Podcasts about capital factory

On this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, our host, entrepreneur, and investor, Frank Gruber (https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankgruber), is joined by Joshua Baer, the Founder & CEO of Capital Factory, Austin's premier startup hub connecting founders with mentors, investors, and talent. The interview took place in front of a live audience down in Austin at the Established House.    Get Involved! Founders, investors, startup teams, entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs), and innovators, we invite you to join the Established Network, our digital hub where creativity, capital, and collaboration collide. https://established.network    As part of the Established Network, we also host the Monthly Innovation Circle, with some great featured speakers and we'll continue hosting these events on the third Thursday of every month. Sign up today at: est.us/TheMIC2025   Thank you for listening, and as always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at: www.est.us    Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: https://podcast.startupofyear.com/   Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube   Startup of the Year helps diverse, emerging startups, founding teams, and entrepreneurs push their company to the next level. We are a competition, a global community, and a resource. Startup of the Year is also a year-long program that searches the country for a geographically diverse set of startups from all backgrounds and pulls them together to compete for the title of Startup of the Year. Checkout Startup of the Year at: www.startupofyear.com   Established is a consultancy focused on helping organizations with innovation, startup, and communication strategies. It is the power behind Startup of the Year. Created by the talent responsible for building the Tech.Co brand (acquired by an international publishing company), we are leveraging decades of experience to help our collaborators best further (or create) their brand & accomplish their most important goals. Check out Established at: www.established.us Connect with us on X (formerly Twitter) - @EstablishedUs    Connect with us on Facebook - facebook.com/established.us

How will we scale humanoid robot product to hundreds of thousands and millions of units? In this TechFirst we do a deep dive with Apptronik CEO Jeff Cardenas. We chat about Apptronik's Apollo, his recent $400M+ funding round, the partnership with manufacturing giant Jabil, and much more.We also talk about innovations in AI that have accelerated robot learning and dexterous manipulation, the challenge of scaling manufacturing, and Apptronik's future vision.

In this week's Geek in Review, we sit down with Patrick Waldo, CEO of Unicorn Forms and proud Houstonian, to explore the intersections of data, document automation, and legal tech innovation. From the vibrant startup culture at Houston's ION and the Capital Factory's SXSW House event to the regulatory grind of form design, Waldo shares how his journey—from working in compliance-heavy industries to launching a playfully named but technically serious platform—is reshaping how we think about document-driven workflows.Waldo pulls back the curtain on Unicorn Forms' approach to digitizing and structuring data trapped in PDFs. With a background in regulatory intelligence, he understands firsthand how critical, yet painfully inefficient, static documents can be. Unicorn Forms aims to transform the “eight-and-a-half-by-eleven world” into structured, field-driven digital tools. By mimicking the look and feel of familiar e-sign interfaces while embedding structured fields and integrations like Calendly or Stripe, the platform bridges the gap between legal formality and technical interoperability.Security and compliance are at the heart of the conversation as Waldo outlines the different levels of electronic trust, explaining how Unicorn Forms distinguishes itself with hashed documents, timestamp authorities, and encryption standards that exceed many traditional e-signature solutions. He highlights how many professionals—especially in legal, healthcare, and finance—aren't aware of the risks they take when using non-secure PDFs for sensitive data like social security numbers or payment details.The episode also dives into the often-overlooked role of data ontologies in making government and enterprise forms interoperable. Waldo describes the complexity behind something as seemingly simple as a name or address field and how lack of standardization leads to inefficiencies and errors. By applying his years of ontology-building experience, Unicorn Forms aims to enable more intuitive, human-readable, and system-compatible data capture, with real-world use cases already in place—like improving film permitting processes for the Houston Film Commission.From a startup perspective, Waldo gets candid about fundraising challenges, the paradox of needing metrics to raise money and needing money to build metrics, and how early-stage companies must balance marketing, sales, and product development. He emphasizes the value of angel investors and local ecosystems like the ION and the Canon, while acknowledging the rising bar of investor expectations in today's post-2023 funding environment.Finally, Waldo shares his philosophy behind the Unicorn Forms brand—born as an April Fool's joke but grown into a conversation starter and signal for early adopters. With Party City swag, a pink logo, and a message that draws in the curious and the creative, Unicorn Forms is redefining legal tech not just through software, but through an intentional, approachable identity. As Waldo looks ahead, he sees opportunity in pairing strong data engineering with AI tools—not just to automate, but to make legal and regulatory processes smarter, faster, and more human-centered.Listen on mobile platforms:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[Special Thanks to ⁠Legal Technology Hub⁠ for their sponsoring this episode.] Blue Sky: ⁠⁠@geeklawblog.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠@marlgeb⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email: geekinreviewpodcast@gmail.comMusic: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jerry David DeCicca⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Transcript

Send us a textDr. Luis Martinez is back to speak with us about his journey. As a senior venture associate at Capital Factory, a venture capital firm, his love of science began by noticing what was missing–people doing science who looked like him. Luis was raised in an incredible town on the U.S.-Mexico border–El Paso, Tx. His introduction to science came from experiences at the local library and shows like Star Trek and Cosmos. As a high schooler, he was on the science team and had the opportunity to take a state exam for chemistry. But, rather than studying, he took the exam without any preparation. And somehow he passed; ranking first in the state! This, for him, set a path to pursue science in college. He attended Trinity College as a first generation college student and had the incredible opportunity to complete research as an undergraduate. As a junior, he declared himself as a chemistry major and was introduced to graduate school by a guidance counselor. The decision for Luis was easy–graduate school was free–it was a clear yes. As a graduate student at Harvard University, he remembers his involvement in a major scientific discovery that focused on developing organic molecules using efficient and sustainable methods. From this discovery, he also learned about patenting and scaling innovations; important lessons he would need for the future. At the end of his doctorate, Luis had to decide between a postdoctoral fellowship or joining a consulting firm. He chose the latter. After a few years, however, a family emergency brought him back to El Paso to join the university as a chemistry professor. Later on, he again moved to Trinity University as a professor of entrepreneurship and innovation to lead an undergraduate entrepreneurship program. When Luis looks back at his journey so far, he recommends two pieces of advice, “Be bold; and don't worry about it, it'll all work out.”               Check out the previous episode with Luis.Tune into this episode to hear about Luis's journey and:How he chose his major as a first generation college studentHow he was able to adapt his unique professional experiences to drive his career journey  Reach out to Luis: LinkedIN - https://www.linkedin.com/in/drluismartinez/If you enjoyed this episode, check out one more:Ep 43: Science CEO Level: Unlocked - The Journey THE ADMISSIONS GAME - SATIRE EDITIONYour satirical guide to elite college admissions by the fictional counselor to the...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the Show: WeLoveSciencePodcast.com Reach out to Fatu:www.linkedin.com/in/fatubmInstagram: @thee_fatu_band LoveSciencePodcast@gmail.com Reach out to Shekerah:www.linkedin.com/in/shekerah-primus and LoveSciencePodcast@gmail.com Music from Pixabay: Future Artificial Intelligence Technology 130 by TimMoorMusic from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes: Hotshot by ScottHolmesMusic

Send us a textToday we are joined by Dr. Luis Martinez, a senior venture associate with a background in organic chemistry and entrepreneurship at the venture capital firm, Capital Factory. The firm, based in Austin, Tx, was founded in 2009 to bring together entrepreneurs with potential partners, customers, and future hires. The firm works with a multitude of clients from corporate companies to start-ups to federal partners. Over the last year, they have invested about $23 million over 45 different entities within their expansive portfolio with a technology focus. Even though Luis has countless years of experience in entrepreneurship and innovation, he still finds that studying and understanding science is a very important and it is a worthwhile investment. “What is more awesome now in 2025, then when I got my Ph.D. in the 1990s, is that there are a lot more opportunities to apply your science and do what you do as a scientist beyond the paths that are presented out of graduate school,” he explains. In particular Luis finds the ability to take the unique skills learned in graduate school and apply them to different scenarios in entrepreneurship, start-ups, and solving critical questions to be key. For those who are interested in exploring entrepreneurship, he recommends taking time to visit your current or alumnus university entrepreneurship center, i.e. get out of the lab and walk across campus. Additionally, he suggests getting involved with training programs such as Activate and Nucleate, which focus on entrepreneurship for scientists. And, take advantage of the NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program which facilitates the transformation of invention to impact. The last piece of advice he recommends is actually joining someone else's start-up before venturing into your own to get the best hands-on experience.    Tune into this episode to hear about Luis's work and:The next wave of science entrepreneurship careersWhy science is important for entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship important for scienceWhat areas of science are hot for entrepreneurship right nowReach out to Luis: LinkedIN - https://www.linkedin.com/in/drluismartinez/If you enjoyed this episode, check out one more:Ep 6: STEMLand Future of Science - The WorkEp 39: The Art of Science with Laura Canil - The WorkEp 42: Science CEO Level: Unlocked - The Work  Support the Show: WeLoveSciencePodcast.com Reach out to Fatu:www.linkedin.com/in/fatubmInstagram: @thee_fatu_band LoveSciencePodcast@gmail.com Reach out to Shekerah:www.linkedin.com/in/shekerah-primus and LoveSciencePodcast@gmail.com Music from Pixabay: Future Artificial Intelligence Technology 130 by TimMoorMusic from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes: Hotshot by ScottHolmesMusic

In this episode, Jeremy Whittington shares his journey of building a startup without relying on traditional venture capital. Instead, he leveraged alternative funding paths, including government grants and accelerators. We dive deep into the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, the I-Corps program, and how startups can secure non-dilutive funding to kickstart their business. If you're an entrepreneur looking for funding beyond VC, this episode is for you!Key Takeaways:

Apptronik, a University of Texas spin-out that was quietly building humanoid robots before it became quite so fashionable, on Thursday announced a $350 million Series A round of financing. B Capital and Capital Factory co-led the round, which also featured participation from Googl Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of the most successful companies that helps small business is Zen Business.Ross Buhrdorf is the CEO & Founder of ZenBusiness®, a company that provides an easy, all-in-one platform and trusted guidance for small business owners. In his current role at ZenBusiness, Buhrdorf empowers the new generation of entrepreneurs through the delivery of innovative tools, fintech, and educational resources to support millions of small businesses on their journey to success. Seven hundred thousand people have turned to ZenBusiness for their entrepreneurial journey. Ross is an active mentor with Capital Factory. He previously was the founding CTO for HomeAway (NASDAQ:AWAY). His technology built the company from a startup, through the IPO to its recent acquisition by Expedia (NASDAQ: EXPE) for $3.9B.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-small-business-radio-show--3306444/support.

On this month's innovation conversation to highlight key topics in the countdown to the Apex technology and innovation conference next January in Washington, sponsored by Clarion Defence, Dan Fata, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Europe and NATO during the Bush administration who is now the principal at the Fata Advisory consultancy, and Miles Taylor, the former chief of staff at the department of homeland security who is now with the new technology advisory firm Washington Office, discuss the new DC chapter of the Capital Factory in Austin — Station DC — that aims to become the nexus of the technology ecosystem in Washington, the importance of bringing together the entire tech community from small firms to heritage primes and everything in between, Station DC's role in bringing together industry, the Pentagon as well as lawmakers, the bottlenecks innovative firms see as impediments to progress and more with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. To learn more about the Apex conference, sponsorship and attendance opportunities please visit apexdefense.org

Sid Rao grew up in Austin and started his first company when he was 14 and eventually studied Supply Chain Management at The University of Texas' McCombs School of Business. After graduating he spent time working at the Texan Venture Capital fund Capital Factory investing in 5 companies and working with hundreds of founders. He now is the Chief of Staff at Solideon, a company focused on taking off-the-shelf robotics and converting them into autonomous micro factories that are capable of 3D printing, post processing, assembling and inspecting anything, anywhere. Takeaways: Working in startups requires a combination of passion, resilience, and the ability to navigate uncertainty. Team chemistry and a shared vision are crucial for the success of a startup. Startups must be prepared to adapt and pivot as they face unexpected challenges. Having experience as a venture investor can provide valuable insights and pattern recognition when working in startups. The role of a Chief of Staff in a startup is multifaceted and can involve anything from operations to sales. In 10 years, Sid sees himself continuing to explore the startup world, potentially starting his own company or working in venture capital. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Background 03:02 The Journey from Startups to Solidian 10:09 Challenges and Rewards of Working in Startups 15:08 The Importance of Team Chemistry and Vision 18:28 Preparing for the Unexpected 21:19 The Advantage of Experience in Venture Capital 25:14 The Role of a Chief of Staff in a Startup 30:06 Future Aspirations and Favorite Places to Eat in San Francisco Order some merch, Iconic Luxury Streetwear: ⁠https://www.iconicluxurystreetwear.com/⁠ Podcast & Content Creation Course: ⁠https://tanakatava.gumroad.com/l/LVySW⁠ The Download (Keys & Codes) - Newsletter featuring previous episodes of Iconic Conversations and musings of my mind: ⁠https://tanakatava.substack.com/https://tanakatava.substack.com/⁠ Book a FREE consulting call to discuss your creative strategy or business idea: ⁠https://calendly.com/tanakatava/tava-consulting-20-minute-meeting⁠ Listen to this podcast (but in audio form): ⁠Listen to Podcast⁠ GUEST: Jason Burchard

Do you wish you had mom friends who would push you, who would get you out of a rut? Do you feel like you don't have a community that you belong in? I know this pops up oftentimes during the summer season. And so I wanted this conversation to soothe your soul and give you a chance to change that. Let's connect if this resonates with you: https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/ Do you ever feel lonely? I can relate. As a mom in those early days, the feeling of loneliness was all too familiar. I remember nursing my son, waiting for my husband to get home, and feeling the weight of solitude. Similarly, when I launched my business, I found myself at my kitchen table grappling with business challenges without a sounding board. Loneliness is not uncommon for moms or entrepreneurs, but it has certainly been amplified by the pandemic. However, amidst these challenges, we now have the option to connect online. That's why today's conversation is so important. Allow me to introduce you to Cherie Werner, a proud Austinite for 35 years and the founder and CEO of Fiesta, an inclusive startup community. Cherie brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to fostering success and connections. I'm thrilled to host this conversation because I believe connecting with others who share similar experiences or have advanced perspectives in motherhood or entrepreneurship is crucial for success. So, enjoy the conversation with Cherie and notice her “fertile imagination”, a guide for maximizing every mom's superpower for maximum impact. That's the title of my book, by the way. Cherie exemplifies this imagination by creating unique connections and community, especially when she decided to homeschool her daughters. You'll hear how she achieved this, involving dads, kids, and families in a vibrant community. It's a testament to what's possible when you awaken and stretch your imagination, a process I detail in my book, which you can find at www.fertileideas.com. Also noteworthy is that this episode is brought to you by: From Contact to Connection: The Mompreneur's Go-First Networking & Follow Up Playbook: https://witty-thinker-2643.ck.page/21e52edb87 Download my step by step networking and follow-up process, as well as out-of-the-box proven ways to build relationships with the busiest of influencers, prospective podcast guests, and mentors! WARNING: this is for ambitious AF moms with growing businesses. AND BONUS: 30-second elevator pitch template included! The free playbook helps you: -Write an elevator pitch that will be memorable and distinguish you from everyone else. -Improve your networking skills, especially if you're a mom founder who can't go out and leave it to chance that she'll meet the business investor, mentor, or partner of her dreams. -Learn how to become a better networker without feeling like a fish out of water. -Write your emails to introduce yourself to strangers without overthinking how to begin an email or how to prove in the email that speaking with you will be worth their time. -Push beyond the fear that often holds you back, thinking “Oh, I can't do that” or “Who am I to approach that person?” -Think strategically about your outreach goals by considering why you want to talk to specific people, along with what you need to know so you don't get caught out there feeling like a deer in headlights without the right words to say. -Think ahead about how you intend to make it worth their time and how you can use your platform to feature them as an expert, among other things. -Calm your networking jitters beforehand by guiding you on how to research the event and its attendees before heading out. -Gain fresh ideas for follow-ups that will feel good to you and the recipient, instead of just emailing the person over and over again. -Use a timeframe to conduct your networking or outreach efforts so they become a habit. -And includes email templates galore! Official bio for Cherie I'm Cherie Werner—a native Texan and a proud Austinite for 35 years. As the Founder and (CEO) Chief Empowerment Officer of FIESTA, an inclusive startup community, I bring a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to fostering success and connections. With 38 years of marriage to Jon Werner and our three daughters as my top priorities, my journey in mentoring began in college. It evolved into a rich history of community building, exemplified by the growth of the Austin WholeHearted Home School community (1995-2001). Collaborating on startup ventures like Bones in Motion (2001-2008) and KOYA Innovations (2018-2023) has equipped me with unique insights and empathy into the founder's journey. At FIESTA, we've hosted over 50 events, welcoming 7,000+ attendees since July 2021, and achieved a remarkable 65% growth in 2023 and 2022. As a certified life coach, I am dedicated to creating a dynamic environment where entrepreneurs can thrive, forge meaningful relationships, be seen, and succeed. I am excited to bring this spirit of collaboration, empowerment, and drive to the vibrant Austin Tech community. Links: https://fiesta.community https://www.instagram.com/cheriewerner/ https://www.facebook.com/cherie.werner Transcript: Cherie, I wanted to just launch the conversation around the idea of seeking connection and community. So I know that for moms, it feels, it feels lonely, especially those early days when you're a new mom. And when you're just like wondering to yourself, how did I, how am I going to do this? How am I going to survive? And then entrepreneurship is kind of the same thing. At least. At first, it's a lonely endeavor. And so you're at a different mom stage than me. I have school age kids. You have adults. So first, like, are we going to survive? And then second, share some wisdom that can help us feel connected. And like, we're part of something bigger than ourselves. Yeah. Wow. Wow. Great question. Yes, you will survive at times. You might feel like you're not surviving and just remember that it's a season and it too shall pass. And I think the other thing is you never, you're never not a mom. I mean, my adult children have said, yeah, but I need my mom, even though they're adult children.  And then I think that you have your biological children, but then you also have the chosen children. So I'm known in this ecosystem as a startup mama. And I think it's because a lot of these young millennials and startup founders that are coming here to Austin, they, they need a mom. They need someone that they can call or just it sees them and is cheering them on. I think that's the biggest role for moms is that you're involved in your kiddos lives and you're cheering them on and you want the best for them.   One of the mantras that we had and I, and this came later in the teen years was that our ceiling is their floor only as much as we're investing in ourselves and growing our children have higher grounds to  stand on.   I love that. I really love that. And so I'm wondering more about your motherhood journey.   So early on, just to give us perspective, because right now a lot of moms are having to make that tough choice between full on entrepreneurship. Let's get some funding. Let's just try to outsource a lot of motherhood so that this way we can like be that at the helm of business. Right. And for some of us, like myself, it's kind of like, well, that's scary.   Like I have these three little boys and I kind of like them and I want to really help shape their, their perspective on a lot of things. I want to be there. I want to be their people leader, you know? And so I'm curious, like when you first became a mom, like what were the decisions that you had to make and looking back, like, how do you feel about them?   Another great question. I was a mom. It seems like so long ago And it was a long time ago because just for perspective my daughters I have three daughters and they're 35 33 and 22 and yes, there's a 10 year gap between the youngest and the middle one and Same marriage i've married going on 38 or 39 years.   I can't remember exactly which one but When we, when I was pregnant with my first child, I always intended to go back to work. We were living up in the D. C. area, and I mean, there was no way we could afford the home that we were in and stuff like that, unless both of us were working. And after having my daughter, I had maternity leave, and once that was over, and I had to go back into work,  I didn't anticipate having this strong emotional attachment to my daughter.   I mean, to the point where I'm like, I can't leave her. I don't want to leave her. And my husband and I made a decision that I would stay at home. And, and I really, I mean, like, I was really scared to be a mom. I, I had, I mean, I, I have a good relationship with my mom today, but my mom. Did the best that she could with the knowledge that she had just like I think all moms need to give themselves that grace and you're doing the best that you can with the knowledge that you have at that time, because me as a mom with my older daughters and my youngest completely different.   I was more relaxed with the youngest. But when Karen was was born, I stayed at home and I loved it. And, and then Courtney came along and we moved like two weeks after she was born from Virginia to Austin. Now, something nobody ever told me about, there are high stressors in women's lives and you need to be careful in how many stressors are going off at one time.   And so we were moving, I was leaving this amazing chosen family, like that brought meals over, they cleaned my house, they helped me because I was on bed rest with my Second child and and she came, she was like four weeks premature and so then we take off. We leave Virginia. We drive, we drive to Texas and we're in a house.   My husband goes to work. I'm left alone. And I kind of  had what I thought was a breakdown. But like looking back, it was postpartum depression. And uh, Yeah, and I didn't have the support so like moving to a new place and not having support that so that just goes to show you the value and the importance of having that community.   I mean, we all need it from very early on from our family of origin into all these different seasons of life.   Yeah, and I think it's, it's interesting because I think it's something that before I hit record, we were talking about, which is this whole idea of relational poverty. I had never heard of that.   And I know that you do a great job in the Fiesta community in terms of making sure that people know one another. We actually like get to see one another, have like mini little groups together, the breakout sessions. And I appreciate that. And so I'm just wondering, okay. Just to kind of like walk listeners through this.   So you started out, you had a chosen family, you had like what I'm envisioning, like this ideal scenario where somebody brought you food. Like, that's like amazing. And then now you're like driving all the way to Texas. You don't know anyone, but you have two children at the time. And then you land there, your husband goes to work.   And then you're like, Oh my goodness. Like that, that to me does sound a little bit like relational poverty. Is that kind of like in reference to the similar thing? Well, I mean,   relational poverty, as I defined it, it's a deep lack of connectedness with others. So I didn't have the connectedness. I, we knew nobody here in Austin.   John was, took a job with IBM. So he knew the people he was working with. And we need that deep connectedness with other individuals. Like, just to give you a contrast, I knew nobody at first, like for the first month, we were staying in a hotel room with two little ones.  And then compared to Virginia, when we were up there, like I said, we, I met together with this group of women and couples and, and we were involved in a church up there at the time.   And so like, it was, it wasn't just going to church. It was like, we had this really intentional community with several of the guys that my husband was working with in, in there. Wives and I was always really nervous about being a mom because my parents divorced early on and my mom  Had an aneurysm when I was like eighth grade and I had always wanted to be close I'm I'm I'm I'm a loyalist and eight on the in a six on the enneagram and I just wanted that close nurturing relationship But I remember when she had the aneurysm and she was in the hospital, she kind of drew me close to her.   And she said, this is why I never got close to you and your sister. And I was thinking, like thinking about that. I just think, gosh, that's so sad because we missed out on, on, on this fear of, of what could happen versus being in the moment. And Making the most of that moment and so I think that was like a real pivotal time in my life because I never felt that connectedness with my mom early on and and so I wanted to provide that for my kiddos.   I wanted them to know as a as a family. We had a Oh, I I'm trying to think of, but it's, it's like a  thing that we put, these are our models as a family, we will be connected no matter how big or, or far apart we are from each other. And, and, and that is just that intentional intentionality  of reaching out, letting them know that, that we're thinking about them.   And we we've done that. I mean, we started the, the Koya company together, which was all about it. Helping to end relational poverty. And this is before COVID, COVID accelerated and, and, and, and really brought that to light, like the importance and what loneliness does to individuals. So if anything good came out of COVID, I think that that's one thing that it's okay to talk about mental health and the need not to isolate and be around other individuals, because it's important.   And we're made that way.   Yeah. I, I, I mean, it's evolutionary, right? So it's like, if you're not in a group, then you are at risk for, for death. So that's, that's a lot of times why people have this like massive fear of abandonment, because it's like you that if you don't have your clan, or you're not in a clan, it's kind of like, wow, there's, there's a lot that you have to do to fend for yourself.   And so it's, it's interesting in the sense that when I think about a mom who has to make, you know, A similar choice now, right? And we're in a different era, but  kind of feels familiar in the sense that society is set up in a certain way, granted now internet speeds are fast and everything. But at the same time, you mentioned that whole deep, deep, deep connection.   And I can't really say that when I'm on a Zoom call, I feel like this, like, deep connection. Like, it's like, you, you might meet the person, but on the surface, kind of get to know them, facts and figures, things like that. But there, there is that beauty of like in person events, which I know that you definitely create that atmosphere.   And, and when you were a mom early on in Austin, you still figured out a way to build that sense of community and in person deep connection. And I think it's, it's a good use of your imagination. You have a fertile imagination, which is the name of my book. So why don't you share? With listeners, kind of like how that idea of like connecting with other moms or homeschooling came about and what did you learn about that that maybe you use in Fiesta?   Yeah, so I, I, I'm like, it's so funny, the things that I've done in life, I, I, I, I would say I'm the least likely person  to have done that. So when my daughters, we moved from Austin to California. And when we moved to California, my husband took a job and he was traveling a lot. And because of his travel schedule and, and, and also my experience in, in being in school, like, I can remember not really liking school, especially elementary school and being very, I, I was diagnosed with ADD,  but that's a long time ago.   And, but people who have ADD, what I realized is that we're super creative, think outside the box kind of folks. And, and one of the, the, the problems with the educational system is that it makes you, it puts you in this box that kind of follows you along and have a hard time seeing yourself outside of that.   It wasn't until I got to college that I could see myself differently. And anyway, while I was in California. My, my daughter's Karen and Courtney, they're so opposite. I mean, Karen came out and I mean, laughing and just bubbly and, and Courtney is more introspective. And at the time was  more sensitive. I mean, I can remember if you raised your voice and I I'm, I'm expressive.   So I raised my voice. I it's not yelling, but she would cry. And I thought to myself, and I have no idea why, but I'm like, man, I feel like if she goes to school, who she's created to be is going to be warped. And, and I, I'm like, kids are going to like tear her to pieces if she cries on the playground for everything.   And, and so I started looking into homeschooling and I went to a meeting and when I walked in, unlike here in Texas at the time, the people who homeschooled that I knew, I mean, like, They made their own bread and they wore jumpers and I'm like, I will never homeschool. That's what I remember vividly saying.   I would never homeschool. And, and, and so, but in California. It looked a lot different and, and, and I, because I, nobody was wearing the jumpers and I went to this event and they brought out this big boa constrictor cause it was like a kids zoo day and the kids were all sitting around and families and stuff like that.   And I just thought, wow, that looks, this looks really cool. And so that I started looking more into it and reading about it. And then I came across. A gal named Sally Clarkson, who for moms, I mean, but it's from a, a Christian perspective, her books were, she was my mentor from afar. So people, moms are like, If, if you can't have a in person mentor, books can be your mentor's podcast.   She has an incredible podcast. I mean, she used to do conferences and then I got really involved in that. And I was on, on their board for about 10 years and they were out of Colorado and they would do these conferences in Dallas and Colorado and all over. And.  So that's, that was my mentorship into it.   And when I came back to Austin, I'm like, I don't want to be like that as, as a homeschool. I want, I want homeschooling to look exciting and have a way to bring not just the moms together, but couples together and the kids together, like for a PE co op and like a library day. And so I created the wholehearted.   Austin wholehearted homeschoolers, and we had probably 75 families that were part of it over the course of seven years, and it wasn't until 2001 that I stepped away, which is when I was pregnant with my youngest, and the reason being is because I again had some preterm labor type of issues, and, um. And I, I mean, I enjoyed it because it was a way everybody talked about socialization while we were socializing.   I mean, we were like my daughter, Karen, probably wouldn't be the photographer she is, but at the age of 14, we gave her a camera for her birthday and at 15, she and I went to Dallas and she took this. Week long photography course, did her first wedding at 15 and, and, and started her career that way. I think with the kids, they were able to experience life based off of what they were really interested in.   And to this day, I don't know if my daughters would have traveled as much as they traveled, had they not had that experience.  So yes, that's how homeschooling came about. I, I, and Kaylee, when she came in, it came time for schooling her. We put her in a private school for like two or three years and she was struggling.   And then I homeschooled her and she continued to struggle. And then we had her tested and we realized that she had something called dyscalculia, which is like dyslexic, but for math. And had she been in a school setting, that would have never been diagnosed, number one, probably, and number two, I, at that point, didn't make math a big issue, because it's like, okay, she's not going to be a mathematician, we're going to figure this out, and I remember going to a counselor and them saying, well, she might not ever go to college, you know, and I'm like, The labels we put on kids and the things that we say about kids really impact them.   And that's one of the problems, like with the school system I had was I saw these kids that were in reading groups and this is the, the advanced reading group. This was the normal reading group, but these were the kids that were behind and that would follow them in elementary school from grade to grade.   So that's why I like the idea of. Just bringing people of all ages, I think together, the one, the one room schoolhouse to me is very appealing.  So,   yeah, my, my twins actually had like a one room schoolhouse, but it was Montessori, right? So different years and then there was like a leader and then like they got to choose their own work and practical life was part of it.   So like, I totally understand like the whole, like some of the nuances. And I know people who ironically are actually. Teachers in the school system who homeschool their kids. It's like, okay, wait a minute. Hmm. Why is that? You wonder. I have to share something with you. A lot of moms that I've partnered with, mom founders, have told me that following up after going to networking events tends to be hard,  awkward, and a lot of them really don't know how to do it.   And that's why I decided to write a playbook that is absolutely free for you to download. If you've ever felt awkward or like networking has been transactional or following up has been impossible to kind of do consistently, it's called From Contact to Connection. It's the Mompreneur's Go First Networking and Follow Up Playbook.   I wanted to just share why is it go first? It's go first because I've heard from moms that hey, I actually do like networking as long as other people approach me. And my whole thing is that it is important for you to create your own opportunities and I want to empower you to do so. So my gift to you as a listener of this podcast is my playbook.   You will have an opportunity to download my personal step by step networking and follow up process, as well as out of the box proven ways to build relationships with the busiest of  influencers. with perspective podcast guests and mentors too. And you don't have to just be a podcaster to get the benefits.   You have to be a mom founder though, to really see the results by way of your income, by implementing my strategies. Now, I do want to say that I also offered a bonus 30 second elevator pitch template. I share with you my pitch. I give you a Mad Libs style Template that you can fill in the blanks and my intention is really to be sure that you have a starter kit to help you go out there and network, whether you're doing it now or come this fall.   Now, this playbook really, really packs a punch of value. It's going to help you improve your networking skills. Even if you're a mom founder, and maybe you're in the season where you can't go out there and schmooze with people at happy hours, maybe you're the type of person that is going to have to figure out how to get people to Zoom with you one on one.   And I've got you covered in this playbook. In this playbook, I'm going to help you become a better networker. So this way you don't feel like a fish out of the water. So you'll see some templates and ways that I have approached pretty big name people. And you'll want to use my language and edit it to your tone so that this way people have a good idea for who you are and you could feel more authentic about your emails out.   In the playbook, you're going to have an opportunity to really push beyond the fear that often holds you back. For example, Oh, I can't do that, or who am I to approach that person? No, I will be encouraging you. I will be that person in your little pocket telling you, go for it, in this playbook. You'll also have an opportunity to think more strategically about your outreach goals.   So let's just imagine this September, you want to reach out to prospective investors. I give you some questions to really think through of who exactly you would want to connect with. So there's a lot that happens in this playbook. Again, the elevator pitch is also part of it. I would encourage you to head on over to the show notes today, and you will see a direct link for the playbook.   Or you could simply type into, um, any browser, fertileideas. com. So head on over to fertileideas. com for your copy of this playbook. It's specific for mom founders. You're also going to have an opportunity in the playbook to calm your networking jitters because I'm going to share with you how I research before reaching out to people.   And that has made all the difference for me and my clients. You will also have a good sense of a good timeframe to actually do these follow up activities. A lot of times we tend to feel like we're being annoying or we're being persistent, but honestly, there's a right and wrong way of doing it. So I want to share with you what's worked for me in my playbook.   So head on over to fertile ideas. com. I so appreciate that you're listening to this conversation and enjoy the rest of the episode.   I, I think the thing I've learned is, is I really, I think it really depends on, on you and why you're doing what you're doing. So, as I said early, it was a way for us to be together with my husband when he was home and then when he was traveling and then I really, school became fun for me.   So like, as I prepared and learned things. I was excited about it. The kids really grasped it. They understood it better. But if I didn't like it, they didn't like it for the most part. So teacher really does impact the love that I, I think the most important task is to teach a child to learn, and they will always learn.   As young adults, even now me doing what I do, it involves so much computer stuff that Technology. I didn't have those skills. I've had to kind of teach it my learn it myself and go on and look at videos and stuff. So   Yeah. Yeah. And I think a lot of what you're sharing is the fact that. There's, there's like these like misunderstandings about connection and community.   And I think one misunderstanding, and for me, it's something that I'm getting from this conversation. And it's this, it's like somebody else doesn't have to actually create that community for you. Like, you actually can take ownership. Of creating your own community and in a situation like you just shared, like homeschooling, like I've heard, like, oh, the kids are going to not be socialized and it's so lonely and blah, blah, blah.   But what I heard you say is that even in that situation. When other people specifically were like, Oh, socialization there, there goes that like you still manage to use your imagination to create community and like get the deep connections that you were looking for. And you moved again. Like I didn't, I didn't not notice that I'm like, wow.   Okay. So I think it's, it's interesting because something that I know a lot of moms. Struggle with now is this lack of making mom friends. Like, I know it's a little bit off topic, but it's still like connection and deep, real conversation. Like, so you moved from Virginia to Texas, to California, or something like that.   Virginia,   Texas, Texas, California. And then like two and a half years later came back to Texas. And so like, okay. So that in   my opinion, I'm like, okay. So. Sheree, what is the key to establishing and keeping great mom friends, especially if you're moving around? Yeah,   you know, I, I think there's season. So everywhere I've gone, I've had friendships and, and I mean, I still keep in touch with him.   I tend to be the one that picks up the phone and calls. I think that life. So here's the deal. When I was raising Karen and Courtney, we. There were clear boundaries like in there was those in between moments to be with others and you would drive 30 minutes or whatever to be with a friend like we what was really interesting about our homeschool group was they were from all over Austin and and I had people driving 45 minutes in for events.   I think once technology became more widely used and stuff like that, people  like you didn't meet in homes anymore. You met out at restaurants and you were, you never had those boundaries because you had a phone ringing or pinging you or, or, and things like that. And, and those are all distractions. I think two relationships, deep relationships, because time.   Is, is the one commodity that we can't get back. And, and there's so many things competing for our attention. And I know for myself. You have to be super intentional, like how and who are you gonna spend time with? And, and again, right now I'm in a season of life that is really different than most people because we just moved my in law, my husband's an only child, from New Orleans, where they flipped all of their life, 50 years, in the same four bedroom house to a one bedroom apartment, and they're going to be who we invest and spend more time with right now because it's, that's a season of life that we're in.   And, and I have my other obligations. So I think it's better to go deep with one or two people who really get you and understand and put it on the calendar, like that intentionality and say, okay, this is what I want from the relationship, kind of defining it. And I, I, I, I just, there's. Life is so complex, right?   We all need counselors someone to talk to because like when that becomes the focus of a friendship and it's one sided the other person will eventually like I And I, I need something else because it's about giving and receiving. And, and so it's like, make sure that you're comfortable with who you are and that you have something to give to somebody.   And the saying that says, you know why I like you? Because you like me. And then you want to spend that time together. So, I mean,  yeah, it's, I mean, You tend to want to find friends that are close by because the idea of having to drive, especially when you have two, three kids is, is hard. I think finding mentors in your life as you're going through these different seasons.   And my husband and I always said, you know, look for the next season of life for you. So if, if you're newly married and know you want to have kids, finding a couple that has kids that you can hang out with and watch them, because that. Hugely impacted my desire to want to have kids for the, for the longest.   I didn't think I wanted kids or children. And then I was around this one couple and I watched them interact with their kiddos. And I'm like, Oh my gosh, is that what parenting looks like? I mean, I just, I, I was mesmerized by how they interacted with their three boys. And it just was like, Wow. Okay. I can do that.   I want to do that.   So  that's amazing. I think, I mean, it's, it's important to just kind of have a good sense of what's, what's possible. What's something that maybe you never considered was within your cards and, and might actually bring you joy and happiness, right? You can't tell if you're not in the room and kind of experiencing that laughter, you know, yeah.   It's inviting for sure. So let's imagine that not from a spaceship, although that was the thought that came in my mind, but let's imagine there's like this mom, brand new mom, she just got here to Austin this year and she has a business idea. And she's just like, okay, I'm here. I heard this is where technology is buzzing.   And there's all these like startups and app people. What should she do first so that she starts to kind of get to know what's available to her in terms of support and resources in Austin?  Wow.   Well, so part of why I started Fiesta was to make things more easily accessible. I really feel like communities.   I don't know if you've traveled abroad, but I've gone to Germany. And one of the things I love is that you have these town centers and everything centers around this town center. You have your baker, the. Everything and into one another. And so.  I mean, Austin is big and trying to find those resources online is, is, is important.   It depends on what type of, I mean, what she's trying to build. Is she wanting to focus more on work type of relationships? Then I would say finding time to network will be important. And, you know, I've created a calendar to help folks find events easy. And there's, there's mom groups, there's co ed groups.   There's so much here in Austin. I mean, I literally, you can be busy almost every night of the week doing stuff. If you're, I mean, finding groups that maybe you're based off of, of cultural interest, I think that's also helpful. And. Meet up event. Right. You can Google it these days. It's so easily accessible.   And then the places that you hang out because I do think that spending time in the car with kiddos that are screaming and not happy that just kind of grates on you as a mom. And it's like, by the time you get there, you're just like,  Where, where you're going and it's not so like finding that happy in between place where you don't have to spend hours or in the car because of the crazy traffic here.   And I think that's the case in other places. It's nice. One of the nice things about COVID is that. We're more aware of how to use virtual stuff. So I think using that, if you have a friend from another place, keeping that relationship going, because you get each other in and putting it on the calendar, again, intentionality, you have to be intentional, put it on the calendar because if it's not on the calendars, Likely not to happen, but if you put it on the calendar and something comes up, you can always change it.   So that's why I, I say put it on the calendar  and yeah, so, and have a support. I mean, like, I think this is a conversation before having kiddos that couples need to have is, is knowing what. Your desires are because I think some women really are created to be career women. They, they, they've always wanted to be an attorney.   I, I think of this one gal that works over at Perkin and Cooey and she just got a nu some kind of a, a award for what she does. But she just had her fifth child of Alaska. She was at the event we were at on Wednesday night and.  She has worked as an attorney all of this time and, and, and her baby is probably two months old.   And I mean, she just flew in and, and, but again, that's a conversation I'm sure she and her husband had that this is what I want to do. This is why I went to school. I want you to. Will you support me in this? And, and what will that look like? So for couples, it could be the husband picking up a lot more of the load, or it could be that you hire folks to come in to help with the childcare and then when they're old enough, I mean, you do childcare.   So those are all decisions I think to make ahead of time as a couple, you know, before you get there.  Would help. And then if you have family close by, can they help out? I think I love the conversations we were having on Wednesday that as women are involved in companies in advocating for child care on premise with them, that's things are going to start to change and they are changing.   I mean, it's a lot different than when I Was having kiddos. So, I mean, I think it's only going to get better. And I jokingly say, I think the Barbie movie has done a lot for, for, for that too, like the, the whole stereotyping that, you know, you can work, but can you work and have a family? And I think you can, it's just a discussion that needs to be had.   Yeah, Cherie, thank you for this. I think this is important. A lot of, a lot of moms are, and I, and I find it slightly hilarious, if I'm being honest. It's kind of like, I don't know, I kind of feel like women have always been having babies. Like, this is not new. Yeah.  It's like, Why are we still talking about the same thing?   Right. But I mean, there's, there's a lot of things that are involved and a lot of different priorities that have to be decided upon ideally by the woman herself. And then there's also choices. And, and I just want to caveat, like if you're high powered in your field and you have those hours, I think every mom needs to just be really, really honest with herself and understand that.   There's some, there's a support system behind that sister, like, like there's no way on this earth that you could like duplicate yourself yet until AI really gets advanced, but, but I think there's, there's options, there's also options in, in not having to feel lonely, whether you're a mom or an entrepreneur.   And I think as far as. Your experiences early on with like homeschooling, like you, you share the fact that you could use your imagination to really figure out what you need, everybody needs something a little different. Some people don't want to be smothered and some people want a lot of love. And some people want, you know, something with a little bit more.   I don't even know, like something that's a little more defined, for example, in terms of a relationship. So, Cherie, let's say that people want to continue to follow you, learn more about you, learn about Fiesta. Where should they go online? What website should we point them to and social media?   Yeah, so fiesta.   community. com, community. And is the website, if you are an entrepreneur, if you're looking for events and things of that sort, you can find me on Sri Werner on Instagram and Facebook. And it's Sri at Fiesta dot communities, my email, if you want to reach out to me and yeah, those are the big things. And I just want to encourage moms.   I mean, like, remember this is a season and  I think that being a mom. Actually best prepared me for what I'm doing today. I learned so much because there's that one image out there that shows if you paid a mom for everything that she does, cause she, she's a caregiver. She, do you know what I'm talking about?   Have you seen that? Okay. Good driver.   Everything. Exactly.   And, and we need to, I mean like we need to remind each other of the fact that we do a lot and we have a lot to offer. And, and instead of judging one another, if we're, this is where it goes back to emotional generosity that we were talking about earlier on.   Like, Pointing out something to a mom and, and encouraging her or a working woman, just saying, Hey, you bring so much to this arena. I'm so glad that you're choosing to work and offering, like, is there anything I can do to help you? Or do you need anything? And, and just being that person to, to ask. And then I think as women, it's okay to vocalize it's hard.   I'm struggling. I, I, I'm not doing a good job. I need help. I mean, like, learn those words and, and use them because that only way that other people can be let in is if you let them in. So to all the moms out there, if, if you need somebody, reach out, let them know. And, and I, I, I mean, we're such a supportive community.   I know.  You will find somebody that will step up to be there for you.   Absolutely. Thank you, Cherie. Yeah, thank you. When it comes to some of the first people that I met here in Austin after our time in Australia, Cherie was one of those individuals who had and offered a very warm smile. So here are the three things that I want to share with you as it relates to finding community wherever you are and not feeling so lonely as a mom, nor as an entrepreneur.   So this is what I got from the conversation with Cherie. So the first point is you have to be intentional, be intentional about creating connections, understand what you need from those relationships. But be intentional, put it on your calendar or it won't happen. The second one is go for deep connections.   And if you are just zooming with individuals, then that is going to be pretty surface level unless you've been in the same room and shared a cup of coffee, for example, which is something that here in Austin, we do a lot. And that's actually a little new for me as a New Yorker. So deep relationships really make a difference.   They're awesome and helpful for your mental health. And then the third point is the one that I love about. Finding friends or people to connect with who are ahead of you along your mom stage or motherhood journey. I think having a perspective of what it looks like to be the parent of a teenager or having the perspective of what it looks like, or it can look like to be an empty nester when you're a mom like me with kids in school is a good thing to seek.   So those are the three things that I think are really important as it relates to the conversation with Sheree. And I really invite you to connect with Sheree, go to a Fiesta event. If you're here based in Austin, say hello. Cause I will probably be there too and have a wonderful, wonderful day. Again, you're not alone. You're totally not alone. If anything, you have me here on the other side of this microphone. So definitely reach out to me, Melissa@MelissaLlarena.com And I will say hi back. Pinky promise.  

Carla McDonald is the founder and managing director of Dynabrand Ventures, a boutique investment firm that provides capital and marketing expertise to early-stage consumer goods companies. She also serves as Chair of the Mayor's Task Force for Austin Women Entrepreneurs, is a mentor at SKU, the nation's leading CPG accelerator, and was a founding investor in Capital Factory, the nationally known startup accelerator and entrepreneurial hub. Before founding Dynabrand Ventures, Carla ran her own marketing firm for 15 years, advising companies ranging from startups to multi-billion-dollar corporations and the portfolio companies of L Catterton, a leading private equity firm. She also served as CMO of a venture-backed startup that was acquired by Omnicom Group. Prior positions include running the marketing practices at two of the world's largest PR firms, where she served as the top marketing strategist for clients including Procter & Gamble, Unilever, and Intel. 

As an entrepreneur, investor, and Army veteran, Craig is a true Austinite super connector immersed in the city's vibrant tech community. He is the Special Advisor for Military and Veteran Affairs for Capital Factory and serves on the Advisory Boards of VetsInTech, Texas Venture Labs at UT McCombs School of Business, and DivInc. After 17 years of military service that earned him a Bronze Star, he co-founded the transportation platform RideScout, which was acquired by Mercedes-Benz.In 2014, Craig co-founded Moonshots Capital alongside Kelly Perdew to invest in extraordinary leadership in the military veteran community and beyond. Craig holds a B.S. in Political Science from West Point, where he was their first Truman Scholar and later served as Assistant Professor of Political Science.He also holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Econometrics from Columbia University, is a member of the 2016 class of Henry Crown Fellows with the Aspen Institute and was recently named a Future Texas Legend Veteran by the Texas Business Hall of Fame. He is married to Lawton Posey Cummings and has two children, Addison (21), and Cooper (18).Find out more at:https://www.moonshotscapital.com/https://medium.com/leadership-prevailshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/unleashcraig/

Show off your Lone Star spirit with a free "Remember the Alamo" hat with an annual subscription to The Texan: https://thetexan.news/subscribe/The Texan's Weekly Roundup brings you the latest news in Texas politics, breaking down the top stories of the week with our team of reporters who give you the facts so you can form your own opinion.Enjoy what you hear? Be sure to subscribe and leave a review! Got questions for the reporting team? Email editor@thetexan.news — they just might be answered on a future podcast.This week, the team discusses:A meeting between Phelan and House Democrats resurfacing over the 2021 quorum breakThe Senate Subcommittee on Higher Education hearing about campus protests and DEICongress passing legislation co-authored by Sen. Ted Cruz reauthorizing the FAARobert F. Kennedy Jr. announcing he has enough signatures to run on the ballot in TexasGOP Legislation to Exclude Noncitizens from Census Draws Opposition from Texas DemocratsThe Austin Police Department releasing its plan for the next five yearsA Galveston bridge's partial collapse after being struck by a bargeFederal Government Challenges Texas' Ownership of Fronton Island in Rio GrandeA select Texas House committee's proposals to combat the federal government's pause on new liquefied natural gas exportsA new partnership between the University of Austin and Capital Factory

Welcome to this episode of Investor Connect, hosted by Hall T. Martin, featuring Gary Forni, the Chairman of the Central Texas Angel Network (CTAN). With a distinguished career in technology and venture capital, Gary has been pivotal in starting, mentoring, and investing in startups, particularly in Central Texas. He emphasizes innovation and disruptive technology in his investment strategy and supports entrepreneurs through his involvement with accelerators like Capital Factory and TechStars. Previously, Gary held executive roles at Intel Corp and Marvell Semiconductor, contributing to significant business ventures including Intel's flash memory business.   CTAN, under Gary's leadership, has become one of the most active angel investing groups in the U.S., having invested $129 million in 215 companies. Based in Austin, Texas, CTAN boasts over 120 accredited investors from diverse sectors, committed to fostering the growth of early-stage businesses. The network not only provides capital but also essential mentoring and business resources, enhancing the success rate of startups and contributing to the economic vitality of Texas.   During the interview, Gary discusses CTAN's strategic approach to investments, balancing direct startup funding with a sidecar fund that allows for diversified investment portfolios. He shares insights on the challenges and strategies in angel investing, particularly how CTAN adapts to economic shifts to maximize investor and startup success.   For more information on CTAN's initiatives or to get involved, visit [CTAN](). For the latest updates and news from CTAN, check out [CTAN News](). To connect directly, you can email Katelyn at . Join us next time on Investor Connect for more expert insights into the investment landscape.   ________________________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at:    Check out our other podcasts here:   For Investors check out:   For Startups check out:   For eGuides check out:   For upcoming Events, check out    For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group    Please , share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of .

Attracting top talent, developing them, and preparing them for their next venture is a core part of PwC's strategy. Which means Bob Mortiz, the firm's Global Chairman, has figured out the flow of employee retention/replacement like no one else. For him, it's comes down to making sure your employees understand the strategy and have time to learn skills to prepare them for future jobs. In today's podcast conversation, LinkedIn's Editor in Chief Dan Roth and Senior Producer Nina Melendez talk about Bob's approach, as well as some of his learnings as he steps down from his role, including the importance of developing thick skin. Watch the video of Dan's conversation with Bob Moritz on the LinkedIn News Page. You can share your thoughts via email at ThisisWorking@linkedin.com, or join the conversation directly on LinkedIn using the hashtag #ThisisWorking. Follow Bob Mortiz, Dan Roth, Nina Melendez, and LinkedIn News on LinkedIn, subscribe to the newsletter here, and find the 2024 LinkedIn Top Companies list here.

Join host Michael Glenn and guest host Dan Austin at the Capital Factory 2024 SXSW Startup Crawl. They travel the floor to meet inspiring entrepreneurs and government agency representatives who are bringing about the future of innovation.Your guided tour begins here:[1:55 ] Vlogmi—A social media platform focused on sharing genuine and authentic content to create a positive effect on digital well-being.[7:08 ] EVE—A drone network that can be safely used in an urban environment, allowing first responders to deploy the correct resources to quickly address a problem.[10:17 ] Free Water—An innovative advertising platform utilizing premium spring water packaging as an advertising medium while prioritizing philanthropy and sustainability.[13:54 ] Hubspot—A customer platform combining the software, integrations, and resources to connect a business's marketing, sales, content management, and customer service.[18:10 ] NUTS—This data-centric security protects sensitive data itself, rather than just the perimeter of the system on which it is stored.[31:54 ] Space Cowboy—A system to capture and remove small pieces of space debris, reducing operational risk to satellite assets, and stewarding the orbital environment.[38:05 ] Sunfish—A user-friendly and person-portable autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) with field-proven artificial intelligence (AI) and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM).[44:22 ] Mesodyne—A patented LightCell™ power generator converts any fuel into electricity via light, increasing the endurance of small systems to 10 times that of batteries.

Craig Cummings, co-founder of Moonshots Capital, joins ACME General Corp to talk about investing in tech start-ups founded by military veteran entrepreneurs. In addition to his work at Moonshots Capital, Craig is the Director of Military and Veteran Affairs for Capital Factory, Austin's center of gravity for entrepreneurs in Texas. Previously, Craig spent 17 years in the Army, most of that time as an Intelligence Officer serving in support of the National Security Agency.

Today Corey Quinn is joined by Founder and Chief Innovation Officer at WP Engine, Jason Cohen. Jason breaks down the biggest issues he has seen throughout his career hosting millions of websites including why seemingly rare problems should be expected at scale, how moving on after attaining a “good enough” metric can save time and money, and what it means to be proud of your work in the world of cybersecurity. Check it out!Show Highlights(00:00) - WordPress popularity and outsourcing engineering tasks(07:28) - Web hosting and scalability(11:01) - Server reliability and quality control(14:18) - Scaling infrastructure and prioritizing customer value(26:20) - Website speed and optimization(28:17) - WordPress scalability and deployment in a cloud environment(36:14) - Customer profitability and service limitations(38:54) - Security measures for ethical decision-making(47:19) - Balancing free speech and decision-making in online content moderationAbout JasonFounder of unicorn WP Engine (200,000 customers, 1,200 employees). Previously founder of bootstrapped Smart Bear (sold 2008; re-sold in 2021 at ~$2B) and ITWatchDogs (sold 2004). Original mentor and angel investor with Austin-based Capital Factory since 2009.Written about startups for seventeen years, most recently at https://longform.asmartbear.com; Twitter: @asmartbear.Links Referenced:Personal Website: https://longform.asmartbear.com/WP Engine: https://wpengine.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncohen/

This podcast interview focuses on the entrepreneurial journey to build a business that lasts and creates funding freedom. My guest is Jason Cohen, Founder of WPEngine. Jason built four technology startups, both bootstrapped and funded, both alone and with co-founders. He grew all of them to more than $1M in annual revenue and has sold two.  Beyond that, he's been an angel investor and a founding member of Capital Factory, an Austin-based incubator and co-working space since 2009. Since 2007 he's been documenting his experiences and thoughts about early-stage startups on his blog: A Smart Bear.  Based on his experiences and the challenges he faced as the blog grew, he founded WPEngine in 2010. It's a platform that provides brands with the solutions they need to create remarkable sites and apps on WordPress that drive their business forward faster.  Their mission: To help customers win online. And this inspired me, and hence I invited Jason to my podcast. We explore his lessons in building successful companies. He elaborates on the importance of getting the problem definition right and understanding what moves potential customers to buy. He shares his views on how to select your market and betting a super-specific niche. He talks in detail about his rules for attracting funding (or not) - and what WPEngine did during COVID-19 to keep growing.  Here's one of his quotes The question is, what can you learn from customer interviews? I don't think you can use customer reviews to know, 'Can I build this? Would you buy this feature?'  But I do think you can use customer interviews for stuff like: What is their life like? What do they care about already, or not? What do they do? What are their workflows? Do they see this problem? Or don't they? Are these compelling?  These are things where if you build the product, you don't learn those things. Ask the customer, they actually can tell you because they're not solving the problem for you. They're not building the product for you. They're just telling you about themselves. That they can do. During this interview, you will learn four things: What questions to ask to start your business with a solid foundation for long-term success What makes hyper-specific SaaS companies grow faster His first principle for thinking about raising funds that helps you to stay in control. What he's looking for when making big bets when it comes to profitability. For more information about the guest from this week: Jason Cohen Website: WPEngine Blog: A Smart Bear Subscribe to the Daily SaaS Reflection Get my free, 1 min daily reflection on shaping a B2B SaaS business no one can ignore. Subscribe here Yes, it's actually daily. And yes, people actually stay subscribed (Just see what peer B2B SaaS CEOs say) My promise: It's short. To the point. Inspiring. And valuable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick Spiller is the host of the Austinpreneur podcast and Principal at Capital Factory, discusses his investment philosophy and the importance of investing in oneself before investing in companies. He shares insights on finding an information advantage in venture capital and the challenges of identifying genuine founders. Nick also talks about the changing landscape of venture capital and the rise in interest in the industry. He emphasizes the need for hard work and dedication in the field and shares his expertise in fundraising and podcasting. Takeaways Invest in yourself before investing in companies. Develop an information advantage to make informed investment decisions. Hard work and dedication are essential in venture capital. Finding genuine founders and avoiding bad actors is crucial. Work-life balance is a challenge, but it is important to prioritize family and personal well-being. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction 01:32 Investment Philosophy 03:10 Investing in Yourself 04:39 Investing in Startups 05:29 Identifying Genuine Founders 07:25 Developing Skills in Investing 08:21 Uptick in Interest in Venture Capital 09:35 Changing Landscape of Venture Capital 10:44 Investing in Cutting-Edge Technologies 11:17 Investing in Crypto 12:19 Investing in Established Markets 13:15 The Difficulty of Private Market Investing 14:08 The Role of Luck in Investing 15:43 Finding Signal in the Noise 17:05 Importance of Information Sources 18:14 Creating an Information Advantage 19:22 Enjoying the Learning Process 20:42 The Difficulty of Venture Capital 21:45 Building a Unicorn Company 23:41 The Reality of Venture Capital 25:31 Expertise in Fundraising and Podcasting 26:36 Expertise in Early-Stage Startups 28:09 The Therapeutic Aspect of Podcasting 29:24 Favorite Person Interviewed 30:48 Favorite Podcast Appearance 32:16 Approaching Work-Life Balance 36:00 Work Ethic and Service Industry Experience 38:43 The Importance of Work Ethic in Hiring 39:43 The Value of Having a Job 41:38 Where to Find Nick Spiller Order some merch, Iconic Luxury Streetwear: https://www.iconicluxurystreetwear.com/ Podcast & Content Creation Course: https://tanakatava.gumroad.com/l/LVySW The Download (Keys & Codes) - Newsletter featuring previous episodes of Iconic Conversations and musings of my mind: https://tanakatava.substack.com/https://tanakatava.substack.com/ Book a FREE consulting call to discuss your creative strategy or business idea: https://calendly.com/tanakatava/tava-consulting-20-minute-meeting Listen to this podcast (but in audio form): Listen to Podcast GUEST: Nick Spiller

Our special guest in today's episode of If Not Now Wen is Ash Maurya. Ash is the author of two bestselling books “Running Lean” and “Scaling Lean” and is also the creator of the highly popular one-page business modeling tool “Lean Canvas”. Ash is praised for offering some of the best and most practical advice for entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs all over the world. Driven by the search for better and faster ways for building successful products, Ash has developed a continuous innovation framework that synthesizes concepts from Lean Startup, business model design, jobs-to-be-done, and design thinking. A leading business blogger, Ash's posts and advice have been featured in Inc. Magazine, Forbes, and Fortune. He regularly hosts sold out workshops around the world and serves as a mentor to several accelerators including TechStars, MaRS, Capital Factory, and guest lecturers at several universities including MIT, Harvard, and UT Austin. Ash serves on the advisory board of a number of startups and has consulted to new and established companies. Ash is passionate about giving back and sharing his knowledge to serve the entrepreneurial ecosystem and create more successful entrepreneurs. He is such an inspiration, and I know you are going to love this episode and get so many amazing takeaways. We talk about:

In today's episode of If Not Now Wen, we're excited to talk with special guest Valerie Ward. Valerie recently completed her MBA at UT Austin's McComb's School of Business, where she is concentrated in Strategy and Innovation with a special focus on Social Enterprise and Social Impact, and she'll be joining Strategy&'s Customer Transformation practice in early 2024. Valerie was the co-founder of Sweet Ritual vegan ice cream shop and non-profit Good Work Austin. She is a mentor at Capital Factory in Austin and is dedicated to increasing access to entrepreneurship. She has taught, directed, and performed improvised theatre for over 20 years, touring internationally with her troupe Parallelogramophonograph. An authentic people leader, Valerie is passionate about connecting with others and building a community. She is such an inspiration, and I know you are going to love this episode as much as I do.  We talk about:

In today's episode of If Not Now Wen, we're so excited to talk with special guest Jake O'Shea. Jake is a professional match-maker and superconnector. He currently works as the Director of Portfolio Operations at Foundation Capital, building tools and systems to operationalize the firm's network and leading the 30yo firm's Platform and Portfolio Support functions. Prior to Foundation Capital, Jake was Director of Platform at Capital Factory, where he was responsible for managing and developing the firm's value-add initiatives for portfolio companies. Jake is a co-organizer of AITX, a local Austin AI community. He is also cofounder of Serend.ai, a GPT-powered network management tool, and creator of ShowerThoughts, allowing you to turn your unstructured brain dump into a short summary with highlights and action items that are delivered directly to your inbox. In this episode Jake gives an inside look into the venture capital business model and has an incredible way of demystifying the investment process in a way that is very clear and refreshing. He is an open book and gives clear steps and game-changing advice for founders. We talk about:

  Invest In Her host Catherine Gray talks with Sidney Collin, the inventor of NexStride and is the co-founder and CEO of De Oro Devices. Sidney started the company while studying Biomedical Engineering at Cal Poly. She has an academic research background in computational neuroscience, with a research paper published in the Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology. Sidney was awarded Capital Factory's 2022 Founder of the Year award, Cal Poly's Outstanding Woman in Engineering Award, Outstanding Student Award, Lisa Hufford Scholarship Award, and was also identified as one of the most influential women at Cal Poly by the Wire in their 30 under 30 list. The Pacific Coast Business Times recognized Sidney as an accomplished young business leader in their 40 under 40 list as well as their Who's Who in Health Care, Insurance & Life Science lineup.   www.sheangelinvestors.com  www.getnexstride.com   Follow Us On Social Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

Chris is the founder of Techless and creator of Wisephone, a minimalist phone for families and digital minimalists.Chris was the co-founder and President of Espresso, a design agency specializing in ground-up brand & design strategy. Clients include Ranch Hand, TrustTexas Bank, Horizon Firearms, Ful-O-Pep Feeds, Texas Precious Metals, Kaspar Companies, and Bedrock Truck Beds. Espresso is the recipient of multiple Addy Awards for print, film and non-traditional work.Chris founded Texas A&M's ARTISTS, a creative student organization. Today, ARTISTS continues to glorify God through deep community, discipleship and the creative arts.Chris founded Dancing Fox Films, a film production company specializing in ministry and non-profit collaborations. Work from Dancing Fox Films has been filmed and screened worldwide, including a longform piece for Chic-Fila-A that aired on ESPN Superbowl Gameday.Chris currently serves as the chairman of the Don G. Kaspar foundation and is a member of Capital Factory in Austin.Chris is married to his lovely wife, Ciera, who works at home raising their four playful girls. Chris and Ciera have been foster parents for a handful of beautiful kids, are active leaders in their home church community and live for a deeper purpose.Learn more at https://techless.com/

In this episode of Investing On Purpose, JP sits down with Capital Factory cofounder Gordon Daugherty to discuss the basics of Entrepreneurship and where he sees the future of business going. Gordon Daugherty is a best-selling author, seasoned business executive, startup advisor and investor. As a venture fund partner and angel investor, he has made more than 350 investments. He has also helped raise more than $100 million in growth and venture capital as a company executive, fund manager, board director, and active advisor. Fundraising is the focus of the bestselling book he authored, titled “Startup Success: Funding the Early Stages of Your Venture”. Through his content creation practice, Shockwave Innovations, and as co-founder and chairman of Capital Factory, Gordon spends 100 percent of his time educating, advising, and investing in tech startups. He is a senior contributor for Texas CEO Magazine and serves on the board of directors for several Austin-based technology companies. Over the years, Gordon has given personal advice to several hundred entrepreneurs, and more than 4,000 startup founders have completed his Founders Academy boot camp. He has published more than 150 startup advice articles and is the producer of a video library with 50 streaming titles of educational content for startup founders. Follow us on Instagram at https://instagram.com/investingonpurpose Get Gordon's Resources at https://shockwaveinnovations.com 0:00 - Gordon's Introduction 1:00 - Gordon's story 5:20 - The Foundation of Entrepreneurship 10:00 - Find a problem worth solving 20:00 - Taking on investment 27:00 - The personality of an Entrepreneur 32:00 - Sales is a transfer of enthusiasm 34:50 - Learning is the most important aspect of Entrepreneurship 38:00 - Social impact in Entrepreneurship 43:00 - Mentoring

In this episode, we speak with Amy Jarczynski, founder and CEO of Kiss & Tell, a wedding and group travel booking platform that aims to revolutionize the way guests communicate and book events. Amy shares her background and how her experiences working in consumer tech inspired her to create a platform that solves the pain points of booking and managing group travel. Amy talks about how Kiss & Tell was created in response to the dissatisfaction of guests with the current personal wedding website model, and how her previous work at the Knot in travel and international partnerships gave her the insight to know that the key to getting everyone to a wedding or gathering was tying everyone together in a social conversation.   We also discuss how Kiss & Tell is making a difference for the Latino community, with the company being nominated by angel investors for the first-ever Google for Startups Latino Founders Fund and winning. This partnership has led to Kiss & Tell becoming a perk for all of Google's 300,000 plus employees, offering a free engagement trip if they book their wedding with Kiss & Tell.   Amy shares her experiences as a Latina and a female in tech, and how it has influenced the company's mission to include underrepresented folks in the products and pain points they are solving. She also talks about Kiss & Tell's solutions, which include building and booking event venues, packages, and group stays, as well as communication tools such as segmented group conversations like WhatsApp. Lastly, we get some insights on how she finds diverse talent, and how long-standing networks exist for different demographics.   If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. Founder Bio:   Amy Jarczynski is the Founder & CEO of Kiss & Tell, an award-winning wedding and group travel booking platform that ties everyone together in a streamlined conversation. She is an industry expert who for over a decade witnessed booking and deal flow problems impacting consumers and the industry while she spent 13 years growing and scaling The Knot's (www.theknot.com) global presence. Kiss & Tell enjoys broad industry support, high user conversion rates of wedding guests to future event hosts and the recognition of winning both Google For Startups Latino Founders Fund in 2022 (post-revenue) and Capital Factory's $100K Challenge in 2017 (pre-product). Amy is passionate about travel and bringing people together with loved ones around the world, while always finding joy in the journey.  A problem solver at heart, she's deeply committed to creating a robust and lasting solution, helping people gather globally. When not traveling or working, Amy loves spending time with friends and family, people watching or lingering over good wine and food.     Time Stamps:   02:45 Amy's background and professional journey with Kiss & Tell 06:43 Leveraging Google for startups and supporting underrepresented folks 09:18 Exploring the benefits of Kiss & Tell 13:30 What does it look like to engage with Kiss & Tell 16:57 Building the platform from a technical perspective 21:12 Rebuilding a platform during covid-19 23:59 Hiring talent to build a platform 27:52 Onboarding event venues and hotels building trust and improving user experience 29:49 Investigating a payment glitch during site rollout 33:35 Partnerships and strategies for growing destination wedding awareness 36:57 How to get in contact with the Kiss & Tell team Resources:   Company website: https://kissandtell.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doyoukissandtell/ Pinterest: https://co.pinterest.com/DoYouKissAndTell/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoYouKissNTell  

Will Edwards leads a hybrid rocket engine design and manufacturing company called Firehawk Aerospace. Firehawk is improving the way we develop engines for rocket propelled systems. As a Forbes 30 Under 30, Will collaborates daily with entrepreneurs, investors, and engineers, who are passionate about making space safer, affordable, and more accessible. In this episode we discuss motivating employees, working with the department of defense and building a rocket company across Texas.About Firehawk:Designs and manufactures safe, reliable, and cost effective high performance rocket engines.$21M+ raised in venture capital with investors including Raytheon, Draper Associates, Stellar Ventures, Victorum Capital and Capital Factory.Funded directly by U.S. Congress via Presidential Budget

Chuck Gordon, CEO of Storable, shares his story moving to Austin for Capital Factory, raising ~$50M in venture capital before selling his company in private equity buyout deals twice. Chuck, and his co-founder Mario Feghali, have remained the top executives at Storable through the entire journey. As one of the first five startups to join Capital Factory, Storable (fmr SpareFoot) is at the tip of the spear of the latest generation of Austin tech startups. This episode was hosted by Nick Spiller and edited by Aaron Handwerker.

In today's episode of If Not Now Wen, we're excited to talk with special guest and dear friend Nick Spiller. Nick is a veteran of the Texas startup ecosystem and one of the biggest startup supporters, personally providing advice and mentoring many amazing founders. Nick spends most of his days helping entrepreneurs through raising capital. He works at the most active seed stage venture capital fund in Texas, Capital Factory, where they have helped their 750+ portfolio companies raise billions in venture capital plus over half a billion in non-dilutive funding from defense and government innovation groups. Nick is a humble leader who is passionate about creating an inclusive startup ecosystem in Austin, TX and helping the people around him to grow. We talk about:

Our guest for this episode is Yousef Kassim, CEO & Founder of Easy Expunctions, who an attorney creating justice through technology. By organizing and normalizing thousands of criminal history databases, Easy Expunctions is building a platform to help individuals pursue expunctions on their record without an attorney. Tune in as we cover the following topics:Yousef's inspiration for Easy Expunctions that came from doing his own expunctionDisrupting the Legal Industry with TechnologyTapping into Austin as a startup in San AntonioAbout Easy ExpunctionsMakes clearing your arrest record easy and for a fraction of the cost of hiring a lawyer.Processing more expunctions than anyone else in Texas.~$8M in venture funding raisedWinner of Capital Factory's $100,000 San Antonio Investment Challenge in 2018About Capital FactoryPartner to 25+ F500 enterprises on their innovation efforts.Most active seed fund in Texas investing in 1 startup per week.Center of Gravity for Entrepreneurs in Texas with locations across the state.This podcast is produced Capital Factory, hosted by Nick Spiller and edited by Aaron Handwerker.

The Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) is the home of the most prominent open source projects used today, such as Kubernetes, Prometheus, ArgoCD, Linkerd and more. These projects fuel today's cloud native architectures and software release pipelines. With its immense growth, it has become difficult to keep tabs on the hundreds of new and evolving projects and specifications, the different working groups and technical advisory groups, the different community forums and events, and to see where it's all heading. I invited Chris Aniszczyk, CTO of the CNCF, to join me on this episode, to help us understand the CNCF landscape and evolution. We will also discuss the trends in observability and in the open source realm in general. Chris also has some interesting predictions to share.  Chris Aniszczyk is an open source executive and engineer with a passion for building a better world through open collaboration. He's currently a CTO at the Linux Foundation focused on developer relations and running the Open Container Initiative (OCI) / Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). Furthermore, he's a partner at Capital Factory where he focuses on mentoring, advising and investing in open source and infrastructure focused startups. At Twitter, he created their open source program and led their open source efforts. For many years he served on the Eclipse Foundation's Board of Directors representing the committer community and the Java Community Process (JCP) Executive Committee. In a previous life, he bootstrapped a consulting company, made many mistakes, lead and hacked on many eclipse.org and Linux related projects. The episode was live-streamed on 15 March 2023 and the video is available at https://www.youtube.com/live/lMUFGmNploc OpenObservability Talks episodes are released monthly, on the last Thursday of each month and are available for listening on your favorite podcast app and on YouTube. We live-stream the episodes on Twitch and YouTube Live - tune in to see us live, and chime in with your comments and questions on the live chat. https://www.twitch.tv/openobservability https://www.youtube.com/@openobservabilitytalks   Have you got an interesting topic you'd like to share in an episode? Reach out to us and submit your proposal at https://openobservability.io/ Show Notes: Day in a life of CNCF CTO open source sustainability how to navigate the CNCF landscape how to get started with cloud native is Kubernetes spreading too broad to lose focus? OpenTelemetry project journey report sneak peak open observability stack convergence OpenFeature feature flagging OSS CNCF investing in more regional activity CNCF investing in security relicensing and OSS citizenship issues CNCF project health dashboard KubeCon sneak peak Resources: https://landscape.cncf.io/guide https://github.com/cncf/toc/blob/main/PRINCIPLES.md#no-kingmakers--one-size-does-not-fit-all https://projecthealth.cncf.io  https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cloud-native-predictions-2023-chris-aniszczyk/?trackingId=QHkYlzDhTniN3sgLSRCOtQ%3D%3D Socials: Twitter: https://twitter.com/OpenObserv Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/openobservability YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@openobservabilitytalks Dotan Horovits ============ Twitter: https://twitter.com/horovits  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/horovits/  Mastodon: @horovits@fosstodon Chris Aniszczyk =============== Twitter: @cra LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caniszczyk/ Mastodon: @cra@macaw.social

GUEST INTRONick Spiller is a Venture Principal at Capital Factory, an Austin, Texas based seed stage venture capital firm. Nick also coaches startups on how to raise money and assists them in raising money. Capital Factory team has helped 750+ portfolio companies raise billions in venture capital to date. WHAT YOU LEARNWhat makes you excited about working with startups?If small teams make the difference, why are they pushed to grow so big?Valuation increase vs profitabilityAre companies raising more or less on average, and are their valuations going up or down?What are some things startups can do to look good?What is the hardest thing in raising funds?What is an investor's responsibility?How can entrepreneurs get investors aligned with their goals?What are some of the mistakes founders make when dealing with investors?What are you looking for when you invest in a startup?What is your best advice for entrepreneurs?And much more! EPISODE LINKShttps://capitalfactory.comWATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvPyd6ikfZg Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#753 WP-Tonic This Week in WordPress & SaaS: With Special Guest Jason Cohen The Founder of WP-Engine Jason is the founder of unicorn WP Engine (200,000 customers, 1200 employees). Previously founder of bootstrapped Smart Bear (sold 2008; re-sold in 2021 at ~$2B) and ITWatchDogs (sold 2004). Original mentor and angel investor with Austin-based Capital Factory since 2009. Main Questions For Interview With Jason Cohen #1 - Can you tell us what lead you to see the clear opportunities in the WordPress hosting space when you were thinking of starting WP-Engine? #2 - What were a couple of the biggest challenges you faced connected to the early days of WP-Engine and how did you and the team overcome them? #3 - What do you see as some of the biggest changes you see in hosting and WordPress in general in the next couple of years? #4 - What are some of your thoughts and personal insights connected to the VC industry after what has happened to SVB Silicon Valley Bank? #5 - If you go back to a time machine at the beginning of your career, what key advice would you give yourself? #6 - Are there any books, websites, or online recourses that have helped you in your business development that you like to share with the audience? ----------------------------------- Sponsors of The Show ----------------------------------- Zoho.com: - https://www.zoho.com/partners/ Sensei LMS - https://bit.ly/3VskGBT WPLaunchify - hhttps://bit.ly/3VskGBT LfiterLMS - https://bit.ly/3VskGBT ----------------------------------- FOLLOW & CONNECT WITH US ----------------------------------- Website https://www.wp-tonic.com/ YouTube Channel: @wptonic The Membership Machine Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3W9r4gb Twitter: @wptonic_com LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42ngKWr

Gain insights to the entrepreneurial mind of Uri Levine who is Co-Founder of Waze, Moovit and Author of Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution. Uri shares ideas from his new book during our interview at Capital Factory House during SXSW 2023. The conversation ranges from conducting customer discovery to finding product-market-fit and concludes with Uri's fundraising tips. About Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the SolutionA handbook for entrepreneurs written by Uri Levine who is co-founder of two unicorns, Waze and Moovit.Inside look at the creation and sale of Waze and his second unicorn, Moovit, revealing the formula that drove those companies to compete with industry veterans and giants alike.Topics include deciding when to sell, going global, making scale-up decisions, reaching product market fit, understanding your user, raising funding, disrupting “broken” markets, firing and hiringAbout Capital FactoryProducer of the Austinpreneur podcast.Partner to 25+ F500 enterprises on their innovation efforts.Most active seed fund in Texas investing in 1 startup per week.Center of Gravity for Entrepreneurs in Texas with locations across the state.This podcast is produced Capital Factory, hosted by Nick Spiller and edited by Aaron Handwerker.

Katherine Allen, CEO & Founder of Flo Recruit, is our guest for this episode of Austinpreneur. We trace Katherine'e startup journey from her first week on campus at The University of Texas. After starting Flo during college at UT Austin, Katherine and her co-founder Atreya went all in on in-person recruiting. COVID struck a couple months later. Listen now to hear how Katherine led Flo through the pandemic to emerge an industry leader in legal recruiting. Austinpreneur is hosted by Nick Spiller and edited by Aaron Handwerker. Sign up for email updates on new shows here.About Flo Recruit:Maker of recruiting management software for law firms.$3.3M raised in venture capital from investors including LiveOak VP, Teamworthy Ventures and Capital Factory. Started while founders were undergraduates at The University of Texas at Austin.About Capital Factory: Center of Gravity for Entrepreneurs in Texas with locations across the state.Most active seed fund in Texas investing in 1 startup per week.Partner to 25+ F500 enterprises on their innovation efforts.Producer of the Austinpreneur podcast.

We are close to reaching our goal of 2-2.5 million dollars in funding! It is exciting to reach our fundraising goals, so today on The Legalpreneur, I am sharing my strategy for building venture capitalist relationships. Traditionally, venture capitalism was a closed community. You could only meet investors by knowing someone who could introduce you. However, things are changing, and a new class of venture capitalists is emerging. In every major city, there is a startup community that you can join to ensure you get in the room with the right people. The Legalpreneur fundraising journey was launched after a pitch competition exposed me to a group of potential investors, which led to many more opportunities. Remember that you are in the business of relationships, so positioning yourself within the investment community is a vital part of fundraising for your startup. Every interaction has the potential to change the financial trajectory of your startup!If you want to learn how to position yourself and your business for financial success, listen now!Key Takeaways:[3:00] Venture capitalist opportunities [5:00] The San Antonio pitch competition[6:00] Getting involved with your city's startup community [7:00] Turning down the Capital Factory[8:00] How one event can introduce you to investors and opportunities [10:00] You are in the business of relationshipsTHE LEGALPRENEUR BOOK IS HERE!Click this link to buy it now:  AmazonGet Legally Protected!Want to legally protect your business without the seemingly over-complicated approach?   We have THE solution for you, the Legal Protection Playbook!  Get started here.Links: Andrea's Instagram Legalpreneur Instagram Website FacebookTwitter TikTokYouTube_____Disclaimer: The Legalpreneur Podcast is advertising/marketing material. It is not legal advice. Please consult with your attorney on these topics. Copyright Legalpreneur Inc 2022

Jeff Cardenas, CEO of Apptronik, is our guest for this episode about creating the ultimate tool for humans - humanoid robots. We discuss how robots can help humans free their time to do things we'd rather spend our time on. Before discussing Apptronik, we dive into Jeff's entrepreneurial journey. Jeff led an entrepreneurial life up to Apptronik including a previous venture in political technology that went through Capital Factory. Take a listen and get a glimpse into the future where humans and robots work side by side.Austinpreneur is hosted by Nick Spiller and edited by Aaron Handwerker.About Apptronik:Maker of world leading humanoid robot, ApolloPartnered with NASA, U.S. Army, SOCCOM and other DOD agencies fueling development.$25M+ raised in venture capital from Grit Ventures, Capital Factory and recently Terex. Spun out of Human Centered Robotics Lab at The University of Texas. About Capital Factory: Center of Gravity for Entrepreneurs in Texas with locations across the state.Most active seed fund in Texas investing in 1 startup per week. Partner to 25+ F500 enterprises on their innovation efforts.Producer of the Austinpreneur podcast.

Today we are joined by Rob Taylor who has founded and operated 5 vc-backed startups over the past 20 years including BlackLocus which sold to Home Depot in 2012 and TrueCar which went public in 2014. Most recently, Rob Co-founded and was the CEO of a B to B SaaS company called Convey which was acquired by Project44 in September of 2021 for $255M. In addition to being a founder, Rob has done mentorships at Capital Factory and TechStars, and he currently is a board member at LawnStarter. In this episode, Rob shares his expert insight on what is important to focus on in the growth stage of a business, what he thinks is the most important part of a pitch to venture capitalists, and how he and his co-founders were able to grow Convey. Stick around to the end to hear what his two best pieces of advice for growth stage CEOs. Please subscribe to Studying Success to hear more from the best entrepreneurs and investors!Also check out our website at www.studyingsuccesspodcast.com.And follow us on Instagram @studyingsuccesspodcast.

About Clutchwww.thatsclutch.comHQ: Houston, TXFounded: 2021Funding: $1.2M pre-seed funding (Precursor Ventures, HearstLab, Capital Factory, DivInc, etc.)Media Kit: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19RzgNVtaASi8Vo9bs9hZLoZSLuI3tSZyAbout: Founded in 2020 by Madison Long and Simone May, Clutch is the digital marketplace connecting creators with businesses. With our people-first platform, creators have the opportunity to monetize their unique talents and passions by helping businesses with their content creation needs. We are currently focused on connecting Gen-Z student creators with small businesses and national brands in need of digital marketing. We believe that by giving creators access to remarkable digital work opportunities with businesses, creators and businesses thrive. Our vision is to build a world where authentic, engaging work supports a more sustainable, equitable lifestyle.Founders Bios:Madison Long (CEO and Co-Founder): Madison is the CEO and Co-Founder of Clutch where she drives the company's vision of building a world where authentic, engaging work supports a more sustainable, equitable lifestyle. Her passion for entrepreneurship and helping the next generation thrive began in childhood including spending her high school summers creating a math mania programmatic instruction class for middle school students in need and working with youth advocacy programs in college. Prior to Clutch, Madison was a Program Development & Analytics Lead at Lean In where she led multiple initiatives including the foundation's 2020 Women in the Workplace report along with their first project focused on empowering youth girls. She was a Finance Rotation Program Analyst at Microsoft prior to her time at Lean In where she contributed to their Latin America HQ, Cloud and Artificial Intelligence OPEX, Customer Services and Support, and Internal Audit teams. Madison's overall goal is to create opportunities for the next generation to thrive in life and work. Twitter: https://twitter.com/madisonl0ngLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madisonlong5/ Simone May (CTO and Co-Founder): Simone is the CTO and Co-Founder of Clutch where she leads the company's efforts in translating their customer's needs into their product and technical functionality. Her interest in the world of technology and seeing what software can do began at a young age as she grew up with two engineers as parents and developed a passion for math, science and tinkering with all sorts of technical gadgets and projects that her parents worked on. Prior to Clutch, Simone was a Consultant at Accenture where she learned how to build a product from the ground up focused on learning first what the product's clients' needs are and then how to translate their needs into something technical. She has a passion for democratizing access to information and innovation that no one has had before, and leveraging technology to make the world a more equitable place. Twitter: https://twitter.com/Simone_May_,LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-may/ 

Hello everyone and welcome to another incredible episode of the Talk2Rami "Founder's Series" Podcast, where I interview movers and shakers, as to why they do what it is exactly they do! In today's episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Jeannie Edmunds, also known as, The Startup Jeannie. Jeannie Edmunds is an advisor to founders and investors in tech, CPG, travel, cannabis/CBD, and other industries. Advisory services include business development, branding/marketing, and preparation for investment. Affiliated with Capital Factory and SKU in Austin, and Expert Dojo in Los Angeles. Learn more and check out her Book "Start Me Up". Its a great read and you can get a ton of knowledge from it. https://www.amazon.com/Start-Me-Up-Truths-Starting-ebook/dp/B095KYGJKV

Mike Morton was an Industrial Design Senior Principal at Dell for many years, and before that similar roles at HP and SunBeam, along with working with many physical consumer product inventors and startups along the way.  He has also been a mentor at Capital Factory and Techstars, in addition to working with Mako Design too.  Today Mike is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can understand the importance and best practices around the different types of prototypes, how important prototyping is to the product development process, and how to use prototypes to ensure a product is successful both in the market and in manufacturing. Today you will hear us talk about: The importance of physical product prototyping for an invention idea to go into production with Rough product prototype Mechanical product prototype Refined product prototype Pre-production prototype or production sample prototype Prototype early and often Test your prototypes out for both problems AND opportunities Some of the best designs and engineering ideations come out of the prototyping phases. Never skip prototyping steps, but rearrange them or do side prototypes to best suit the needs of your product. Bring in manufacturing as you start getting into the more serious mechanical prototypes, especially as you get into pre-production or refined prototypes. Manufacturers want you to be successful, it helps everybody. EPISODE LINKS Mike Morton Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-morton-design/ Past Episode: https://www.makodesign.com/podcast/064-preparing-and-executing-your-products-first-production-run/ The Product Startup Podcast Links: Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent Mako Design Links: Website: https://www.makodesign.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/ Kevin Mako Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/ Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/ About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry's leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Loyal listeners of this podcast know that Ignatius and Eric are fans of real estate investments as a way to diversify investment portfolios. In this episode the Huddle Guys talk with Dan Kryzanowski who they met at a recent real estate summit in Austin. Dan is an Advisory Partner for BV Capital, a member of the Bridgeview family of companies. Bridgeview is a private real estate development and investment company. BV Capital is Bridgeview's private equity company offering direct access to investments historically only available to institutions. BV Capital primarily works with sponsors on real estate in Texas and surrounding markets and offers investments in single property assets as well as diversified portfolios and funds. Dan is also a Mentor with the Capital Factory which hosts over 100,000 entrepreneurs, programmers and designers gathered day and night, in-person and online for meetups, classes and coworking. Put simply, real estate syndication is a partnership between several investors for a real estate project. The investors combine their capital and resources to purchase a property that would be difficult (or impossible) to do as individuals. The information shared in this discussion is a natural build to previous Huddle episodes on this topic. If you are not already in the real estate game, let the Huddle Guys help you. Connect with them at Contact Us | CPA Huddle. Eric's World Series predictions were recorded before the series ended. Not bad, Eric…even though you originally had the Dodgers winning it all. It's time to Huddle Up!

En el episodio de hoy me siento con Ramón Berríos, quien es cofundador y CEO de trend.io, la plataforma que conecta a productores de contenido con compañías que buscan adquirir videos y otros servicios creativos. Ramón me cuenta sobre su niñez incluida la historia de cómo se graduó de la escuela superior a los 16 años, la decisión de darse de baja de la universidad, su mudanza a Austin, Texas para unirse a la aceleradora Capital Factory, el cese y desista que recibió por parte de Facebook en el 2015 y cómo nació la idea de TREND. También hablamos sobre los cambios en el modelo de negocios de TREND, qué debes tomar en consideración si quieres desarrollar un SaaS (Software as a Service) y el proceso de recaudar capital durante el periodo de mayor inflación en los Estados Unidos en los pasados 40 años. Tres "takeaways" de este episodio: 1. Si estás obsesionado por algo, encuentra qué te causa esa obsesión y busca cómo puedes canalizarlo para que los uses como ventaja. 2. Asegúrate de que, cuando envíes un “cold email”, también le añadas valor a esa persona y siempre termina tu email con una pregunta. 3. Pregúntate: ¿cómo funcionaría esto si fuese 10 veces más grande? Puedes conectar con Ramón en Twitter https://twitter.com/ramongberrios o escuchando su podcast "DTC POD" que está disponible en todas las plataformas de audio. Sigue a TREND en Instagram https://instagram.com/trend.creators/ y no olvides seguir a Mentores en Línea https://www.instagram.com/mentoresenlinea/.

For the first time since new three-level, CDC-managed measurement metrics were adopted for Travis County, our COVID risk assessment has been raised from Low to Medium level. Austin U.S. Representative Chip Roy presented what the Statesman calls a "dystopian" critique of attempts to apply restrictions to gun access during another hearing Thursday that featured survivors of the Uvalde shooting - one Democratic lawmaker pointed out that Roy's pretext for protecting gun rights involves owners turning them on American troops. Pete Arredondo, the Uvalde school police department head who has been at the center of discussions on the delay in police action against the mass shooter, has given his first full-ranging interview - the delay, he says, was in finding a key that would unlock the classroom's reinforced door. Over 2,000 Austin ISD staffers are leaving the district as the school year ends. Harmful algae has been detected in Lady Bird Lake, and the city's Watershed Protection department is expanding its Phoslock treatment plan in an attempt to curb its growth. Austin has been named the U.S. city with the fastest-rising residential rental rates - in fact, housing costs in Austin have risen so much that our city no longer appears to be a savings opportunity for people living in high-cost areas. A new Virgin Atlantic direct flight from London to Austin experienced baggage handling problems upon arrival at ABIA for the first time. While he was in town, passenger and Virgin founder Richard Branson took a tour of Austin's Capital Factory. This year's ROT Rally is based in Bastrop for the first time, but Austin drivers should expect an uptick in motorcycle traffic over the weekend. Laurie Anderson, the widow of rock icon Lou Reed, says plans to base an exhibit of Reed's work at UT's Harry Ransom Center were scrapped due to Texas laws that went into effect in 2015, allowing the carrying of guns on college campuses. Texas Softball loses a second game, and thus the WCWS, to Oklahoma. Texas Baseball begins a super-regional best-of-three series against East Carolina at Greenville this morning at 11. And, brace yourself for a wiltingly-hot weekend. Texas A&M University climate expert and State Climatologist Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon says he expects this summer to be the second-hottest summer on record for the state.

BIO: Ash Maurya is the author of two bestselling books, “Running Lean” and “Scaling Lean,” and is also the creator of the top-rated one-page business modeling tool “Lean Canvas.” STORY: Ash had this social networking idea that he thought was unique, so he kept it to himself as he built on it. He never tested the market until he launched, and the network was a flop. Ash kept building the network in isolation until seven years later when he realized he was supposed to be building a customer base, not the perfect product. LEARNING: Take at least 90 days to test a new idea before launching it. You need customers for your business to survive.   “You can actually sell before you build.”Ash Maurya  Guest profilehttps://amzn.to/3wQSHle (Ash Maurya) is the author of two bestselling books, “https://amzn.to/3wQSHle (Running Lean)” and “https://amzn.to/3wQSHle (Scaling Lean),” and is also the creator of the top-rated one-page business modeling tool “https://amzn.to/3wQSHle (Lean Canvas).” Ash is praised for offering some of the best and most practical advice for entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs worldwide. Driven by the search for better and faster ways for building successful products, Ash has developed a continuous innovation framework that synthesizes concepts from Lean Startup, business model design, jobs-to-be-done, and design thinking. Ash is also a leading business blogger, and his posts and advice have been featured in Inc. Magazine, Forbes, and Fortune. He regularly hosts sold-out workshops worldwide and serves as a mentor to several accelerators, including TechStars, MaRS, Capital Factory, and guest lecturers at several universities, including MIT, Harvard, and UT Austin. Ash serves on the advisory board of several startups and has consulted with new and established companies. Worst investment everIn 2011, Ash came up with a social networking idea that he believed was so good that he couldn't tell anyone. The friends he told, he swore them into secrecy. They all convinced him that this would be a perfect idea. Ash took all the money he had, got a small team together, and spent a year building the network. He never talked to anyone about his idea during the building period. Nine months into that journey, he heard about Friendster, the first social network launched. Someone had beat him to it. However, Ash was still convinced his idea was unique, so he continued to build on it. Ash finally launched his network and spent another year trying to get everything right, but it didn't work. Then he took a hard pivot and had a lucky break when another company that liked the technology he was using licensed it for a little while. But it was still not Ash's big outcome story. His co-founders lost interest in the network and walked away. Ash kept plugging along and bootstrapped until the five-year mark, building his product. After about seven years, Ash realized that he had been looking at all his ideas from the inside out. He concentrated on building a product for himself instead of creating a customer base first. Lessons learnedWhen building a business, focus more on purpose and meaning. Ask yourself if you're creating what the customers needs. Give yourself 90 days to test the market and demonstrate traction if you have a new idea. If your customers aren't paying attention to your idea, building a product will not make a difference. Andrew's takeawaysTo turn great ideas into great products, the people around you should always be confident that you can implement them. Decide the minimum number of customers you need to stay in business and when. Be as specific as possible. Actionable adviceSet a goal and a deadline or a timeline. Then ask yourself what's the smallest outcome that would deem this project a success. No.1 goal for the next 12 monthsAsh's goal for the next 12 months is to get from 1 million people on his platform to 10 million or at least within the next three years. Parting words  “Look...

FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women's health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women's health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women's health and wellness.Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund's Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women's health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women's health startups.

FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women's health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women's health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women's health and wellness.Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund's Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women's health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women's health startups.

FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women's health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women's health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women's health and wellness.Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund's Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women's health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women's health startups.