Podcasts about finlab

On today's episode, we dive into snack foods with Nosh Posh. With a focus on unique and healthy products, Tatiana Freeman brings her passion for Bi-POC and Women-owned businesses into an innovative snack vending machine, corporate gift box, and snack subscription business. We will explore her experiences with social media, the importance of resilience and resourcefulness, and the plans for expansion and partnerships. Stay tuned for an exciting and inspiring episode of Makers of Minnesota with Nosh Posh's Tatiana Freeman.SHOW TRANSCRIPT FOLLOWS:Stephanie [00:00:12]:Hello, everybody, and welcome to the makers of Minnesota Podcast where we talk to cool people doing cool things, And this cool thing I saw for the very first time at Modern Well. I saw it at Modern Well. I walked in the door. I'm a monthly contributor there. And the first thing I noticed was this cool new space age looking vending machine called Nash Pache, and I'm here today with Tatiana Freeman, and she is the founder of Nash Posh. And I have to say the cool vending machine aside What a great concept to help Minnesota makers and BIPOC and women owned businesses get exposure by helping group them together into something that is more than the sum of their individual parts. Thanks for being here today.Tatiana Freeman [00:00:59]:Yeah. So excited, to be here, and thank you for connecting with me.Stephanie [00:01:03]:Yeah. How did you think of this idea?Tatiana Freeman [00:01:07]:so I was actually working in housing at the neighborhood house, which I really enjoyed that work, But I wanted something different. I was working in an office during COVID, and I just realized going back into the office space was not for me. and so I was, you know, kind of in transition. I was like, okay, what am I gonna do now? Like, I can't go back to sitting at a desk, 9 toStephanie [00:01:29]:5.Tatiana Freeman [00:01:30]:and so I was actually and I know this is, like, not the impressive story that life people, I feel like, hope to hear, but I was at home, and it was dinner time, and I typically eat out pretty regularly, but, you know, spending 30 to 50 bucks, you know, every night for a salad was, like, not something I wanted to do. And so I was like, I just want a salad and why is it so hard? Like, why do I have to go to a restaurant to get a good quality salad? I went to the next day. I was just like, I'm just gonna start a business. I'm gonna, you know, connect people with the type of foods I wanna eat. And I started doing all this research and the rest of his history. SoStephanie [00:02:05]:-- And you kinda settled in on snacks and particular. And you have snack boxes that you can ship to people, you have subscription boxes, the vending machine, and then You have specific types of snacks in these boxes, so get more into the methodology of why you pick what you pick.Tatiana Freeman [00:02:25]:Sure. So, I knew when I first started, we were actually looking at doing, like, a convenience store concept. And so we're gonna host a pop up, get interest in that. but finding a venue was really hard. and so we started doing tabling and people were consistently asking for how they access the product. and so that's how we created the snack box.Speaker C [00:02:45]:and so we've kind of made some tweaks toTatiana Freeman [00:02:47]:it over the last year and a half or so, but essentially, the target market right now is meeting boxes because we have a lot of corporate clients that wanna have, you know, tasty treats, especially in the morning that aren't pastries. And so we have, like, a morning tailored option that has, like, breakfast cookies, bars in it. And then we have, like, our favorite box that our favorite box that has some of our life best sellers in it. And essentially, like, you can have that shipped to your home or your work, and so that you can have access to those snacks without having to go to Costco or Target. and they're fun. A lot of products that we carry are not things that you would typically see. So I really enjoy, like, you know, scouring Instagram and constantly researching and testing all these new products to bring them all together for, NashBot shoppers.Stephanie [00:03:33]:Can you give me an example of some of the items in your favorites box? that are just one in different?Tatiana Freeman [00:03:40]:Sure. So we have our simply fruit bites. I don't know if a lot of people are familiar, but they make gum. and so they also create, like, different, candy items. And so they create this really nice fruit bite that's similar to, like, a fruit snack but way better. we also have the pit corn cheese balls in there, which if you're a big, you know, crunchy snack cheese ball person, they're favorites, kids like them, then there would also be like a bar in there typically. So like Blender bombs has a really nice selection of different flavors.Stephanie [00:04:10]:With all those different kinds of snacks that you pick and the research that you do, what are the characteristics that you're looking for from a vendor? we have a lot of makers that listen to this program, and maybe they would be a candidate for you.Speaker C [00:04:23]:Yeah. So I would say we've been really fortunate that, all the products seem to visually kind of fit well together. And so a lot of times people assume that I create them, and so it's really nice in terms of packaging and the see the colors and everything that it all kind of fits together because I want it to be synonymous with the brand. But other than that, we're looking for products that don't use artificial ingredients that are kind of niche. They can be kind of re, like, you know, innovative favorites. So maybe you take something that people are familiar with, but maybe you use different flavor profiles. we also like to appeal to people that have some dietary restrictions. So vegan, you know, paleo, kosher, some of those things that, just kind of create access for more people. But at the core, we wanna just make sure they're not using artificial ingredients, you know, if it can be organic, great. and then just trying to take that health aspect into consideration what type of ingredients are they using? No, you know, preservatives and so I think for us looking into the future, I definitely wanna, start sharing more information about the nutrition ingredients so that people are just better educated on how to snack well as well?Stephanie [00:05:34]:You have many different types of way to enter the business model. Right? You have the subscription box, you have meeting boxes. do you do like a holiday box too? Is that something that you're interested in? And then I'm specifically to 2 in the vending machine itself. Like, whether you bought one off the rack or whether you founded it.Speaker C [00:05:54]:Sure. So, we do have a holiday box last year was the 1st year we did it, and it went really well. and so that should be coming out in November and will be available through January. And so that's a great client gift. I think that, you know, a lot of people have their go to for who they purchase gifts from. And so we're really excited to kind of be more visible when people are looking at, you know, sending their clients, gifts, friends, and family. in terms of vending, So it was actually really tricky. I was actually gonna go with another company that had more of a refrigerator style configuration. but looking at snacks that didn't really make sense. and so we ended up, my uncle actually sent me the link for discount vending, and so they customized the machine, they wrap it in our design, and they can also, you know, custom fit product, the machine to fit the products that we carry. So that's been really great, because you think that just looking at a machine, everything is gonna work well and smooth. but that's not always the case. So being able to, like, send them the products and make sure that everything bins well has been really helpful.Stephanie [00:06:58]:And how many of these do you have around the Twin Cities and are you in other markets too?Speaker C [00:07:03]:Yeah. We're only currently in Minneapolis, right now. So we have 6 machines, and there are one at each of Coco's locations, the wilderness, modern well, FinnLab and then lucky shots pick a ball club.Stephanie [00:07:18]:Oh, and so co working is obviously a big piece to your business. Also, the pandemic in some respects might have helped you because people are still having all these Zoom meetings. And there's nothing exciting about a Zoom meeting, but a snack box makes it a little bit more.Speaker C [00:07:34]:Yeah. So, that was kind of the reason I went with the co working as the you know, the access point just because I knew we were in this changing work environment. And so I said, well, if you're not at home, you're likely gonna be kinda seeking out these coworking spaces. And so we've been really fortunate, you know, in the twin cities to build those relationships. And so I wanna continue to expand in the co working space, but then also start kind of moving towards more sporting facilities and luxury apartments.Stephanie [00:08:01]:Oh, that makes total sense. Now you were in an incubator group. that kinda helped with your launching. Can you talk a little bit about that experience?Speaker C [00:08:09]:Yeah. So I've kind ofTatiana Freeman [00:08:11]:I've kind of beenSpeaker C [00:08:12]:a part of a lot of the program locally, everything from, you know, women venture to NDC, META. but I did participate in lunar, which I think was probably the most beneficial program that I've done. And I would say just the name recognition that Looner has in the 20 cities is always super helpful as well as the 101 coach that you receive. I think that, you know, it's a network that you build and you can kind of come back to throughout your journey. And so that's also been really helpful. And then lately, I've been kind of plugging in with naturally MN. I went to the event the other day at, FinLab, and it was such a great experience. So you kinda have be strategic with your time in terms of, like, if I'm gonna go to something feeling like I'm getting value out of it. And so it's always rewarding. you know, if you can either connect with other founders or just get really useful information.Stephanie [00:09:03]:Can you tell me some people are knowledge seekers, which I think I would put you in that category. And then other people kind of try to figure it out themselves and go to the knowledge as the second piece. They wanna figure it out themselves first. What is it about being a knowledge seeker and what have you learned from networking with all these different types of groups? Have you gotten financing? Have you been able to make your journey to where you're trying to go move along faster?Speaker C [00:09:32]:Yeah. So I I've, I adopted kind of the mantra early on that if I could get someone to do something for me for less than what I would pay myself to do that. And so, you know, when you start running a business, I had no idea what I was doing. And so it's it's a lot of stress for me because I'm a person that wants to do well at things, but I knew that it didn't make sense to throw energy at things. I had no idea what is doing. So I did get a bookkeeper pretty early. I did bring on social media support pretty early. and so sometimes you just have to have that their real moment with yourself and say, I don't know what I'm doing. This is not my lane. And so to bring on the kind of support that you need to kind of carry that for you, but I'd say you always have to be willing to pivot and seek out additional resources because you cannot do it all on your own. And so I think really important to just con to continuously ask for support and not be afraid of saying, hey. I need help. and then also kind of piggybacking with other founders in terms of like, how can we help one another and and share even if it's just a text like, hey, I know Kobe co, Tasha, from Kobe co and I share resource time because you can't watch every newsletter and you can't go to every program. So just kinda building your network as well in terms of other founders and sharing what you find and and kinda bouncing ideas off of each other is always really, really helpful for me.Stephanie [00:10:58]:I think social media is a hard thing for people to outsource because you can do it yourself. really anyone can. And there are certain people that are better at it. Some people just feel like, oh, I gotta post. What Like, at what point were you like, okay, I know I'm gonna have to pay someone to do this for me well, but that, even though, like, I can't it's like hard to track. Like, you sold this bag of snacks from this post, but what made you decide to outsource that piece in particular?Speaker C [00:11:32]:Yeah. So I'm not a social media person. I mean, I post, semi regularly. I don't really use my my personal page anymore. I've kind of just transition to kind of focusing on the business, but I knew it wasn't something that was, like, natural to me. And so we brought on support pretty early because again, we were looking hosting an event. And so building like the awareness, you know, creating the name recognition was huge. and Honestly, it can be an expensive thing that you can't really see tangible results from, but you have to keep pushing that ball up the hill. And so I spent a lot of money you know, the 1st year, just monthly having someone do that. And some people would say, don't do it. Just do it yourself, but as a founder, you have so many things to do. that just wasn't the top of my list or something that I felt like was a strength. So that's why I, you know, made the decision to outsource. And, I mean, I bootstrapped, so This was money out of my own pocket that I spent, you know, paying someone else when I wasn't even getting paid, just because I thought I would be more valuable for the brand.Stephanie [00:12:37]:How many years have you been in business? A little over 2. A little over 2. And are you paying yourself yet? No. which is, you know, not uncommon, and I guess that's kinda why I asked because it takes a while Sometimes it takes people anywhere from 3 to 5 before they kind of start to pay themselves. and you have to just keep moving forward and figuring out the resources that you need. And you'll get there, but it does just take a while. And I like people to hear that because you have to save up some money or have some resources in order to take this journey. It's not for the faint of heart.Speaker C [00:13:16]:No. And, I mean, when I started it, I'm a person that's, like, by any means necessary. Like, we're gonna get this done. And so if that meant working 3 jobs, like, that's what it took. and so it wasn't like, you know, a fun thing to do, but, like, getting funding is so difficult. And so, you know, you get all excited. You have this do. You run to everyone. You plug in the resources. And most of the time, you're gonna be told no early on. And so I just didn't allow that to be, you know, something that tried me, it was like, okay. Well, I need $2000. I can earn $2000. So just continuously being, you know, resilient through You're gonna be frustrated. You're not gonna know what you're gonna do, but you figure it out.Stephanie [00:13:56]:Was, women venture or media or some of those places you mentioned helpful in establishing financing?Speaker C [00:14:03]:I would say women venture has been really good in terms of, like, events. we do their, women mean business marketplace every year. That's always fun. I really love Leanne as a leader of that organization. We didn't get any funding from them. we did get a grant in partnership with META. I think it was to elevate together, and I feel like META is added a lot of value as well in the the last year just in terms of we did the hackathon through 3M, some other other programming. So, While it hasn't necessarily always been direct funding, I I try to stay plugged into, you know, every organization because sometimes it's an event or you can, you know, leverage someone that you know there for recommendations, which I think in terms of building your clientele, the referral business is always like a key piece. And so that's kinda what we're getting back to now is who can I connect to to make you know, an intro for me to kinda, you know, build our business and our clientele.Stephanie [00:15:02]:People that are listening to this story they can help you? Like, are there things that top of mind that you need help with? Like, people could contact you if they wanna have a machine in their office space? What other kinds of things are you looking for that if people are listening, have resources they can connect you with?Speaker C [00:15:19]:Yeah. So I'd say our first priority is gonna be hiring an inventory support specialist, and so being able to kind of offload some of the tasks that I'm still doing, and inventory management is key. and then also if you know, you know, a small to medium sized business, 20 to a 100 employees looking for snacks in their space, whether that's a meeting box, or our workplace snack program. we are definitely interested in, expanding the number of locations we serve. and then, again, co working really would be nice to add, you know, probably 4 to 5 machines over the next year. and so super excited about doing that. We have a new catering partner So that's on the horizon. Tell me about that. Yeah. So we'll be working with Chopped and served. and so I'm super excited about that. Amani and I have been kind of connecting, modern world's owner, Julie is the one who actually connected us because I was like, I don't know who to connect with, what rest on to go to. I did know who was FEMA or BIPOC owned. and so that was really nice to check-in with Julian and say, hey, do you know someone? and so we'll be, doing a tasting actually at modern wall for that in the next month. And then we'll kind of test out those prepared items probably at 3 of our locations before that we expand into allStephanie [00:16:33]:6. So these are gonna be taking you in a different direction, which is more, fresh ingredient type?Speaker C [00:16:42]:Yeah. So, I knew I always wanted that, especially in coworking. especially Minnesota where you might be locked inside for half the year. and so we've slowly been adding things. We had Galliant Tiger's Uncrustable Sandwich. we have life juices, cold pressed juice, and then we also have sunny. it's like an adult adult style lunchable. And so we'll be kind of adding like a grain bowl, some egg bites, those sort of things just to kind of give some more substantive items So that once you get to your space, you don't have to leave or DoorDash. and so I'm really excited to find, you know, a great partner that shares the values that I have and then gonna really pay attention to innovative and quality ingredients.Stephanie [00:17:25]:And can those items go in your same existing machine profile with the packaged goods?Speaker C [00:17:30]:Yeah. So, we're kinda modeling some of the packaging off ofStephanie [00:17:34]:1Speaker C [00:17:34]:of the, microwavable grain bowls that we have that's typically along the bottom. So, again, fingers crossed. You hope that everything will bend. We'll do a lot of testing, and that's why we're gonna kinda slowly roll it out. but I want people to, be able to go to the machine and get a full meal essentially and feel, you know, like, wow, I didn't, you know, have to bring anything today and, like, I didn't have to stop in Donald's or spend forty bucks for lunch. So I'm really excited, to be able to kind of continue to add value with what we offer.Stephanie [00:18:06]:Let me give you just a thought, these media companies. So the TV stations, the radio stations, they end up having people that are working 24 hours and can't in a news cycle, like, let's say something there's a storm or something's happening, people can't leave. So that would be a good resource. The, I work at 3 different media companies, and the lunchroom offerings at most are pretty sad. So this could be like a perfect type of, person to carry something that has some fresh items in it.Speaker C [00:18:41]:Cool. That's a great oh, and I have another thing that I'm noodling. I'm looking to do something with movie theaters. because I feel like every time I take my daughter out, like, the snacks are so depressing. so there are any theaters, you know, that I would love to partner so that we can do a snack pack. I'm so excited to start working on that and to launch that next summer.Stephanie [00:19:03]:Oh, yeah. Cause man theaters is local. And there's the Minnesota film, board or Minnesota, what is it, International Film Festival, someone owns the San Anthony Maine group, and that's Schoquel, and they are all invested in international and diverse filmmaking. So that could be a good fit for you. Okay. well, great. It was super nice to talk to you. I really am excited about your products. I will keep my eye on the modern well machine to see what's new and interesting. but it's been great to talk to you and you have a lot of great energy around this and I wish you the most success.Speaker C [00:19:43]:Thank you so much for having me.Stephanie [00:19:45]:Yeah. Thanks, Tatiana, and we'll talk soon. Alrighty. Okay. Bye bye.Speaker C [00:19:49]:Bye.Stephanie's Dish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

On today's episode, we dive into snack foods with Nosh Posh. With a focus on unique and healthy products, Tatiana Freeman brings her passion for Bi-POC and Women-owned businesses into an innovative snack vending machine, corporate gift box, and snack subscription business. We will explore her experiences with social media, the importance of resilience and resourcefulness, and the plans for expansion and partnerships. Stay tuned for an exciting and inspiring episode of Makers of Minnesota with Nosh Posh's Tatiana Freeman.SHOW TRANSCRIPT FOLLOWS:Stephanie [00:00:12]:Hello, everybody, and welcome to the makers of Minnesota Podcast where we talk to cool people doing cool things, And this cool thing I saw for the very first time at Modern Well. I saw it at Modern Well. I walked in the door. I'm a monthly contributor there. And the first thing I noticed was this cool new space age looking vending machine called Nash Pache, and I'm here today with Tatiana Freeman, and she is the founder of Nash Posh. And I have to say the cool vending machine aside What a great concept to help Minnesota makers and BIPOC and women owned businesses get exposure by helping group them together into something that is more than the sum of their individual parts. Thanks for being here today.Tatiana Freeman [00:00:59]:Yeah. So excited, to be here, and thank you for connecting with me.Stephanie [00:01:03]:Yeah. How did you think of this idea?Tatiana Freeman [00:01:07]:so I was actually working in housing at the neighborhood house, which I really enjoyed that work, But I wanted something different. I was working in an office during COVID, and I just realized going back into the office space was not for me. and so I was, you know, kind of in transition. I was like, okay, what am I gonna do now? Like, I can't go back to sitting at a desk, 9 toStephanie [00:01:29]:5.Tatiana Freeman [00:01:30]:and so I was actually and I know this is, like, not the impressive story that life people, I feel like, hope to hear, but I was at home, and it was dinner time, and I typically eat out pretty regularly, but, you know, spending 30 to 50 bucks, you know, every night for a salad was, like, not something I wanted to do. And so I was like, I just want a salad and why is it so hard? Like, why do I have to go to a restaurant to get a good quality salad? I went to the next day. I was just like, I'm just gonna start a business. I'm gonna, you know, connect people with the type of foods I wanna eat. And I started doing all this research and the rest of his history. SoStephanie [00:02:05]:-- And you kinda settled in on snacks and particular. And you have snack boxes that you can ship to people, you have subscription boxes, the vending machine, and then You have specific types of snacks in these boxes, so get more into the methodology of why you pick what you pick.Tatiana Freeman [00:02:25]:Sure. So, I knew when I first started, we were actually looking at doing, like, a convenience store concept. And so we're gonna host a pop up, get interest in that. but finding a venue was really hard. and so we started doing tabling and people were consistently asking for how they access the product. and so that's how we created the snack box.Speaker C [00:02:45]:and so we've kind of made some tweaks toTatiana Freeman [00:02:47]:it over the last year and a half or so, but essentially, the target market right now is meeting boxes because we have a lot of corporate clients that wanna have, you know, tasty treats, especially in the morning that aren't pastries. And so we have, like, a morning tailored option that has, like, breakfast cookies, bars in it. And then we have, like, our favorite box that our favorite box that has some of our life best sellers in it. And essentially, like, you can have that shipped to your home or your work, and so that you can have access to those snacks without having to go to Costco or Target. and they're fun. A lot of products that we carry are not things that you would typically see. So I really enjoy, like, you know, scouring Instagram and constantly researching and testing all these new products to bring them all together for, NashBot shoppers.Stephanie [00:03:33]:Can you give me an example of some of the items in your favorites box? that are just one in different?Tatiana Freeman [00:03:40]:Sure. So we have our simply fruit bites. I don't know if a lot of people are familiar, but they make gum. and so they also create, like, different, candy items. And so they create this really nice fruit bite that's similar to, like, a fruit snack but way better. we also have the pit corn cheese balls in there, which if you're a big, you know, crunchy snack cheese ball person, they're favorites, kids like them, then there would also be like a bar in there typically. So like Blender bombs has a really nice selection of different flavors.Stephanie [00:04:10]:With all those different kinds of snacks that you pick and the research that you do, what are the characteristics that you're looking for from a vendor? we have a lot of makers that listen to this program, and maybe they would be a candidate for you.Speaker C [00:04:23]:Yeah. So I would say we've been really fortunate that, all the products seem to visually kind of fit well together. And so a lot of times people assume that I create them, and so it's really nice in terms of packaging and the see the colors and everything that it all kind of fits together because I want it to be synonymous with the brand. But other than that, we're looking for products that don't use artificial ingredients that are kind of niche. They can be kind of re, like, you know, innovative favorites. So maybe you take something that people are familiar with, but maybe you use different flavor profiles. we also like to appeal to people that have some dietary restrictions. So vegan, you know, paleo, kosher, some of those things that, just kind of create access for more people. But at the core, we wanna just make sure they're not using artificial ingredients, you know, if it can be organic, great. and then just trying to take that health aspect into consideration what type of ingredients are they using? No, you know, preservatives and so I think for us looking into the future, I definitely wanna, start sharing more information about the nutrition ingredients so that people are just better educated on how to snack well as well?Stephanie [00:05:34]:You have many different types of way to enter the business model. Right? You have the subscription box, you have meeting boxes. do you do like a holiday box too? Is that something that you're interested in? And then I'm specifically to 2 in the vending machine itself. Like, whether you bought one off the rack or whether you founded it.Speaker C [00:05:54]:Sure. So, we do have a holiday box last year was the 1st year we did it, and it went really well. and so that should be coming out in November and will be available through January. And so that's a great client gift. I think that, you know, a lot of people have their go to for who they purchase gifts from. And so we're really excited to kind of be more visible when people are looking at, you know, sending their clients, gifts, friends, and family. in terms of vending, So it was actually really tricky. I was actually gonna go with another company that had more of a refrigerator style configuration. but looking at snacks that didn't really make sense. and so we ended up, my uncle actually sent me the link for discount vending, and so they customized the machine, they wrap it in our design, and they can also, you know, custom fit product, the machine to fit the products that we carry. So that's been really great, because you think that just looking at a machine, everything is gonna work well and smooth. but that's not always the case. So being able to, like, send them the products and make sure that everything bins well has been really helpful.Stephanie [00:06:58]:And how many of these do you have around the Twin Cities and are you in other markets too?Speaker C [00:07:03]:Yeah. We're only currently in Minneapolis, right now. So we have 6 machines, and there are one at each of Coco's locations, the wilderness, modern well, FinnLab and then lucky shots pick a ball club.Stephanie [00:07:18]:Oh, and so co working is obviously a big piece to your business. Also, the pandemic in some respects might have helped you because people are still having all these Zoom meetings. And there's nothing exciting about a Zoom meeting, but a snack box makes it a little bit more.Speaker C [00:07:34]:Yeah. So, that was kind of the reason I went with the co working as the you know, the access point just because I knew we were in this changing work environment. And so I said, well, if you're not at home, you're likely gonna be kinda seeking out these coworking spaces. And so we've been really fortunate, you know, in the twin cities to build those relationships. And so I wanna continue to expand in the co working space, but then also start kind of moving towards more sporting facilities and luxury apartments.Stephanie [00:08:01]:Oh, that makes total sense. Now you were in an incubator group. that kinda helped with your launching. Can you talk a little bit about that experience?Speaker C [00:08:09]:Yeah. So I've kind ofTatiana Freeman [00:08:11]:I've kind of beenSpeaker C [00:08:12]:a part of a lot of the program locally, everything from, you know, women venture to NDC, META. but I did participate in lunar, which I think was probably the most beneficial program that I've done. And I would say just the name recognition that Looner has in the 20 cities is always super helpful as well as the 101 coach that you receive. I think that, you know, it's a network that you build and you can kind of come back to throughout your journey. And so that's also been really helpful. And then lately, I've been kind of plugging in with naturally MN. I went to the event the other day at, FinLab, and it was such a great experience. So you kinda have be strategic with your time in terms of, like, if I'm gonna go to something feeling like I'm getting value out of it. And so it's always rewarding. you know, if you can either connect with other founders or just get really useful information.Stephanie [00:09:03]:Can you tell me some people are knowledge seekers, which I think I would put you in that category. And then other people kind of try to figure it out themselves and go to the knowledge as the second piece. They wanna figure it out themselves first. What is it about being a knowledge seeker and what have you learned from networking with all these different types of groups? Have you gotten financing? Have you been able to make your journey to where you're trying to go move along faster?Speaker C [00:09:32]:Yeah. So I I've, I adopted kind of the mantra early on that if I could get someone to do something for me for less than what I would pay myself to do that. And so, you know, when you start running a business, I had no idea what I was doing. And so it's it's a lot of stress for me because I'm a person that wants to do well at things, but I knew that it didn't make sense to throw energy at things. I had no idea what is doing. So I did get a bookkeeper pretty early. I did bring on social media support pretty early. and so sometimes you just have to have that their real moment with yourself and say, I don't know what I'm doing. This is not my lane. And so to bring on the kind of support that you need to kind of carry that for you, but I'd say you always have to be willing to pivot and seek out additional resources because you cannot do it all on your own. And so I think really important to just con to continuously ask for support and not be afraid of saying, hey. I need help. and then also kind of piggybacking with other founders in terms of like, how can we help one another and and share even if it's just a text like, hey, I know Kobe co, Tasha, from Kobe co and I share resource time because you can't watch every newsletter and you can't go to every program. So just kinda building your network as well in terms of other founders and sharing what you find and and kinda bouncing ideas off of each other is always really, really helpful for me.Stephanie [00:10:58]:I think social media is a hard thing for people to outsource because you can do it yourself. really anyone can. And there are certain people that are better at it. Some people just feel like, oh, I gotta post. What Like, at what point were you like, okay, I know I'm gonna have to pay someone to do this for me well, but that, even though, like, I can't it's like hard to track. Like, you sold this bag of snacks from this post, but what made you decide to outsource that piece in particular?Speaker C [00:11:32]:Yeah. So I'm not a social media person. I mean, I post, semi regularly. I don't really use my my personal page anymore. I've kind of just transition to kind of focusing on the business, but I knew it wasn't something that was, like, natural to me. And so we brought on support pretty early because again, we were looking hosting an event. And so building like the awareness, you know, creating the name recognition was huge. and Honestly, it can be an expensive thing that you can't really see tangible results from, but you have to keep pushing that ball up the hill. And so I spent a lot of money you know, the 1st year, just monthly having someone do that. And some people would say, don't do it. Just do it yourself, but as a founder, you have so many things to do. that just wasn't the top of my list or something that I felt like was a strength. So that's why I, you know, made the decision to outsource. And, I mean, I bootstrapped, so This was money out of my own pocket that I spent, you know, paying someone else when I wasn't even getting paid, just because I thought I would be more valuable for the brand.Stephanie [00:12:37]:How many years have you been in business? A little over 2. A little over 2. And are you paying yourself yet? No. which is, you know, not uncommon, and I guess that's kinda why I asked because it takes a while Sometimes it takes people anywhere from 3 to 5 before they kind of start to pay themselves. and you have to just keep moving forward and figuring out the resources that you need. And you'll get there, but it does just take a while. And I like people to hear that because you have to save up some money or have some resources in order to take this journey. It's not for the faint of heart.Speaker C [00:13:16]:No. And, I mean, when I started it, I'm a person that's, like, by any means necessary. Like, we're gonna get this done. And so if that meant working 3 jobs, like, that's what it took. and so it wasn't like, you know, a fun thing to do, but, like, getting funding is so difficult. And so, you know, you get all excited. You have this do. You run to everyone. You plug in the resources. And most of the time, you're gonna be told no early on. And so I just didn't allow that to be, you know, something that tried me, it was like, okay. Well, I need $2000. I can earn $2000. So just continuously being, you know, resilient through You're gonna be frustrated. You're not gonna know what you're gonna do, but you figure it out.Stephanie [00:13:56]:Was, women venture or media or some of those places you mentioned helpful in establishing financing?Speaker C [00:14:03]:I would say women venture has been really good in terms of, like, events. we do their, women mean business marketplace every year. That's always fun. I really love Leanne as a leader of that organization. We didn't get any funding from them. we did get a grant in partnership with META. I think it was to elevate together, and I feel like META is added a lot of value as well in the the last year just in terms of we did the hackathon through 3M, some other other programming. So, While it hasn't necessarily always been direct funding, I I try to stay plugged into, you know, every organization because sometimes it's an event or you can, you know, leverage someone that you know there for recommendations, which I think in terms of building your clientele, the referral business is always like a key piece. And so that's kinda what we're getting back to now is who can I connect to to make you know, an intro for me to kinda, you know, build our business and our clientele.Stephanie [00:15:02]:People that are listening to this story they can help you? Like, are there things that top of mind that you need help with? Like, people could contact you if they wanna have a machine in their office space? What other kinds of things are you looking for that if people are listening, have resources they can connect you with?Speaker C [00:15:19]:Yeah. So I'd say our first priority is gonna be hiring an inventory support specialist, and so being able to kind of offload some of the tasks that I'm still doing, and inventory management is key. and then also if you know, you know, a small to medium sized business, 20 to a 100 employees looking for snacks in their space, whether that's a meeting box, or our workplace snack program. we are definitely interested in, expanding the number of locations we serve. and then, again, co working really would be nice to add, you know, probably 4 to 5 machines over the next year. and so super excited about doing that. We have a new catering partner So that's on the horizon. Tell me about that. Yeah. So we'll be working with Chopped and served. and so I'm super excited about that. Amani and I have been kind of connecting, modern world's owner, Julie is the one who actually connected us because I was like, I don't know who to connect with, what rest on to go to. I did know who was FEMA or BIPOC owned. and so that was really nice to check-in with Julian and say, hey, do you know someone? and so we'll be, doing a tasting actually at modern wall for that in the next month. And then we'll kind of test out those prepared items probably at 3 of our locations before that we expand into allStephanie [00:16:33]:6. So these are gonna be taking you in a different direction, which is more, fresh ingredient type?Speaker C [00:16:42]:Yeah. So, I knew I always wanted that, especially in coworking. especially Minnesota where you might be locked inside for half the year. and so we've slowly been adding things. We had Galliant Tiger's Uncrustable Sandwich. we have life juices, cold pressed juice, and then we also have sunny. it's like an adult adult style lunchable. And so we'll be kind of adding like a grain bowl, some egg bites, those sort of things just to kind of give some more substantive items So that once you get to your space, you don't have to leave or DoorDash. and so I'm really excited to find, you know, a great partner that shares the values that I have and then gonna really pay attention to innovative and quality ingredients.Stephanie [00:17:25]:And can those items go in your same existing machine profile with the packaged goods?Speaker C [00:17:30]:Yeah. So, we're kinda modeling some of the packaging off ofStephanie [00:17:34]:1Speaker C [00:17:34]:of the, microwavable grain bowls that we have that's typically along the bottom. So, again, fingers crossed. You hope that everything will bend. We'll do a lot of testing, and that's why we're gonna kinda slowly roll it out. but I want people to, be able to go to the machine and get a full meal essentially and feel, you know, like, wow, I didn't, you know, have to bring anything today and, like, I didn't have to stop in Donald's or spend forty bucks for lunch. So I'm really excited, to be able to kind of continue to add value with what we offer.Stephanie [00:18:06]:Let me give you just a thought, these media companies. So the TV stations, the radio stations, they end up having people that are working 24 hours and can't in a news cycle, like, let's say something there's a storm or something's happening, people can't leave. So that would be a good resource. The, I work at 3 different media companies, and the lunchroom offerings at most are pretty sad. So this could be like a perfect type of, person to carry something that has some fresh items in it.Speaker C [00:18:41]:Cool. That's a great oh, and I have another thing that I'm noodling. I'm looking to do something with movie theaters. because I feel like every time I take my daughter out, like, the snacks are so depressing. so there are any theaters, you know, that I would love to partner so that we can do a snack pack. I'm so excited to start working on that and to launch that next summer.Stephanie [00:19:03]:Oh, yeah. Cause man theaters is local. And there's the Minnesota film, board or Minnesota, what is it, International Film Festival, someone owns the San Anthony Maine group, and that's Schoquel, and they are all invested in international and diverse filmmaking. So that could be a good fit for you. Okay. well, great. It was super nice to talk to you. I really am excited about your products. I will keep my eye on the modern well machine to see what's new and interesting. but it's been great to talk to you and you have a lot of great energy around this and I wish you the most success.Speaker C [00:19:43]:Thank you so much for having me.Stephanie [00:19:45]:Yeah. Thanks, Tatiana, and we'll talk soon. Alrighty. Okay. Bye bye.Speaker C [00:19:49]:Bye.Stephanie's Dish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Tom Jakobi ist der "Erntehelfer" mit seinem wikifolio Doppelanalyse (Chance) SL+ https://go.brn-ag.de/234 "Heute haben wir einen totalen Stichtagseffekt. Heute fand die Hauptversammlung meines größten Wikifolio-Wertes Sixt statt. Ich war auch als Sprecher der Kapitalanleger dabei. Ich möchte Sixt auch weiterhin stark im Depot gewichten, mit etwa 13 % … ich habe Sixt gestern und heute zu guten Kursen verkauft. Und möchte sie morgen zurückkaufen. Weil morgen die Aktie Ex-Dividende gehandelt wird. Jetzt sagt ja jeder: ist egal, der Kurs geht zurück, entsprechend der gezahlten Dividenden. Das ist im privaten Depot voll kommend richtig. Aber im Wikifolio sind ja Kursgewinne steuerfrei, während auf Dividenden zumindest eine Steuer von 15 % anfällt. Und wenn man sieht, dass Sixt 8 % Dividendenrendite zahlt auf die Vorzugsaktien, dann sind das 1,2 %, die ich an Steuer abführen würde ... und bei einem Spread von 0,2 % der Aktie kann ich also erwarten (vorbehaltlich Kursänderung), … dass ich durch diesen Handel etwa 1 % Gewinn machen werden und wenn Sixt 13 % des Depots ausmacht ... "

BIO: Chatchai Unrasmeewong is a financial advisor at FINLAB, a financial advisor group that helps clients reach their financial goals. STORY: Being a board game enthusiast, Chatchai decided to partner with a friend and open a board game cafe when he was in university. His target was students at local universities, so he picked a location next to one of the universities. The cafe did well but after one month schools went for a 3-month holiday break and the business could not withstand such a long break. LEARNING: Always sign a shareholder's agreement when getting into a business partnership. Research your market thoroughly before launching your business.   “Spend enough time studying the market if you want to run a successful business.”Chatchai Unrasmeewong  Guest profilehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/chatchai-unrasmeewong-5956951a8/ (Chatchai Unrasmeewong) is a financial advisor at https://www.linkedin.com/company/f-i-n-lab/ (FINLAB), a financial advisor group that helps clients reach their financial goals. He has a bachelor's degree in finance from Thailand's Kasetsart University. For two years after graduation, he worked as an assistant to the president of a private company. Then he pivoted to pursue his dream job of being a flight attendant. At that time, he also started his first business, which was a board game cafe. His passion is to apply his experience from past careers, knowledge, and abilities to advise people to understand their finances of life and achieve their financial goals. Worst investment everChatchai has always been very passionate about board games, and when he was in university, he decided to make money out of this hobby. He approached a good friend and asked him to partner with him and open a board game cafe. Chatchai borrowed about $2,000 from his mom to fund the partnership. Chatchai did some market research for a month and found a location near a university that he felt would be perfect for the cafe because he wanted to target students. The first month of business was great, and the students loved the cafe. Schools were then closed for three months, and it was a struggle. When schools reopened, Chatchai had to market the cafe all over again, and it was a struggle for him to keep the business afloat. His business partner had gotten a full-time job, so he wasn't helping much. After a few months, Chatchai's business partner suggested closing the business because they were making losses. Chatchai agreed, albeit reluctantly. Lessons learnedDo thorough market research to understand the market first before you launch your business. Have a shareholder's agreement, especially when partnering with friends. Andrew's takeawaysThere's nothing wrong with writing down a shareholder's agreement between partners and agreeing upon what to do should something happen to one of the partners, as well as your plan for your shares. When opening a retail business, choose your location wisely because it could make or break your business. Actionable adviceBefore you make any investment, you need to spend enough time studying the market because you won't run a successful business without that knowledge. No. 1 goal for the next 12 monthsChatchai's number one goal for the next 12 months is to use his knowledge to educate and encourage other entrepreneurs. Parting words  “Learn from our worst investment mistakes, and you're going to be better.”Chatchai Unrasmeewong  [spp-transcript]   Connect with Chatchai Unrasmeewonghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/chatchai-unrasmeewong-5956951a8/ (LinkedIn) https://www.facebook.com/finlabthailand (Facebook) Andrew's bookshttps://amzn.to/3qrfHjX (How to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock Market) https://amzn.to/2PDApAo (My Worst Investment Ever) https://amzn.to/3v6ip1Y (9 Valuation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them) https://amzn.to/3emBO8M (Transform Your Business with Dr.Deming's 14 Points) Andrew's online...

Nachdem Philipp & Pip rätseln was eine gute Frage für Arnold Schwarzenegger bei der Excite wäre und ob Spryker nicht schon längst das nächste Stealth-Unicorn ist, widmen wir uns wie immer den Themen der Woche. Wir diskutieren die angehobenen Prognosen von AboutYou und Salesforce. Wir wühlen uns durch die Geschäfte zwischen Northern Data, Bitfield, Block.one, EOSIO, Bullish.com, Cryptologie Asset Group, Finlab, Iconic Holding und Patrick Lowry sowie Christian Angermayer. Außerdem beantworten wir Fragen zum Handeln mit Optionsscheinen und ob man so seine Renditen verbessern kann. Oder ob es eine schlaue Idee ist seine Firma aus steuerlichen Gründen in Malta oder Zypern zu gründen. Philipp Glöckler (https://twitter.com/gloeckler) und Philipp Klöckner (https://twitter.com/pip_net) sprechen heute über: 00:26:30 Renditen durch Hebel? 00:36:30 About You 00:43:00 Nike 00:45:30 Salesforce 00:50:30 Northern Data kauft Bitfield 01:00:00 StartUps und Steuern Shownotes: **Doppelgänger Tech Talk Podcast** Werbepartner: Ihr könnt das All-in-One Collaboration Tool aus Deutschland, Stackfield, 14 Tage kostenlos testen. Mit dem Gutscheincode DG20 gibt es 20% auf das erste Vertragsjahr https://www.stackfield.com/doppelgaenger Northern Data News: https://www.dgap.de/dgap/News/adhoc/northern-data-uebernimmt-bitcoinminer-bitfield-fuer-eur-mio-wege-einer-sachkapitalerhoehung-und-gibt-neue-umsatzguidance-fuer-bekannt/?newsID=1477682 Bitfield: https://www.bitfield.com/ Cryptology Asset Group: https://cryptology-ag.com/ Iconic Holding: https://iconicholding.com/about/ Disclaimer https://www.doppelgaenger.io/disclaimer/ Post Production by Jan Wagener https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-wagener-49270018b

On the Soul of Business, the FinLab, UOB's innovation accelerator, and Mumpreneurs-Go-Places, an arm of Mums@Work, announced the launch of the Business Transformation Programme for Digital Mumpreneurs, an accelerator programme for aspiring mum entrepreneurs (mumpreneurs). Claresse Monteiro speaks to Shannon Lung, Head of The FinLab and Sher-li Torrey, Founder, Mums@Work, to find out more about this programme and what it hopes to achieve next. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Heute wieder ein ausührlicheres Einzelinterview - und zwar zu einer der aufsehenerregendsten Fusionen der jüngeren deutschen Startup-Geschichte. Bei uns zu Gast ist Dr. Tamaz Georgadze, Co-CEO von Raisin DS. Das Fintech hat sich vor ca. einem Monat mit seinem deutschen Wettbewerber Deposit Solutions verbündet und agiert künftig unter der gemeinsamen Marke Raisin DS. Beide Unternehmen haben bisher etwas gleich viel Venture Capital aufgenommen: Raisin ca. 206 Millionen US$ (u.a. von Thrive, Paypal, Goldman Sachs, Index Ventures, Ribbit Capital, Orange Capital und btov Partners) und Deposit Solutions ca. 198 Millionen US$ (u.a. von Deutsche Bank, Kinnevik, Headline, Valar & Founders Fund (Peter Thiel), Greycroft und Finlab). Marktbeobachter taxieren den Wert des neuen Unternehmens bei über 2 Milliarden US$. Diese Schätzung wollte Raisin DS nicht bestätigen. Auch wenn beide Unternehmen von einer “Fusion zweier Innovationsführer auf Augenhöhe” sprechen, birgt eine derartige Konstellation neben unbestrittenen Chancen auch viele Herausforderungen und Risiken. Über die Hintergründe, die Strategie, den Status Quo und den Ausblick hat Tamaz ausführlich Auskunft gegeben. Sehr spannend.

Amanda Jacobson is the Chief of Staff for Oyster Financial, a neobank for SMBs that's co-headquartered in Mexico City and San Francisco. Prior to joining Oyster's executive management team, she managed a portfolio of nine fintech startups for Finlab, the innovation lab of Gentera, focused on generating sustainable solutions for financial inclusion. She also led the expansion of Village Capital, supporting 50 ventures and eight startups.

Amanda Jacobson is the Chief of Staff for Oyster Financial, a neobank for SMBs that's co-headquartered in Mexico City and San Francisco. Prior to joining Oyster's executive management team, she managed a portfolio of nine fintech startups for Finlab, the innovation lab of Gentera, focused on generating sustainable solutions for financial inclusion. She also led the expansion of Village Capital, supporting 50 ventures and eight startups.

On this week's podcast, we welcome Stefan Schütze, board member at FinLab AG. FinLab AG is a publicly traded company that operates as a venture capital firm investing in fintech start up companies. FinLab is also the manager of a $100m EOS VC investment fund, which exclusively invests in projects utilizing EOS and EOSIO technology. Timestamps: 00:1:00 - Intro 00:7:30 - EOSIO investment criteria 00:16:00 - How FinLab finds portfolio companies 00:31:00 - Collaboration Between Projects 00:40:30 - How did B1 find FinLab AG? 00:46:00 - Investing in DeFi 00:54:00 - Investment Thesis and Looking forward to 2021 Read more about some of FinLab's recent investments https://www.voice.com/post/@langwenya/eoswriter-insights-into-eos-vc-fund-partner-finlab-ags-investment-strategy-1600291498-1 Stefan Schütze FinLab AG - Board Member www.finlab.de https://twitter.com/stefan_schuetze Chaney Moore Cryptowriter - CBO www.writer.io https://twitter.com/moore_chaney Zack Gall Everything EOS - Host LiquidApps.io - Head of Community https://twitter.com/blockchainzack ***************** https://www.EverythingEOS.io https://youtube.com/c/Everything_EOS http://t.me/Everything_EOS https://anchor.fm/everythingeos https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/everything-eos/id1434560651?mt=2

On this week’s podcast, we welcome Stefan Schütze, board member at FinLab AG. FinLab AG is a publicly traded company that operates as a venture capital firm investing in fintech start up companies. FinLab is also the manager of a $100m EOS VC investment fund, which exclusively invests in projects utilizing EOS and EOSIO technology. Timestamps: 00:1:00 - Intro 00:7:30 - EOSIO investment criteria 00:16:00 - How FinLab finds portfolio companies 00:31:00 - Collaboration Between Projects 00:40:30 - How did B1 find FinLab AG? 00:46:00 - Investing in DeFi 00:54:00 - Investment Thesis and Looking forward to 2021 Read more about some of FinLab’s recent investments https://www.voice.com/post/@langwenya/eoswriter-insights-into-eos-vc-fund-partner-finlab-ags-investment-strategy-1600291498-1 Stefan Schütze FinLab AG - Board Member www.finlab.de https://twitter.com/stefan_schuetze Chaney Moore Cryptowriter - CBO www.writer.io https://twitter.com/moore_chaney Zack Gall Everything EOS - Host LiquidApps.io - Head of Community https://twitter.com/blockchainzack ***************** https://www.EverythingEOS.io https://youtube.com/c/Everything_EOS http://t.me/Everything_EOS https://anchor.fm/everythingeos https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/everything-eos/id1434560651?mt=2

In Soul of Business, Claressa Monteiro speaks to Pauline Sim, Head of The FinLab , JunTing, CEO and Founder of AImazing on their partnership for #AImazingGivesBack to help offline F&B and retail SMEs reconnect with customers after their initial purchase to drive repeated transactions at their physical stores by leveraging the power of AI.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Mind Your Business, Rachel Kelly spoke to Pauline Sim, Senior Vice President of FinTech, Ecosystem & Innovation at UOB and Co-Head of The FinLab about their online platform to help more SMEs in ASEAN transform digitally.

Episode 17 is the second in our Ecosystem Zoom In Series - this time showcasing the Portuguese case, it's rise and intensity within the European scheme. João Freire de Andrade is one of its biggest motors of this evolution and joins us to talk all about fintech in Portugal and its change of mentality that new startups, incumbents and big spotlights like the WebSummit, have brought to the country. The second part of the episode introduces us to Marta Palmeiro another key figure of the Portugal ecosystem that pioneered the way the country moved forward new investments, partnerships and even guidelines for new regulations under the wing of Portugal FinTech (and FinLab program). All and more hosted by Matteo Rizzi, resident in the country for the past 5 years.

歡迎大家來到你在幹嘛的第11集 這集邀請到的來賓是承佑 他是Finlab的創辦人 畢業於法國巴黎資工博士,他非常做研究和寫程式,得過臺大2016黑客松第一名 FInlab全名是是finance lab. 原先是一個他建立的部落格名稱 在這個部落格他會分享各樣各式的財經實驗   在一年前他決定破除知識的高牆 用淺顯易懂的方式教大家如何用大數據打造自己的選股策略 在2018線上教學平台hahow設立的第一堂課程 用 Python 理財：打造小資族選股策略 而在2019也完成了 用Python打造自己的 AI 股票理專 目前這兩堂課程已經累積有至少七千多名學生!   在這集他會分享為什麼會開始接觸財金相關的領域 創辦Finlab 從0到1的過程 一些機器學習和金融結合的一些想法 在黑客松遇到有趣的事情 還有他各式各樣的side project   這集真的是一個很好玩的一集 因為我本身是一名半吊子的工程師 跟他聊天的時候我都會興奮得起雞皮疙瘩   歐對 這集有彩蛋一定要非常認真聽 finlab在hahow的線上課程優惠代碼就藏在這集之中   那我們就趕緊開始這集吧 希望你們會喜歡   用 Python 理財：打造小資族選股策略： https://hahow.in/cr/python-finance  用 Python 理財：打造自己的 AI 股票理專： https://hahow.in/cr/finlab-ml     你在幹嘛FB粉絲團：   https://www.facebook.com/你在幹嘛-2475941732475938/

Stefan Schuetze & Juan Rodriguez are both part of the board of directors of Finlab AG, one of the first and one of the largest German company builders and investors in the financial services technology sector. Both Stefan and Juan have extensive experience in working in the Venture Capital, Fintech and Startups space. In the conversation we take a deep dive into the topic ranging from venture capital and fintech to blockchain and ICOs.  Some of the topics we discuss in the interview include: How to become a managing director at a VC Fund? How top VCs choose their projects? What is exciting for a VC in the Fintech/Blockchain space now How being a publicly listed company affect decision making of a company How to grow a Fintech Company What do VCs see in Blockchain technology 100 million USD fund to invest in Blockchain EOS projects Will ICOs displace Venture Capital? What experience or skills do you need to get into fintech / VC space What you should never say when pitching a company to a VC And many more. Find out more at www.TheWallStreetLab.com

The FinLab aims to accelerate SMEs’ business transformation through a step-by-step process to help SMEs grow revenue, improve productivity, and reach new markets. The FinLab’s MD Felix Tan chats with Howie Lim in Mind Your Business.

CardUp is in it to disrupt the online payment space and The FinLab was their partner in ‘crime’. CardUp ‘graduated’ from The FinLab’s accelerator program. CEO of Cardup, Nicki Ramsay and MD of The FinLab Felix Tan.

Discover more tech podcasts like this: Tech Podcast Asia. Produced by Pikkal & Co - Award Winning Podcast Agency. Felix is the Managing Director of The Finlab, a corporate FinTech Accelerator which is a joint venture between United Overseas Bank (UOB) and SGInnovate, previously known as Infocomm Investments. Felix was one of the pioneers of the Singapore startup and internet scene and started building funded companies as far back as 1995. His two most famous companies were SilkRoute and ECNet, which we discuss at length. The stories about the founding, growth, funding and ultimate demise of these companies is compelling and an interesting tale of being a bit too early. Felix was a Computer Science graduate and represented Singapore in the South East Asian Games in the sport of Fencing.

Today’s guest is Colleen Briggs, Executive Director for Community Innovation and Corporate Responsibility at JPMorgan Chase. Colleen leads a visionary effort that is part of JPM’s commitment to building “more inclusive growth,” globally, by finding innovative models that build financial access and economic expansion. Our timing is great because just last week, the Center for Financial Services Innovation announced its new class of winners for the Financial Solutions Lab competition. The Finlab is funded by a $30 million, five-year commitment from JPMorgan that Colleen oversees, aimed at finding, supporting, and scaling innovative ways to promote consumer financial health. This is part of a $1 billion program that the bank has undertaken globally.   Here is a link to the JPMorgan press release on this year’s competition, which includes an overview of the winners, and here is a further article by the American Banker. Colleen comes to this work from a diverse background at nonprofits, on Capitol Hill, and now in the private sector, searching for better solutions for lower-income financial consumers. In listening to her, I was struck by the degree to which she has her finger on the pulse of the trends underway, both globally and in the U.S.  She shares insights on how to make it profitable to serve low income customers; how to win the trust of consumers who are wary of digital products; on the failures of traditional financial education; on the primacy of behaviorally-based product design; on the need for new business models; on how to build partnerships between banks, fintechs and community organizations; on how innovative cultures can take root in big banks; on platforms that can get new solutions to scale; on the business opportunity for banks -- and their corporate customers -- from building global inclusion; on mixing high tech and high touch and the limits of automation; and on how to shift the whole marketplace. She has wise advice for all the players. Since we recorded this episode, I’ve become the board chair at CFSI. Last week we held the Emerge Forum in Orlando, where a record audience talked about exciting new ideas for financial health. There was huge enthusiasm there about the new Finlab winners. In a sign of the maturing of the fintech startup world, three companies in this year’s class are reaching beyond the typical millennial customer base and instead building new tools for seniors. Watch for their progress. Here are my other podcasts with the Finlab and past winners Digit, Ascend, and Bee.   More on Colleen Briggs Colleen Briggs is Executive Director of Community Innovation within the Office of Corporate Responsibility and Global Philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase & Co, a global leader in corporate philanthropy with $200 million invested in communities annually. She is responsible for helping establish and execute the firm’s global philanthropic and corporate responsibility financial capability, including the Financial Solutions Lab, and community development strategies, including PRO Neighborhoods. The Lab is a $30 million, five-year initiative that convenes leading experts in technology, behavioral economics, and design to improve consumer financial health. PRO Neighborhoods is a five-year, $125 million program that works to increase the availability and accessibility of vital economic opportunities in vulnerable neighborhoods across the country. Colleen also manages the Foundation’s portfolio of global financial inclusion grants, impact framework and grant guidelines and works with the lines of business to share best practices to improve the firm’s products and services.     Prior to joining, Colleen was the Economic Policy Advisor to Senator Debbie Stabenow. In this role, Colleen managed the Senator’s economic portfolio, including policy related to financial services, tax, small business, job creation, community development, manufacturing, and housing. Colleen managed the Dodd-Frank market reforms for the Senate Agriculture Committee, and helped draft the Recovery Act, TARP, the Dodd-Frank Act, and healthcare reform. Colleen is a member of the Asset Funders Network Steering Committee and the Innovations for Poverty Action Policy Advisory Group. She earned an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. More links Some organizations Colleen mentioned: Neighborhood Trust / FlexWage / Lending Club / LendStreet / Propel And more for our listeners Please remember to review Barefoot Innovation on ITunes, and please sign up to get emails on new podcasts and my newsletter and blog posts at  jsbarefoot.com.   Also go to jsbarefoot.com to send in your “buck a show” to keep Barefoot Innovation going. Please also join my facebook fan page, and follow me on twitter. Support our Podcast - Send "A buck a show" And watch for upcoming podcasts. My guests include Christopher Giancarlo, Acting Chairman of the CFTC; Brett King, founder of Moven; John Ryan of Conference of State Bank Supervisors; and a special series we recorded at the American Bankers Association Regulatory Compliance Conference this month. The ABA show includes a conversation with Promontory CEO (and former Comptroller of the Currency) Gene Ludwig and Alistair Renee of IBM Watson, who have teamed up to bring artificial intelligence to compliance through regtech. See you soon! Subscribe Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. Email Address Sign Up We respect your privacy. Thank you!

Bringing payments and financial services to those of us with a tenuous connection to the banking system is the goal of the Center for Financial Services Innovation. FinLab, a joint effort by the CFSI and JPMorgan Chase, is a five year effort, now in its third year, that’s using a competition for funding and business support to broaden American financial services options. When nearly half of Americans don’t have $400 ready money, better financial management tools can help. Join FinLab’s Managing Director, Ryan Falvey and Glenbrook’s George Peabody as they discuss the FinLab mission, its process, successes, and what Ryan hopes to see next.

We have a very special show today. I realized – rather late – that we should do an episode on the CFSI financial solutions lab competition. It’s belated, because the contest is open, now, for its second year of applications, and the deadline is April 7 – just a few days from now.  My guests are Ryan Falvey, who heads the lab, plus three of last year’s 9 winners. They are Sheri Atwood of SupportPay; Jerry Nemorin, of LendStreet, and Quinten Farmer of Even. They explain how the competition works, what they are looking for this year, and, from the standpoint of last year’s winners, what they have gotten from participating in the program. FINLAB:  The FinLab is investing about $5 million each year in the contest winners, who also receive a huge array of expert advice and access to networks and resources. Here’s the information on the competition and how to apply by April 7:  Finlab.cfsinnovation.com. And here is an overview of the full list of last year’s winners. For today’s show, we’re featuring these guests: RYAN FALVEY As a Managing Director at the Center for Financial Services Innovation, Ryan oversees the Financial Solutions Lab, bringing together innovators from the fields of technology, behavioral economics, nonprofit services and design to provide guidance, share best practices and develop scalable financial products. He loves to help organizations solve hard problems. Prior to joining CFSI, Ryan was at Silicon Valley Bank, working with leading technology firms to develop innovative payment products and solutions. He also served as the Strategy Group Lead at Enclude Solutions, overseeing its global strategy consulting work in over 30 countries and supporting the development of several of the world’s most successful mobile-enabled financial products. Ryan has a graduate degree from Yale and an undergraduate degree from UCLA.  Twitter: @TheFinLab, @CFSInnovation Personal Twitter: @Ryan_Falvey SHERI ATWOOD Sheri Atwood, Founder and CEO of SupportPay by Ittavi (acronym for “it takes a village"), is a former Silicon Valley executive, single mom and child of a bitter divorce. Atwood, who was raised by a single mother and was the only person in her family to attend college, married at 19, completed her undergraduate degree in less than 4 years and completed her MBA 10 days before her daughter was born. When Atwood herself divorced at 25, she was the youngest Vice President at Symantec. Before SupportPay, there was no easy way for parents to exchange child support -- and Atwood was so determined to create a solution that she taught herself to code and is today an expert in front-end development. Atwood was named “#5 of 50 Women in Tech Dominating Silicon Valley” and a "Top 40 Under 40 Executive in Silicon Valley."  Website: www.supportpay.com Twitter: @SupportPayApp Personal Twitter: @SheriAtwood JERRY NEMORIN Jerry is founder and CEO of LendStreet. He previously worked at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in its Global Corporate & Investing Banking division, helping major companies restructure their debt during the financial crisis and raise money from the high yield debt market. Jerry is now putting that expertise to use in a way that helps consumers in financial distress deal with their debt and rebuild their credit. Jerry has been a speaker, guest, and advocate for responsible lending and sustainable financial services on Capitol Hill and industry events such as Finovate, SWIFT Innotribe Competition, Experian's Vision Conference and Credit Suisse Impact Investing Conference. Jerry recently served as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Darden School of Business Incubator. He began his career in Tyco's Treasury group and received a B.S. in Finance and Exercise & Sports Science from the University of Florida and an M.B.A. from the Darden Graduate School of BusinessAdministration at the University of Virginia. Website: www.lendstreet.com Twitter: @LendStreet Personal Twitter: @JNemorin QUINTEN FARMER Quinten Farmer is Co-Founder at Even. Previously, Quinten ran Client Operations at Taykey, a venture-backed advertising technology company, and was Vice President of Operations at Onswipe, a New York-based startup. Quinten studied Computer Science at Columbia University, and also founded the Open Loans Project, a nonprofit working to bring transparency to the student loans industry. He founded Even to help employers enable workers to even out timing mismatches between paychecks and expenses, especially in volatile or disruptive situations. Website: https://even.com Personal Twitter: @Quintendf Also, be sure to come to the CFSI Emerge Forum on Consumer Financial Health, in New Orleans, June 14-17. The new contest winners will be announced, and there will be an amazing lineup of speakers and events focused on technology solutions to building consumer financial health and well being. As always, please donate to my free podcast series (which seems to be trying to take over my life) and please write a review of it on ITunes! Support the Podcast Subscribe to Our Mailing List Be sure sign up for email notifications on the videos and podcasts and major blog posts if you haven't done so yet Email Address Sign Up We respect your privacy. Thank you!