Podcast appearances and mentions of clarence bethea

Portland Startup Week 2025 (06:55) is only 2 weeks away. Get the latest news on PDX Startup Week and all of the events, Portland startup raises $11.2M, some interesting guests in town, and a couple of startup applications that are due. Let's get into it…PORTLAND STARTUP LINKS- Photon Marine https://photonmarine.com/- Newlab https://www.newlab.com/- Pitch Black Podcast https://www.pitchblack.org/podcast/clarence-bethea- Show up for small business (Ankeny Alley) https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/events/307221148/- Portland Startup Week 2025 https://lu.ma/pdxstartupweek- Araceli Biosciences - https://www.aracelibio.com/ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jvx0Kaupm4- Oregon UAS Accelerator https://oregonuas.org/apply- TiE Oregon Columbia River Pitch https://www.tieoregon.org/pitch-oregon/columbia-river-pitch- Portland startup news weekly newsletter https://siliconflorist.substack.comPORTLAND STARTUP NEWS00:00 Portland startup news intro00:30 Celebrating the small wins01:13 Shoutouts for Yalda, Caroline, Marcelino, and  @newlabplatform  04:00 Clarence Bethea of True Ventures on the Pitch Black Podcast05:12 A top secret bonus special thing especially for you06:55 Portland Startup Week 202512:21 Araceli Biosciences raises $11.2M13:47  @OregonUASAccelerator  applications due15:06  @TiEOregon  Columbia River Pitch applications due16:30 Trivial fun fact17:27 TiE Oregon Westside Pitch 2025 companies18:59 Daily Silicon Florist link arrangementFIND RICK TUROCZY ON THE INTERNET AT…- https://patreon.com/turoczy- https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy- Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/portland-oregon-startup-news-silicon-florist/id1711294699- Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2cmLDH8wrPdNMS2qtTnhcy?si=H627wrGOTvStxxKWRlRGLQ- https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social- https://siliconflorist.substack.com/- https://pdxslack.comABOUT SILICON FLORIST ----------For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet.ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ----------Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird.https://siliconflorist.com#pdx #portland #pdxsw #oregon #startup #entrepreneur

Join Chris and Anne for a candid conversation with Clarence Bethea, investor and executive in residence at True Ventures, as he shares his incredible journey from a troubled youth to startup success with Upsie and becoming a VC. Clarence discusses how AI is shaping the future of retail and startups, the importance of empathy and honesty in funding decisions, and share practical advice for early-stage entrepreneurs, including why early money matters. Key Moments: (1:00) Clarence's personal journey from Georgia to VC success (3:00) Building Upsie and disrupting the warranty market (7:00) True Ventures' focus on seed-stage investments and AI (11:00) Challenges for women and black founders in securing funding (17:00) The importance of having 3 key people in your entrepreneurial journey (22:00) Advice for entrepreneurs on persistence and overcoming breaking points #startupfunding #vcinsights #entrepreneuradvice #aiinvestments

Our Sixth Street team plus friends from across our Dallas network came together for a night of conversation to discuss business leadership, culture, and connections. We were honored to be joined by our great friends United States Air Force Major General (ret.), Rod Lewis, True Ventures EIR and Investor Clarence Bethea, and Concrete Rose co-founder Sean Mendy in a discussion led by Sixth Street Founder and Co-President David Stiepleman. Our panelists discussed their remarkable career trajectories, how they set their teams up for success, and how to adapt skills and mindsets for the different seasons of a career. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we have the inspiring story of Clarence Bethea, who Michael connected with this week at a recent event. Clarence is the CEO of Upsie, a warranty company which saves its customers anywhere from 50% to 90% compared to competitor warranty plans. While his main area of focus is not trucking, Clarence found himself on the path of personal and professional growth through an opportunity that began in the trucking industry.  Throughout the conversation you'll hear how Clarence transformed himself from a talented basketball player with a criminal history and not much education to being mentored by the former COO of Best Buy.  His experiences in trucking and mentorship helped shape him into the businessman he is today and have value for anyone looking to lead teams and scale businesses to their real potential.  Be sure to connect with him on Linkedin and check out Upsie.com! 

Clarence Bethea is founder and CEO of Upsie, a technology company offering consumers an alternative when purchasing extended warranties for electronics like mobile devices and home appliances. He recently closed an $18 million Series A funding round. On this episode, Clarence speaks with Will Lucas about raising large startup financing rounds, capital intensive launch strategies, and how to make warranties sexy. Follow Will Lucas on Instagram at @willlucas Learn more about other Black tech disruptors and innovators at AfroTech.com Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

On this week’s episode we welcome Clarence Bethea, Founder and CEO of Upsie.   Hype TimeEvery episode we ask our guest to name drop someone doing cool things in the tech community. Clarence gives a shout out to James Jones Jr., Founder of Audience.  tech.mn on TwitterKevin McArdle on TwitterClarence Bethea on TwitterUpsie on Twitter   Links Upsie WebsiteUpsie Announces $18.2 Million Series ABETASaint Paul & Minnesota Foundation

In this episode, Dallen dives into his conversation with Clarence Bethea and pulls out the big ideas from it. Dallen talks about learning and accepting past experiences to help shape you to who you are today. Clarence is a great example of this; learning from his childhood hardships instead of avoiding them. Dallen also dives into the value of "doing more" and staying true to your vision.

About Clarence Bethea:From the streets & lack of discipline to running his own company. Clarence is a perfect example of making the most of each situation. In this episode, Clarence states that "You'll never be successful by doing what you are asked, you need to do more". And he embodies this mentality perfectly which led him to meeting the COO of Best Buy and being brought in by him to eventually branching off to begin his own company. His story is nothing short of inspirational and you're sure to love getting to know him.What You'll Learn:✅ Clarence's childhood hardships✅ His journey from worst basketball player to collegiate player✅ Breaking into YMCA✅ How Clarence is "fueled differently"✅ Going above and beyond✅ Stayed true to vision of Upsie

On this week’s episode, we are joined by the Civic Eagle Leadership team: Damola Ogundipe, Shawntera Hardy, and Yemi Adewunmi. This Episode is Powered by Traction with Troy Let’s face it, business ownership can be really challenging at times, and you may wonder if your dreams are ever going to take hold. Running effective teams takes a lot of energy and time. Profitability is always on your mind and you look forward to your business producing results, rather than chasing after them.   Entrepreneurs can’t possibly do it all, let alone know it all. But given the right tools, they can reach heights in their organization they never thought possible.That is why Traction with Troy was developed.   The power of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS®) is a methodology of practical and real world tools and timeless concepts that have been around for years. EOS has been implemented by thousands of companies all around the world and is revolutionizing the way sustainable business growth is occurring. EOS® is designed to turn an entrepreneur’s visions into reality. Traction with Troy is about helping business owners utilize their talents and abilities to thrive in their businesses and attain the lifestyle they desire. To start a conversation with Troy check out his website at Traction with Troy. Hype TimeEvery episode we ask our guest to name drop someone doing cool things in the tech community. The team gives a record list of quality shout outs including: The Coven, Techquity, Forge North, Fearless Commerce, The Activate Network, Bread & Butter Ventures (Listen to their episode here), Danielle Steer of Lunar Startups (Listen to her episode here), and Clarence Bethea of Upsie (Listen to his episode here) Socials tech.mn on TwitterKevin McArdle on TwitterJac Stark on TwitterCivic Eagle on Twitter Links Enview WebsiteCivic Eagle Website

On Episode 59, Kevin and Jac welcome Tyrre Burks, CEO and Founder of Player’s Health. Tyrre shares the twists and turns of his entrepreneurial journey and his passion for positively impacting sports.   This Episode is Powered by Traction with Troy   Let’s face it, business ownership can be really challenging at times, and you may wonder if your dreams are ever going to take hold. Running effective teams takes a lot of energy and time. Profitability is always on your mind and you look forward to your business producing results, rather than chasing after them.   Entrepreneurs can’t possibly do it all, let alone know it all. But given the right tools, they can reach heights in their organization they never thought possible.That is why Traction with Troy was developed.   The power of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS®) is a methodology of practical and real world tools and timeless concepts that have been around for years. EOS has been implemented by thousands of companies all around the world and is revolutionizing the way sustainable business growth is occurring. EOS® is designed to turn an entrepreneur’s visions into reality.   Traction with Troy is about helping business owners utilize their talents and abilities to thrive in their businesses and attain the lifestyle they desire. To start a conversation with Troy check out his website at Traction with Troy.   Hype TimeEvery episode we ask our guest to name drop someone doing cool things in the tech community. Tyrre gives a shout out to Clarence Bethea, CEO/Founder of Upsie. Check out Clarence’s episode here.  Socials tech.mn on TwitterKevin McArdle on TwitterJac Stark on TwitterTyrre Burks on TwitterPlayer’s Health on Twitter Links Player’s Health Website

Clarence Bethea, CEO and Consumer Advocate for Upsie introduces  A New Option to Protect Your Purchase  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Episode 53, Kevin and Jac welcome Mary Rick, Director Of Business Development for the City of St. Paul to talk about boomeranging from Minnesota to San Francisco and back again. Mary updates on programs happening in St. Paul including Full Stack St. Paul and the Restaurant Resiliency Program.   This Episode is powered by Fredrikson & Byron Fredrikson & Byron has built a reputation as the firm “where law and business meet” by bringing business acumen and entrepreneurial thinking to our work with clients and by operating as business advisors and strategic partners as well as legal counselors.   The Fredrikson & Byron SURGE group works specifically with startups and growing companies in technology, healthcare and life sciences, energy, consumer goods, and social entrepreneurs.    To learn more about how the SURGE team can help your company reach its business goals, contact SURGElaw@fredlaw.com and visit fredlaw.com.   Hype TimeEvery episode we ask our guest to name drop someone doing cool things in the tech community. Mary gives a shout out to Dario Otero and Mondo Davison of Youth Lens 360 (Listen to their episode here), Clarence Bethea of Upsie (Listen to his episode here), and Evva Karr of Glitch. Socials tech.mn on TwitterKevin McArdle on TwitterJac Stark on TwitterMary Rick on Twitter Links Impact HubThe CovenFull Stack St. PaulSt. Paul Restaurant Resiliency ProgramScott Burns on The tech.mn PodcastMSP tech hires

Today’s guest on #MWL is Clarence Bethea, founder, and CEO of Upsie. We talk about entrepreneurship, his experience with VC and accelerators, and the current state of Black leadership in tech. Also... how the good people in Minneapolis are doing.

*Note* This episode was recorded in December 2019 On Episode 31, Kevin McArdle, owner of SureSwift Capital, and Jac Stark, community manager for tech.mn, welcome Clarence Bethea, CEO and founder of Upsie, to talk about the transition from founder to CEO. Clarence shares the top three things he is focused on as CEO of Upsie. We talk about the power of the network, as well as his experience in raising capital. We explore the definition of balance as a founder and Clarence discusses the support he receives from his family. Lastly, Clarence shares his prediction of the future for the MN Tech and startup ecosystem. Hype Time Every episode we ask our guest to name drop someone doing cool things in the tech community. Clarence gives a shout out to Damola Ogundipe, CEO of Civic Eagle. Sponsor:Thank you to Arthur Ventures for sponsoring this episode of The tech.mn Podcast. Arthur Ventures invests in B2B software founders beyond Silicon Valley and takes a partner approach to venture capital. They support tech entrepreneurship in Minnesota. You can learn more about them at their website and hear about their latest raise here.  Socialstech.mn on TwitterKevin McArdle on TwitterJac Stark on TwitterClarence Bethea on TwitterUpsie on Twitter Links:UpsieTechstarsRyan Broshar’s episode on The tech.mn Podcast

On Episode 10 Kevin McArdle, owner of SureSwift Capital and Jac Stark, community manager of Tech.MN, welcome Josh Fedie, founder of SalesReach, on The Tech.MN Podcast to reminisce about Girbaud jeans and learn what a follow-on round is. Bonus: Josh wrote a jingle for the Tech.MN Podcast and debuts it on air with the help of Kevin and Jac.   Josh shares his journey of building a product from the baby steps of getting validation, to putting together a team, and raising money. We talk about the stress of being a founder and Josh's experience growing up in an entrepreneurial household. He shares (almost) all his secrets to selling with us and gets candid about the key to success in selling.   We explore Josh's strategy for for content and his podcast, The Founder's Mentality, and dive into the themes that have begun to arise from it including failure, the growth mindset, and dealing in stressful environments.    Josh shares what he likes about the Minnesota tech and startup ecosystem, as well as what sucks. Get ready to take some notes!   Hype Time Every episode we ask our guest to name drop someone doing cool things in the tech community. Josh gives a shout out to Clarence Bethea, founder of Upsie.    Sponsor: Thank you to Redpath and Company CPAs. Redpath and Company is geared to best serve established or growing privately-held tech companies and their stakeholders. Visit Redpath’s website and find out how you can get your business to the next level.   Socials Tech.MN on Twitter Kevin McArdle on Twitter Jac Stark on Twitter Josh Fedie on LinkedIn Links: SalesReach - Josh’s company focusing on true sales enablement. Studio Americana - We give a shoutout to Studio Americana, where we record all of the Tech.MN podcasts The Founder's Mentality - Josh’s podcast featuring interviews with startup founders. We chat about themes and call out a recent episode with Shalya Christine. Invision - Josh mentions Invision, a prototyping tool. Find it here. 

On Episode 5 Kevin McArdle, owner of SureSwift Capital and Jac Stark, community manager of Tech.MN welcome Casey Schultz and Reed Robinson on The Tech.MN Podcast to talk about the importance of Zoom skills and also the most anticipated #MNtech event of the year.    We get into the history of BETA and the birth and evolution of Twin Cities Startup Week. Casey shares what to expect for this year’s celebration including new community hubs in downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul and centralized event tracks.    We get into why Twin Cities Startup Week exists, how partnerships are expanding between the community and local corporations, and some of the cool events to check out during the week. We discuss the direction of Twin Cities Startup Week in the future. The phrase ‘A South by Southwest with Substance’ may or may not have been thrown around. Listen to find out!   Hype Time Every episode we ask our guest to name drop someone doing cool things in the tech community. Casey gives a shout out to Caroline Karanja of 26 Letters and Hack the Gap and Reed hypes Clarence Bethea of Upsie.    Sponsor: Thank you to Redpath and Company CPAs. Redpath and Company is geared to best serve established or growing privately-held tech companies and their stakeholders.  Visit www.RedpathCPAs.com and find out how you can get your business to the next level.   Socials Tech.MN on Twitter Kevin McArdle on Twitter Jac Stark on Twitter Twin Cities Startup Week on Twitter BETA on Twitter Casey Shultz on Twitter Reed Robinson on Twitter   Links: Twin Cities Startup Week - Learn more and find the schedule for Twin Cities Startup Week

Clarence Bethea (Twitter, LinkedIn) is the founder of Upsie — a company that sells extended warranties for consumer electronics. But Clarence isn't a typical startup founder. He didn't go to an ivy league university. He doesn't live in Silicon Valley. And entrepreneurship wasn't even on his radar as a kid. He had a rough childhood. And most of the time, his biggest concern was finding food, and surviving until the next day. “If you had asked me when I was ten years old, what do you want to be when you grow up, my answer was always the same, and that was “alive”. I still remember my mom saying to me, you're going to be dead or in prison by the time you're 18. And, so for me, I had this running joke for a long time, I just want to make it to be an old man. I feel like that would be a success for me. And, even today I fight towards that.” Learn more about The Journey at mission.org/thejourney. The Journey is sponsored by our friends at Salesforce Essentials. We use Salesforce Essentials every day and it's part of our own business journey. Essentials combines sales and service tools in a single app to help small businesses win customers and keep them happy. See how Salesforce Essentials can help you be your best business at salesforce.com/thejourney

Clarence Bethea does not fit the typical venture capitalist’s profile of a promising founder. He grew up in a broken home, got into trouble with the law, dropped out of college. But when he started working in a group home with vulnerable adults, something clicked. Through a series of jobs and mentorships, he realized what he was meant to do: start something. “My heart and soul is built to build something big.” In 2015, he launched Upsie, a warranty app designed to make it easier and more affordable for consumers to protect their purchases. Very quickly, Bethea pitched Upsie for the Techstars business incubator program and since then, it has grown 300 percent every year, with customers in all 50 states. Bethea has raised $8.5 million for Upsie, despite odds stacked against him. “People invest in people who look like them. Venture capitalists are mostly white guys. I definitely don’t look like them.” Bethea talks about the challenges of raising money and the vast inequities that exist in the VC space. “if I was a white guy in Silicon Valley, I’d have a lot more money,” he says. “The vision is that big. Warranties are a $47 billion industry that hasn’t been tapped into from a consumer standpoint.” His plan now? Focus on growing Upsie, and mentor other minority entrepreneurs. “We’re going to see more entrepreneurs of color creating great businesses. They’re just going to outshine everyone else.” After our conversation with Bethea, we go back to the classroom with the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business. Katherina Pattit, associate professor of ethics and business law, shares strategies for overcoming bias in business. “We know from research that once someone knows what his or her biases are, they have an opportunity to start counteracting that.”

If learning how to increase revenue and make more money for your business is a skill you’ve been looking to acquire or fine-tune, please join us for this Q&A series. The goal of this gathering is for attendees to authentically receive process design, tools used, and tips on what works to successfully grow revenue. This is a natural interview style format that will give you a peek into some of the top sales minds that propelled the growth of companies like When I Work, Workday, Microsoft, Magnet360 and more. This series is for entrepreneurs, small businesses, intraprenuers, solopreneurs, nerds, creators, inventors & everyone in between! This Month's Guest : : Clarence Bethea “A closed mouth don’t get fed.” Wise words from April’s Coffee&Closers guest Clarence Bethea. Listen in to hear how this CEO sold his way out of the streets of Atlanta and raised $3.5m in venture backed funding to help his company, Upsie tackle the warranty monopoly head on. His incredible story of grit, perseverance and overcoming all odds has been featured in national publications such as Fast Company, Black Enterprise and The Observer. Learn sales, marketing and how to raise capital from a leader who has truly walked the talk. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coffee--closers/support

As Founder and CEO of Upsie, Clarence Bethea joins me to talk about how essential it is to not only have a trusted mentor but to become one yourself.

Founded in 2015 by Clarence Bethea, Upsie is an insurance technology company changing the way device warranties are purchased, managed and serviced.  In this episode, Clarence tells the story of how he learned about his opportunity in the marketplace, how he got the first version of his product made, and what it was like to raise money via TechStars. Clarence also explains the thing that keeps him motivated and excited everyday.

Clarence Bethea, the founder and CEO of Upsie, is one of those inspirational founders that seems to be on another level than most attain. David and Justin sit down with the founder of the “product warranty killer” and talk about Clarence’s unique journey to today, the problem they’re solving at Upsie, and what it’s like to be the founder of a tech company in the midwest. You’re gonna love it.

In this #KeyCast we sit down with Clarence Bethea a local tech entreprenuer, where we discuss his journey of running a startup, its challenges, as well as his process of raising $1.7 million for his startup company, Upsie.

Upsie is a mobile app platform that provides an easier & better way to protect your stuff. You get the same warranties and coverage offered by other companies, but at an affordable price. Upsie is an alum of the Techstars Retail accelerator and is based in Minneapolis, MN.//Clarence Bethea is the founder and CEO of Upsie.learn more about Upsie: https://upsie.com/follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm

Clarence Bethea is the Founder and CEO of Upsie.  The Upsie app and platform protects your devices and appliances at affordable prices. Their mobile app is revolutionizing the warranty industry. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher Radio or TuneIn Clarence's Summary Bio: Clarence is the Founder & CEO of Upsie, which is a free mobile app that now gives us the power of making warranty decisions directly to the consumer Clarence has worked with several startups and Fortune 500 companies & previously helped launch other ventures, including 2nd Chance Staffing; 43 Hoop and Gravelick He had this frustrating laptop warranty experience, and realized there was a significant opportunity to reinvent the warranty industry. And so using his wealth of business knowledge and new found passion for improving the warranty experience, he worked to make warranty purchasing simple, fun and educational for consumers. Hear a sneak peak of Clarence in this episode: 'When you surround yourself with #winners you just start to win' @clarence_bethea @UpsieHQ https://t.co/XkDLKHEFJe pic.twitter.com/8JBowX09rZ — Trailblazers Podcast (@tbpod) April 24, 2016 In this episode, we discussed: What inspired Clarence to get into entrepreneurship What he was doing prior to Upsie and how his prior failure helped his start with Upsie His process to go about raising funds to get Upsie started Talked about a fear he had getting Upsie going and how Clarence overcame it How he's been able to bring brand awareness to Upsie The effect of family on his life and business How Clarence keeps motivated and out of comfort zones Why it's important to volunteer & give back  Much more Links and resources mentioned: Upsie website Upsie on Twitter Upsie Discount Code: Twitter15 Clarence's Fav Book: The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz Thanks for Listening! We appreciate you visiting our site today and for helping to bring awareness to the Trailblazers.FM podcast. Please leave an honest review for The Trailblazers Podcast on iTunes & Stitcher! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show. Finally, don’t forget to subscribe to get automatic updates! It’s free! Subscribe / Listen on iTunes, Stitcher Radio or TuneIn