30 – On having the roadmap for the company fully fleshed out before approaching investors.  29:00 – Kristina talks about the importance of bringing a co-founder into the fray to bounce ideas off of. 32:00 – Kristina discusses founders striking a balance between their full-time work on their startup and maintaining a job for revenue stream as well. 34:00 – On the importance of customer discovery in gaining investment funding to create a viable business. 36:00 --Kristina talks about some common mistakes that founders make. 37:00 – Kristina discusses investment vs. bootstrapping. 42:00 – Kristina talks about the importance of striking a life/work balance.

He was born in Jamaica & received his undergraduate degree from Northeastern University. After working a few years in consulting, he decided to move to London to pursue career and athletic opportunities. After returning from playing professional basketball in Europe, he received his MBA from Cornell University only to have unsuccessfully pitched an investment deal to his team at Intel Capital that has successfully achieved exponential growth. Fast forward a few years and now he is a successful venture capitalist at Cross Culture VC,  a board member of Kaufman Fellows, and a a mentor to several entrepreneurs. Marlon Nichols has the type of drive and vision that most people can only dream of. As a partner in the unique firm, Cross Culture Ventures, Marlon knows what it takes to turn a dream into a reality. In this frank discussion with Roshawnna, Marlon talks about the personal journey that has carried him to his lofty position. Though Marlon is highly technically educated, much of what he chooses to illuminate in this discussion is the inter-personal dynamics that can make or break a person’s success in reaching their goals. Marlon shares insights in to what investors look for in an idea and a team, as well as illustrating the points from his own path that could be used by anyone that wants to take their career to the next level. Marlon’s dedication to his craft is inspiring and the knowledge that he shares in this conversation with Roshawnna would be a great help for anyone looking to take their career to the next step! Roshawnna and Marlon discuss: [3:30] Marlon shares the story of his beginnings as an entrepreneur. [11:00] As a Venture Capitalist, Marlon outlines some of the tech industry trends that he is excited about right now. [12:30] There are always some bumps in the road. Marlon relays a story about a regret in a deal that he could not land and the lessons that he learned from this and used moving forward. [14:30] Marlon talks about how he built his inter-personal skills to further his career success. [16:30] How differing perspectives can teach you things about yourself. [17:00] Mentors have played a huge role in Marlon’s life and career. [24:30] Marlon talks about what makes Cross-Culture Ventures unique and the types of investments that the firm prefers to make. [27:00] Marlon talks about what he and his team look for in a founder, idea and company to invest in. [35:00] The importance of networking and making friends for getting in front of investors. [37:00] Marlon talks about the impact that maintaining his health and fitness have on his mental clarity and productivity.

Dr. Roshawnna Novellus, known as the Wealthy Yogi, is the co-founder of Bootstrap Capital and Host of Startup Funding. She is passionate about helping business owners ready to attract funding. She also serves on the Commission on Women for the City of Atlanta, and was honored as a Women Who Means Business by the Atlanta Business Chronicle