Startup Stage

Spa Utopia is an on-demand spa service which partners with contractor spa therapists to deliver massages, facials, and any other spa services to your home, office, hotel…anywhere…all over the United States. Founder Naya Powell is projecting almost a billion dollars in revenue for Spa Utopia by year 10 in business. But to get there, she’s looking to raise $750,000 in her initial seed round. Will the investors believe her vision for what the business could be?

Connor Strickland is a 23 year old serial entrepreneur. Yes, serial at 23 – he runs three companies currently. A plant delivery service, a marketing agency, and the company he’s pitching to investors today – DigiHome. DigiHome gives you all the information you need to know about your home in one free convenient app. All the paint colors, all the flooring, all the roofing – everything about your house so that when something needs to be replaced, you know exactly what to look for. DigiHome gets rid of that file cabinet full of documents on your house that you may or may not have been keeping up with. This sounds like a complete home run, but if the app is free, how’s this going to make money for the investors?

Dante Evans has been in the transportation industry for 32 years, many of those driving a bus, and he sees a problem. People in rural communities don’t have access to transportation that many of us in more urban areas take for granted. There aren’t as many bus routes, ride shares aren’t as available, and it’s not always easy to get to work or get to the mall or even to buy groceries. Dante thinks he’s come up with the solution, a transportation app called WeMovv that will incorporate all modes of transportation – ride shares, buses, trains, and even how far you want to walk or ride your bike – to find the best way for a user to get to where they need to go. But this is the first time he’s pitched for capital. So can he explain the vision for his company well enough so that the investors want to take a ride with him? Today's investors are: Keith Daniel, Resilient Ventures Robbie Hardy, xElle Ventures Donald Thompson, Angel Investor and CEO of Walk West Tim McLoughlin, Cofounders Capital Startup Stage is a production of Earfluence and hosted by Sharon Delaney McCloud. Thank you to our show sponsors: WeWork Innovate Capital Law Lenovo The University Club Fancy This Photography

"When you look at the, the children's literature market today, you see large groups of children that are excluded. When you're not able to see yourself in a children's book, it has major consequences on your view of your own value, your self esteem, your place in society." Michael Vaggalis from Keepsake Tales is on a mission. He wants all children to be able to see themselves - literally - in children's books. It's an amazing purpose, but is it a scalable business model? Today's investors are: Keith Daniel, Resilient Ventures Robbie Hardy, xElle Ventures Donald Thompson, Angel Investor and CEO of Walk West Tim McLoughlin, Cofounders Capital Startup Stage is a production of Earfluence and hosted by Sharon Delaney McCloud. Thank you to our show sponsors: WeWork Innovate Capital Law Lenovo The University Club Fancy This Photography

Food scientist Michael Lloyd, CEO of Num Num Sauce, wants to change condiments to make them healthy. He started with his grandfather's recipes from 40 years ago, then developed a process to get more vegetables and less sodium into his line of Num Num Sauces, and STILL have them test great. The company has been pretty successful, now in around 50 Whole Foods stores. But Michael knows that in order to compete with the big boys - or at least get their attention enough for them to want to buy his company - he'll need some capital. On episode 4 of the Startup Stage Podcast, Michael is asking for $2.76 million to take that next step in his business. But will the investors believe in Michael's vision? Today's investors are: Keith Daniel, Resilient Ventures Robbie Hardy, xElle Ventures Grant Williard, Angel Investor and Founder of JouleBug Tim McLoughlin, Cofounders Capital Startup Stage is a production of Earfluence and hosted by Sharon Delaney McCloud. Thank you to our show sponsors: WeWork Innovate Capital Law Lenovo The University Club Fancy This Photography

Kristen Cleve is the owner of Slice Pie Company, and she's all over the Triangle. Winning the Blue Ribbon in the NC State Fair, in local magazines, and even in USA Today. She's like the Julia Child or Ree Drummond of the Triangle, and maybe one day she'll have her own cooking show. But for now, she has incredible brand recognition around Raleigh, and she's at a point in her business where she wants to take the next step. But how? Is it by expanding into ecommerce? Is it more wholesale to grocery stores? Is it more shops throughout the Triangle and then the rest of North Carolina? She wants to grow, but she needs money to do it.

Getting a home mortgage is an extremely painful process, and once you're approved, you feel locked in without ever knowing if you could have found better terms. Steven Better, COO of Home Lending Pal, thinks his company has come up with a solution to ease the pain - and it's all about artificial intelligence. He's asking for $375K to close out the current round - are the investors interested? They are: Keith Daniel, Resilient Ventures Robbie Hardy, xElle Ventures Grant Williard, Angel Investor and Founder of JouleBug Tim McLoughlin, Cofounders Capital Startup Stage is a production of Earfluence and hosted by Sharon Delaney McCloud. Thank you to our episode sponsor - the audiobook, "The Startup Hats: Master the Many Roles of the Entrepreneur", by David Gardner. Thank you to our show sponsors: WeWork Innovate Capital Law Lenovo The University Club Fancy This Photography

Kate Goodwin, founder of Kate's Korner Drop-In Childcare in Durham NC, has over 30 years in daycare experience and is ready to take the leap to entrepreneurship. She's building a drop-in center that will be open earlier and close later than traditional daycares, and she won't require monthly commitments. Is this a good idea and a scalable business? Tune in to find out what the investors think.

Startup founders who haven’t had access to capital, dream chasers who don’t have the network to get in front of venture capitalists, underrepresented entrepreneurs who will give their best pitch for their companies in front of 5 Triangle (Raleigh Durham NC) investors who can make their dreams a reality. But are the entrepreneurs ready? And will the investors share the vision for their companies?