Podcasts about Frost Brown Todd

Hosted by Raghu Ramanathan, President of Legal Professionals at Thomson Reuters, the latest podcast on the Thomson Reuters Institute (TRI) Insights channel emphasizes the innovations that are transforming the legal profession, and features, from Frost Brown Todd, Cindy Thurston Bare, chief data and innovation officer, and Kayla Kotila, senior knowledge and research services manager, who elaborate on how they are utilizing AI and promoting its integration throughout the firm. 

The Atlantic Magazine recently awarded the US economy “superstar status” – calling it the “Taylor Swift” of global economies – for its robust sustained performance. Closer to home, Central Ohio's economy also appears to be roaring along, with the region leading the Buckeye State in growth. What's in store for Central Ohio's economy and our region in 2025? Hear what the year ahead looks like for Central Ohio's economy from a panel of leading experts at CMC's first program of 2025 and one of the year's most popular forums. Featuring: Dr. Joyce Chen, Professor of Economics in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies, The Ohio State University Kathy Bostjancic, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, Nationwide Mutual Dr. Bill LaFayette, Owner, Regionomics The host is Benjamin Lanka, Business Editor, The Columbus Dispatch. This forum was sponsored by Smoot Construction, Frost Brown Todd, The Columbus Region, Ian Alexander Photography, and PNC. The presenting sponsor of the CMC livestream was The Center for Human Kindness at the Columbus Foundation. Our livestream partner was The Columbus Dispatch. This forum was supported by Vue Columbus. This forum was recorded before a live audience at Vue Columbus in the Brewery District on January 8, 2025.

Jonathan Miller interviews Nolan Jackson, partner at Frost Brown Todd and regulatory counsel to the US Hemp Roundtable, about major legislative and regulatory changes being made at the state level during 2024. If you have questions about the episode or ideas for Hemp related topics, email us at hemplegallyspeaking@fbtlaw.com. Hemp Industry questions covered in the episode: What is the impact of new laws passed by state legislatures in CT, SD, FL, GA, IA and TN?What is the impact of new regulatory and administrative actions taken in DC, KY, and MD?What is the status of legislation pending in CA, IL, LA and OH?How can an individual or company keep apprised of the detailed changes being made on a regular basis in the states?

This week Todd Wilkowski, a former Air Force officer and an expert in construction law, shares his unique approach to legal advising as part of Frost Brown Todd, a firm that differentiates itself by emphasizing a deep, client-centric relationship model. Tune in as Deb and Todd discuss Frost Brown Todd's culture, the value of building relationships over transactions, and introduce a new marketing acronym.   Episode Highlights: 03:10 Exploring the Unique Culture at Frost Brown Todd 11:05 The Value of Relational Legal Services 13:18 Innovative Legal Solutions: The VROOM Framework 22:04 The Future of Legal Services and Fractional Leadership   Todd is a seasoned legal strategist, specializing in private and family-owned businesses as their trusted advisor. With a background as an Air Force officer and extensive experience in construction law, Todd brings a unique perspective to his role. He served as general counsel for Baker Concrete Construction Inc., overseeing legal, risk management, and government relations functions. Now, with Frost Brown Todd, Todd offers comprehensive counsel to businesses of all sizes. His proactive approach and innovative solutions empower clients to navigate challenges and capitalize on opportunities. From contract negotiation to strategic planning, Todd and his team deliver invaluable support for sustainable growth and success.   You can connect with Todd in the following ways: Website: https://frostbrowntodd.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-wilkowski-8802286/   Other episodes you'll enjoy: C-Suite Goal Setting: How To Create A Roadmap For Your Career Success - http://bit.ly/3XwI55n Natalya Berdikyan: Investing in Yourself to Serve Others on Apple Podcasts -http://bit.ly/3ZMx8yw Questions to Guarantee You Accomplish Your Goals - http://bit.ly/3QASvymSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jonathan Miller interviews Uttam Dhillon, the former Acting Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration and current partner at Frost Brown Todd, about federal law enforcement views of hemp and cannabis, and the potential rescheduling and descheduling of cannabis. If you have questions about the episode or ideas for Hemp related topics, email us at hemplegallyspeaking@fbtlaw.com. Hemp Industry questions covered in the episode: As the DEA head when hemp was legalized, why was the agency so concerned about hemp prior to legalization?What are the prospects of rescheduling cannabis, and what would serve as the regulatory framework?Why is law enforcement so generally opposed to cannabis legalization?Why does the DEA care about hemp/cannabis when there are so much more dangerous drugs affecting the country like heroin or fentanyl?What are the most common misperceptions about DEA agent and their motivations?

Jonathan Miller interviews Jim Carroll, the former White House "Drug Czar" and current partner at Frost Brown Todd, about federal law enforcement views of hemp and cannabis, and the potential rescheduling of marijuana. If you have questions about the episode or ideas for Hemp related topics, email us at hemplegallyspeaking@fbtlaw.com. Hemp Industry questions covered in the episode: How does federal law enforcement view cannabis and its potential legalization?Are there more nuanced views toward hemp and CBD at the federal level?What is the status of the Biden Administration's potential efforts to reschedule cannabis at Schedule 3, and what would it mean?What would be an appropriate regulatory regime for cannabis under Schedule 3?How should the cannabis industry prepare for rescheduling?How would rescheduling impact hemp and hemp extracts?

Jonathan Miller interviews Deb Hackathorn, Frost Brown Todd principal and the U.S Hemp Roundtable's lobbyist in Columbus, about legislative efforts to ban certain hemp products in the Buckeye State. If you have questions about the episode or ideas for Hemp related topics, email us at hemplegallyspeaking@fbtlaw.com. Hemp Industry questions covered in the episode: Ohioans passed a referendum in November to legalize adult-use marijuana.  What was the reaction of the Governor and legislature on its implementation?What was the nature of legislation proposed in December that could have posed severe restrictions on hemp products in Ohio?How did the hemp industry secure defeat of provisions that could have devastated Ohio farmers?What are the Governor and legislature planning to do in the new year on these issues?How can citizens make their voices heard in a meaningful way on this issue?

The final installment of a series of TechBytes podcasts looking at cryptocurrency and bankruptcy provides key insights and takeaways that practitioners may encounter in these cases. Join Patricia K. Burgess of Frost Brown Todd LLP (Nashville, Tenn.), the Special Projects Leader of ABI's Emerging Industries and Technology Committee, as she talks with John S. Wagster, who leads Frost Brown Todd's Technology Industry Team (Nashville, Tenn.); Jordan S. Blask, the partner-in-charge at Frost Brown Todd's Pittsburgh office; and Jared M. Tully, who is vice chair of Frost Brown Todd's Business Litigation Practice Group and serves as the team leader for the firm's Community Bank and Financial Institutions Team, as they provide their perspectives on cryptocurrency bankruptcy cases.

This is the third and final installment of a series of TechBytes podcasts that looks at cryptocurrency and bankruptcy. On this episode, Patricia K. Burgess of Frost Brown Todd LLP (Nashville, Tenn.), the Special Projects Leader of ABI's Emerging Industries and Technology Committee, talks with John S. Wagster, who leads Frost Brown Todd's Technology Industry Team (Nashville, Tenn.); Jordan S. Blask, the partner-in-charge at Frost Brown Todd's Pittsburgh office; and Jared M. Tully, who is vice chair of Frost Brown Todd's Business Litigation Practice Group and serves as the team leader for the firm's Community Bank and Financial Institutions Team. They discuss issues surrounding fiduciary duties in cryptocurrency bankruptcy cases.

This is the second in a series of TechBytes podcasts that looks at cryptocurrency and bankruptcy. On this episode, Patricia K. Burgess of Frost Brown Todd LLP (Nashville, Tenn.), the Special Projects Leader of ABI's Emerging Industries and Technology Committee, talks with John S. Wagster, who leads Frost Brown Todd's Technology Industry Team (Nashville, Tenn.), and Jared M. Tully, who is vice chair of Frost Brown Todd's Business Litigation Practice Group and serves as the team leader for the firm's Community Bank and Financial Institutions Team. They discuss the ways in which the law is and isn't developing to meet the unique needs of crypto assets.

This is the first in a series of TechBytes podcasts that will look at cryptocurrency and bankruptcy. On this episode, Patricia K. Burgess of Frost Brown Todd LLC (Nashville, Tenn.), the Special Projects Leader of ABI's Emerging Industries and Technology Committee, talks with John Wagster, who leads Frost Brown Todd's Technology Industry Team. With his focus on technology-related commercial agreements with a particular interest in blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, Wagster provides a brief primer on cryptocurrency and discusses some of the issues that arise in bankruptcy proceedings.

In this episode Todd Wilkowski discusses the importance of bringing in outside general counsel and the value it provides in terms of expertise and support for small businesses. Listen in as Todd and Deborah talk about the fractional approach, which allows businesses to test the waters and build trust before committing to a long-term relationship with consultants. They emphasize the importance of being proactive and strategic in providing legal advice and the need for trusted advisors who can offer solutions to a wide range of challenges. They also discuss the future of professional services and the transformative impact of technology on the legal industry.   Todd focuses his practice on serving private, closely held and/or family-owned businesses as their outside general counsel and trusted advisor on all legal and risk issues. Besides a prior career as an Air Force officer, Todd also has unique background in construction law, where he has advised companies on myriad legal issues affecting the industry in both private practice and as a general counsel. Before joining Frost Brown Todd, Todd served for seven years as the general counsel for Baker Concrete Construction Inc., the nation's largest concrete construction specialty contractor, where he had daily oversight over the company's legal, enterprise risk management, contracts, ethics, compliance, political lobbying and government relations functions. Prior to Baker, Todd was a partner with a large Cincinnati law firm where he gained substantial litigation, arbitration and alternative dispute experience while assisting the firm's clients in resolving risk issues that threatened their profitable growth or continued sustainability. Todd's full time practice is serving as outside general counsel to private and family-owned businesses of all sizes. He (and his team of experts at FBT) provide timely, practical, strategic, and value-added advice on various issues and opportunities faced by closely held companies involving, but not limited to, enterprise risk management, contract drafting and negotiation, litigation and dispute resolution oversight, corporate restructuring, tactical and strategic HR and employment, and intellectual property and government compliance. He also offers business advice in areas such as succession planning/ exit strategies and strategic plan development. Todd takes a proactive approach on identifying and providing innovative solutions impacting his clients' continued development and success. He also advises his clients on potential strategies for seizing current market opportunities while concurrently and effectively leveraging the risks commensurate with these opportunities.   You can connect with Todd in the following ways: Website: https://frostbrowntodd.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-wilkowski-8802286   Whether you are a C-Suite Leader of today or tomorrow, take charge of your career with confidence and leverage the insights of The CEO's Compass: Your Guide to Get Back on Track.  To learn more about The CEO's Compass, you can get your copy here: https://amzn.to/3AKiflR    Other episodes you'll enjoy: C-Suite Goal Setting: How To Create A Roadmap For Your Career Success - http://bit.ly/3XwI55n Natalya Berdikyan: Investing in Yourself to Serve Others on Apple Podcasts -http://bit.ly/3ZMx8yw Questions to Guarantee You Accomplish Your Goals - http://bit.ly/3QASvym  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you stay ahead of the law when it comes to generative A.I.? Discover in today's episode! Join Derrick L. Maultsby Jr., a Senior Associate Attorney at Frost Brown Todd who focuses on artificial intelligence, digital assets, and web3. Derrick has spoken at the intersection of law and technology at conferences and universities across the country and was named "Trailblazer in the Law" by the American Lawyer Magazine, "2023 Rising Star" by Super Lawyers, and a 2023 "Ones to Watch in America" by Best Lawyers. Beyond his accolades, Derrick is also committed to creating a more equitable and inclusive environment within his law firm by serving on the firm's Diversity Equity and Inclusion committee. Episode 20 does a deep dive into the current legal landscape around generative artificial intelligence. While nothing discussed is legal advice, both creatives and business leaders alike will learn tips to safeguard their intellectual property and harness A.I. ethically to grow their businesses.  Find out why Derrick looks to consumer privacy and our European friends for regulatory framework parallels, what we've learned from the "Zarya of the Dawn" case on A.I. art copyright, and how creatives can protect their IP, including actors when it comes to scanning their likeness. You won't want to miss how to ethically navigate generative A.I., IP, and the law. EPISODE SHOW NOTES: https://creativitysquared.com/podcast/ep-20-derrick-l-maultsby-jr-ai-ip-the-law-oh-my/  JOIN CREATIVITY SQUARED Sign up for our free weekly newsletter: https://creativitysquared.com/newsletter  Become a premium member: https://creativitysquared.com/supporters  SUBSCRIBE Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform: https://creativitysquared.com Subscribe for more videos: https://youtube.com/@creativity_squared/?sub_confirmation=1 CONNECT with C^2 https://instagram.com/creativitysquaredpodcast https://facebook.com/CreativitySquaredPodcast https://giphy.com/channel/CreativitySquared https://tumblr.com/blog/creativitysquared https://tiktok.com/@creativitysquaredpodcast #CreativitySquared CONNECT with Helen Todd, the human behind C^2 https://instagram.com/helenstravels https://twitter.com/helenstravels https://linkedin.com/in/helentodd https://pinterest.com/helentodd Creativity Squared explores how creatives are collaborating with artificial intelligence in your inbox, on YouTube, and on your preferred podcast platform.  Because it's important to support artists, 10% of all revenue Creativity Squared generates will go to ArtsWave, a nationally recognized non-profit that supports over 100 arts organizations. This show is produced and made possible by the team at PLAY Audio Agency: https://playaudioagency.com. Creativity Squared is brought to you by Sociality Squared, a social media agency who understands the magic of bringing people together around what they value and love: http://socialitysquared.com.  #AI #GenerativeAI #AInews #TechTrends #Futurist #ArtificialIntelligence #FutureTechnology #TechPodcast #ArtificialIntelligenceTechnology #ArtificialIntelligenceAI #MachineLearning #Web3 #LanguageModels #AItechnology #DeepLearning #GenerativeModels #aiart #EthicalAI #GenAI #copyrightlaw #iplaw #AIregulation

Jonathan Miller interviews his Frost Brown Todd colleague, Nolan Jackson, who serves as Regulatory Counsel for the US Hemp Roundtable, and the two discuss new state laws and regulations that have imposed restrictions on hemp and CBD products. If you have questions about the episode or ideas for Hemp related topics, email us at hemplegallyspeaking@fbtlaw.com. Hemp Industry questions covered in the episode:  Why are states beginning to impose THC milligram limits on hemp-derived CBD products? What does the new New York regulatory regime mean for both the Empire State and the nation? What other states are imposing THC milligram caps on CBD products and how do these states differ from each other? Why is there a new trend to impose age restrictions on CBD products, and which states have implemented new laws or regulations in this space? What should CBD manufacturers do to comply with these new state laws? What are the prospects for state action in 2024?

The U.S. Government collects data globally about persons and organizations. In doing so, it collects vast amounts of data about U.S. persons “incidental” to collecting foreign intel for national security purposes. Since the Carter Administration when the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) became law, this has raised conflicts between the personal privacy of U.S. and foreign persons and the Government's interest in national security and crime prevention. The FBI has accessed FISA databases millions of times through U.S. person queries without a warrant – creating front-page news and raising major concerns from the left and right of politics. Tune in to understand what is at stake, as Congress considers by December 31, 2023 whether and how to extend FISA. Learn about FISA, the reach of Section 702, how it operates in practice, and how the privacy issues involved affect data flows and commerce between the United States and Europe and the privacy of persons domestic and foreign. Consider how information about U.S. persons is involved and can be accessed without a judicial warrant. Our guests are Gene Price, a partner in Frost Brown Todd's Louisville office, retired as Read Admiral from the U.S. Navy where he supported U.S. Cyber Command and Naval Information Forces Reserve, and Yugo Nagashima, a partner in the firm's Washington, D.C. office and Deputy Chair of its Data Security and Privacy Team. Time stamps: 01:45 — What is FISA? 09:23 — What is a “US person query”? 15:15 — What are the privacy implications of FISA?

Jonathan Miller serves as Member in Charge of Frost Brown Todd's Washington, D.C. office, and leads the national law firm's broad and diverse hemp practice. He has emerged as one of the nation's leading hemp lawyers while serving as one of the industry's leading advocates for legalization. Upon leading successful lobbying efforts that laid the groundwork for the current hemp program regime, Miller now serves as a trusted counsel to dozens of companies in the industrial hemp space. =================== About Cannabinoid Connect: Thought-provoking discussions, expert insights, and captivating stories shaping the future of this transformative industry.

July 2023 was hot – record setting global temperatures. Likewise in the data privacy world. Tune in for an exploration of three top topics in data privacy by Frost Brown Todd's Yugo Nagashima and Brian St. Amour with the Data Privacy Detective. Illinois – major Supreme Court decision from the first state to adopt a biometric data privacy law – raising the stakes for businesses in using biometrics in the workplace. U.S./EU – a third attempt to facilitate personal data flows between the European Union and the United States is deemed “adequate” by the EU – will it work despite two prior failures? What's the new option for U.S. businesses? The United Kingdom's draft Online Safety Bill and Apple's threat to leave the UK – what's behind this battle between freedom and law & order in social media? Why is Apple threatening to leave the UK market rather than submit to new proposed rules that would require it to give the UK government a backdoor entry to end-to-end pro-privacy encryption? Time stamps: 00:40 — Illinois 05:47 — U.S./EU 14:22 — UK

This week on the NKY Spotlight Podcast, presented by CVG, we are joined by Nancy Brunson of Louisville Orchestra. She highlights their In Harmony tour performance on July 11 at MegaCorp Pavilion. On NKY Work, Rob Hudson of Frost Brown Todd shares how the Supreme Court's recent decisions on Affirmative Action and Religious Accommodations will impact employers.  Thank you to our sponsors Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, CKREU Consulting, and HORAN.

Renee Shaw hosts a 2023 Primary Election preview. Guests: Amy Wickliffe, Republican strategist and partner with McCarthy Strategic Solutions government relations; Jonathan Miller, a Democrat, former state treasurer and attorney with Frost Brown Todd; Mike Ward, political consultant and former Democratic Congressman; and Tres Watson, Republican political consultant and founder of Capitol Reins PR.

The modern automobile – a marvel of technology and transportation. It collects enormous amounts of data about us. This information is used for continuous improvement in design and safety and for our convenience. But it also creates risks to personal privacy. Episode 124 provides a tour of what automakers, suppliers, and users can do to create fair controls over how the automobile monitors, records, and shares personal information. Standard setting includes the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, in its Consumer Privacy Protection Principles. NIST (the National Institute for Standards and Technology) issued 2023 revisions to its Cyber-Security Framework. In the absence of national law or regulation about automotive privacy, these standards are a baseline for acceptable use of automotive generated personal data. Tune in to consider what automotive businesses and private individuals can do to safeguard personal privacy while allowing continuing technological and safety progress. Matt Schantz, an attorney with Frost Brown Todd's Automotive Industry Team, with a focus on intellectual property and technology agreements, leads an exploration of how our car is watching, listening, recording, and sharing our data – and choices business and consumers have to protect personal privacy. Time stamps: 01:10 — How do today's automobiles collect data about their drivers? 05:00 — How do automakers and suppliers address privacy concerns? 06:40 — What guidance does NIST have on balancing automaker interests with individual privacy concerns? 10:19 — Tips for automakers and suppliers about meeting privacy concerns and/or regulations? 13:57 — TIps for drivers about safeguarding their data

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. Follow us on popular podcast services to never miss an episode.   Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | StitcherThough the Silicon Valley Bank failure happened on the other coast, the ripple effects were felt by Louisville startups, attorneys and bank leaders.A startup founder told KYInno that he was rushing to pull funds from the bank, faced with the fear of the question: How will their employees be paid. Haley Cawthon spoke to the founder, who asked to be anonymous given the fluidity of the situation, and shares what she learned with us.Beyond startups, an attorney at large Louisville law firm Frost Brown Todd spent his weekend helping clients both locally and across the country who had funds in SVB. Ellie Tolbert spoke with him and some leaders in Louisville's banking scene to get their reaction.The SVB bank collapse was big news everywhere, but in true Access Louisville fashion, we sneak in some talk of restaurants and tourism.The Bard's Town, which recently announced a move, put plans on hold after its owner passed away. In his memory, former employees are opening the new location anyway with the help of some of his plans, Michael L. Jones reports.We also discuss renovations to the Louisville Slugger Museum and lineups for two Danny Wimmer presents music festivals: Bourbon and Beyond and Louder than Life.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It was hosted this week by Laurel Deppen. Our guests are Tolbert, Cawthon and Jones.It's available on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, which are linked above. You also can listen to the show in the player above.

Business owners, don't miss today's episode of the NKY Spotlight Podcast! We're joined by Kenton County - Government Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann, who introduces us to their new Filing Wizard tool for businesses. On NKY @ Work, Frost Brown Todd Partner Rob Hudson discusses the Federal Trade Commission's proposed ban on non-competes. Thank you to our sponsors Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, CKREU Consulting and HORAN.

The Data Privacy Detective welcomes Frost Brown Todd attorneys Mike Nitardy and Yugo Nagashima to cover three important developments in the world of data privacy: -Updates to the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”) – highlights of final regulations just issued -FTC settlement with GoodRX - the first enforcement of the Health Breach Notification Rule – its meaning for the healthcare industry and us -European Commission's proposed “Data Act,” which could radically change the rules of data sharing and stimulate competition in tech sector Time stamps: 01:15 - California Privacy Rights Act amendments 07:58 - FTC settlement with GoodRX 11:55 - EU Data Act proposal

Jonathan Miller interviews Andrea Steel, Member of Frost Brown Todd's Houston office and a leader of its cannabis industry team, about new legal and regulatory developments concerning intoxicating cannabinoids, such as delta-8 THC. If you have questions about the episode or ideas for Hemp related topics, email us at hemplegallyspeaking@fbtlaw.com. Hemp Industry questions covered in the episode: What has the FDA done in recent months to share its opinions on the development of intoxicating cannabinoids such as delta-8 THC? What does the highly-publicized death of a Virginia child, apparently from the consumption of delta-8 THC signal about future laws or regulations? What are states doing to address the growing intoxicating hemp market, and what are the variances among states such as Oregon and Minnesota. What's on the agenda of the Texas legislature when it comes to hemp and intoxicating cannabinoids? How do you advise clients in this space to navigate the gray and changing legal and regulatory frameworks? How you do advise consumers on accessing these products in the marketplace?

Jonathan Miller, a nationally-celebrated government relations professional, leads Frost Brown Todd's federal advocacy practice and has emerged as one of the country's leading advocates and attorneys for the global hemp industry.Jonathan serves as Member-in-Charge of Frost Brown Todd's Washington, D.C. office, whose combination of public policy and regulatory experience, backed by the support of a full-service law firm with offices in key markets, carves out a unique value proposition: He can draw readily on the firm's strong constituent-based relationships to provide clients with exclusive and actionable insights regarding the legal trends and developments that stand to greatly impact their industries. In so doing, Jonathan leads a team that presents clients a one-stop shop for regulatory and legislative services, promoting efficiency, communication, and collaboration.There are few individuals who have been more influential in the development of the U.S. hemp industry. Upon helping found the U.S. Hemp Roundtable (and its sister organization, the U.S. Hemp Authority), Jonathan has served as the industry's leading advocate for Hemp and CBD legislation on the ground in Congress and in dozens of state legislatures. A recovering politician (the Democrat was elected twice as Kentucky's State Treasurer), Jonathan has worked across the aisle with leading hemp champions such as U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on critical legislation, including the 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills. Now he spends his time working with Congress, the White House, the USDA, FDA and DEA to promote policies that advance the industry. In acknowledgment of his accomplishments, the National Law Journal named Jonathan to its inaugural class of “Trailblazers” among government relations professionals and Politico labeled him a “Power Player” on hemp issues on Capitol Hill.Prior to joining FBT, Miller spent nearly two decades in public service, where he held numerous senior positions in state and federal government, including two terms as Kentucky's State Treasurer, in addition to serving as Kentucky's Secretary of Finance and Administration, Deputy Chief of Staff of the U.S. Department of Energy, and Legislative Director for Congressman Jim Cooper.Visit US Hemp Roundtable.

Data localization – we've devoted several episodes to what countries are doing to control and restrict data flows involving their residents. What happens when there's a war (or “military operation” if you prefer) going on? Do recent actions by the Russian government reflect a growing trend toward a splinternet, treating data as though it were national cattle being locked within a corral? Or is this more a reaction to sanctions imposed by other nations, having little do with data? This podcast considers how data localization is on the rise in democracies like Indonesia, but India's government shelved a draft national data law that would have increased control and domestication of data after pressure and objection from its broader society. With Yugo Nagashima, a Frost Brown Todd attorney focused on international and domestic data privacy and technology, we discuss expanding fines and Russia's seizure of Google's Russian subsidiary's bank account, aiming to force U.S. and other non-Russian companies to agree to Russia's controls over data as a condition of offering services to Russians. Will the internet achieve its dream of global information flows with reasonable privacy protections, or are we headed to a splinternet, where nations control and restrict what their residents can share and receive across borders? If you have ideas for more interviews or stories, please email info@thedataprivacydetective.com.

Horacio spoke with Brian Harstine of Acquire and Andrew Hill. Andrew is a managing associate of the law firm Frost Brown Todd, and one of the leading experts in blockchain and cryptocurrency law in the country. Brian is the CEO of Acquire, a company that is tokenizing securities of private equity deals. Brian and Andrew talk about the advantages of blockchain, legal issues in the space, and the most recent developments at Acquire. Discussion topics include: Fitting technology with existing frameworksUsing blockchain to power traditional assets at scaleOn-chain data already working across traditional platformsDifferentiating the different uses for blockchain technologyBecoming a shareholder of Acquire security token offeringsThe Acquire NFT Access CardTaking out the guesswork of the technology for usersLack of Regulatory clarity around DAOsParticipating in a DAO without profits of the enterpriseThe government's priority in regulating the crypto industryAcquire NFT Access Card Announcement on Medium---Follow Alts- Website & newsletter: https://alts.co- YouTube: Podcast Channel- Discord: https://discord.gg/DEkHgzggwC- Twitter: https://twitter.com/altassetsclub- Insta: https://instagram.com/alts_co- Link to Alan Goldsher playlist

Early voting is underway in Kentucky as we roll towards primary Election Day on May 17.The local ballots in Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties are full of contested primaries with some incumbent lawmakers and county officials facing what appear to be strong challengers on the Republican side.Why are we seeing these competitive primaries in local GOP races, and which races should we be watching closely on Tuesday as the returns come in?Former Secretary of State Trey Grayson, managing director of CivicPoint, a government relations arm of law firm Frost Brown Todd, joins The Kentucky Side's Michael Monks to talk about these issues and more.And don't forget: LINK nky will have live election results on Facebook and at the website starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

"Failure is an excellent teacher." - Todd Wilkowski‍As a member at Frost Brown, Todd. Todd Willkowski focuses his practice on serving private, closely-held, and family-owned businesses as their outside general counsel, consigliere, and trusted advisor on all legal, risk management, and strategic growth issues.In this role, Todd provides timely, practical, strategic, and value-added insight regarding issues related to strategic planning, enterprise risk management, contract drafting and negotiation, litigation and dispute resolution, business succession and exit strategy planning, tactical and strategic HR issues, intellectual property, employee compensation and incentive plans, and corporate restructuring.Todd takes a proactive approach in developing a deep understanding of his clients; businesses and building trust with their decision-makers at all levels. With this knowledge, he identifies and provides innovative, get to yes, and customized solutions to issues impeding his client's continued development and success. He also advises his clients on potential strategies for seizing current market opportunities while concurrently and effectively leveraging the risk commensurate with these opportunities to foster their continued profitable growth.Besides a prior career as an air force officer and counter-drug and counter-terrorism intelligence officer, Todd also has provided counsel on a myriad of legal issues affecting the construction, Manufacturing, and client services industries in both private practice and as a general counsel.Prior to joining Frost Brown Todd, Todd served for seven years as the general counsel for Baker Concrete Construction, the nation's largest concrete construction specialty contractor, where he had daily oversight of the company's legal, enterprise, risk management, contracts, ethics, compliance, political lobbying, and government relations functions.Prior to Baker Concrete, Todd was a partner with a large Cincinnati law firm where he gained substantial litigation, arbitration, and alternative dispute experience in assisting the firm's clients with resolving risk issues that threaten their profitable growth, or continued sustainability. Todd is passionate about networking, especially connecting great people and help solve problems.Todd resides in Loveland, Ohio with his wife, Heather, and three children. His oldest son just completed his freshman year at OSU.Please enjoy!‍Click here to subscribe to The Sell My Business Podcast to save time and effort.‍SELECTED LINKS FOR THIS EPISODETodd's email toddwilkowski[at]fbtlaw[dot]comTodd's number +15138708241Todd on LinkedIn The Deep Wealth ExperienceFREE Deep Wealth eBook on Why You Suck At Selling Your Business And What You Can Do About It (Today)Book Your FREE Deep Wealth Strategy Call‍Did you enjoy this episode of The Sell My Business Podcast? Please leave a review. Reviews help me reach new listeners, grow the show and continue to create content that you'll enjoy.Please click here to leave a review on The Sell My Business Podcast. This podcast is brought to you by Deep Wealth. Your liquidity event is the most important financial transaction of your life. You have one chance to get it right, and you better make it count. But unfortunately, up to 90% of liquidity events fail. Think about all that time, money and effort wasted. Of the "successful" liquidity events, most business owners leave 50% to over 100% of their deal value in the buyer's pocket

"Be the best version of who you were created to be and what a fulfilling life you're going to have." - Todd WilkowskiAs a member at Frost Brown, Todd. Todd Willkowski focuses his practice on serving private, closely-held, and family-owned businesses as their outside general counsel, consigliere, and trusted advisor on all legal, risk management, and strategic growth issues.In this role, Todd provides timely, practical, strategic, and value-added insight regarding issues related to strategic planning, enterprise risk management, contract drafting and negotiation, litigation and dispute resolution, business succession and exit strategy planning, tactical and strategic HR issues, intellectual property, employee compensation and incentive plans, and corporate restructuring.Todd takes a proactive approach in developing a deep understanding of his clients; businesses and building trust with their decision-makers at all levels. With this knowledge, he identifies and provides innovative, get to yes, and customized solutions to issues impeding his client's continued development and success. He also advises his clients on potential strategies for seizing current market opportunities while concurrently and effectively leveraging the risk commensurate with these opportunities to foster their continued profitable growth.Besides a prior career as an air force officer and counter-drug and counter-terrorism intelligence officer, Todd also has provided counsel on a myriad of legal issues affecting the construction, Manufacturing, and client services industries in both private practice and as a general counsel.Prior to joining Frost Brown Todd, Todd served for seven years as the general counsel for Baker Concrete Construction, the nation's largest concrete construction specialty contractor, where he had daily oversight of the company's legal, enterprise, risk management, contracts, ethics, compliance, political lobbying, and government relations functions.Prior to Baker Concrete, Todd was a partner with a large Cincinnati law firm where he gained substantial litigation, arbitration, and alternative dispute experience in assisting the firm's clients with resolving risk issues that threaten their profitable growth, or continued sustainability. Todd is passionate about networking, especially connecting great people and help solve problems.Todd resides in Loveland, Ohio with his wife, Heather, and three children. His oldest son just completed his freshman year at OSU.Please enjoy!‍Click here to subscribe to The Sell My Business Podcast to save time and effort.‍SELECTED LINKS FOR THIS EPISODETodd's email toddwilkowski[at]fbtlaw[dot]comTodd on LinkedIn The Deep Wealth ExperienceBook Your FREE Deep Wealth Strategy Call This podcast is brought to you by Deep Wealth. Your liquidity event is the most important financial transaction of your life. You have one chance to get it right, and you better make it count. But unfortunately, up to 90% of liquidity events fail. Think about all that time, money and effort wasted. Of the "successful" liquidity events, most business owners leave 50% to over 100% of their deal value in the buyer's pocket and don't even know it.Our founders said "no" to a 7-figure offer and "yes" to a 9-figure offer less than two years later. Don't become a statistic and make the fatal mistake of believing that the skills that built your business are the same ones for your liquidity event. After all, how can you master something you've never done before? Are you leaving millions on the table? Learn how the 90-day De

Join Mandi Kerr and Jonathan Miller on this episode of Moving ^Hemp Forward. There are few individuals who have been more influential in the development of the U.S. hemp industry that the US Hemp Roundtable's General Counsel, Jonathan Miller. Upon helping found the Roundtable, Jonathan has served as the industry's leading advocate for hemp and CBD legislation on the ground in Congress and in dozens of state legislatures Jonathan also serves as Member in Charge of Frost Brown Todd's Washington, D.C. office, and leads the national law firm's broad and diverse hemp practice.

Join Mandi Kerr and Jonathan Miller on this episode of Moving ^Hemp Forward. There are few individuals who have been more influential in the development of the U.S. hemp industry that the US Hemp Roundtable's General Counsel, Jonathan Miller. Upon helping found the Roundtable, Jonathan has served as the industry's leading advocate for hemp and CBD legislation on the ground in Congress and in dozens of state legislatures Jonathan also serves as Member in Charge of Frost Brown Todd's Washington, D.C. office, and leads the national law firm's broad and diverse hemp practice.

Featuring:Jesse Barrett, Partner, SouthBank Legal: LaDue | Curran | KuehnRussell Coleman, Partner, Frost Brown Todd and Former United States Attorney for the Western District of KentuckyElaine Leonhard, Supervisory Assistant United States Attorney, Eastern District of KentuckyHon. Danny Reeves, Chief Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of KentuckyModerator: Hon. Amul Thapar, Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit* * * * * As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speaker.

Victoria Beckman is the Lead in the Digital Crimes Unit for the Americas Region and Principal Corporate Counsel at Microsoft. Her team is responsible for implementing strategies for disrupting cybercrime and advancing policy and legislation to deter cybercriminals. They use their expertise and a unique view of online criminal networks to uncover evidence to make criminal referrals to appropriate law enforcement agencies worldwide. Victoria graduated from the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. From there, she spent time as an attorney for companies like The Gnoêsis Group and James E. Arnold and Associates before venturing into the world of cybersecurity. Before joining the team at Microsoft, Victoria was a Member and Co-chair of Privacy and Data Security and a Chair of the Latin America Desk at Frost Brown Todd. In this episode… More and more companies realize how badly they need to update their cybersecurity practices. In the struggle to avoid a ransomware attack, what strategies are actually working? Victoria Beckman has seen it all. Some companies panic about new cybersecurity laws and implement software they aren't sure how to use without understanding if the law actually applies to them. Others check the boxes of security presentations and hours spent training, but employees still aren't entirely on board. How can you protect your company's data to the full extent? In this episode of She Said Privacy/He Said Security, Jodi and Justin Daniels sit down with Victoria Beckman to discuss cybersecurity strategies in the corporate world. Victoria talks about why multi-factor authorization is essential, common mistakes companies make when implementing security software, and how to make cybersecurity training sink in across your whole company.

Jonathan Miller shares how he transitioned from a career in politics to educating, advocating, and developing opportunities in the hemp industry. Listen in as Jonathan and Deborah explore the challenges of influencing governmental change, how Jonathan utilizes his skills and passion to educate others, and what legislative changes regarding hemp could mean for the flavors and fragrance industry. There are few individuals who have been more influential in the development of the U.S. hemp industry than the U.S. Hemp Roundtable's General Counsel, Jonathan Miller.  Upon helping found the Roundtable (and its sister organization, the U.S. Hemp Authority), Jonathan has served as the industry's leading advocate for Hemp and CBD legislation on the ground in Congress and in dozens of state legislatures.  A recovering politician (the Democrat was elected twice as Kentucky's State Treasurer), Jonathan has worked across the aisle with leading hemp champions such as U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on critical legislation, including the 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills.  Now he spends his time working with Congress, the White House, the USDA, FDA and DEA to promote policies that advance the industry.  Jonathan serves as Member in Charge of Frost Brown Todd's Washington, D.C. office, and leads the national law firm's broad and diverse hemp practice.  Jonathan supports pro-Israel organizations and serves as President of the Robert S. Miller Family Foundation for Justice and Equity.  He is a poker aficionado who made the final table in a 2012 World Series of Poker tournament.   You can connect with Jonathan via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathansmiller/   Are you a CEO dealing with change? Part inspiration, part strategy, I've created this resource for CEO's who leading their team through a rapid transition and looking for a resource and guide to help them stay confident, focused, and a mentor for others. You can download it here: https://mailchi.mp/coviellocm/the-ceos-compass See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Contract automation and building an alternative legal service provider (ALSP) within a law firm is the topic of Episode 52. Eric Baker and Michael Case, transportation attorneys with Frost Brown Todd, talk about their journey founding Transaction Expeditors, an AI enabled contracts automation platform for the transportation industry. Before joining Frost Brown Todd and before launching Transaction Expeditors, both Eric and Mike were in house attorneys. Eric served as GC for transportation and logistics companies SIRVA and CRST. Mike was also in-house doing legal work and running claims for a transportation insurer Protective Insurance. There has been much talk over the last couple of years about the interplay between law firms and alternative legal service providers. Should law firms use them? If so, should the create their own? When Eric and Michael, along with their colleague Stacy Katz, founded Transaction Expeditors, they were not thinking about those questions. They just wanted to create a more efficient contract management solution for their transportation clients. But in the end they created an ALSP within their law firm. Having Eric and Mike on the show also brings the podcast full circle because Transaction Expeditors' technology partner is the AI engine Legal Sifter, a company we had on the show way back on Episode 15 in 2018.

A new hemp podcast dedicated to the quickly changing rules and regulations that business owners face in the hemp industry. Hosted by Jonathan Miller, who helped craft much of federal and state hemp laws in his role as General Counsel of the US Hemp Roundtable, hosts a biweekly podcast in which he engages in 15-20 minute discussions of cutting-edge legal issues facing the industry. Jonathan speaks on each program with subject matter experts from Frost Brown Todd's nationally leading hemp industry team.

Jamie Hargrove The Confident Retirement Podcast with Brett Kris Flammang and Mark Picchi Episode 006 Jamie Hargrove Jamie Hargrove, an Attorney and CPA, is the CEO and co-founder of NetLaw Group and a founding partner of the Estate, Trust, & Tax law firm of Hargrove Firm LLP. His firm has had as many as 30 estate & trust attorneys working out of offices in over 20 states across the country. Jamie was most recently the chair of the Estate & Trust practice for the 160-Attorney law firm, Stoll Keenon Ogden, PLLC. Before that, he was a partner with the 500+ attorney firm of Frost Brown Todd. He practiced as a CPA after law school and then became a tax attorney in 1985. In 1990, he began to practice only in the area of Estate, Trusts, Business Succession Planning and Charitable Planning. Listen to this dynamic The Confident Retirement Podcast episode with Jamie Hargrove and know more about business succession, estate planning and asset protection, and how he wants to move forward with the DIY plans that also involves human works in it. Here is what to expect on this week's show: Jamie takes us on a ride to his past and what led him to start opening up his practice, and why did he focus on estate planning? -What are his learning experiences that he'd like to share to the audience?  -Jamie shares why business succession plan is not largely existing and what is the goal of why it should be done? -Jamie gives clarity on the difference of asset protection and estate planning. -What does he like best in his areas of practice and what is he most excited about the business aspect of things? -Jamie shares the misconception that when you do asset protection and estate planning, you lose full access and control on your assets. -Jamie talks about where money impacts most and his first experience handling it. Get to know more about Jamie's personal achievement, dream job and what he enjoys outside of work. Get to hear about the DIY plans they are doing in NetLaw Group and why he wanted to do it. Connect with Jamie Hargrove/ Hargrove Law Firm: Website: https://hargrovefirm.com/ NetLaw Website: https://www.netlawgroup.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiehargrove/ Twitter: @jamiehargrove Connect with Kris and Mark Website: https://www.lpfadvisors.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristopher-flammang-lpfadv/ Twitter: @kflammang #MarkPicchi Highlights: [06:33-06:48] “Unless people know that you're there and know what you do and your podcast, Kris is a good example of that. It's just getting the message out there letting people know what you do, and helping to educate them so that you can be a resource for them.” [25:18-25:39] “I think my first experience was really, every decision we make is a decision about an allocation of time. So, in our businesses, again, as we make decisions, we're making a decision relative to do a new allocation of time, or this, we're even freeing up time, or we're causing more need for more time.” [27:01-27:23] I do think business and life is a battle of a lot of decisions, and we can only squeeze so much into it. So, we do have to decide what is our priorities, both with our world outside of work, and certainly in work? And make sure there is that balance that gets really what we want to do. [39:17-39:59] “The problem in the legal industry is we think everybody wants to talk to a lawyer. No, they want their legal questions answered. But what's interesting is, most of their questions aren't legal questions, right? What we're doing is we're parceling out and let's strip out the questions that really aren't legal questions. Let's let non-lawyers answer those, and use systems and processes and technology and video and all the things that you're employing in your own practice to help address those and then when we need the lawyer, let's let the lawyer be engaged. So, it's a very different model and pretty excited that we're able to kind of be, I think on the bit on the cutting edge of it.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I sat down to chat with Zenobia Bivens. Zenobia is the Managing Partner of the Houston office of Frost Brown & Todd.  She is a Northwestern Law graduate. Her law practice focuses on business litigation. Zenobia's cases have been featured in Forbes Magazine, the New York Times, and the Houston Chronicle. She has been recognized as a Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star, named a Top Woman Lawyer in Texas Monthly, and a Top Houston Lawyer by Houstonia Magazine. The definition of a lady boss! Her interview will be an excellent testament of being strategic, never settling & practicing persistence.

Sound byte about managing pressure and how pursuing interests can help from Brian Michael Cooper, partner, Frost Brown Todd, LLC. Presented by Karen Martinez Perez, Longitude fellow from Rice University. See transcript. If you like this episode, please subscribe to Longitude Sound Bytes, rate and review wherever you get your podcasts. Your review will help others find us and help us grow our listenership. This podcast is a production of Longitude.site, a 501(c)3 nonprofit educational organization. If you would like to make a gift towards our programming, we would be delighted to receive your support at https://longitude.site/support-us/ Music of our podcast is composed by Molly Turner, classically trained musician and student at the Juilliard School, and mixed by Grayson Best, a senior at the University of Texas.Visit our website to see a complete list of our series/episodes at https://longitude.site/episodes/Support the show (https://longitude.site/support-us/)

In this episode I have a conversation with Jill Meyer, who is the President and CEO of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. If you're not sure what that is—you're not alone. Jill does a great job shedding light on the purpose of the Chamber and what her day-to-day responsibilities look like as President and CEO. Before taking her current position, she was an attorney at Frost Brown Todd and was the first woman to become "member-in-charge" of the Cincinnati office. Minority Business Accelerator:https://www.cincinnatichamber.com/the-inclusive-chamber/minority-business-accelerator

Jonathan Miller is Member-in-Charge of Frost Brown Todd, LLC & U.S. Hemp Roundtable General Counsel.

Dustin Plantholt’s “Life’s Tough—You Can Be Tougher” podcast this week is sponsored by Mint Home Loans and features Jerry Springer, renowned American television host, politician, news presenter, actor, producer, musician, and former lawyer. Springer revolutionized daytime TV with his ultra-popular show, The Jerry Springer Show, a daytime talk show featuring controversial topics and outrageous guest behavior. Springer currently hosts a courtroom show called Judge Jerry where he presides over actual legal disputes. Gerald Norman “Jerry” Springer was born on February 13, 1944 in London, England to Jewish refugees—Margot Kallmann, a bank clerk and Richard Springer, owner of a shoe shop—who escaped Nazi Germany to avoid persecution. Other family members, including his paternal grandmother, were not as fortunate as they perished in concentration camps during the holocaust. In January 1949, Jerry’s family immigrated to the United States, settling in Kew Gardens, Queens, New York. He attended Forest Hills High School and later earned a B.A. degree from Tulane University in 1965, majoring in political science; and subsequently earned a law degree from Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago in 1968. One of his earliest memories about current and political events was when he was 12 and watching the 1956 Democratic National Convention on television where he saw and was impressed by John F. Kennedy. That interest in politics led him to work on the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy, after graduating law school. After Kennedy’s assassination, he joined the Cincinnati law firm of Frost & Jacobs (now Frost Brown Todd) and then became a partner in the law firm of Grinker, Sudman & Springer (from 1973 to 1985). In the early 1970s Jerry embarked on his own political career in Ohio, serving on Cincinnati’s city council. Not without some career lows, he was forced to resign from the council over a controversial issue, although he regained his seat at the next election. Despite being a liberal in relatively conservative Cincinnati, he was elected mayor of the city in 1977 (served 1977–78). After a failed bid in the early 1980’s for the Democratic nomination for governor of Ohio he decided to pursue television journalism and began work as a reporter at a local television station. He later became anchor and was the recipient of seven Emmy Awards for commentaries during his tenure. In 1991 he branched out into talk shows with the debut of The Jerry Springer Show. Initially centered on political issues—guests included Oliver North and Jesse Jackson, and topics included homelessness and gun politics—the program struggled in its first few seasons. In early 1994, the show underwent a complete overhaul as Springer and his new producer, Richard Dominick, revamped the show’s format to garner higher ratings. Guests were everyday people confronted on a television stage by controversial situations that often promoted shouting or violence on stage. Although criticized by some as being staged and condemned by many political and community leaders as “trash TV,” it proved immensely popular with television viewers and received substantial ratings and much attention. By 1998, it was beating The Oprah Winfrey Show in many cities, and was reaching more than 6.7 million viewers. The show even inspired an opera—debuting in London in 2003—which won a Laurence Olivier Award for best new musical; and was subsequently staged in various U.S. cities. Other career highlights include being named “One of the 10 Most Fascinating People” in 1998; an appearance on the popular show Dancing With the Stars in 2006; Winner, 2008 Fox Reality Channel Really Award for “Favorite Host” for America’s Got Talent; playing Billy Flynn in the Broadway theatrical production of “Chicago;” host of the 2008 Miss Universe Pageant. In 1998 Jerry starred in the movie Ringmaster, which was based on a Springer-esque television show. His other film credits include Citizen Verdict (2003) and The Defender (2004), in which he played the president of the United States. He has also made several TV appearances as himself and has acted in several television sitcoms. His autobiography, Ringmaster! (written with Laura Morton), was published in 1998. And as a self-described “country singer-songwriter,” Jerry has opened for Billy Ray Cyrus and has performed at actor Johnny Depp’s notorious club, the Viper Room. Springer is married and is a lifelong New York Yankees fan. Join Dustin and Jerry for a candid talk on his successful and sometimes controversial career and how he maintains clarity and peace amongst criticism and judgement. As Jerry says, “I think technology has changed the way we see things. Human behavior has not changed in the last 3,000 years. There is nothing that has ever been on our show that isn’t in the Bible, that isn’t in literature, that isn’t in Shakespeare.”

Senior healthcare industry experts from Coker Group and Frost Brown Todd hosted a panel discussion with guidance for hospitals and medical groups during the coronavirus disease pandemic. The panel discussed important concepts executives of healthcare services entities should be aware of as the industry continues to navigate the COVID-19 global health emergency. The topics covered during the panel discussion are: Using telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic with specific examples. Overview of the CARES Act, including SBA loan programs, tax assistance provisions, and hospital support programs. Guidelines on Stark regulations, fair market value, and commercial reasonableness. Physician compensation dynamics during COVID-19. Hospital and practice operational factors in an expanded telehealth environment. What is our new normal after COVID-19? The webinar was a live version of our Coffee with Coker podcast featuring Mark Reiboldt, Senior Vice President of Coker Group, Max Reiboldt, President/CEO of Coker Group, Chad Eckhardt of Frost Brown Todd, and Andrew Johnson of Frost Brown Todd. Download the slides with links to our COVID-19 resources.

Renee Shaw and guests discuss election and voting legislation. Scheduled guests: Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams; Bob Babbage, managing partner of Babbage Cofounder and former Democratic Kentucky Secretary of State from 1992 to 1996; Trey Grayson, managing director of CivicPoint at Frost Brown Todd, and a two-term Republican Kentucky Secretary of State from 2004 to 2011; and Joshua Douglas, author and UK College of Law Professor specializing in election law and voting rights.

Renee Shaw and guests discuss election and voting legislation. Scheduled guests: Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams; Bob Babbage, managing partner of Babbage Cofounder and former Democratic Kentucky Secretary of State from 1992 to 1996; Trey Grayson, managing director of CivicPoint at Frost Brown Todd, and a two-term Republican Kentucky Secretary of State from 2004 to 2011; and Joshua Douglas, author and UK College of Law Professor specializing in election law and voting rights.

Today's Guest: Rob Braun - Former WKRC Local 12 anchor and current Heritage Bank Beryl Love - Executive Editor, The Enquirer Monica Dias - Attorney, Frost Brown Todd & Noel Ripley, Ultimate Air Shuttle Thank you to our sponsors: Title Sponsor: CVG Studio Sponsor: L & N Federal Credit Union Digital Sponsor: CKREU Consulting

Cookies in the internet sense are packets of data that a persons’ computer receives when visiting a website. Without a cookie sent by an online retailer, every time one moves to a different page on a site, the visitor would need once again to supply account data and other information – a terrible burden! But cookies also represent a potential threat, as disguised cookies can install viruses or malware on our computers, and supercookies and zombie cookies pose other threats to personal privacy. Because a cookie can represent a third party that is accessing personal information of someone visiting a website, website owners and operators must consider whether the data streams arising from this use and the sharing with cookie senders amount to activity governed by the CCPA (or other states with similar or evolving data protection laws). William Morriss, an attorney with Frost Brown Todd, LLC who advises numerous tech and other companies about software and internet matters and himself a former computer programmer, explains in this podcast the link between cookies and California and discusses what a business can do to determine its cookie status and comply with the CCPA if required to do so. Make it a New Years Resolution for 2020 to get ahead of the cookie compliance curve so that cookies don’t become commercial indigestion!

Female representation on the bench appears to be at an all-time high in Indiana, with women leading the Indiana Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, the U.S. Bankrupcty Court for the Southern District of Indiana, the Indiana Court of Appeals, the Marion Superior Court and more. But where do we stand with women in private practice?Frost Brown Todd Indianapolis office Member in Charge Heather Wilson joined us to talk about leading a large law firm in Indianapolis and about diversity trends she's seeing in private practice.

Location: Skype Date: Wednesday, 15th August Project: Frost Brown Todd LLC Role: Corporate Attorney Regulations are have always been in front of mind for the Bitcoin industry. Ever-increasing surveillance has accompanied the evolution of technology, primarily financial surveillance.  Bitcoin is the first money owned by the people and is often seen as a threat to the state, as such the state has struggled to adapt to it. For businesses who operate in the industry, working with and understanding state regulations is non-negotiable. One company helping companies navigate this is Frost Brown Todd, one of the largest law firms in the Midwest United States. In this interview, I speak to Bill Repasky, a Corporate Attorney with the firm, to talk about the potential hurdles of operating a Bitcoin ATM business. We discuss the regulatory requirements of FinCEN, Money Transmitter Licenses, and how the current landscape lends itself to companies able to scale.

Location: SkypeDate: Wednesday, 15th AugustProject: Frost Brown Todd LLCRole: Corporate AttorneyRegulations are have always been in front of mind for the Bitcoin industry. Ever-increasing surveillance has accompanied the evolution of technology, primarily financial surveillance.Bitcoin is the first money owned by the people and is often seen as a threat to the state, as such the state has struggled to adapt to it.For businesses who operate in the industry, working with and understanding state regulations is non-negotiable. One company helping companies navigate this is Frost Brown Todd, one of the largest law firms in the Midwest United States.In this interview, I speak to Bill Repasky, a Corporate Attorney with the firm, to talk about the potential hurdles of operating a Bitcoin ATM business. We discuss the regulatory requirements of FinCEN, Money Transmitter Licenses, and how the current landscape lends itself to companies able to scale.-----If you enjoy The What Bitcoin Did Podcast you can help support the show my doing the following:Become a Patron and get access to shows early or help contributeMake a tip:Bitcoin: 3FiC6w7eb3dkcaNHMAnj39ANTAkv8Ufi2SQR Codes: Bitcoin | Ethereum | Litecoin | Monero | ZCash | RipplecoinIf you do send a tip then please email me so that I can say thank youSubscribe on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | YouTube | TuneIn | RSS FeedLeave a review on iTunesShare the show and episodes with your friends and familySubscribe to the newsletter on my websiteFollow me on Twitter Personal | Twitter Podcast | Instagram | Medium | YouTubeIf you are interested in sponsoring the show, you can read more about that here or please feel free to drop me an email to discuss options.

What do serial killers, employees who don’t want their fingerprints shared and a U.S. Senator have in common? Data privacy. In this podcast, Victoria Beckman, Co-Chair of Frost Brown Todd’s Privacy and Data Security Team, discusses this and other news. If you have ideas for more interviews or stories, please email info@thedataprivacydetective.com.

The Data Privacy Detective turns the spotlight on five American data privacy developments in a conversation with Melissa Kern, Co-Chair of Frost Brown Todd’s Privacy and Data Security Team. 1. California’s data privacy law, CCPA, comes into force in 2020. It’s occupied attention because of California’s size and its potential extraterritorial application. It provides limited rights for individuals to sue companies that violate CCPA, restricted to certain cases of data breach. Privacy advocates were disappointed when the California State Senate rejected a bill to empower individuals to sue companies that violate any part of CCPA, a big win for the tech sector in America’s largest state. 2. In the absence of an overarching U.S. law, the statutory action in data privacy has been on a state level, as in California. But the Network Advertising Initiative foresees the need for national standards and intends to fill that role as a Self-Regulatory Organization (SRO) rather than have a national law that could be less friendly to business interests. It issued a revised Code of Conduct 2020. A key upgrade requires opt-in consent of persons whose location data will be collected from various devices. 3. WhatsApp users were stunned to learn that spyware could be implanted on their phones without their knowledge. WhatsApp promptly issued an upgrade to be downloaded at no charge that was said to fix this stealth attack, permitted by exploitation of a buffer-overflow vulnerability. Another privacy embarrassment for Google, though one promptly addressed. 4. San Francisco became the first city known to prohibit use by city agencies of facial recognition technology. Other cities are considering similar bans. Unlike local laws banning cameras to catch drivers going through red lights, this ban restricts the use of analytical technology without barring devices that take photos without our express okay. 5. Google is rolling out settings on its Chrome browser that will enable users to delete 3d-party cookies. This will be optional, as some individuals may want to go to their grocery store and have their device tell them about a discount on their favorite foods and beverages without being asked. Others find it creepy that our whereabouts are not only being monitored by third parties but are used to stay in touch with us without our asking them to come along for the ride. If you have ideas for more interviews or stories, please email info@thedataprivacydetective.com.

Data incidents arise regularly for businesses. The perpetrators range from sophisticated scoundrels seeking a quick ransom payment, to foreign governments conducting industrial espionage, to thieves seeking inside information, to distant hackers seeking personal data to sell on the dark web. When an incident arises, companies turn to legal counsel as part of the response team. In this podcast, Bob Dibert, a Frost Brown Todd attorney with 30 years’ experience and a veteran of data incidents, discusses how incidents arise and how they’re handled. There’s a three-step approach when an incident arises: 1. Contain: Immediately aim to stop further leakage and prevent additional harm from arising. 2. Counsel and Plan: Promptly analyze the scope and nature of the incident, what needs to be done to address it both immediately and longer term. 3. Remediate: Solve the problems, remedy the damage, notify those affected if required. If you have ideas for more interviews or stories, please email info@thedataprivacydetective.com.

Although price volatility has dominated cryptocurrency headlines over the past year, the business and regulatory environment for cryptocurrency and related assets has continued to evolve. To better understand this changing cryptocurrency landscape, Industry Focus Host Nick Sciple sat down with Courtney Rogers Perrin and Joshua Lewis, attorneys practicing in the areas of blockchain, cryptocurrency, and financial technology at the firm of Frost Brown Todd in Nashville, Tennessee. In a wide-ranging discussion, Courtney, Joshua, and Nick examine the evolution of cryptocurrency and blockchain regulations, how governments are treating cryptocurrency in the US and abroad, how those actions might affect cryptocurrency adoption, the future of cryptocurrency, and more. We hope you'll enjoy their conversation

Jill P. Meyer is the president and CEO of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, one of the largest metro chambers in the nation. On this episode of Unfinished Business, she will share her views on what it takes to be a great leader, her choice to leave as member-in-charge from Frost Brown Todd, to lead an aggressive course to grow the vibrancy and economic prosperity of the Cincinnati region at the Cincinnati Chamber and what unfinished business is still to come. "Cincinnati is a future city and here is why." "You can master plenty of things while keeping your eyes open to additional opportunities." "You'll never have the experience you need. Have the confidence in yourself to say I'll figure it out or I'll fall flat on my face but we'll all be better for having tried"

A passion for service fuels Jerry Abramson. Abramson’s career spans decades of serving the public – from local and state levels to the White House. His passion for making a difference now focuses on educating future generations. As the executive in residence at Bellarmine University, Abramson is developing a new institute for local and state government leadership, which will train elected officials from across the nation. In addition, he teaches undergraduate courses in leadership and community development. He served as deputy assistant to the president and director of intergovernmental affairs from November 2014 to January 2017. In this role, he oversaw the Obama administration’s domestic agenda with state, city, county and tribal elected officials across the country. As lieutenant governor of Kentucky, alongside Governor Steve Beshear from 2011 to 2014, he chaired the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Tax Reform in 2012 and focused his efforts on education and economic development. Prior to entering state government, Abramson held the role of the longest-serving mayor of Louisville, Ky., with 21 years of service from (2003-2011) & (1986-1999), earning the nickname “Mayor for Life.” In 1993, he was president of the United States Conference of Mayors. He also led the successful consolidation of the city of Louisville and Jefferson county governments. Abramson started his public service as an alderman of the city of Louisville for two terms, and thereafter as counsel to the governor of Kentucky, John Y. Brown, Jr. In the private sector, Abamson practiced law with Greenebaum Doll & McDonald, and thereafter with Frost Brown Todd. Abramson served on the board of directors of the Brown-Forman Corporation from 1999 to 2003. Throughout his career, he taught classes at the University of Louisville’s School of Law and Bellarmine University, and was a guest lecturer at a myriad of colleges and universities. Abramson and his wife reside in Louisville, Ky.

"In this episode, join us in our August Blockchain Meetup held in Nashville, TN. Our guests are Josh Rosenblatt, Gray Sasser, and John Wagster of Frost Brown Todd. Our topic for this discussion is the regulatory environment for blockchain."

Craig Greenberg has a passion for making Louisville a better community. He is an attorney with Frost Brown Todd, LLC and directs the firm’s ancillary business initiatives. He oversees tax credit investment programs that have invested over $100 million into low-income communities in Kentucky and across the country. Greenberg graduated from University of Michigan in 1995 and received his J.D. from Harvard law school in 1998 with cum laude honors. In 2000, Greenburg co-founded and served as COO/counsel of venture capital fund and technology consulting firm, iVisionary. Business First named Greenberg to its 40 Under 40 list in 2000 and he was a 2005 graduate of the Bingham Fellows. He volunteers in his community by serving on the board of directors of United Metro Way, Kentucky Museum of Art & Craft, and Louisville Jewish Community Center.

Kimberly Bunton is a strategic thinker and planner driven by the pursuit of excellence and personal best. She is the director of Louisville Metro Government’s Policy & Strategic Planning Department and also the interim director of Louisville Metro Government’s Community Action Partnership. Previously Bunton was an attorney with Frost Brown Todd, LLC in their business litigation department. She received a B.A. in Journalism and English and J.D. both from the University of Kentucky. In 2003, Louisville Magazine recognized Bunton as one of the most powerful people under age 45 and Louisville Business First named her to the 40 Under 40 list in 2002. Bunton was a spokesperson for the 2000 Unity Campaign where she advocated for the benefits of city/county government merger. She has since spent her time in government planning and implementing a smooth transition of Louisville and Jefferson County merger.

I interviewed Tim Sinclair in Episode 015. During the interview, Tim mentioned that he had gone through the inaugural class of the Ocean Accelerator. He also mentioned that Ocean is a faith-based tech accelerator. I had never even considered the intersection of faith-based organizations and tech accelerators and was immediately intrigued. I asked Tim if he could put me in touch with Ocean, which he did. Scott Weiss is the CEO of Ocean and James Clair is the Marketing Manager. UPDATE: Ocean came out with important news for potential applicants just before the podcast release. They have increased their seed funding for companies accepted into their 2017 class from $35,000 to $50,000. Everything was already in place for the episode release when the news came out, and it would have been difficult to alter the audio to make the change. Contents Episode Outline Resources Mentioned in Episode Episode Transcript Disclosure concerning affiliate links Episode Outline Click [Website] to go to the corresponding website location. Once on the website, you may listen to the episode starting at any timestamp [mm:ss]. [00:00] Intro [Website] [03:12] Accelerator Defined [Website] [04:54] Accelerator Capital and Convertible Notes [Website] [07:28] Ocean's Founders [Website] [08:07] Accelerators Versus Incubators [Website] [09:05] Ocean's Unique Spiritual Component [Website] [11:39] Focusing on the Founder [Website] [12:27] Non-Business Relationships and Stakeholders [Website] [13:17] Ocean's Message [Website] [13:49] Ocean's Five Capitals [Website] [15:24] Maintaining Balance during a Business Venture [Website] [16:35] Marketplace Success [Website] [17:41] Ocean's Work Ethic [Website] [19:18] Ocean's Program Overview [Website] [19:48] Demo Day and Business Curriculum [Website] [21:16] Keynote Speakers – Day One [Website] [23:23] Keynote Speaker Discussion – Day Two and Beyond [Website] [24:53] Ocean's 2017 Program Plans [Website] [25:20] Ocean's Policy on Faith [Website] [26:12] Faith as a Component of Business [Website] [27:32] Ocean's Program [Website] [27:45] Weekly Program – Speakers and Workshops [Website] [30:20] Syncing Program Behavior with Business Life [Website] [31:47] Ocean's Field Day – The Importance of Customer Dialogue [Website] [32:39] Relocating as a Founder with Family [Website] [35:27] Ocean's Ideal Company and Founder [Website] [37:29] Ocean Capital [Website] [38:07] Ocean's Origins at Crossroads [Website] [40:48] Ocean's Mentors [Website] [41:29] Role of the Mentor [Website] [42:36] Mentor Demographics [Website] [44:49] Partners [Website] [45:51] Brand Identity Kit [Website] [46:23] Design Style Guide [Website] [46:44] A Creative Space to Build Relationships [Website] [48:20] Cincinnati as a Hotspot for Entrepreneurs [Website] [48:51] Cincinnati's Community Spirit [Website] [50:02] Cincinnati as an Ideal Region for Startups [Website] [51:23] Appropriateness of Cincinnati for Founders with Families [Website] [52:37] Ocean's Schedule for Applications [Website] [53:19] Benefits of Demo Day [Website] [54:42] Post-Demo Day Activities [Website] [57:08] Universal Message of God's Interest in Enterprises [Website] [58:39] Conclusion [Website] [Website Contents] Resources Mentioned in Episode Please see Disclosure* (below transcript) concerning affiliate links on this page. 805 Creative – According to the website, 805 Creative is an “Ohio-based creative agency dedicated to empowering our business partners with compelling ways to communicate their stories.” Listen or read at [44:49]. Business Canvas Map – Also known as the Business Model Canvas. A strategic management template for visualizing a business's partnerships, resources, revenue, and customers. Ocean's program provides mentoring through the canvas creation process, focusing specifically on planning, the business model, the strategy canvas, and value proposition. Listen or read at [19:48]. CincyTech – “A trusted partner for high potential technology companies in Southwest Ohio,” according to the official website. Scott Weiss mentions it to emphasize the many organizations surrounding Cincinnati which make it an ideal place for entrepreneurs. Listen or read at [48:20]. Cintrifuse – Cintrifuse is Located in the Cincinnati, Ohio area. According to the website: “Cintrifuse acts as a connecter and supporter to create a global destination for entrepreneurial success. Cintrifuse connects the region's high-potential, venture-backable startups to advice, talent, funding, and customers.” According to Scott Weiss: “Cintrifuse's role is to coordinate all the activities, to minimize wasteful redundancy, and to get everyone in this broad region, which includes northern Kentucky and southeastern Indiana and southwestern Ohio, to work cooperatively so that we share resources and share programming.” Listen or read at [50:02]. Lean Startup – Business development method pioneered by Eric Ries. Lean Startup's methodology is built on the principle that designing products to meet the needs of early customers can prevent many product failures and funding expenses in the future. The claim gained widespread renown after the publication of Ries' bestseller,The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses*. Listen or read at [32:25]. Ocean – Ocean is an independent tech accelerator that is uniquely faith-based and focused on building founders. Ocean application – Ocean's application window is (currently) September 1 to October 31. Listen or read at [52:37]. Ocean Capital – Ocean Capital is a separate legal entity from the Ocean Accelerator but affiliated with the accelerator. It collects money from a broad range of investors. It puts money it into convertible notes for the companies in the accelerator. When investors get a return, the entity tracks the flow of money so that investors can be properly taxed. The entity does not have investment profits and losses. Listen or read at [37:29]. Ocean on LinkedIn Ocean on Twitter – @OCEANAccel [Website Contents] Episode Transcript Intro [00:00] Ron Gaver: This is Episode 017 of the SaaS Business Podcast: Ocean, The Tech Accelerator [00:16] Scott Weiss: One of the benefits of Ocean for any startup is [that] our demo day is on a large auditorium stage in one of the Crossroads buildings. This past year, we had 1,400 people attend live. We had 1,800 people stream it live. So that's a total live audience of over 3,000. Last year, after we finished, we posted the stream (the stream's downloadable). Ten thousand people downloaded the stream between last year's demo day and this year's demo day. So, if you're launching a business, you get to come here. You get to go on a stage designed to speak to thousands. You get [a] professional production team fine-tuning your speech. You're streamed live. Your slides are amazing. You get to launch your brand to, literally, thousands of potential customers and hundreds of potential investors. We work real hard to make sure that the audience has a high percentage of angels, angel funds, and customers. [01:32] Ron Gaver: Hello and welcome to the show! I'm your host Ron Gaver. This is the podcast designed to help you put the pieces of the puzzle together to start, grow, and succeed in your SaaS business. [01:44] Ron Gaver: Before we get into the show, I would like to personally invite you to visit our website. The URL is SaaSBusinessPodcast.com. When you visit, please be sure you sign up to get the FREE Resource Guide. This is a living guide that grows with the podcast. By signing up, you will always have access to the latest edition. [02:01] Ron Gaver: For each show, you will also find extensive show notes on the website. Show notes now contain ALL links for resources mentioned in a show, an outline of the show, and a full transcript. I have designed these show notes to help you quickly find valuable information. To get to show notes, just enter the base URL, a forward slash, and the three-digit episode number. [02:22] Ron Gaver: This podcast, the Resource Guide, and show notes are produced at considerable expense. They are my gift to you for your continuing growth and success. [02:37] Ron Gaver: I interviewed Tim Sinclair in Episode 015. During the interview, Tim mentioned that he had gone through the inaugural class of the Ocean Accelerator. He also mentioned that Ocean is a faith-based tech accelerator. I had never even considered the intersection of faith-based organizations and tech accelerators and was immediately intrigued. I asked Tim if he could put me in touch with Ocean, which he did. Scott Weiss is the CEO of Ocean and James Clair is the Marketing Manager. Welcome Scott and James. [03:07] Scott Weiss: Hey, how are you? [03:08] Ron Gaver: Just fine, and you? [03:10] Scott Weiss: We're doing great up here. Thanks. [Website Contents] Accelerator Defined [03:12] Ron Gaver: Good. Alright, well let's get right into it. For the sake of the audience: not everyone may fully understand exactly what an accelerator is, what you do as an accelerator; and then, beyond that question, I would like to know how Ocean is different. We'll get into that, I'm sure, in a great deal of detail; but, first of all, what is an accelerator from your point-of-view, and what is an accelerator's purpose and function? [03:37] Scott Weiss: That's a great question. I'll lead off. So, let's start with the founder. The founder has a great idea, and they work on it, they tinker on it, they devote themselves to it, and it gets to a point where they need some help; and that's the role of investors. Whether they be friends, family, or angels, the capital they provide enables the idea to continue to move forward. [04:01] Scott Weiss: Accelerators do two things: we provide a roadmap that allows the entire thing to accelerate—to speed up, to compress a year of business growth into a few months; and, secondly, we provide access to mentors that will enable the founder to have a far greater circle of knowledge than they have alone. There's about 220 accelerators in the United States, and all of them do that. Most of them, including Ocean—ours—also provide a level of seed funding—a small amount of money that allows the founder to relocate and participate residentially in that accelerator, as well as enough money to keep the enterprise going. In essence, that's—from my —what an accelerator does. [Website Contents] Accelerator Capital and Convertible Notes [04:54] Ron Gaver: Alright, then, you mentioned the aspect of capital. [04:58] Scott Weiss: Mmhm. [04:59] Ron Gaver: And so with the capital usually comes something on your end—there's a bit of dilution as far as the founder's ownership of the company, generally. Is that true across the board, or is it not? [05:10] Scott Weiss: Well, actually, there's a narrow range of what accelerators that provide capital get in exchange for that capital. Let's start with Ocean, the accelerator that James and I are honored to work for. Our note, when the company accepts it, is a convertible note. It's debt. It does not dilute the cap table. It maintains their equity ownership. And if that company raises subsequent money, the holders of the note—which is a separate guy who manages all that—determines whether or not we want to convert that note into equity at that time or simply get our money back with a modest interest rate. So that's a very “founder-friendly” capital structure. On the other end, accelerators will take anywhere from 6-10% direct equity in the company in exchange for the capital they're investing. That begins the dilution process for the founder, because they're giving up direct shares or direct equity for the money. [06:14] Ron Gaver: Well that's good. I didn't understand what the “convertible note” part meant. Now I understand. And that sounds like an excellent option for the founder to basically be able to pay that back if he or she so desires. [06:27] Scott Weiss: Well, to be clear, it's if the investor so desires. [06:30] Ron Gaver: Oh, okay. [06:32] Scott Weiss: It's the investor's choice. I'm not an investor in our fund because I work there, but if the investors say, “Hey, we really like Ron's company, and we want to convert our debt into equity.” Boom! That happens. Or they say, “We really like Ron, but the company's not our cup of tea. We'll just take out money back.” And it's money back with a very low interest rate. So the investor chooses, not the founder. [06:54] Ron Gaver: Okay, and what did you say the dilution is, usually, on that, in your case? Or does it vary? [06:59] Scott Weiss: There is no dilution with a convertible note. It only dilutes if it converts and the terms of the conversion are spelled out based on the amount of funds raised, so if the company goes out and raises money with an evaluation of three million bucks, and you've got fifty thousand dollars in seed capital from an accelerator that converts at fifty thousand, you can see that the dilution would be very, very modest. [07:23] Ron Gaver: Alright. I didn't understand, then. I'm sure that there are others who would not have understood that. [Website Contents] Ocean's Founders [07:28] Ron Gaver: So, we've talked, just briefly, about what an accelerator is, and how it functions (at least, peripherally). Now I'd like to talk about how Ocean is different. I realize, from your webpage and from talking to you and from talking to Tim Sinclair (who went through your program), there were three founders, originally. They're Tim, Tim, and somebody else whose name was never actually documented on that page. [07:53] Scott Weiss: Chad. [07:54] Ron Gaver: Those were your three founders? [07:56] Scott Weiss: Tell you what: let me back up and just tell you what makes us different, and then we'll jump into the story of how we got here. [08:01] Ron Gaver: That's great. [08:02] Scott Weiss: Perfect. I'll prattle on a little bit more, and then I'll let James jump in. [Website Contents] Accelerators Versus Incubators [08:07] Scott Weiss: So, we've already covered in very high-level, broad strokes, what an accelerator is. The other important perspective is: there are 220 accelerators in the United States, and there are over 1,000 incubators. Let's go sidewise. Very high-level—the difference between an accelerator and an incubator is that accelerators tend to be time-limited. You get accepted, and you get so many months in the program, and then you get out; and accelerators tend to give you money. Incubators generally have no time limit. You get in and you stay as long as you are getting value from the incubation. And, generally, you pay the incubator. Almost every university in the United States has an incubator, and students have access to it, but they're paying for it with tuition dollars in order to that incubator. [Website Contents] Ocean's Unique Spiritual Component [09:05] Scott Weiss: So there are 1,400 organizations out there trying to help high-tech entrepreneurs grow businesses faster, and we're just like all of them. We're just one of 1,400 and we think we're pretty good (and we can talk about that later), but what makes us different—what makes us truly unique—is we are one of only two accelerators in the United States that integrate a spiritual journey with the business journey we take you on. And we do that because our focus is not exclusively on the business. Our focus is on the business and the founder, and the lens we look at it with is faith. [09:45] James Clair: Yeah, to pop in and add onto what Scott was saying: when Scott was laying out exactly what an accelerator is, you can think of it like putting guard rails around an entrepreneur or packaging a program for an entrepreneur, to accelerate their business; not a package or a program for a business that leaves out the entrepreneur. All of our curriculum and program—its scope is centered on the founder as an individual because we understand that they have the ability to create multiple ventures that are successful. And they also have the ability to recover from a failed venture versus most businesses and products that don't get off the ground. Unfortunately, most of them never recover. [10:33] James Clair: So, this sustainability and life expectancy of a founder is much, much more valuable than an individual idea, and, like Scott said, our difference is that lens of faith. And you can think of it like an orientation point. So a lot of decisions are made, unfortunately, with a motivation for financial gain, as the first thought or sole inspiration. We believe that Scripture clearly lays out that God, and the disciplines and principles that He taught, are what should be our initial point of inspiration, and that financial decisions are simply a filter that we run those following decisions through. So, we don't want to tether ourselves to our money. We want to tether ourselves to our faith and use smart, financial intellect and decision-making to forward our progress. [11:29] Ron Gaver: Alright, I understand, and I think that I would certainly embrace having your faith at the center of all that you do and having God at the center of all that you do. [Website Contents] Focusing on the Founder [11:39] Ron Gaver: So you're trying to focus more on the founder. Not only on the business, but also on the spiritual, the physical, the relational, and the intellectual because, you say, essentially, that the founder has a greater shelf life than any business, potentially. [11:53] Scott Weiss: Well said. [11:55] Ron Gaver: And then you explore the role of faith. One of your founders said that that is, arguably, the proper place for faith to be put in building the business and putting it all together, and so you're trying, also, to build the person up, strengthen that person, and edify that person to bring the spiritual to bear on that person's business so that that person is a more graceful founder or can more gracefully transition into that business and not burn out in the process? [Website Contents] Non-Business Relationships and Stakeholders [12:27] James Clair: Yeah, exactly, because, oftentimes, we can forget that there are non-business-related relationships at stake—most notably family, friends. So if we consider the entire amount of stakeholders that exist within an entrepreneur's idea or their business venture, we want to make sure that we don't exclude those relationships and the physical health that's put at risk when a founder, unfortunately, is not tethering their decisions to the right source. A lot of people can identify with what it's like to lose friends during a business venture, to have lost marriages, to gain weight, to go through physical ailments—a lot of people identify with that. [Website Contents] Ocean's Message [13:17] James Clair: It's not just the high-tech founders that come through our accelerator, and that's also another layer to our uniqueness—that our message translates to a vast kingdom. And that's our mission: to expand God's kingdom; and we are looking to do it through the marketplace, or into the marketplace through entrepreneurs. But they have the ability to take that with them and transfer that to their families, to their friends, and then to future business associates, well after they're out of their current venture. [Website Contents] Ocean's Five Capitals [13:49] Ron Gaver: I find this idea to be very exciting because, looking at starting a business, one thing I would not be willing to sacrifice—or the things I would not be willing to sacrifice—would be my marriage, my family, and my health. My friends, maybe a little bit after that, but my marriage, my family, and my health—those are the things that God has given me to be a steward over, and those are the things that I must maintain. I have a mandate to do so, and I have a responsibility to do so. The sacrifice that goes along with losing those things is, in my mind, a failed proposition. [14:26] Scott Weiss: We would agree. It's also important for your listeners to know two things. We are trying to help the founder see these five capitals (and you articulated them already): [in ascending order, financial, intellectual (or ideas), physical (or health), relationships, and spiritual]—to see they have all five of these things, in different measure and at different times in their life, and the key to navigating a successful startup is to recognize that you have access to all five capitals. And while you're watching the business, you don't need to sacrifice your family, but you are going to impact your family. You simply will have far less time for your family. You will need to use many of your relationships to build your business, just to interview them (what do they think about your product?), to do your pitch, to ask for money possibly, to ask them to become a customer, or ask them to ask friends to become customers. [Website Contents] Maintaining Balance During a Business Venture [15:24] Scott Weiss: So, we try to help the founders understand: you're not going to have a balanced life; you're going to have an unbalanced life. Now, how do you enter that journey, recognizing its imbalance, and come out on the other end with healthy relationships intact? You do that by taking everyone on the journey with you, by over-communicating where you're heading, by using the other capitals you may have in excess to feed the capitals differently than you normally would. So, while I no longer have the time for the relationships I used to have, I will have access to new learning, new intellectual development, new networks, new people—let me introduce them to my wife, my children, whoever is important in that family. So this is very much an issue of: it's not about balanced life. It's about understanding the impact the imbalance it's going to cause and using the resources available to you to navigate that successfully. It's a real important concept that often gets lost. I'm just going to carry on, so I'm just going to throw the second thought at you pretty quickly, if that's OK. [16:34] Ron Gaver: Sure. [Website Contents] Marketplace Success [16:35] Scott Weiss: We are very, very focused on the founder, but we recognize the founder comes to us with an idea that ignites his or her passion. They have this idea, they want to create it, they want to see this enterprise enter the marketplace and grow, and hopefully succeed, and hopefully succeed at whatever level's appropriate for that idea. So, we don't have a different benchmark for marketplace success.The marketplace determines success, and we strive to prepare the founders to have their invention, their idea, their product, their company, succeed; and succeed at the highest levels. We think its excellence is absolutely an affirmation of the gifts God has given you, and using your gifts to deliver excellent results is what we aspire to do. So this has helped the people understand the journey they're on and to use all the things it's provided to them and to navigate that journey successfully, and navigate that journey, delivering, an excellent company that delivers excellent results. [Website Contents] Ocean's Work Ethic [17:41] Scott Weiss: So, in many ways, when we're interviewing candidates, we try to help them understand: coming here is more work than going to most accelerators. The outcome is more enriching, more edifying, and you will leave here (if you engage in it) with awareness and knowledge and relationships that we think will serve you the rest of your life, but it's a lot more work. It's not easier, it's harder. [18:10] James Clair: Yeah, very much so. Hearing Scott brought to my mind: when God is shining a light in some of our darkest corners—many times, we can be scared, or we can be afraid of what impact and anxiety that's going to bring to us or to the people around us; but one fruitful piece of our overall mission is that we want to change that feeling for a founder from being afraid and scared to feeling free; and that there's freedom in identifying these characteristics and behaviors that we have as individuals and how they affect, not just our personal lives, but the success of our business. And, many times, [for] the biggest fault-line in our individual ventures, there's a relatable behavior that's reflecting in our personal life; and addressing those realities and really dying to them and bringing truth to what that really should mean for us is what ties together both of those pieces really well. [Website Contents] Ocean's Program Overview [19:18] Ron Gaver: One thing that, Scott, you mentioned, “taking everyone along on the journey”—and I think that that's a great concept—how do you implement it, though? Do you use it by talking to people more, by demoing your product—is that what you said? By basically involving them as much as possible in this whole process with you? Is that how you do that, or can you elaborate a little on that? [19:39] Scott Weiss: Sure, I think I can. Let me paint a pretty clear picture, and this will take just a few words and then I'll pause and answer any questions. [Website Contents] Demo Day and Business Curriculum [19:48] Scott Weiss: The Ocean program—once you arrive, it's a four-month program and then demo day occurs and then there's one month following demo day that we're all together. And accelerators, while they do the same thing, do it differently; and one way to look at accelerators is there are very unstructured accelerators (you get in and you have access to a bunch of mentors and advisors and customers, and you're kind of on your own), or you have structured accelerators. We are a structured accelerator. So, the companies arrive, and we have laid out a curriculum that starts everybody at one level and takes them up through, and past demo, day; and it's a business curriculum that's built on the business canvas map that really gets them focused on what value they're creating in the marketplace, validating that value, and getting out there and testing it, and then generating revenue off of it. [20:44] Scott Weiss: We have a variety of speakers that come in and talk about that, and entrepreneurs who have both succeeded, and many of whom have failed (or failed once or twice and then succeeded); and they just come in and tell their stories that supplement whatever concept we are focusing on that week. So that's the business curriculum, and every week there is a speaker on the business side of it to prepare the knowledge base of the founders to accelerate—to run their business more effectively and to grow faster. [Website Contents] Keynote Speakers – Day One [21:16] Scott Weiss: So let's say it's day one. The very first speaker we had this last year happens to be a venture capitalist who drove over (about six hours) and taught a session on: what is the mission of your company? He taught very well. He's taking them through questions and answers, and he's really engaging, and then he kind of stops and he says, “You know, I'm on my third fund.”  (Which means he's succeeded. So he's been able to raise money three times—it's now many, many millions of dollars in funds.) “And I have this many analysts who work for me. And I personally hear 300 pitches a year.” (I think is the number he said—maybe it was 500, I forget.) “And you will never get to me to give me your pitch unless you can answer the question: ‘What is the purpose, the mission, [and] the vision of your company?' And I'm not looking for an advertising slogan. I'm looking for the insight and depth that communicates to me that you have found something that uniquely will add value in this world.” [22:20] Scott Weiss: And then he unfolds all of the worksheets he and his analysts use to determine that. So you're sitting there, day one, and you're hearing a live, venture capitalist give you the answer to the quiz. How do you get them to open the door and talk to you about your idea? You tell them the vision and mission of your company in great depth and in a way an investor, or potential investor, can understand it. [22:44] Scott Weiss: That's kind of day one. They all go out to lunch. They have a great time. They come back. And day one, I had a creative director from a local studio there, and he led a session that he called (I think it was a “he”), led a session on, “I believe in God, I believe that God's a creative force, and I believe God wants me to create, and that's what it means to be in God's image.” And all that he talked about was his personal faith journey and how God had come alive in him and given him the courage to step out and create these incredible visual images that multiple clients pay for. [23:21] Scott Weiss: That's it. That's day one. [Website Contents] Keynote Speaker Discussion – Day Two and Beyond [23:23] Scott Weiss: And the next day the companies all come back in, and I walk up to the front of this great co-working space we have, and it just happened to be my turn, and I say, “Okay, let's talk about the venture capitalist.” [23:34] Scott Weiss: We begin getting all these companies—there were nine of them, so there's about thirty-five people in the room—processing through what the vision and mission of their company is. They're jumping on Google. They're looking stuff up. They're just busy little beavers. And I let that go for about ten minutes, and then I say, “Wait a second. What does any of that have to do with the guy in the afternoon?” And the room just explodes. So half the companies will say, “It has nothing to do with it.” And half of them will say, “It has everything to do with it.” [24:02] Scott Weiss: And the way we drive integration is we then just process that discussion and then have, over the balance of the week, three or four more speakers come in and speak to the exact same thing, but more and more overtly on how understanding what God wants you to do may have an awful lot to do with the vision and mission of your company; and we replicate that each week, in a different way and more creatively, to get the companies to begin integrating this concept of: “I'm on this journey called life, and I happen to be creating a company; but God has a plan for me in this journey called life, and how do I put this together in a way that honors Him and maximizes my meaningfulness on this earth?” So let me unpack it a little bit more because that's an awful lot to swallow, and you're sitting there saying, “Geez, how do they do that?” [Website Contents] Ocean's 2017 Program Plans [24:53] Scott Weiss: Next year, what we're going to do is—because we think, “Ok, that worked really well”—but next year, when the companies arrive the very first week, instead of sitting in Cincinnati and going to our great co-working space and starting this, we're taking them all off to a local park. We're getting everybody a room in the lodge, and we're going to spend three days getting personal and intimate about: “Where are you in your walk with God?” [Website Contents] Ocean's Policy on Faith [25:20] Scott Weiss: We do not select based on your faith. We've had Christian believers in the accelerator. We've had non-Christians. We've had seekers, people who say: “I think I'm an agnostic or humanistic. I'm not really sure. I'm trying to figure this all out.” We've had all different religious faiths from the Christian side. We select based on your willingness to go on this journey, and we're very clear, while we respect where you're at, understand: the journey we're laying out for you is from a Christian perspective. We all believe that's a source of great truth for all of us. [25:54] Scott Weiss: So, we're going to take them out for three days We're going to have multiple workshops leaders come in. We're going to have all kinds of exercises, and begin unpacking: “Where are you? Where are you in your walk with God? Are you having one? Are you not? How does that manifest itself? What do you believe?” Then we're going to come back and do all this business/faith stuff. [Website Contents] Faith as a Component of Business [26:12] Scott Weiss: Then, about two months later, we're going to go away again, and on that weekend sojourn, we're going to say, “Here are the biblical truths, the biblical principles, we've been talking about. How are you going to apply those—if you choose to—in your business?” And we have taken the time to unpack key biblical truths into business principles, and almost all businesses in Judeo-Christian cultures use biblical principles in running their business. Love others as you love yourself. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Treat the customer the way you want to be treated. We get them to unpack that and to write out their objectives for their company so they have specific goals for the culture and company they're trying to create. [26:59] Scott Weiss: Then we come back, we get through demo day, and then we're going to take them off again. Now they've met all these investors, they've had this launch. What are they going to do all this as they leave us and launch into the world? How's this all going to come to life in how they're going to run a company based on biblical principles that, hopefully, has great commercial success? So it's an intense, fun, creative process that involves literally dozens and dozens of people, willing to give of their time and talent, who come to us from all over the country to help make this possible. [Website Contents] Ocean's Program [27:32] Ron Gaver: You've gotten into some of your program—the actual functioning of the program, month-in/month-out, day-in/day-out, week-in/week-out—and there's one graphic on your website that is a circle with the formal program in it and you have monthly events, weekly events, and daily events. Could you go into a little bit about how that program works? [27:53] Scott Weiss: Absolutely. [Website Contents] Weekly Program – Speakers and Workshops [27:45] Scott Weiss: The weekly events are the series of speakers that I outlined. Every week, we have someone come in and lead a workshop on a business topic that's aligned with accelerating high-tech companies. We have a speaker come in every week and lead a session on a faith topic, and then every week we have a workshop that integrates them. Every week we have at least one, but generally two, guest speakers for something we call “coffee chats,” and these are founders, these are people who've started businesses. Last year, we had a founder from Israel drop in. We've had a major leader from Google drop in. We have all kinds of local entrepreneurs. A young man who's been on shark tank came and talked, and they just tell their story. And we tell them, “This week we're talking about this business topic and this faith topic.” And they tease out of their story something that's occurred to them that exemplifies either or both of those topics. [28:48] Scott Weiss: Every week we do a community meal. We provide soup (I love soup), and we'll have all the founders there. Their families are invited. All the mentors are invited. We'll have all the lawyers who volunteer for us. We'll have 30-50 people every Friday for a big community lunch and soup, which forces you to sit next to somebody and drink or sip out of a bowel. So, it gets everyone talking, and suddenly we're not in an accelerator anymore; we're just doing life. Every week we'll have optional participation in a Bible study. Every week we'll have optional physical activity. [29:25] Scott Weiss: Daily, we ask each company to journal. We post a journal question up on the board—we're going to do that differently next year—and the journal question is very much against their faith walk, very much is taking them on a guided journey of questions that, if you went back and read all the answers you wrote to these journal questions, you'd have a pretty interesting diary or chronology of ever-deeper growth and understanding. [29:52] Scott Weiss: And then, about two weeks into the program, every week we practice pitches on a stage, with microphones, with slides, leading up to our demo day, which is probably one of the highest-attending demo days in the United States in terms of physical audience size and streaming audience size. So, we do the combination of all those things to make the program entertaining, engaging, creative, and fun. [Website Contents] Syncing Program Behavior with Business Life [30:20] James Clair: Yeah, it's important to have those different layers because we want the program to reflect how we live life. There are routines and there are rhythms that we don't do every day but that we want to make sure we prioritize, and that we make space for, as we go through the journey of the program. So there's a key reflection in what we do outside of our businesses and what we do in life, and we put that into the program so then that way, if you don't have a very good rhythm or routine with spending time journaling or in Scripture every week, we want to almost kick-start that rhythm for you, so that when you leave the program, you're going to take that behavior with you. Same thing with the encouragement of physical fitness, and then encouragement of getting in a small group and discussing your faith or Scripture. [31:15] James Clair: Especially when you're in a format like we are, we find that routine to be very beneficial because they're also naturally integrating what they're currently going through in their companies into whatever topic we're discussing in the Bible studies. So, the program—although it looks very cool and it's laid out (we've got monthly, weekly, daily)—we could easily eliminate whatever words we put in there for those bubbles and put rhythms and routines in our daily life, and it would make perfect sense to a lot of people. [Website Contents] Ocean's Field Day – The Importance of Customer Dialogue [31:47] Ron Gaver: Okay, so the cornerstone of the program is the faith aspect of it, and, of course, you bring in the other speakers who talk about more technical, business-type aspects, and then, on the monthly events, you also get into legal, investment, leadership, and something called “field day.” I'm not sure what that is. [32:05] Scott Weiss: That's just getting people out to validate their idea in the marketplace. The number one cause of high-tech failures is people fall in love with their own idea and actually never talk to anybody in the marketplace about it; so whatever they're working on (whether it's B2C or B2B), we line up time, space, and interviews with the right audience to validate their idea. [32:25] Ron Gaver: Alright. In the Lean Startup vernacular, something like, “Get out of the office.” [32:29] Scott Weiss: Exactly. That's exactly what it means. Get out in the field, and go and talk to customers. It's a big principle we teach: to constantly listen to the marketplace. [Website Contents] Relocating as a Founder with Family [32:39] Ron Gaver: Hypothetically, let's say I'm a founder. I've been accepted and you've made the convertible note available to me, and I'm relocating to Cincinnati for the four-to-five months—well, five months, including the month after demo day—and I've got a family. How do the founders usually negotiate that with their families? What do you usually see happening there? [33:04] Scott Weiss: That's a great question. So this past year—our program runs January through May, so we just had our bon voyage party for this year's class—this past year, there are nine companies that got accepted. We take anywhere from about eight to twelve. It's hard to get in. There are hundreds of applications that get boiled down to the people we offer to. Of those nine, five were from outside the Cincinnati region. Two of those were from Europe and relocated from the United Kingdom (both were from London, coincidentally) to Cincinnati. One was a single person (and her co-founder popped in and out), and the other was a married gentleman with a wife and two children. [33:48] Scott Weiss: The “spouse with children” is a common story from people relocating to Cincinnati or in Cincinnati. About half of our founders tend to be married with family. So, we go through all this in the interview process. We want to understand their game plan. [34:04] Scott Weiss: When that individual arrived, we had reached out to our network and we had already lined up twenty or thirty rental properties of people willing to rent to him on a short-term basis. He, from London, envisioned his family being here on two separate times during his five-month sojourn (so they would relocate for an extended period and then they would go home); and then he would fly back and forth from London twice and spend a week there and Skype in or stream in and participate in the program that way. [34:36] Scott Weiss: So we helped find housing at a very favorable rate. We then worked with a non-profit that gives away automobiles, and they gave him a car. He's going to give it back to us when he's done, and we'll give it back them, but he had free use of a car for his duration, as did the other person from London (as would anybody relocating here who doesn't have a vehicle—we would arrange that). And we lay this all out so, when they get here, we know how their family's going to navigate it, they know how their family's going to navigate it. When that individual's family showed up from London, we also had arranged families of our mentors to take time out of their lives, show them Cincinnati, invite them over to their home, take them out to dinner—without imposing, giving the family time, but still being welcoming. That's how we do it. [35:24] Ron Gaver: Showing them great hospitality. [35:26] Scott Weiss: Exactly. [Website Contents] Ocean's Ideal Company and Founder [35:27] Ron Gaver: Now as far as the type of companies that you look for: do you look for any specific type of company—or the one speaker that you referred to last year was looking for people who could clearly articulate their mission—is there a particular type of mission that you focus on when you're selecting applicants, or is it basically just whatever floats up to the top? [35:53] Scott Weiss: We're very focused on the industry being high-tech because you can accelerate a high-tech company. If we're making fans, you can't accelerate because you've got to cut molds, you've got to make the product, and you have to test the product; but high-tech is coding so we can accelerate. They have to be high-tech. The product has to be at or beyond the MVP stage (minimally viable product stage). We don't like to start with companies before then because it's too hard to get them ready for demo day. [36:22] Scott Weiss: There has to be at least two founders. We won't take solo founders—it's just too hard. And they have to be willing to [take], and seeking, this spiritual journey; and we sort that latter piece out in an extended interview either live or via Skype. At this point, we've done dozens and dozens and dozens of these, so we have a pretty keen sense when someone's being honest and sincere in their answers and when, perhaps, they're just saying they want to do that so they can get in and get the money. So that's kind of what we look for: high-tech, at least two founders, willing to relocate, product at or beyond the MVP stage, and a sincere and open heart to a spiritual journey. [37:03] Ron Gaver: And you also prefer one of the co-founders to be a technical founder, I believe? [37:09] Scott Weiss: We skew that way, just for practical reasons, although we've taken about a third of the companies where neither was a technical co-founder, but they were able to resolve that issue through outsourcing or hiring a CTO. Chances for commercial success are higher if one of them understands coding and can actually build the product. [Website Contents] Ocean Capital [37:29] Ron Gaver: As far as Ocean is concerned, the accelerator itself is a non-profit organization and then there's Ocean Capital as well, which is basically the financial end of it. [37:38] Scott Weiss: Correct. That's a separate legal entity that, under IRS rules, is an SPV (special purpose vehicle), which means it collects money from a broad range of diverse investors, and its job, as a legal entity, is to track the flow of money so that, when those investors get a return, that they can be properly taxed. The entity itself doesn't make any profit. It doesn't lose any. It collects money and puts it into convertible notes for the companies. [Website Contents] Ocean's Origins at Crossroads [38:07] Ron Gaver: And as far as Ocean, the accelerator, the non-profit side of that—it grew out of Crossroads (the church), and then an organization within Crossroads called Unpolished, which I believe was a group of business people getting together and talking about business, and then they wanted to do something more. Is that correct? [38:26] Scott Weiss: That's a great story. Unpolished is a group within a large church—very vibrant and active community in Cincinnati called Crossroads Community Church—and this group had coalesced and formed and was meeting monthly and providing speakers; and they're sitting around one day, brainstorming (it's a small leadership team): “What else can we do?” And three of the participants in that were high-tech founders—had all founded high-tech companies, and one had had a successful exit (had started a company, grew it, sold it, and was now starting another one)—and those three articulated that the path for a high-tech founder is arduous and fraught with risk and often results in significant damage to health, relationships, and faith, which James talked about earlier. So they said, “Let's start an accelerator. Let's create an accelerator that approaches it differently—that focuses on the founder, with this lens of faith we've been talking about all afternoon.” And the larger group and the church said, “That's a great idea!” And Crossroads very generously kick-started the entire campaign with a donation that allowed for the conversion of this old warehouse space into a fantastic co-working space. So that's how it all started. [Website Contents] Ocean's Financial Support [39:41] Ron Gaver: You say they kick-started it. I read somewhere on your website that they did it with a 2014 Beans and Rice Week? [39:49] Scott Weiss: They do a really interesting fundraiser where, every week, they ask their entire community to take on a third-world diet, which is largely vegetarian and beans and rice, and to contribute the difference they would spend normally for food (dining out, buying a first-world diet)—to calculate that and contribute that to Crossroads. Crossroads collects that money, which is a large sum—the first year was like $350,000, last year was $700,000—all of that money, a hundred percent, goes outside Crossroads to support a variety of partnerships or programs, that don't have any relationship with Crossroads, around the world. It supports building schools in Nicaragua. It supports Ocean. It supports paying to have public swimming pools open in the greater Cincinnati area in a year when the city didn't have any money to keep the pools open. So they give that all away and we were the very fortunate beneficiaries of some portion of that the first year. [Website Contents] Ocean's Mentors [40:48] Ron Gaver: Then as the founder arrives—we've talked about family accommodations, and that's something you call concierge, but there's also really a package of things that you do. We've talked about seed financing. We've talked about the unique, five-month curriculum with all that that entails. A couple of things we haven't gone into too much: first, your mentors. You say you have a great pool of mentors, and I've seen on your webpage a bunch of pictures of all the different mentors. Could you kind of give a characterization of your cadre of mentors—not necessarily saying “this person, this person, this person,” but the type of people that come and support and want to be a part of this? [Website Contents] Role of the Mentor [41:29] James Clair: Yeah, that's very much the guardrails of the program. We introduce a very diverse mentor—I should first say, we identify and address a very diverse mentor pool—and our goal is to educate them as to what it means to be a mentor in an accelerator space, and what it means to be a coach in an accelerator space where you have nine founders (like we had this last class) but 100 mentors and coaches. Obviously, ten mentors and coaches aren't going to meet with every founder every week—the capacity of that doesn't make sense—but it's the right person at the right time, and that's where we come in, where we say, “This entrepreneur is at place X, and that's perfect alignment with this mentor that we have in our pool.” So we're going to introduce them, and we believe that that mentor is going to help shape [the founder] or help put that founder back on track—or you could even say “introduce a discipline” that will help put the founder back on track—[or] share life experience, and don't let me make it seem like it's just business. [Website Contents] Mentor Demographics [42:36] James Clair: These mentors have voiced that they're really passionate about sharing their faith journey and their faith story, just as much as their business successes and even business failures. Our mentor pool—they're not just diverse in the sense of demographically but geographically. Scott has mentioned different mentors and speakers coming in from Israel or East Coast or California, Silicon Valley, the South. That aligns perfectly with our mission of Kingdom expansion globally, and our program speaks to a lot of people, not just in Cincinnati, not just in the mid-West, but [as] we've seen in our applicant pool, in the UK. It speaks to people in Europe. It speaks to people around the globe. We want our mentor pool to be capable and ready, and we want to arm them well enough that when we introduce them, our founders are going to benefit from that exponentially. [43:33] Scott Weiss: So I would just add, Ron, the mentors will break into two broad groups. All of them want to share their personal life story, their faith journey, and they break then, subsequently, into two groups. We have a large group of subject matter experts—accountants, marketing, product developers, project managers, legal—and then we have a smaller group of people who have started businesses and understand the journey. That smaller group tends to form an intimate, one-on-one relationship. One person from that smaller group will end up being with one of the companies for the whole five months. They'll be there every week. They'll have them over their house for dinner. The person who has started the business has the time, the energy, and the maturity in their faith to be able to kind of wrap their arms around a company and be a truth-teller—not to run the business, not to tell them what to do, but to listen and give them honest feedback. Everyone else tends to cluster around tasks, as James pointed out, and we tend to pulse them in and out based on their subject matter and where each company is on any given week. [Website Contents] Partners [44:49] Ron Gaver: In conjunction with that, you also have some partners—some business partners, law firms, banks, Crossroads itself, an organization called 805 Creative (which is a design and creative production agency). [45:02] Scott Weiss: Yep. Companies all get free legal advise the whole time they're in the program. That's a combination of the generosity of the University of Cincinnati Law School, which provides legal fellows, and they're supervised by a local law firm. Last year it was Frost Brown Todd, and it'll either be them or another great local law firm next year (there's two law firms that want to do that). And then all these other business partners line up, and they're very clear: “We will donate this much time.” So the lawyers just said, “We'll be your lawyers.” Each studio says, “We'll give you 20 hours.” And, when we line them up with the company, we say, “Okay, you're asking this agency to do some work for you. And at 20 hours, the clock starts running and you're paying for it, so let's get really focused so you can get done what you need done in 20 hours.” That's what we coach them on doing. [Website Contents] Brand Identity Kit [45:51] Ron Gaver: One of the objectives of that creation experience is a brand identity kit? [45:56] Scott Weiss: Yeah, some of the companies need that. Some do not. This past year, most of the companies had well-established brands and arrived with trademarks in place and graphic design done and operational websites. If the company doesn't have it, we provide that. If they do have it and want to validate it, we provide that. But most of them have really solid brands. In fact, only one of them needed a lot of branding work this past year. [Website Contents] Design Style Guide [46:23] Ron Gaver: And there's something called a style guide in there? [46:26] Scott Weiss: Yeah, that's just a tactical tool on design (the product design itself); what the interaction is like if it's a B2C business (business to consumer). Of the nine companies, almost all of them were B2B (business to business) this past year, so while the style guide is still important, it's not as profoundly important. [Website Contents] A Creative Space to Build Relationships [46:44] Ron Gaver: So then, they're there. Are they all basically in one co-located space, and they feed off of one another and thrive on the ideas and inputs from one another? [46:56] Scott Weiss: Yes, we have a fantastic space. It's a large space, so each company gets a table and all those tables are co-located, and the intimacy and friendships and relationships and energy that come out of that is amazing. And, consistently, when the companies leave, in their evaluations, they tell us: “The most important thing are the relationships I formed.” [47:19] Scott Weiss: They can then get up and walk from there to multiple places in the building, into a private conference room, all glassed in, and they can jump on a video network feed and talk to a customer anywhere in the world (or anybody anywhere in the world), or they can put a presentation up in a larger conference room and have customers come in. They can walk to other parts of the building, which are just quiet spaces, where you can go work alone on your laptop or sketchpad, or you can go and pray or study. And then we have “huddle” areas—we have couches thrown around with area rugs where [I could go] if I wanted to get four or five people together and just hash something out. Whiteboards everywhere—moveable whiteboards everywhere—and everything's open. [48:01] Scott Weiss: There is no closed space. And everything is reserve-able or schedulable, or if it's open, just walk in and use it. We then we have a kitchen area that we use for soup day, and we do a happy hour every Friday and about half of them are on our space, and that's when we set up the beer and the soft drinks and all that good stuff. [Website Contents] Cincinnati as a Hotspot for Entrepreneurs [48:20] Ron Gaver: You're also big fans of Cincinnati itself. You site various things that are going on in the Cincinnati area and the area around Cincinnati, as far as start-up events, accelerators, incubators, co-working spaces, universities, something called CincyTech, funds and angels groups, economic development, and various associations. You seem to be real community supporters, and (from my point-of-view) you feel Cincinnati is a great place to do this kind of work. [48:50] Scott Weiss: Yes. [Website Contents] Cincinnati's Community Spirit [48:51] James Clair: What we do is a reflection of what already exists in Cincinnati, that there is an output now of an entrepreneurial spirit that has existed in Cincinnati for a while, and now there are minds and the intellect coming together and opening up about some of these innovative ideas on how this can work in a place not located on the West Coast. And we embrace the community because—I love that you referenced the beans and rice fast; that is the community of Crossroads Church—it was our catalyst to becoming who we are and opening this space that we're in. [The community that goes to Crossroads—not eating lavish meals for a week or pausing their grocery trip for a week, and deciding to go deep into their cupboards—sacrificed.] They made that sacrifice so that what we're doing right now would come to fruition, and I believe that we just simply reflect that in how we speak about our city and how we speak about the community. It's just an affirmation both ways. This is an output that's tethered to a Divine source. [Website Contents] Cincinnati as an Ideal Region for Startups [50:02] Scott Weiss: There's many great places in the world to start a company—to start a high-tech company—so this is not about being better than anybody, but Cincinnati is a very competitive space and has access to four terrific universities (so a broad swath of engineering talent), has access to a large number of customers who are seeking startups to offer creative solutions and that are willing to do tests and are willing to invest their money, has a unique infrastructure where those large companies have formed something calledCintrifuse (named after Cincinnati)—and Cintrifuse's role is to coordinate all the activities, to minimize wasteful redundancy, and to get everyone in this broad region, which includes northern Kentucky and southeastern Indiana and southwestern Ohio, to work cooperatively so that we share resources and share programming. So, we think this is a very vibrant, dynamic region for startups, and then the city itself is in the midst of a huge renaissance and can be read about in travel magazines or dining experiences. It's a fun place that's attractive to a lot of entrepreneurs to come and start a business and, hopefully, stay; but, if they depart, depart with the sense of, “I was in a very blessed area for a period of time.” [Website Contents] Appropriateness of Cincinnati for Founders with Families [51:23] Ron Gaver: Would you say that Cincinnati is a family-friendly city? [51:27] Scott Weiss: I would say it's both a family-friendly city, and it's increasingly a city that attracts and has a lot to offer single people who are just starting their careers. [As I mentioned earlier, a number of our founders are married with families, but a larger number are single, and the city has enough to offer them as well.] [51:47] James Clair: Yeah, and that's a great point: for the effects that starting and scaling a business have on a married founder—when I think about moving myself from maybe my hometown or home area, across the country to a new city—the way we support that individual founder is just as much as we would the married founder—the one, you know, relationship from a long distance. We leverage Cincinnati as a diverse city that just has this infectious fun about it, and it's a place where you have an opportunity to do a variety of things no matter, geographically, where you're from. There's a lot of things here that are applicable to, not just mid-western, skyline Chili. It's not all Chili in Cincinnati. There's, like Scott said, a renaissance that's really diversified, honestly, Cincinnati's portfolio as a city. [Website Contents] Ocean's Schedule for Applications [52:37] Ron Gaver: Alright, then as far as Ocean's schedule for a year, when do you usually open up applications? [52:43] Scott Weiss: We'll be opening up applications in September—very early September; maybe very late August—and that'll all be announced on our website. We accept applications from (let's call it) September first to the end of October. We go through our screening process in November and make offers shortly after Thanksgiving [at the end of November] for a class that starts the second week of January. [53:06] Ron Gaver: And that begins your cohort, that goes through it, marching down to demo day as the major milestone at the end; and you said it's a very well-attended—both physically and virtually—event. [Website Contents] Benefits of Demo Day [53:19] Scott Weiss: So first, one of the benefits of Ocean for any startup is [that] our demo day is on a large auditorium stage in one of the Crossroads buildings. This past year, we had 1,400 people attend live. We had 1,800 people stream it live. So that's a total live audience of over 3,000. Last year, after we finished, we posted the stream (the stream's downloadable). Ten thousand people downloaded the stream between last year's demo day and this year's demo day. So, if you're launching a business, you get to come here. You get to go on a stage designed to speak to thousands. You get [a] professional production team fine-tuning your speech. You're streamed live. Your slides are amazing. You get to launch your brand to, literally, thousands of potential customers and hundreds of potential investors. We work real hard to make sure that the audience has a high percentage of angels, angel funds, and customers, based on whoever's in whatever class; and it works incredibly well as a company launches a public event to say: “I am here, and I am ready to go into business,” or “I am in business and I'm ready to meet you and do more business.” [Website Contents] Post-Demo Day Activities [54:42] Ron Gaver: So demo day comes, and demo day goes, and then your companies are still with you for another month. What happens in that month? [54:51] Scott Weiss: Post-demo day, we help the companies take action based on whatever occurred on demo day. So one company is actively negotiating with two different investor groups as we speak, so we are continuing to provide support for them. They're still working out of Ocean—met with them today. Another company came out of Ocean and finalized its application to get into a different accelerator, an accelerator that is core to their industry and will give them access to a dramatic number of customers. They were successful and that will be announced publicly Wednesday. It's a major accelerator. One company received hundreds and hundreds of customer inquiries, who want to hire them, and they're processing through: “How do we manage that and monetize that and service all that?” [55:42] Scott Weiss: So, each company ends up with opportunity coming out of demo day, and we provide support on: “What do you do with that?” And then we also have a few weeks of integrating the entire program back to: “What does this mean for you now in your life? Where do you go from here in your life? The company's a very important part of that, but you're a far more important part of that. You are what God cares about. Where are you going to go?” And then we kind of have a ceremony—we call it a bon voyage party—and we launch them. As of this point, about three of the companies have moved on—they've left our building; they've moved on. One came in and said goodbye today, and the rest are still kind of hanging around, figuring out where they're going to rent space and all that good stuff. [56:29] James Clair: You hit this pinnacle at demo day, and it's amazing, and the companies do an amazing job. They deliver on the highest stage with the most visibility they'll ever have at one time, in their young companies. Post-demo day it's—what Scott said: “What does this mean now? How do I digest this in a healthy way, the feedback that I received from demo day, both good and bad? I retain it as a leave the accelerator.” And that's really what we're there for. We're there to be [sounding boards] and to help them digest and retain feedback from demo day. [Website Contents] Universal Message of God's Interest in Enterprises [57:08] Ron Gaver: That was pretty much the end of my list of questions. The next thing that I was going to ask you is: is there anything that you would like to say or cover that I haven't asked you about yet? [57:18] Scott Weiss: I'm reflecting on this great conversation we've had, which I'm so appreciative of. We've had a terrific conversation, and for anybody in your audience who listens to it, the universal message is: you, individually, matter. You matter to something much bigger than any of us, and that's God, and He cares deeply about you, and He cares about your enterprises and your visions and your dreams. And whether it's a high-tech company trying to get into an accelerator, or someone trying to get an education or someone trying to get a job at a local garage, lean into your gift and lean into it with the knowledge [that] God wants you to utilize that gift to your best ability; and in that leaning into it with the spirit of “what does God want me to do in this,” greater riches will come to you than in any other way in your life. So, our message would just be: lean into the gifts you have, and keep asking yourself, “What does God want me to do in this?” And more will come back to you than you can possibly imagine. [58:20] Ron Gaver: Well, thank you very much for your time