Podcasts about Techstars

Applications are open for the next accelerator program! In this episode, Neal Bloom chats with Misti Cain, the new Managing Director of Techstars San Diego powered by SDSU. They discuss the upcoming Year 3 of the program, the application process, and what makes an ideal founder and company for the accelerator. Misty shares insights into the benefits of the SDSU partnership, the updated investment terms, and the importance of community and mentorship in the Techstars ecosystem. Key Topics: - Introduction of Misty Cain as the new Managing Director - Overview of Techstars San Diego powered by SDSU Year 3 - Application details: Open from April 8 to June 11, 2024 - Ideal founder and company profile - Benefits of the SDSU partnership - Updated investment terms: $220,000 total with $200,000 uncapped MFN safe - Importance of community and mentorship - Shoutout to Ryan Kuder for his contributions to Techstars in San Diego - Misty's favorite taco spot: Puesto in Del Mar   Links and Resources: - Techstars San Diego powered by SDSU Information - Refer Founders   Connect with Misty Cain: - LinkedIn: Misti Cain https://www.linkedin.com/in/misticain/ Connect with Neal Bloom: - LinkedIn: Neal Bloom https://www.linkedin.com/in/nealbbloom - Twitter: @NealBloom https://twitter.com/NealBloom

From Surfboards to Sustainable CompositesWhat started as a DIY surfboard made from recycled cardboard quickly turned into a deep-tech material startup. François initially entered—and won—an innovation competition in California. But the surf industry was too niche, so he pivoted to a broader mission: replace carbon-intensive materials in furniture, mobility, and industrial design.What Is Airboard's Innovation?Airboard transforms recycled cardboard into composite sandwich panels, competing directly with wood, aluminum, and even honeycomb cores. Their breakthrough lies not just in the material—but in the machinery they've developed to treat and mold the waste without water or high energy use. The result: lightweight, strong, and fully moldable bio-based composites.Scaling Through Machines, Not MegafactoriesUnlike traditional manufacturers, Airboard isn't building one big factory. Instead, they're creating a scalable machinery platform, inspired by models like Tetra Pak, to enable local production at the source of waste. This distributed approach is designed to keep emissions low and business margins healthy.The Challenges of Hardware-Led InnovationDeveloping novel materials is hard. Developing machines to produce those materials is even harder. François shares how most of Airboard's progress has been self-funded or bootstrapped—and why fundraising is now critical to accelerate R&D and scale production. The team is currently raising €2 million to build next-generation machines and meet growing demand.The Power of Events: From Techstars to JEC WorldAirboard's journey was accelerated by attending JEC World 2024 as a visitor. There, François connected with Techstars, joined their sustainability accelerator, and gained exposure to investors and industrial partners. A year later, Airboard returned as an exhibitor—now part of JEC Startup Booster, the Innovation Planet, and the bio-based materials showcase.Why Airboard's Model ResonatesBio-based & circular: They reuse waste without water or chemicals.Low-energy manufacturing: Their machines are analog, efficient, and easy to deploy.Custom shaping: Thanks to composites, the material can be molded into complex designs.No sanding: Their process eliminates time-consuming post-processing steps.The Bigger Vision: Local MicrofactoriesFrançois isn't chasing headcount or mass centralization. His vision is a network of local microfactories, embedded in places where cardboard waste is abundant. From automotive OEMs to IKEA-style furniture producers, he believes Airboard machines could sit within customer facilities, enabling on-demand, sustainable material production.A Fresh Take on SustainabilityWhen asked what's most needed for real sustainability in the composites industry, François doesn't cite regulation or capital. He says: time. Time to think differently, to explore outside the box, and to develop better systems. “The most valuable thing in the world is time,” he says—something big manufacturers often lack.Learn More About AirboardWebsite: [Coming soon — follow updates on Trashboard]Instagram: @trashboardLinkedIn: François JaubertCurrently raising: €2M to scale production and finalize next-gen machines Be sure to follow Sesamers on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X for more cool stories from the people we catch during the best Tech events!

In this episode of the Invest In Her Podcast, host Catherine Gray talks with Helena Wasserman, climate tech investor, co-founder of Investors for Climate, and driving force behind more than $40M in capital raised for sustainable startups. With a decade of experience at the Clinton Foundation, Techstars, and Top Tier Impact, Helena is passionate about moving capital to founders solving the world's biggest climate challenges. She also leads a 400+ member global investor network and is an Earthshot Prize nominator. Catherine and Helena dig into what it takes to build and fund the next generation of climate tech innovators. Helena shares how her Unstoppable program empowers founders with capital-raising strategies and how her own investment portfolio includes 11+ startups, including one that IPO'd. From investor tips to the importance of diversity in climate tech, this episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to understand the intersection of sustainability, entrepreneurship, and funding. Websites Mentioned: https://www.investorsforclimate.com https://www.helenawasserman.com https://www.showherthemoneymovie.com https://svwomenfoundersfund.vc www.sheangelinvestors.com    Follow Us On Social Facebook @sheangelinvestors Twitter (X) @sheangelsinvest Instagram @sheangelinvestors & @catherinegray_investinher LinkedIn @catherinelgray & @sheangels  

Este episodio con Alejandro Russo es para serie de Netflix. Partió creando la app de restaurantes más usada en Chile. Luego se fue a Techstars en Nueva York. Ayudó a ponerle el nombre a NotCo. Casi levanta medio millón de dólares con Mark Cuban en Shark Tank. Y cuando pensó que todo se había acabado, se fue a tomar un shot a una piscina en Punta Cana. Y ese shot cambió su vida para siempre. Hoy es el fundador de Candela, una marca de ron basada en la mamajuana. Una receta legendaria de República Dominicana, con más misterio que El Absent, y más flow que Pitbull. Literalmente. Porque Armando Pérez, más conocido como Pitbull, es su socio. Este episodio es una masterclass de reinvención, identidad y cómo volver a empezar después de tocar fondo. Agradecimientos a mis auspiciadores Nescafé - Un café que conecta perfecto con lo que siempre escuchamos en este espacio: historias de personas que con mucha dedicación, han logrado cosas increíbles. https://www.nescafe.com/cl/ Flycrew - Convierte tu comunidad en tu negocio, todas las herramientas que necesitas para ganar plata en Internet. Consigue 7 días gratis en https://flycrew.com Examedi - Deja de perder tiempo y hazte tus exámenes de sangre en tu casa. Anda a https://examedi.cl y consigue un 20% de descuento usando el código "NICO" This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit norellana.substack.com

This week in the guest chair we have Kristen Dunning, founder and CEO of Gently Soap - a bathing brand built on her self-developed herbal infusions. An MBA grad, Kristen hails from a rare five generations of Black Alabama farmers, and she's continuing the legacy by bringing joy back to bathing experiences for people with sensitive skin, using the medicinal properties of plants.In this episode she shares:Her vigorous passion and research that landed her on Shark TankHer secret sauce to having a rate of 78% repeat customersHow she won over 300K in investment capital and has a trajectory of $1.2M in salesHighlights Include:00:00 Intro03:24 Generations of Black farmers06:38 Struggle with eczema08:45 Studying horticulture and agriculture14:10 Staring Gently Soaps18:03 Transitioning to selling at markets21:31 Importance of formulating for sensitive skin28:56 Sales growth and Shark Tank impact32:55 High margins and sales 39:49 Marketing strategies44:03 Tips for entrepreneurs Check out episode 459 of Side Hustle Pro podcast out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeLinks mentioned in this episodeGently Soap Website: https://gentlysoap.com/ Gently Soap Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gentlysoap/Kristen's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/professionalplantgirl/ Kristen's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristendunning/ Shark Tank episode: https://gentlysoap.com/pages/shark-tank Aveeno start-up pitch competition: https://www.aveeno.com/startup-collective Thirteen Lune: https://thirteenlune.com/ Tech Stars: https://www.techstars.com/ Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rssAnnouncementsJoin our Facebook CommunityIf you're looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebook Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We always say your best business partner can be in the most surprising places. Today, we discuss why holding a global mindset and helping new companies with their first funding boost, regardless of location, makes for a healthier business ecosystem.   Jenny Fielding, the co-founder and managing partner of Everywhere Ventures, is a big believer in the game-changing impact of global entrepreneurship. From her own journey as an accidental entrepreneur turned venture capitalist, she stresses the importance of backing founders in the early stages with key resources like mentorship, funding, and connections.   With investments spread across the world, Jenny pushes for a global perspective in entrepreneurship, urging entrepreneurs to embrace diverse cultures for resilience and adaptability. Her "everywhere mindset" highlights the potential of dynamic startup scenes globally, motivating entrepreneurs to broaden their horizons and expand their knowledge to thrive in an interconnected world.   These are the highlights of our conversation:   -Jenny's global network of 500+ founders and operators helps source early-stage companies from all over the world. These founders act as her eyes and ears on the ground. -Why she invests at the pre-seed stage and focuses more on the people than the ideas. She looks for visionary, resilient founders who are building for a future that doesn't exist yet. - Her new book, Venture Everywhere, follows the journey through 12 countries where Jenny interviewed founders who overcame major obstacles to build billion-dollar companies. It's all about having a global, open-minded, resilient mindset. -Jenny became a founder accidentally, starting her first company while still working full-time. Her second company failed, but that experience taught her valuable lessons she now uses to support other founders as a venture capitalist. About the guest: Jenny Fielding is one of the most active global pre-seed investors in the world, having invested in 300+ companies as the first money in. As the Co-founder and Managing Partner of  Everywhere Ventures, Jenny has built a thriving community of 500+ founders and operators who help source, diligence, and invest in the next generation of startups across 3 core verticals: money, health, and work.   Prior to launching her own fund, Jenny spent 7.5 years as the Managing Director of Techstars where she invested in a portfolio of companies with a current market cap over $10B. Jenny is a 2x founder, a lawyer by training, and an adjunct professor at Columbia University and Cornell Tech.   Connect with Jenny: Website: https://www.jennyfielding.com/ Website: https://everywhere.vc/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennyfielding/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/jefielding   Connect with Allison: Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web, and it is ranked the number 6 CEO podcast to listen to in 2025! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/ Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/    #CEO #leadership #startup #founder #business #businesspodcast  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we sit down with Jesse Hamel, former Air Force gunship aviator turned Techstars startup founder, to explore the groundbreaking work his company Victus AI is doing in the world of autonomous drone systems.Jesse shares his journey from military service to launching Victus out of MIT Sandbox, where the mission is to redefine drone autonomy through software-driven navigation without GPS—also known as alternative PNT.We dive into:The evolution of drone warfare and national securityWhy the 2025–2035 era will be the Decade of RoboticsHow dual-use technology impacts both defense and commercial sectorsReal-world applications in agriculture, infrastructure, disaster response, and even organ transport

i'm wall-e, welcoming you to today's tech briefing for monday, april 21. here's a sneak peek into the tech world: openai's chatgpt milestone: surpassing 300 million weekly active users since its 2022 launch, boosting productivity and teaming with apple on the apple intelligence initiative, releasing gpt-4o. openai's internal and legal challenges: facing departures of key figures like ilya sutskever, legal issues with media outlets, and competition from chinese firm deepseek. openai's strategic maneuvers: strengthening washington ties, planning funding rounds, and launching new models and a major data center project. techstars investment increase: raising investment to $220,000 per company for fall 2025, offering cash for equity and an uncapped safe note, enhancing startup capital flexibility. bluesky's new verification system: launching a decentralized blue check system, enabling trusted organizations to verify accounts, contrasting with musk's centralized approach on x. openai's ongoing ai risks: despite innovations, the latest models o3 and o4-mini face scrutiny due to high "hallucination" rates, emphasizing ai accuracy challenges. that's all for today. we'll see you back here tomorrow with more tech updates!

We all say we care about customer experience. But most businesses still treat CX like a buzzword…something that sits on a Miro board, disconnected from how the customer actually moves through your brand.In this episode, I'm joined by the brilliant Brittany Fox, Founder and CEO of Nevam, a platform transforming how teams visualise, prioritise and fix broken customer journeys.We dive into how CX often gets misunderstood, why most “customer journey” maps are missing huge blind spots, and what solopreneurs, startups, and large teams alike can do to close the gap between insight and execution. If you've ever wondered how to make your customer experience more human, intuitive, and action-oriented, this conversation is for you.If you LOVE the episode, don't forget to share it on your Instagram stories and tag me @essential.shift!KEY EPISODE TAKEAWAYSWhat is a customer experience The biggest myths about customer experienceHow Brittany went from Deloitte to launching Nevam during maternity leaveWhat solopreneurs and small teams can do right now to improve CX without breaking the bankThe mindset shift that helped Britt back herself and build a platform that's changing the way brands operateSHOW RESOURCESLearn more about Nevam – HEREEmail Britt directly – HEREConnect with Britt on LinkedIn – HEREJOIN THE CIRCLE to connect and grow with other entrepreneurs – HEREWork with me 1:1 – HEREFollow me on Instagram – HEREFind me on LinkedIn – HEREABOUT THE GUESTBrittany Fox is the Founder and CEO of Nevam, a platform built to help teams visualise, prioritise, and fix broken customer journeys - fast.After leading marketing execution for brands like GAP and consulting at Deloitte, she kept seeing the same problem: businesses had no way to see the entire customer journey in one place. Nevam was born from that frustration - and from her kitchen table, during maternity leave.In just 12 months, Nevam was selected by Techstars, built an MVP in 12 weeks, and signed its first enterprise client before launch. Britt is now on a mission to bring clarity and action to the chaos of CX, helping brands create seamless, human-first experiences.Bless it be.With love,Laetitia

Alpha Human - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... Summer Camp - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... Дэлгэрэнгүй мэдээллийг 8900-7771 Би 10+ жилийн туршлагатай Life coach бөгөөд PLAY Academy and Балиар Өөдрөг-ийн үүсгэн байгуулагч, номын зохиолч, сквошийн Спортын мастер, мөн био хакер юм. Би АНУ-ын тэргүүлэгч гарааны бизнесийн хөрөнгө оруулалтын Techstars компанийн ахлах захирал, АНУ-д санхүүгийн бакалавр болон MBA зэрэг хамгаалсан. Миний зорилго – хүмүүст өөрийгөө хөгжүүлэх, бие махбод, сэтгэл санаагаа удирдаж, хүссэн амьдралаа бүтээхэд туслах. Холбоо барих:

Sometimes, we don't have the option of masking, hiding, and attempting to fit in. As a female of color from an unstable family, today's guest Mina Raver dropped out of high school after being identified as gifted and diagnosed with ADHD, Autism, and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. This set her on a non-conventional path that has dramatically accelerated her growth. Mina has been developing solutions for neurodivergent individuals for years, but being selected as a Techstars participant in 2024 taught her the importance of doing things her way, which has led to the Better CEO app. Better CEO leverages neuroscience, human learning modalities, and machine learning to create the world's first individually adaptive productivity software, designed for the 30% of entrepreneurs who struggle with productivity due to ADHD. Better CEO is available now in the mobile version and will soon be available in the desktop version as well. Because so many adults with ADHD struggle to find software and other tools that actually work for us, I consider becoming an early adopter of Better CEO to be an opportunity to contribute to making this app everything we need it to be, through sharing our feedback with a developer who actually cares. Once you listen to this interview, I bet you will too. Episode Highlights:Disruptive AF: With no technical background, Mina taught herself to code and is building tools to revolutionize productivity for neurodivergent brains. Redefining Productivity: Dive into Mina's holistic approach to understanding brains and hear why she believes current productivity standards just aren't cut out for neurodivergent folk.Passion Over Profit: Discover why Mina opted out of traditional funding pursuits and chose to pave her distinctive path, focusing on genuine impact rather than investor expectations.Own Your Narrative: Mina liberated herself from people-pleasing and permission-seeking, setting an example for other neurodivergent visionaries ready to claim their space and impact the world on their terms.Mic Drop Moment:

Andrew Cleland, Chief Investment Officer at Techstars, shares how the world's leading accelerator invests in early-stage startups. He breaks down what makes a great founder, how Techstars selects startups from tens of thousands of applicants, and why a strong technical differentiator is crucial. Andrew reveals the most common reasons startups get rejected and how Techstars mentors founders to avoid early mistakes. He also talks about the biggest themes shaping the future of venture capital.In this episode, you'll learn:[03:00] How Andrew's background in consulting, startups, and venture capital led him to Techstars [07:34] How Techstars selects startups from thousands of applications—what matters most[14:01] The #1 mistake founders make when applying to Techstars, and how to avoid[20:50] Why founders need to build investor relationships early when thinking about fundraising[26:04] Why the VC industry needs more transparency—and how that benefits foundersThe non-profit organization Andrew is passionate about: Magic BusAbout Andrew ClelandAndrew Cleland is the Chief Investment Officer at Techstars, where he oversees investment strategy, fundraising, and portfolio growth across Techstars' global network of accelerators. With over two decades in venture capital and early-stage investing, he previously led investments at Comcast Ventures and Time Warner Investments. An INSEAD MBA graduate, Andrew has backed dozens of high-growth startups and is focused on empowering the next generation of global founders.About TechstarsTechstars is one of the world's leading startup accelerators, backing thousands of early-stage companies across 50+ accelerator programs worldwide. Since 2006, Techstars has helped launch 20+ unicorns, including SendGrid, DigitalOcean, Uber, Twilio, DataRobot and Outreach. The program provides mentorship, funding, and global networks to help startups scale fast.Subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode.

Sometimes, we don't have the option of masking, hiding, and attempting to fit in. As a female of color from an unstable family, today's guest Mina Raver dropped out of high school after being identified as gifted and diagnosed with ADHD, Autism, and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. This set her on a non-conventional path that has dramatically accelerated her growth. Mina has been developing solutions for neurodivergent individuals for years, but being selected as a Techstars participant in 2024 taught her the importance of doing things her way, which has led to the Better CEO app. Better CEO leverages neuroscience, human learning modalities, and machine learning to create the world's first individually adaptive productivity software, designed for the 30% of entrepreneurs who struggle with productivity due to ADHD. Better CEO is available now in the mobile version and will soon be available in the desktop version as well. Because so many adults with ADHD struggle to find software and other tools that actually work for us, I consider becoming an early adopter of Better CEO to be an opportunity to contribute to making this app everything we need it to be, through sharing our feedback with a developer who actually cares. Once you listen to this interview, I bet you will too. Episode Highlights:Disruptive AF: With no technical background, Mina taught herself to code and is building tools to revolutionize productivity for neurodivergent brains. Redefining Productivity: Dive into Mina's holistic approach to understanding brains and hear why she believes current productivity standards just aren't cut out for neurodivergent folk.Passion Over Profit: Discover why Mina opted out of traditional funding pursuits and chose to pave her distinctive path, focusing on genuine impact rather than investor expectations.Own Your Narrative: Mina liberated herself from people-pleasing and permission-seeking, setting an example for other neurodivergent visionaries ready to claim their space and impact the world on their terms.Mic Drop Moment:

What if you could turn cold LinkedIn leads into million-dollar LP investors on autopilot? Discover how Pascal Wagner, a former VC at Techstars who deployed $150M into 300+ startups, reveals how he transitioned from chasing unicorns to building a rock-solid, six-figure passive income stream through real estate and alternative investments. Tune in to discover the exact funnel Pascal uses to generate 10–20 accredited leads per week, why debt funds dominate his strategy, and how he engineered a scalable, trust-first approach that aligns perfectly with today's sophisticated investor mindset.5 Key Takeaways to learn from this episode:LPs Are Underserved: While everyone teaches you how to raise capital as a GP, few teach how to be a savvy, strategic LP—Pascal's mission is to change that.Debt Funds = Consistent Cash Flow: Pascal explains why debt investments offer lower risk, more predictability, and easier vetting than equity deals—especially for conservative investors nearing retirement.The Passive Investor Funnel: His funnel—LinkedIn content → Weekly Deal Email → Second Opinion Call → Cashflow Academy → Fund Investment—is a masterclass in nurturing high-intent leads with education and trust.Proof Over Promise: Pascal doesn't sell pipe dreams—he shows his own $100K+ passive income results and his mom's real portfolio to build instant credibility.LinkedIn Done Right: Learn how Pascal generates daily leads through emotionally resonant, value-packed content—with zero outbound messaging—while tracking every conversion like a true marketer.About Tim MaiTim Mai is a real estate investor, fund manager, mentor, and founder of HERO Mastermind for REI coaches.He has helped many real estate investors and coaches become millionaires. Tim continues to help busy professionals earn income and build wealth through passive investing.He is also a creative marketer and promoter with incredible knowledge and experience, which he freely shares. He has lifted himself from the aftermath of war, achieving technical expertise in computers, followed by investment success in real estate, management skills, and a lofty position among real estate educators and internet marketers.Tim is an industry leader who has acquired and exited well over $50 million worth of real estate and is currently an investor in over 2700 units of multifamily apartments.Connect with TimWebsite: Capital Raising PartyFacebook: Tim Mai | Capital Raising Nation Instagram: @timmaicomTwitter: @timmaiLinkedIn: Tim MaiYouTube: Tim Mai

In this episode, Tim Grace, Managing Partner at Techstars Columbus, joins Duane Mancini to unpack the dynamic world of startup acceleration and venture funding. Tim shares his journey from a tech background to leading a pivotal Techstars program, and discusses the creation of the LongJump venture fund. We delve into the origins and growth of Techstars Columbus, exploring the successes of its various cohorts and the unique ecosystem it fosters. Tim provides invaluable insights into common startup pitfalls, particularly the critical mistake of neglecting customer validation. We also cover essential strategies for preparing for fundraising, and the key factors investors look for. Tune in to gain a behind-the-scenes look at how Techstars Columbus is shaping the future of innovation and entrepreneurship in the Midwest.Tim Grace LinkedInTechstars LinkedInTechstars Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Duane Mancini LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Project Medtech LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Project Medtech Website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Midwest Showcase Registration⁠

On this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, our host, entrepreneur, and investor, Frank Gruber (https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankgruber), is joined by Jenny Fielding.   Jenny Fielding is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Everywhere Ventures, an early-stage fund that has invested in over 300 companies across the globe. Take a look at Jenny's website here: https://www.jennyfielding.com   She is also the former Managing Director of Techstars and has mentored hundreds of founders through her work as an investor and entrepreneur.   Jenny recently authored "Venture Everywhere," a book that explores global entrepreneurship, the importance of investing in diverse ecosystems, and the mindset required to succeed as a startup founder. Her experience spans across industries, and she has been instrumental in supporting the next generation of innovators. You can order your copy here: https://amzn.to/3FyWYQX   We invite you all to join our Startup of the Year community today to access the support, expert advice, and resources you need to elevate your startup by going to: www.est.us/join   Thank you for listening, and as always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at: www.est.us   Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: https://podcast.startupofyear.com/   Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube     Startup of the Year helps diverse, emerging startups, founding teams, and entrepreneurs push their company to the next level. We are a competition, a global community, and a resource. Startup of the Year is also a year-long program that searches the country for a geographically diverse set of startups from all backgrounds and pulls them together to compete for the title of Startup of the Year. Checkout Startup of the Year at: www.startupofyear.com   The program includes a number of in-person and virtual events, including our annual South By Southwest startup pitch event and competition. All of which culminates at our annual Startup of the Year Summit, where the Startup of the Year winner is announced, along with an opportunity at a potential investment.   Established is a consultancy focused on helping organizations with innovation, startup, and communication strategies. It is the power behind Startup of the Year. Created by the talent responsible for building the Tech.Co brand (acquired by an international publishing company), we are leveraging decades of experience to help our collaborators best further (or create) their brand & accomplish their most important goals. Check out Established at: www.established.us Connect with us on X (formerly Twitter) - @EstablishedUs  Connect with us on Facebook - facebook.com/established.us

Ep. 157 features Will Martin from LiveDuel, a decentralized blockchain-based betting exchange aiming to simplify sports betting with crypto innovations. This episode was recorded on-site at the NEXT Summit New York in March 2024. Hear him discuss: How a $300 TikTok filter campaign for the 2022 World Cup won Marketing Genius at The Starties The origin of LiveDuel from Will's background in arbitrage, prop trading, and meme stocks Why they're creating a hybrid model between sportsbooks and betting exchanges How liquidity pools and smart contracts enable a smooth betting experience The evolution of their thesis amid the rise of prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi Their go-to-market strategy, and who they see as their ideal target customer Why they are focused on soccer only for the time being Regulatory challenges of launching a crypto-based platform, especially in the U.S. Their experience in Techstars, and current efforts to raise a new round of capital Creative marketing approaches that stood out at The Starties awards   Catch the video version of this episode here.   Learn more

In this episode, we're announcing the Techstars Web3 Accelerator Class of 2025 featuring founders from the six web3 startups that Techstars are investing in and accelerating in 2025 and beyond.  Get ready for insights from:Satyam Agrawal, founder of 0xBridge, enabling seamless, non-custodial, and efficient two-way Bitcoin movement across blockchains, allowing users to mint 1:1 pegged BTC without relinquishing control of their original assets.Ry Leong, co-founder of Autonom, powering perpetual trading of real-world assets (RWAs) by incorporating a decentralized system to detect and resolve data inaccuracies, enabling seamless integration of market utilities into crypto economies.Mike Maguire, co-founder of DABL, a real-time monitoring and automated hedging platform that uses institutional-grade models to enhance risk management for crypto lending platforms and traditional financial institutions in digital assets.Rami Akeela, co-founder of Nera Systems, a comprehensive Privacy Enhancing Technology (PET) platform that enables enterprises to securely deploy AI and machine learning on sensitive data through encrypted, decentralized solutions that keep data within enterprise boundaries while maintaining utility⁠.Ilya Lebedev, co-founder of nodes.garden, a one-click multichain node management platform that simplifies the complex process of setting up and managing blockchain nodes for both testnet and mainnet environments, requiring no technical expertise from users⁠.Jeremy Prasetyo, co-founder of TRUSTBYTES, creating the world's first security operations system allowing projects to see, understand and act on their risk posture with confidence.All of these founders just completed Week 1 of the 13-week Techstars Web3 accelerator.  As all of the founders for the six startups are scattered around the world, they all traveled to Dublin for Week 1 as Ireland is a fantastic place to build relationships fast.In the pressure cooker of a mostly virtual 13-week accelerator program, it's crucial for the founders to get their relationships off the ground with the Techstars team and with each other, as their accelerator classmates should become the best founder support group they'll ever have.After an intense first week of workshops, mentors, pitch-building, and then live pitching at the big Techstars Web3 launch night at Toners in Dublin which doubled as the very first CryptoMondays Ireland event, the founders decamped to go virtual for the next 5 weeks before meeting in London in April and then NYC during NYTech Week for Demo Day in the first week of June 2025.LINKS & RESOURCES:Learn more about the Techstars Web3 Accelerator:WebsiteLinkedInX/(Twitter)Connect with each startup:Satyam Agrawal, founder & CEO of 0xBridge, Mason Burkhalter, co-founder & CEO of AutonomMike Maguire, co-founder & CEO of DABLRami Akeela, co-founder & CEO of Nera Systems.Ilya Lebedev, co-founder & CEO of nodes.garden.Jeremy Prasetyo, co-founder & CEO of TRUSTBYTESKeywords: #techstars #mentors #web3 #accelerators #entrepreneurship #podcast #startupecosystem #cryptolending # #privacy #oracles #bitcoinliquidity #security #blockchainnodesLeave a review and subscribe on:Apple PodcastsSpotifyMoneyNeverSleeps (website)Email us: info@norioventures.comFollow us on X(Twitter):Pete Townsend: https://twitter.com/petetownsendnvMoneyNeverSleeps: https://twitter.com/MNSshowFollow us on LinkedIn:Pete Townsend: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-townsend-1b18301a/MoneyNeverSleeps: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28661903/MoneyNeverSleeps newsletter: https://moneyneversleeps.substack.com/

A 54 Hour Sprint to Drive Positive Change Imagine dedicating a weekend to transforming an idea into a tangible business, surrounded by experienced mentors, industry leaders, and a community of like-minded women, all committed to making a real impact. This is the essence of Techstars Startup Weekend Women Dublin, where female entrepreneurs come together to build enterprises that tackle pressing challenges in society and business. Taking place from 21-23 March at Accenture Song, Dublin, this intensive event brings together women of diverse backgrounds - some stepping into entrepreneurship for the first time, others looking to take their experience in a new direction. The theme, "Business for Good," reflects a growing movement where commercial success and social impact go hand in hand. And, even though it says women in the title, everyone is welcome! For more information Eventbrite Booking Startup Weekend Championing Purpose-Driven Entrepreneurship In today's business landscape, sustainability, ethical leadership, and social impact are no longer afterthoughts, they are driving forces for change. Female-led startups are leading the way, tackling challenges from climate change to financial inclusion, from education to ethical AI. Caitlin Hafer, the lead organiser and founder of What the Hack, has shaped this year's event around that very idea. "Entrepreneurship isn't just about profit, it's about purpose," she says. "This weekend is about proving that business can create real, positive change." The People Behind the Weekend Pulling together an event like this takes a team of experienced organisers, dedicated volunteers, and hands-on mentors. Alongside Caitlin, the planning team, Israel Ngombo, Deirdre McCarthy, Sharon Ramsey, Miren M. Samper, and Poorvi Gupta have worked to create a weekend that's both challenging and inspiring for participants. Mentors play a crucial role across the weekend, offering real-world advice, strategic insights, and the occasional reality check. This year, participants will have the opportunity to work with Aine Mulloy, Eugene Mitchell, Gloria Rull, Jenny Ervine, Laura Enache, Lauren O'Reilly, Leyla Karaha, Melissa Roa, Mike O'Dea, Sarah Fleisberg, and Sorcha Mulligan. (I'll also be there, bringing my own experience as a business mentor, having previously served as a judge at last year's event). Speaking of judges, Sunday's pitch session will be the defining moment of the weekend, where teams present their businesses to an expert panel. This year, the judging panel includes Anne Brady, Fiona Nagle, Raisa Pokrovskaya, and Mairin Murray - leaders in business, investment, and social impact. Their role? To offer constructive feedback, challenge assumptions, and highlight which ideas have real potential. What Happens Over the Weekend? Friday night is all about getting started. Participants pitch their ideas in one-minute presentations, after which teams form around the strongest concepts. Saturday is the big workday. With guidance from mentors, teams refine their business models, customer validation strategies, and product concepts, ensuring that they are building something that can work beyond the weekend. Sunday brings the final push. Teams polish their pitches before presenting them to the judges and a wider audience. Some will win prizes. Others will walk away with something just as valuable, a business idea with the potential to grow into something much bigger. "We're looking for ideas that go beyond the weekend," says Caitlin, "it's not just about innovation, it's about creating something with lasting impact." Why It Matters: Closing the Funding Gap Despite the success of female entrepreneurs, access to funding remains a significant challenge. Globally, startups founded solely by women received just 2% of venture capital funding in 2023. In Europe, that figure was 1.8%. In Ireland, the numbers are improving. A Tech Ireland report found that one in four startups that raised investment in 2022 had a fe...

Mohamed “Mo” Ahmed is a dynamic serial entrepreneur and product visionary with over 20 years in AI and cloud computing. Known for his expertise in building and scaling companies, Mo has achieved multiple successful exits with 7x markups, a testament to his strategic insight and innovative approach. As the author of Inside-Out Entrepreneurship, he shares a unique perspective on building resilience and mental endurance for the entrepreneurial journey. Mo is also a dedicated startup advisor with leading accelerator programs like 500 Startups and TechStars, where he has helped founders secure over $30 million in funding. His entrepreneurial conditioning framework has become an invaluable tool for diverse founders, guiding them in overcoming challenges and sustaining growth. Mo's commitment to empowering others makes him a transformative figure in the startup ecosystem, inspiring founders to approach entrepreneurship with a growth mindset and achieve lasting impact.Learn more: https://mohamedfahmed.com or https://boundlessfounder.co/Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-mohamed-ahmed-author-of-inside-out-entrepreneurship

Mohamed “Mo” Ahmed is a dynamic serial entrepreneur and product visionary with over 20 years in AI and cloud computing. Known for his expertise in building and scaling companies, Mo has achieved multiple successful exits with 7x markups, a testament to his strategic insight and innovative approach. As the author of Inside-Out Entrepreneurship, he shares a unique perspective on building resilience and mental endurance for the entrepreneurial journey. Mo is also a dedicated startup advisor with leading accelerator programs like 500 Startups and TechStars, where he has helped founders secure over $30 million in funding. His entrepreneurial conditioning framework has become an invaluable tool for diverse founders, guiding them in overcoming challenges and sustaining growth. Mo's commitment to empowering others makes him a transformative figure in the startup ecosystem, inspiring founders to approach entrepreneurship with a growth mindset and achieve lasting impact.Learn more: https://mohamedfahmed.com or https://boundlessfounder.co/Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-mohamed-ahmed-author-of-inside-out-entrepreneurship

Alex Raymond is a 3x tech startup founder and entrepreneur who made the journey up from Boulder to The LoCo Experience studio to share his journey and some wisdom he's learned along the way.  He was an early client of TechStars, and has been a long-term mentor in the program.  And - he share how listeners can expand their business brains and mindfulness at the Conscious Entrepreneur Summit - upcoming May 28 and 29 in Boulder.  Alex is also the Host of the Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast, which has hosted many dozens of conscious leaders on topics as diverse as building teams for scaling, developing a personal brand, or redefining happiness in your life.  He's also a generous guy, and gave our listeners the opportunity to save $100 off your Summit tickets by March 31 - use code LOCO - and one lucky listener will win 50% off tickets - but you'll have to listen to win!  As always, Alex and I enjoyed a wide-ranging conversation, dialing in on crucial business and life principals - and chasing lots of squirrels.  So please enjoy - as I did, my conversation with Alex Raymond.  The LoCo Experience Podcast is sponsored by: Purpose Driven Wealth Thrivent: Learn more

Pascal Wagner earns over $150k/year in passive income through 20+ LP investments and another $100k/year from his 100+ unit co-living portfolio in Atlanta. With experience deploying $150M into 200+ companies over 3 years at Techstars, Pascal blends institutional knowledge with the hands-on understanding of being a real estate operator.With Pascal's guidance, you'll have everything you need to confidently build and grow your own cash-flowing portfolio. His newsletter delivers exclusive deal flow every week, his workshops reveal the strategies behind his success, and he provides the unique opportunity to invest alongside him. If you're ready to follow his path and build a cash-flowing portfolio, sign up for his starter kit at PassiveInvestingStarterKit.com.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Pascal Wagner and His Journey02:46 Current Market Insights and Passive Investing06:08 Pascal's Origin Story in Real Estate08:58 Building a Diverse Investment Portfolio12:02 Lessons Learned from Passive Investing14:48 Understanding Risk and Returns18:06 Defining the Buy Box for Investments21:07 Diversification Strategies in Passive Investing27:04 Investment Strategies: Learning from Experience29:12 Building a Cash Flow Academy: Guiding New Investors32:08 Creating a Roadmap for Passive Income36:39 The Importance of Transparency in Investments37:24 Educational Resources for New Investors40:31 Key Due Diligence Questions for Investors43:58 Personal Bucket List Adventures45:51 Investment Choices: Where to Put Your MoneyKeywordsreal estate, passive investing, market insights, investment strategies, risk management, diversification, cash flow, equity growth, portfolio management, financial education, investment strategies, passive income, cash flow academy, transparency in investments, due diligence questions, educational resources, personal finance, real estate investing, investment roadmap, investor educationRANDY SMITHConnect with our host, Randy Smith, for more educational content or to discuss investment opportunities in the real estate syndication space at www.impactequity.net, https://www.linkedin.com/in/randallsmith or on Instagram at @randysmithinvestor

On the latest episode of the podcast, we talk about freeing up time for creative thinking thanks to speeding up and automating processes with AI. Our guest Anuj Adhiya, Expert-in-Residence for Growth at Techstars, shares what he's learnt from Dr Richard Feynman's autobiography, why he advises marketers to focus on decisions and hypotheses first, and how he thinks AI growth ops can help brands grow faster and more efficiently. 

The World Wide Web has gone through various iterations. Starting with Web 1.0, moving onto Web 2.0 and now Web 3.0. Each version of the world wide web evolved adopting the latest tech available, with Web 3.0 adopting tech such as AI and Blockchain. One person who knows all about Web 3.0 also known as Web3 is Pete Townsend the Managing Director of Techstars Web3 Accelerator. Ronan recently caught up with Pete Townsend before the upcoming March 10th event that aims to kick off the Techstars Web3 Class of 2025.Pete talks about his background, Blockchain, Techstars, Web3, the upcoming March 10th event and more.More about the Techstars Web3 Accelerator:This accelerator works with entrepreneurs building in web3 and enabling the next wave of growth in the decentralised internet and in tokenised economies. Investing in and accelerating founders enabling the onboarding and engagement of the first one billion users of web3.

The World Wide Web has gone through various iterations. Starting with Web 1.0, moving onto Web 2.0 and now Web 3.0. Each version of the world wide web evolved adopting the latest tech available, with Web 3.0 adopting tech such as AI and Blockchain. One person who knows all about Web 3.0 also known as Web3 is Pete Townsend the Managing Director of Techstars Web3 Accelerator. Ronan recently caught up with Pete Townsend before the upcoming March 10th event that aims to kick off the Techstars Web3 Class of 2025. Pete talks about his background, Blockchain, Techstars, Web3, the upcoming March 10th event and more. More about the Techstars Web3 Accelerator: This accelerator works with entrepreneurs building in web3 and enabling the next wave of growth in the decentralised internet and in tokenised economies. Investing in and accelerating founders enabling the onboarding and engagement of the first one billion users of web3. See more podcasts here.

This week Adam Burrows speaks with Adam Kitain, the co-founder of Intelligems, a profit growth platform designed to assist e-commerce brands in making informed decisions through experimentation and personalization. The company is a Techstars 2021 Boulder grad and recently secured a successful funding round. Adam has a strong background in engineering and operations, having previously worked at the ride-sharing company (Via), where he contributed to the development of dynamic pricing models. Kitain shares his journey launching Intelligems and his decision to base it in Colorado over traditional tech hubs. He emphasizes the importance of customer-first strategies, including lessons learned from his experiences during the company's evolution.Listen now on: Amazon Music (Alexa) | Spotify | Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts!Connect with hosts Adam and Chris and the Range VC team on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/range-ventures/Check out more about what we're up to at Range.vc See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this episode of Grow With Us, Evan speaks with Seyi Fakoya, CTO and Co-Founder of Gamr. We talk about the Techstars Accelerator program in Tulsa, the Gamr platform and community, and how mentorship and volunteering can expand your networks. Join us today! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to get notified of our new releases and share with anyone who wants to learn more about Tulsa!If you are interested in looking at our open career opportunities, don't forget to check out our career website: https://careers.intulsa.com/Join our Talent Network to receive access to the latest job opportunities in Tulsa: https://careers.intulsa.com/user/register/applicantAdditionally, find out about all our upcoming Elevate your Career Series Free Workshop events at talent.intulsa.com/events

This week we chat with John Hill, VP of Story at Whop (whop.com), about building community and driving impact at scale. We explore his journey from LinkedIn and Techstars to Whop, and the personal influences behind his drive.Key Discussion Points: Whop's Mission & Impact: John shares his excitement about Whop's mission to enable sustainable income and discusses the company's rapid growth. He highlights success stories and the long-term vision. The Drive for Impact: We delve into the personal influences behind John's passion for large-scale impact, including his family history and upbringing. Irish Citizenship: We discuss John's exploration of Irish citizenship, what it means to him, and how the Digital Irish community can support him in this process. He shares his next steps and what connections would be most helpful.Connect with John: https://www.linkedin.com/in/msuaajohn/

This week, we're taking a look back at some of my favorite moments from the past year—the conversations that stuck with me long after we hit stop on the recording. If you missed them the first time around, now's your chance to catch the highlights!And here's the kicker—every one of the eight segments I pulled together features a mentor from the Techstars Web3 Accelerator that I lead. It's part highlight reel, part "thank you" to these incredible people who help founders navigate the startup grind. A huge shoutout to Mai Santamaria, Patrick Pinschmidt, Hesus Inoma, Rita Martins, Alejandro Gutierrez, Laura Walsh, Philipp Pieper, Timo Lehes, and Arabian Prince from NWA for sharing their wisdom.A number of these guests will also be joining us at the Techstars x Crypto Mondays Ireland event that Hugh McGirr and I are hosting in Dublin on Monday, March 10th at Toner's Pub. If you're around, come reconnect with old friends, meet new builders, investors, and operators across Web2, Web3, and enterprise, and hear from our Techstars Web3 Class of 2025. You might even enjoy a pint of Guinness while you're at it. Check out the Luma linkto register here.LINKS:Keywords: #techstars #mentors #web3 #cbdc #beststartupinsights #entrepreneurship #podcast #startupecosystem #venturecapitalinsights #blockchaintrends #AI #crypto #fintechinnovationsLeave a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Spotify MoneyNeverSleeps (website)Check out all of the original episodes we featured: 241: Money Talks with Mai Santamaria | Binance and CZ | Argentina's New President | Vitalik's Techno-Optimism Manifesto | Blockchain and AI Intersect 248: Venture Investing and Connecting the Dots with Patrick Pinscmidt 257: How I Got To Techstars on a Flywheel | Hesus Inoma Interviews Pete Townsend | Venture With Hesus 264: Rita Martins | Author of Web3 in Financial Services 269: Working in Web3 | Real World Asset Tokenization in Finance and Beyond | Guest Co-Host Alejandro Gutierrez 266: Crypto Politics: Unpacking Trump's Campaign Promises with Laura Walsh 277: Straight Outta Crypton | Swarm and the Rise of RWAs | Timo Lehes and Philipp Pieper 283: Arabian Prince | The N.W.A Pioneer Empowering the Next Tech GenerationEmail us: info@norioventures.comFollow us on X(Twitter): Pete Townsend:https://twitter.com/petetownsendnv MoneyNeverSleeps:https://twitter.com/MNSshowFollow us on LinkedIn: Pete Townsend:https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-townsend-1b18301a/ MoneyNeverSleeps:https://www.linkedin.com/company/28661903/MoneyNeverSleeps newsletter:https://moneyneversleeps.substack.com/

Alejandro Gutierrez joins me once again to dive into some of the biggest conversations in crypto right now, including:The fallout from Operation Chokepoint 2.0 and the debanking of crypto startups—what it means for the industry and how regulatory shifts in the U.S. and Europe could reshape the future of digital assets.Why Solana is having its moment—how Solana's DEX volume is outpacing Ethereum's and what this means for the long-term viability of the network.The rise of decentralized exchanges (DEXs) and why Uniswap launching its own Layer 2, Unichain, could be a game changer.Institutionalization of crypto—how Solana ETFs and BitGo's rumored IPO are bringing more traditional finance players into the space.The evolving regulatory landscape—what the SEC's new stance on crypto, led by Commissioner Hester Peirce, could mean for the industry's future.Plus, we share the details on an exciting new event—Techstars and CryptoMondays Ireland are teaming up for a first-of-its-kind gathering in Dublin on March 10th (register here).Alejandro Gutierrez is a leading figure in the decentralized finance (DeFi) space and an early adopter of real-world asset tokenization. Alejandro has contributed to the growth of DeFi through his work with MakerDAO, Tokeny, Securitize, and Centrifuge, as well as his co-founding of Consolfreight, Defactor, and ETH Dublin.EPISODE LINKS:Operation Chokepoint 2.0 / DebankingCoinbase - the facts are the facts FDIC (X, 6-Feb-25)Operation Chokepoint 2.0 - Nic Carter, Castle Island Ventures (Pirate Wires, 8-Feb-23) Marc Andreessen on Joe Rogan (Joe Rogan Experience, 27-Nov-24)Fed's Powell Says He's Also Worried About Debanking (Coindesk, 11-Feb-25)Graham Rodford from Archax on the UK situation (Linkedin, recently)New Era in the SEC with CryptoThe Journey Begins - SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce (SEC, 4-Feb-25)Other TopicsSolana DEX Volume Tops $60M as It Looks to Extend 4-Month Winning Streak Over Ethereum (Coindesk, 11-Feb-25)BitGo Mulling IPO This Year (Coindesk, 11-Feb-25)Uniswap Labs Officially Launches Layer-2 ‘Unichain' (Coindesk, 10-Feb-25)Keywords:  #OperationChokepoint2 #debanking #SolanaDEXvolume #UniswapLayer2 #Cryptoregulation2025 #DeFI #Institutionalcryptoadoption #SolanaETFs #seccryptopolicyLeave a review and subscribe onApple PodcastsSpotifyMoneyNeverSleeps (website)Follow our guest co-host Alejandro Gutierrez:X(Twitter):  https://twitter.com/A_gutierroLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandro-gutierrez-98979b43/Email us: info@norioventures.comFollow us on X(Twitter):Pete Townsend: https://twitter.com/petetownsendnvMoneyNeverSleeps: https://twitter.com/MNSshowFollow us on LinkedIn:Pete Townsend: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-townsend-1b18301a/MoneyNeverSleeps: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28661903/MoneyNeverSleeps newsletter: https://moneyneversleeps.substack.com/

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.***Raphaele Leyendecker, a Managing Director at Techstars Sustainability Paris, where she has invested in 70+ climate tech startups, joins the podcast to discuss early-stage impact assessment and the french ecosystem as it compares to the global landscape. In this episode, we discuss:* Why early-stage impact assessment is often a myth* The biggest challenge for climate startups in France* How investors should really measure impact* The role of technological readiness levels (TRLs) in deep tech investing* How France's climate tech ecosystem compares to the US and Nordics* Why founders should focus on revenue before certifications* And more...***TIMESTAMPS * 00:00 – Introduction:* 01:14 – Why Impact Assessment is Overrated for Early-Stage Startups* 04:45 – Defining Impact Metrics That Matter* 07:32 – Revenue vs. Impact: What Should Startups Prioritize?* 12:10 – Tools & Frameworks for Impact Investors* 18:25 – The Role of TRLs in Deep Tech & Hard Tech Startups* 22:40 – The Strengths & Weaknesses of the French Climate Tech Ecosystem* 30:15 – Why France is Slow to Scale Climate Innovation* 35:50 – Comparing France to the US, Nordics & Germany* 40:10 – Rapid-Fire Q&A: Advice for Founders & Investors* 48:00 – Closing Thoughts***CONNECT WITH RAPHAELE▶️ Raphaele Leyendecker - https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphaeleleyendecker***CONNECT WITH ME ▶️ Newsletter - https://climateventuresvco2.substack.com/

On this episode of The Founder's Sandbox, Brenda speaks with Chasity Lourde Wright. Chasity is inventor and founder of Infiltron  Software Suite LLC. Infiltron operates in the cybersecurity space; a Service disabled-Veteran owned and women-owned small business. Infiltron offers quantum-resistant cybersecurity solutions for decentralized digital identity, digital assets, and AI governance, utilizing proprietary post-secure encryption. Its patented technology integrates AI, blockchain, and quantum-resistant encryption to provide advanced cyber resilience, compliance enforcement, and real-time threat mitigation across multiple industries, including aerospace & defense, fintech, smart cities, and EVs.   Chasity, as inventor, speaks about her team and how creativity in the work place is necessary for  enhancing innovation on really tough problems like Cybersecurity. As the CEO of Infiltron, Chasity Lourde Wright is also a former USAF Aerospace Engineer, Intel Officer, and Cybersecurity Instructor with extensive experience in cybersecurity, AI governance, and national security. She was part of the team that developed reconfiguration capabilities for the USAF C-130 and contributed to the creation of the CMMC framework since its inception in 2019. Additionally, she has engaged in high-level cybersecurity and AI governance initiatives, including industry collaborations, government advisory roles, and proprietary innovations in quantum-resistant encryption, AI security, and blockchain-based compliance solutions. Her expertise extends beyond participating in NIST challenges, encompassing leading-edge cybersecurity development, policy influence, and defense sector innovations. You can find out more about Chasity and Infiltron at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/infiltronsoftwaresuite/ https://infiltron.net/     Transcript: 00:04 Hi, I'm pleased to announce something very special to me, a new subscription-based service through Next Act Advisors that allows members exclusive access to personal industry insights and bespoke 00:32 corporate governance knowledge. This comes in the form of blogs, personal book recommendations, and early access to the founder's sandbox podcast episodes before they released to the public. If you want more white glove information on building your startup with information like what was in today's episode, sign up with the link in the show notes to enjoy being a special member of Next Act Advisors. 01:01 As a thank you to Founders Sandbox listeners, you can use code SANDBOX25 at checkout to enjoy 25% off your membership costs. Thank you. 01:19 Welcome back to the Founder's Sandbox. I am Brenda McCabe, your host of this monthly podcast in which I bring entrepreneurs, founders, corporate directors, and professional service providers who, like me, want to effectuate change in the world by building resilient, scalable, and purpose-driven companies. I like to recreate a fun sandbox environment with my guests. And we will touch on not only their purpose, 01:47 and what has driven them to create their own businesses. But also we're going to touch upon topics such as resilience, purpose-driven, and scalable sustainable growth. Today, I am absolutely delighted to have as my guest Chasity Wright. Welcome, Chasity. Hey. Thank you for having me. 02:13 Super excited to talk about how Infiltron has evolved and the lessons learned and how we're preparing to relaunch in 2025. Excellent. And it's perfect timing because I've known you for a couple of years now. Yeah. Right. So Chasity is CEO and founder of Infiltron Software Suite, a company that's headquartered out of Atlanta. 02:40 She is oftentimes in Los Angeles because she's working largely in the defense market and cyber security. So I wanted to have you on my podcast because you have gone further in building your business. So you and I met, I want to say back in 2022, you came out of the Women Founders Network cohort. 03:08 kind of very early stage. One of the events that I was a host of was the Thai So Cal Women's Fund. And you weren't yet ready for investing, but we struck up, I would say a friendship and I admire many things about you as, and we'll get into it in the podcast here, but you touch. 03:35 quite a few or check of quite a few boxes for my podcast. You says, so you are a woman owned veteran and women owned business. You are a veteran of the Air Force. You're in deep tech and you're by park and queer. And so there's many many boxes that you check and it was difficult to kind of hone in on what I really wanted to bring into the podcast today, but we're going to we're going to start from here. 04:05 I always like to ask my guests to start with kind of their origin story. I, when I first met you, right, in private conversations, got to hear your origin story and why you do what you do, what your firsthand experience while on missions, right, that really informed your aha moments to create infiltrant. 04:33 as a cybersecurity company. So tell us a bit about your origin story, Chasity. So, I mean, my origin story has, if you can imagine all of these different paths kind of streamlining into one path. So one of those paths would be a little black girl born in Georgia, still seeing dirt roads and... 05:01 being able to go to the country and work on a farm and, you know, just still having that connection to the past, you know, and not necessarily the past in a bad way. So athletic, played ball in college, went to Clark Atlanta University, you know, the HBCUs are a big hurrah right now, but they've always been one. 05:29 I grew up with one in my backyard, Fort Valley State, which is in Fort Valley, Georgia. So, you know, roughed it with the boys, played in the backyard with the boys, always been a boys girl, cousins, neighbor. We're all still close. We all still play sports when we meet. So it's like an adult play date, so to speak. But also, you know, 05:58 raised religiously, you know, I'm in Southern Baptist Church, two parent household, maybe lower middle class, but middle school was very transformative for me because they decided to mix in everybody. So it was my first time, you know, being in a more diverse population in school. 06:25 And, you know, music is a big thing for me as well. I DJ, I make music. That's the creative part of me. And I found a lot of people in deep tech to do something with music. So, yeah, so, you know, that's my like early years background. And then coming through, I decided to go into the Air Force. I actually took off between my junior and senior year at Clark Atlanta. 06:52 Um, there I was majoring in global leadership and management. Okay. And went in and I was in for eight years. I was an aerospace engineer, uh, got deployed several times, uh, to different places, and that kind of brings us to why Infiltron exists and, um, on one of those deployments, I was a part of a network takedown. 07:21 And it was, whoo. I mean, I don't mean to quote the pitch deck story, but it is what it is. I wrote it because that's the way it felt. It was catastrophic. So just imagine the city of Los Angeles losing power out of nowhere. The rail stops working, Sinai has no power, so all of the medical equipment is no longer working. 07:49 The internet's completely gone and not rebooting like it normally would. Your energy grid is down. That is what I experienced in one of those deployments. And I was a part of Iraqi freedom and Afghanistan. I was a part of both of those wars. And when we came, you know, we got everything back. Thank God we were smart enough to ship. 08:19 brand new equipment. Okay, you know, so you know, we weren't able to get there. Yeah. I mean, I mean, that's part of our job. We're engineers. And when you're in the middle of nowhere, there's no calling HP. There's no calling Cisco. Like you got to know how to do what needs to be done. There was there was a lot of makeshifting. I can be I came out of Air Force, I could be a mechanical engineer to 08:45 because we had to figure out how to make components on the fly. It was just so many things. Innovation, right? Like you had to be innovative. You had to be adapt quickly while keeping the mission as a focus. So just imagine something that catastrophic and something similar has happened. I feel like Colonial Pipeline was something that is known now in the US for sure. 09:15 that had similar elements of what we experienced in being deployed. Yeah, and that was two years back. And SolarWinds is another one. I generally refer to those because people generally gasp, even non-technical people, because they know how damaging it was. So we can reuse. Normally, when the equipment goes down, 09:44 Unplug, right? Plug back in. Reboot. Yeah, reboot. But that was not happening. And what we found out in the debrief was that quantum was used. So quantum simplistically is about frequencies in this context. It's about frequencies. And frequencies matter in so many aspects of life, from spirituality all the way through tech like what Infotron has. So... 10:14 What they did was they basically zeroed out the frequencies of our satellite communications. And I believe that they created some frequencies that damaged other equipment. So these are things that again we found out in the debrief. And I wasn't really able to talk to that probably when we met because I wasn't sure if it was unclassified yet. 10:42 But as soon as Biden started talking about quantum initiative, which was back in 2022, when we were in, I was like, everything's hitting it the right time because we were literally in Techstars LA space. And Biden pushed the quantum initiative. And I'm like, see, told you, because a lot of people, a lot of people doubted what I was saying because of the year that I said it had happened. And as. 11:09 we started to grow out our team. There are other veterans on our team from different branches. And of course we war story swap all the time. And those other two people work for like NSA and they did kind of the same thing, telecommunications. And I'm telling the pitch desk story and they're sitting there like, yep, yep. That happened to us too. And I'm like, when? 11:38 And they're saying different years. So at that point, we understood it. It happened more than once. So that's why Infiltronic. So what's Infiltronic? So let's bring it back to, Yeah. So you leave, you leave service after eight years after also experiencing that. I still feel like I'm a part of it because I do consult them still. Right. So it'd be great. So. 12:08 And once in the Air Force forever? Always. Well, I really would have been in Space Force. Yes. Yeah. Well, you heard that here on the Founder Sandbox. The next, yes. So for my listeners, again, you check a lot of boxes. Deep tech, women in STEM. What is it exactly that? 12:37 your suite of services. All right. So Info-Trans software, right, has two patents now. And on your landing page, it says, our patented solutions, solutions utilize adaptive artificial intelligence, advanced quantum encryption and blockchain technology to deliver real-time cybersecurity for a wide array of applications. Later on, we'll get into smart cities, but 13:06 including the internet of things, smart devices, legacy systems, hybrid data, signals and devices. All pretty, pretty understandable, but what is it that Infiltrion software is able to do that others are not? So we're able to create a easier way for businesses to migrate their devices. 13:36 and their software, so their applications that they use, maybe they've developed them themselves, we provide a way for them to easily migrate those entities over into a more quantum-proofed infrastructure. So we created what we've trademarked as quantum encapsulation. So just imagine something being encapsulated. And basically we've created, 14:05 a brand new method of leveraging quantum, the AI, we leverage it for the pro-activeness. So in lieu of just waiting for threats to happen to our clients, we go look for the threat. So we want to go be where the bad guys are and find out and bring that information back and update the solution in real time to provide protection for all of our clients in real time. 14:33 That's how we leverage the AI. The blockchain is kind of leveraged to kind of make sure that people, things like devices, aren't on networks that shouldn't be. So it's kind of, I mean, we use it for what blockchain was pretty much basically developed for, and that's a ledger. So keeping up with the transactions of what's happening. 15:03 in a client's infrastructure. Fantastic. So it's largely a B2B business, yours, right? We do. We have B2B, but we've been approached several times here recently by consumers. Because now, because of the biometric protection aspect of our solution using the quantum encapsulation, we can protect, say, 15:32 Halle Berry from deep fake, being deep faked, or, you know, protecting her likeness from being used without her knowledge in movies, CGI'd into movies. So it's kind of getting a little bit more consumerish as we iterate, right? Yeah, and we were briefly speaking before the podcast recording, Chasity and I, and... 15:59 I've known her for years. She's a very private person, would not allow photographs. So I told my producer, I'm certain Whitney Chastity's not going to be sending us a picture, but you said yes, that you might, because you do have biometric, artificial intelligence, safeguards that can actually discover deep fakes, right? Yes, yes. Yep, if it didn't come from us, if it wasn't checked back from us, 16:29 It wasn't approved by the person. So it's kind of pretty much that simple. Amazing. Well, later on in the show notes, we will have how to contact you at Enfield Tron. So you are in the startup ecosystem. Again, you travel a lot. You're between Washington DC, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and actually the Bay Area. Yeah, the Bay Area. Right. So. 16:58 Revenue can be elusive, right? How? Especially in tech, and especially in these really large markets that I call deep tech. Deep tech and leading edge, bleeding edge, right? People don't know what they're actually buying, right? Or what they don't even, they probably don't even know that they have a need, right? What's been your strategy at Infiltron to keep the revenue flowing while maintaining also a pretty playful, innovative culture? 17:27 You talked about your team and so talk, that's kind of two questions. So how have you kept revenue coming, right? While not going out for dilutive funding yet, but tell us a little bit about how, what's your business model? So the business model in itself is set up for B2B and we also have a licensing element there. So if they, for instance, 17:56 a Fortune 500 company who has a cyber team, right? They have an internal cyber team. If they want to license out the patents that we have and kind of customize it or create or build off of those, use it as a baseline for what they need for their systems, we offer that as well. But let me just put it out there. But back to your question, how do we keep it fun? So the team... 18:25 The original team members, should I say. So we met about seven years ago at a place called the Gathering Spot in Atlanta. So the Gathering Spot is a community and they just opened one in LA and I do go to the one in LA too when I'm there. But it's a community of people, creatives from creative people to deep tech people like myself and everything in between. 18:55 We went to a black tech event at the gathering spot and found ourselves not being able to get into the actual room. So we ended up, because they have a bar and everything at the gathering spot. It's a social club too. It has a club aspect to it too, but you can network there, have meetings there, meet all types of people. I mean known people, I mean it's a great 19:25 great concept, shout out to Ryan. But we found ourselves at the bar, and we're looking at each other. We knew each other because we had been introduced by the Hellbrella person, Tracy. Yes, yes. Because they had done some things for her with a previous startup that she had, development-wise. So we're all sitting at the bar, and we're looking at each other like, but we're the real tech people. 19:55 We do it. It's like we don't really take people. Um, we can't even get in there. We like, we know the organizers and personally and everything. So let's start a company. Well, what we did was we launched, um, what we launched kit labs. And it was literally right down the street from the 20:23 and connect to the community. So we had, it's not far from the AUC and the AUC is where Morris Brown, Morehouse, Spelman and Clark Atlanta are. Got it. So a lot of times you would come in there and find some of the founders, cause this was founded by myself and like six or seven other black tech founders. The ones that were outside. Drinking like, you know. 20:53 That's where we had that conversation. You know, the conversation started at the bar, being outside of that first Black Tech meetup, so to speak, with Joey Womack, who is a part of Goody Nation, who we did get a 50K grant from back in 2020 through Google for Startups. Let me just say this so much. We were so interconnected. I mean, Atlanta is Wakanda. Don't let anybody tell you anything different. 21:21 It's definitely Wakanda. But literally, not even a mile away from the Gathering Spot, we opened up Kit Labs. It's a smart lab where we can tinker with stuff. We're engineers. We're tech people. We need something. We need a makerspace. We don't necessarily need a space that is compared. The Gathering Spot was a little bit more buttoned up. 21:46 And then what we needed, we needed to be able to throw things and make things. We had everything from like 3d printers to, um, VR, AR headsets. I mean, you, anything in tech. Innovative fun. It was in, is in that lab. Um, but that's where around today. So we dissolved it. So it's been dissolved. What one of, one of the founders, he unfortunately transitioned. Um, 22:15 So, you know, and he was kind of like the pillar of it. And it kept going for a while, but it was just a lot of people like myself, it was two female founders, Dr. Nashley Cephas, who herself is from Jackson, Mississippi. I'm shouting out everybody, right? She's from Jackson, Mississippi, and she bought 10 acres in downtown Jackson, Mississippi and started a nonprofit called Bean Pad. And he basically took the concept of what we were doing at Kit Labs and brought it to our hometown. So. 22:44 Um, and it's so funny. She actually founded it on my birthday. So I was like, okay, I can dig that. Um, uh, but, but no, but we're still connected. Everybody still works with each other. You know, if I have to come in and do some things around cyber for a contract or, you know, commercial or whatever client that they have, I do like we, we all kind of still work together on each other's things. So that has allowed you to bring in some revenues, right? 23:14 through its service context. Yeah. Oh, for sure. For sure. Consultant wise, cause they're like, I think people may look at Infotron and think that there's not a human touch piece there, but if you're dealing with me, there's always gonna be a human touch point there because we have to consult the client. We can't assume, you know, we cannot assume. 23:41 what you need, we have to actually have a conversation with our clients throughout the process, even after we possibly have set up the platform for you, trained your people on it, there still needs to be an element of communication, human communication, right? But the team, we've been working together for about seven years. Yes. 24:10 Infiltron has been around for five, going on six years now. So, you know, I mean, respect, mutual respect, we're still kids at heart. I mean, we grew up wanting to be engineers. So, you really can't take the light of innovation out of an engineer unless they're just at the point of not wanting to do it anymore. So we're always, what I've found is most people in any engineering discipline are very, 24:39 curious and forward thinking. So we, and we kind of, we're kind of like a community. We are community and not kind of like, but we are community of folks that contribute to each other's, you know, projects. Yeah. Mm-hmm. And not just, not just business-wise, but personally, like we, I mean, we've been around each other for almost a decade, so. 25:04 there's been kids born and like I just said, one of our founders transitioned, like we've been through some things together that have brought us closer together. And you can, I believe when you have a team like that, and we're all diverse, you know, we have a team like that that cultivates innovation, for sure. You know, I've had a few guests to my podcast and I also write about this, 25:35 Creativity is only possible or it's greatly possible when you create a fun environment and make games out of things and have, right? And set up teams. So I think a shout out to you and what you've set up at Infiltron and in its earlier rendering at Kit Labs, just creating an environment that allows for what ifs, right? Is key. There are a lot of what ifs in cyber. 26:04 I bet you there. So I have a boatload of questions here. One is, before we get into your fundraising path, again, I mentioned earlier you have two patents that have been issued. What is post-quantum encryption technology in layman language? Post. 26:32 Quantum encryption technology. So there is definitely confusion out there that has been addressed. And because there is a difference between post secure quantum and encryption. There's a difference. So. Excellent. 27:02 Post quantum encryption, it is designed to protect data from quantum computers. So. And that's done through the encapsulation? For us, that is how we provide the protection, the encryption. That is the quantum encapsulation is a method of encryption with Involtron. So the current encryption. So you have things like RSA. 27:32 elliptical curve, which elliptical curve is more widely used and kind of being marketed as quantum encryption. It is, it is, it's on the list of quantum protections, right, or quantum methods of encryption protection. So companies like Okta use ECC a lot. But what's happening is that quantum computers are being built now. Yes. Like right now, there's no... Yeah, the cost is going down. 28:02 Yeah, there's no waiting five years from now. Like I urge anyone under the sound of my voice to prepare now for quantum computer attacks. The same thing that I describe happening to us when we were deployed, it's gonna happen. And again, I alluded to feeling like 28:33 situations like Colonial Pipeline and SolarWinds were, I feel like they were tests because there were so many different elements of what we saw in the deployment that happened in those two cases. Yeah, because I'm sitting there and think it's like 2020, 2021, 2019 actually, it started. I think this didn't know, but. 28:59 And it's still going like 20, SolarWinds was still going, the last time I checked SolarWinds was still unraveling. Like it's still, still going. But back to the question. So for us, quantum encapsulation for us is breakthrough. So NIST has had these challenges, right? Where they put out bidding for companies, 29:27 researchers, because a lot of people that are in the quantum space, whether it's physics, mechanics, are generally found in academia. They're not at Infiltron. They're not at QED. They're just not there, right? It's very far in between, and we generally have to lure them. Or we have to do something like partner with them on... 29:53 grants, like the STTR grants. Like that's the only way, generally the only way that we can probably connect with the academia or pierce them and have them work with us. And they usually through that take all the funding, but it's, you're still. Exposed, right? You're exposed, but you're also getting the expertise that you possibly need and can't rightly find in the freelancing world. Yeah. So it generally works out in the long run. 30:23 Um, but so our encapsulation is a, is a breakthrough method because I look at it like this, NIST is holding these challenges and nothing against NIST. We're connected. I contribute to NIST and everything, but they are holding these challenges. And basically they're telling the hackers what people are going to the framework. 30:49 what people are gonna have to adhere to when they create their quantum algorithms to protect their devices and data. You know, you're giving away the secret ingredients. So like, even if they don't know specifically your algorithm, they know what you've based it off of. And that gives it like a tiny thread can unravel a whole t-shirt, right? So I look at it like that. So... 31:15 And even before, you know, we were already developing things before NIST put out these challenges. We are in alignment. We can adhere and do it here to the framework that they're putting out because, you know, you have the DOD space who definitely follows their framework, especially when it comes to the risk management framework. So they're going to follow NIST regardless. They're going to follow their framework, whatever they put out about cybersecurity protection. 31:44 The DOD space and all of its agencies are gonna follow that. However, being in the cybersecurity space every day, seeing what is happening and knowing that you've given some clues, some contextual clues to the malicious hackers about what you're using as a baseline to build your algorithms will, guess what? What we have is not that. Like we are... 32:12 One of the things that differentiates us right now, because I'm sure as quantum cybersecurity continues to grow legs, so to speak, people are gonna start using the more, less susceptible to hacks by quantum computers method. So you have things like multivariate hash code. So these are some of the 32:40 quantum properties that you can use that are not generally hackable by a quantum computer. They won't be hackable by a quantum computer. So we leveraged some of that. It was like, if I'm built, I looked at it like this, I've been in cyber, I've been in tech for almost 20 years. I know I don't look it. I get it all the time. You don't have to say it. I've been in tech for almost 20 years. I've been, and when I was in the air force, we call it InfoSec. It's the same thing. And that dates me. 33:08 If I say, if you hear somebody say InfoSec, trust me, they've been in cybersecurity for at least 20 plus years. So, but it's cybersecurity, that's what it is. And I've seen the changes and I've paid my dues too. Like I didn't, when I got out of the Air Force, I was just, side note, like I cut grass and loved it. I would go back and do it if I can make these results. So then like, it's very, it's very fulfilling. Don't let anybody fool you. Like I love, but I like being outside, but. 33:38 Um, my first tech job though, I literally went through the phone book. Cause this is like still, you know, internet was not quite what it is now, of course, but it was like still growing. And I went through the yellow pages and went through the aerospace companies and called all of them and was like, Hey, let's just get out of the air force, look for a job. I don't care if it's an intern or co-op and L3 L3 before they merged with Harris. Uh, 34:08 they created me a co-op. And, but again, still in touch with, cause you know, L3 is a huge government contracting company, right? And in the satellite communication space, cause they're in line with my background. And so I've seen it all. I've seen the changes of InfoSec into cybersecurity. And now we're entering a new frontier with quantum cybersecurity. So I've been here, 34:37 maybe at the latter part of the info set, but definitely through the cybersecurity and here for and to forge some guidelines and pathways in the quantum cybersecurity space with Inflotron. So when you know Inflotron was founded in 2019, I was like, okay, if I'm gonna start 35:03 something new in cyber and we hadn't even gotten to the quantum piece yet. They hadn't even gotten to me yet. Like it started like I was getting downloads. Yeah. Because I'm, I always, I'm a reader. I wake up looking at cyber news and just staying in the know because I need to know what's going on so I can protect my clients, whether that was me in a government contracting position or me as a consultant in my businesses. So. 35:33 I need to know what's going on. And if I'm going to build something new, why am I going to build it with compromised parts? Right. That's a great way to describe it. Yeah. Forget the tech. It didn't make logical sense. If I'm going to build something new, a SaaS product that's going to integrate and be flexible and adaptable and proactive. 36:01 Why would I use RSA encryption when I know what's coming? Got it. That will be one of the snippets that I share in my YouTube channel as well as the podcast. That is excellent. Why build something with compromised parts? Frontier technology, quantum cybersecurity is what Epfiltron is about. 36:30 Next generation. Talk to me a little bit more for us, less tech savvy listeners about the use of Infiltron in a SelleGov's program for smart cities. That kind of brings it more home and more tangible. How is technology used for smart cities? So first, SelleGov through leading cities. Yes. 36:59 It connects companies like ours with municipalities to tackle urban challenges. So for us, it's infrastructure, security, and sustainability. So we were a finalist in leading cities global competition back in 2021. And we've worked through them. You know, we've been able to work with city leaders to secure IOT systems and critical infrastructure. 37:28 And quick shout out to Michael Lake. Okay. He's the founder of Leading Cities, amazing guy. Another keep in touch, answer the email quickly person. He's based in Boston, but he's built a very supportive ecosystem. So shout out to Michael Lake. But as a part of this program, 37:56 We're offering smart cities our enhanced quantum vulnerability assessment. And this is to help the smart city leaders identify areas that need better quantum protections now. We've just had a session on November the 11th, Veterans Day. And the second one is coming up December the 5th. So you. 38:24 If you're a smart city leader or see so small, medium, large enterprise, no matter what market you in, you're in, definitely tap in. You can register for it on the leading city's website or on our website at Infotron.net. Yeah, that's on December 9, 2024 at 1pm. Is that Eastern? December 5th. December 5th? No, it's the 9th, because I have it here. And that's my cousin's birthday. So yeah, it's December 9th. 38:53 Did you get to influence those dates? Yeah. So let's jump into your startup. You've taken in very little dilutive funding. How much money have you raised to date? And how have you, what is the next phase, right? In terms of outreach for fundraising. So we've raised 120K and that was through Techstars, LA Space. 39:23 Still counting. I do not take a salary. I could take one, but I'm just, it's the long game for me. And I still consult. Don't let these people tell you not to quit your job and be an entrepreneur. Don't let people do that. Especially if you have a family. Don't let these people, don't let these people try to guilt you or shame you because you still have a job while you're building your startup. Don't let, don't do it. 39:53 Because I do have a company that I started called Right Tech Solutions and we still, that's why I said I still feel like I'm in the Air Force because I still consult them. So I can, you know, the revenue that we do and we've hit 500K in revenue. So you know, I could easily take a salary, right? But I just, it's the long game for me. It's the global expansion. 40:22 um, you know, more IP and patents, uh, protections, right? Because we do have global count clients. And, um, one of the things that I wanted to make sure of before we even took on the clients was that we had legal backing there. So IP trademarks, um, at least patent, at least the application is pending, but you know, like I want to, I want to, I want it to at least have that. And we have great attorneys. Um, shout out to Malika Tyson. 40:52 and Matthew and Dorian who have, they took over because I had a, I had an attorney, IP attorney that would, had her own boutique firm and then she had to go back, you know, she just couldn't do the entrepreneurship, it's not for everybody, but we still stay in contact as well. But she introduced me to McAndrews, they're based out of Chicago. 41:20 And they are the legal team for Impletron. I always tell them that when we're on calls, like you are the legal team. Like, yeah, anything that I need from them legal, legal wise, they do it. I literally just sent a partnership NDA over to Malekka this morning and she just sent it back to me. So like, that's not IP and trademark, right? But they do, they do it. And I always tell them how much I appreciate them because... 41:49 IP and trademarks are not free and they're not inexpensive. So, and then imagine, you know, we have one pending now in Japan. We just got one in Canada. So yeah, like it's expensive, you know, it's expensive. So a lot of the funding that we get now is going to be allocated to pay them, you know, even though they work with us. But it's going to be paying them. 42:18 doing some iterations, we have a partnership where there's some hardware that's gonna be involved. We're definitely tapping into the hardware. So we'll be forging our way there because people like things they can touch. SaaS isn't necessarily something that you can touch, although put it into a platform makes it a little bit more tangible for people, visual at least. So in the- 42:48 Yeah, I mean, hardware has always been a part of the vision. FBGAs, we have another colleague of mine, he has developed a cryptocurrency mining machine, and it leverages quantum. So it's mining at exponential speeds, right? Because generally what quantum does is speeds things up. It speeds exactly, in simplified terms. 43:18 Definitely still going after Sivers traditional government contracts globally. We participated in Fintech down in the Bahamas last October. Cause we are in the Fintech space and there's a lot of similarities between Fintech and Space Tech. Because when you're talking about fault zeros and being able to detect anomalies. 43:46 both of those markets need that and they need it quick. So we've been able to, yeah, like we've been able to leverage some of the things that we're learning in both of those for each other. So we've been able to participate in some conferences. We actually getting ready to go to Barbados in January for Fintech Islands, I'll be speaking about 44:14 the kind of the intersection of the quantum age and what's coming in respect to the fintech space, cryptocurrency, web three, traditional finance and AI, because we do leverage AI. And we've been in the AI space, Impletron has been in the AI space from the beginning. One of our advisors is an AI evangelist at AWS. I did say her name earlier on this podcast, but. 44:42 She's amazing. She's a Georgia Tech grad. We do have a few Georgia Tech people on the team, but she's amazing. And I'm able to tap her. I've been able to tap her because she was one of the Kit founders. So I've been able to tap her about AI and machine learning very early on. So all of the LLMs and the SLMs that everybody's kind of talking about, we've been doing. 45:11 Like even as small as we are, we've been. 45:16 Yeah, so, Chasity, how can my listeners contact or get information about Infotron? So, yeah, of course the website. So, infiltron.net. You can follow us on all of our socials at Infotron Software Suite. It might be, I think on Twitter is Infotron app. We wanted to keep it short. 45:41 And then, or you can email us at mfultronapp at gmail.com. And I know people are gonna be like, why you use Gmail? That's another filter. And that's an email that everybody on the team can look at and not be bombarded with, cause spam and it's just, everybody has their own email address, but. So you probably, it's a test environment for all of you. 46:09 beautiful quantum encryption that you're working on. Yes. And that's it all. One better way to start. Yeah, Gmail, right? Google knows a lot more about us than we'd like them to. Oh, Google knows everything. That's tough. Even when you turn location off. Oh, Instagram. I just posted something about Instagram. So Instagram's new. They just updated their policy maybe a month ago, maybe. 46:38 Okay. Whether you want to or not, they now have access to your photos, your GPS location, everything even if you say no, even if you turn it off, they still contract. 47:00 Just putting it out there guys. Yeah. So if you do platform. So there's cause to the platform. Right? Yes. Thank you. All right. We're coming down to the section of the podcast where I like to ask each of my guests what the following three words mean to you. Because this is what I do with my consulting business. 47:24 In addition to my podcast, I work with founders that are really building resilient, purpose-driven and scalable businesses. What's resilience mean to you, Chasity? Man, that's a word that I use. Uh, I mean, I'm, I mean, you gotta think about it. I'm black trying to raise money. It's hard for black people to raise money on top of that. I've been, you know, um, I've come face to face with people that didn't believe that I wrote my own patents. Like. 47:53 you know, as if black people didn't invent a lot of things, like that we still use today. Like, come on. I mean, it's just the truth. Resilience. Resilience for me is bending, but never breaking. Bending, but never breaking. Yeah. It's about, you know, adapting to challenges. I just mentioned some and facing them. Like you can't, you can't, and I'm about to sound 48:23 run from the pain, you gotta run towards it. So you can come out stronger on the other side. And it's not necessarily about survival, it's transformation. That's transformation. It's transformation. And that transformation is preparing you for what's next. And you'll be standing taller than you were before. Amazing, thank you. Purpose-driven, what's a purpose-driven? 48:53 Enterprises or? Yeah. I'm a visionary. So like, there's a lot of founders that I've met. If I have the opportunity to get close to them or kind of hear them speak about what they're building to include myself, because I do talk to myself about the things that I'm building. I counsel myself. I'm sure my ancestors are around me. 49:23 Purpose is, it should be intentional. I think that it's kind of interchangeable for me. But in the context of the question that you asked on purpose driven enterprise, so it's the heartbeat in what we build here at Infotron. I can definitely say that. It's creating meaningful solutions that solve real problems. And in solving those real problems, 49:52 you're still staying true to the mission. I still bring the aspect of the military into Infiltron. We are mission focused. We have fun. We do all the fun things, right? Because again, that cultivates innovation too. And it keeps it spicy. You need to let things be spicy because in a regular deglar cybersecurity job, you're probably bored. Like. 50:19 I mean, let's just be real. Like you're probably bored. You're probably looking at Excel spreadsheets and creating a report by hand from that. Like it's boring. Like, but you know, it's also making moves that matter. And it's solving problems that for me leave a legacy and just never losing sight of why we started in the first place. 50:48 So never lives in sight. Excellent. What about scalable? So how does- That's one of those BC's favorite words. That's right. Because that's what they want to see. How will you scale? That's right. I mean, I'm an investor too guys. Don't get it twisted. Like, I think that was a question that I did ask with one of the investors I had. Like, how are you going to get over that challenge? Like, before I give you this money. 51:18 Scalable. So growth, like we can think about growth in so many different ways, like growth, personal growth, because if you embark on the entrepreneur trick, you are going to be, and need to be open to growth. To me, entrepreneurship is a spiritual journey. Beautiful. 51:45 about the Southern Baptist roots, but I'm not spiritual. I'm a yoga, meditating, put my feet in the sand, grass grounding person nowadays, but still bringing that element of praying. And it's all the same to me. They just changed the name of God, right? Just that's my perspective, but growth isn't just about getting. 52:14 bigger. It's about getting better. And me speaking about the personal aspect, that is what growth is. It might not feel good, you know, while it's happening. But, you know, once you get through it and you can get in a reflective mindset and look back with what you just came through and be grateful, like find gratitude in it, you know. 52:43 That's how I look at growth. It's expanding mindfully and staying grounded in your values and making sure that every step that you take going forward strengthens the foundation that you've already built. And it's... 53:11 Like I said, it's moving with intention. And while you're moving with intention, you're also preserving the quality and the vision that define you. Which goes back to purpose-driven. Yes, thank you. Last question, Chasity. Did you have fun in the sandbox? Oh yeah, I mean, it's you. You know, we already have a great rapport. 53:38 I'll say this, one of my favorite memories of you is when you brought Ty to the table to kind of see if they were, could invest in Infiltron and it was too early. But we had to sign an NDA, it was some type of contract, but it was during Mercury retrograde. You said it before I said it, I was like, I wonder if she's onto this type. 54:05 Cause I wasn't going to sign it. I was going to try to delay it as much as possible, but you're like, no, let's wait, let's wait. So after Mercer, that's your great. Well, I was like, oh, these are this. She's my people. And I was like, and I think I responded like, let's wait five days. So it is no, it's like clear. So, um, that's a little fighter for me with you. Oh, I love it. I love it. Generally hear that in business. No, no. 54:32 And the Founder Sandbox again is a pretty eclectic podcast, bringing in deep tech founders like Chasity Wright that are on the frontier, bringing in what the future, will, it's the future's here. It's here. That's right. So to my listeners, if you like this episode with Chasity Wright, CEO and founder of Infiltron, sign up for the monthly release of 55:01 this podcast where founders, business owners, corporate directors, and professional service providers share their own experiences on building with strong governance, a resilient, scalable, and purpose-driven company to make profits for good. So signing off for this month, thank you, Chasity. Thank you, Brenda, so much. I hope to see you soon.  

If you work across time zones, borders, and cultures, this is the show for you. This is your host Leonardo, welcome to the international business podcast.  AI has emerged as a pivotal element within numerous organizations due to its ability to transform business operations and drive growth. Today we travel around the world to discuss AI. We're going to Canada, Portugal, China, and Brazil. See below for details on each guest.What is the AI revolution? How can AI improve operational efficiency? What industries are most vulnerable to AI automation? And more.  Use the promo code 8D1E2 to get 50% off your first month on Patreon. This offer is valid until February 28th.Join Leonardo on Patreon for:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Podcast Archive: 102 episodes (40+ hours).Podcast Bonus Episodes: New exclusive content.Early Access: Upcoming YouTube videos and newsletters.Thinking Process Journal: Insights into Leonardo's content preparation, including a curated reading list and personal reflections.Q&A: Submit questions for future episodes, and receive a shoutout when they are answered.With guests:J.B. Richard, a tech and AI expert with degrees in computer science, EMBA, and a third cycle diploma, founded CoFoMo, an IT consulting group that grew to over 2000 consultants by 2003. He also led Hureca, a human resources consulting firm. In 2018, he became an AI scientist at Techstars and co-founded Alexi, an AI legal tech company. Since 2021, Richard has consulted for MCN, PSP Investment, and Desjardins. In 2023, he established Mirabilis.ai as CEO, aiming to democratize AI.Emily Hilton, Co-Founder ofPACO Services, aids Portuguese entrepreneurs and expatriates in optimizing their time using AI and automation. Her firm offers on-demand support, allowing clients to delegate tasks. Hilton's background includes a swimwear brand, which inspired her to launch PACO to provide cost-effective startup support. She is also interested in AI's transformative role in the future of work.Stéphane Monsallier, an AI expert and speaker, aims to empower knowledge workers with AI tools, believing AI will augment human capabilities. With a Master's in AI, he foundedSystem in Motion in Shanghai in 2004, a technology consulting firm. He mentors tech startups and focuses on Generative AI, delivering keynote speeches and advising on technological innovation.Marcus Scharra, a computer engineer with a master's in Information Security and AI, has founded six tech companies, including MT4 Technology, which developedsenhasegura, a leader in Privileged Access Management (PAM) operating in over 60 countries. His work is widely published, and his companies have received awards for driving innovation in cybersecurity.If you work across time zones, borders, and cultures, come on the show to share your story.⁠⁠Connect with the host Leonardo Marra

Alex Blania ist vielleicht einer der unbekanntesten deutschen Tech-Stars: er ist 30 Jahre alt, einige hundert Millionen Dollar wert und arbeitet sieben Tage die Woche mit seinem Mitgründer und besten Freund Sam Altman, bekannt als CEO von Open AI, in einem Hochhaus in San Francisco daran, alle Menschen der Welt mit einem neuartigen digitalen Pass auszustatten: der World AI.

This week in Portland startup news, a16z invests in a Portland startup, Techstars may be returning to Portland, OEN and the Metro Regional Innovation Hub gather entrepreneurial support organizations, and more. (But no DeepSeek.) PORTLAND STARTUP COMMUNITY LINKS - Startup founders: Where are they now…? https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/events/305793571/ - Zing Drone Solutions https://zingdrones.com/ - OEN Reverse Pitch https://www.oen.org/calendar-events/entrepreneur-reverse-pitch/ - Portland Metro Region Innovation Hub https://www.portlandmetrohub.org/ - Save the date https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/events/305535888/ - Portland Startups Slack https://pdxslack.com/ - Techstars new efforts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HgKUlB2wmE PORTLAND STARTUP COMMUNITY 00:00 Portland startup community intro 00:40 Feb 11 "Where are they now…?" event 03:09 Paxton raises $22M 04:30 Eclypsium raises $45M with investment from Andreessen Horowitz 05:53 Demolicious January winner 07:46 Oregon entrepreneur support organizations 11:15 Metro Region Innovation Hub 12:06 Save the date: April 8 13:49 Portland Startups Slack 15:10 Techstars new efforts may include Portland FIND ME ON THE INTERNET AT… - https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social - https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy - https://siliconflorist.substack.com/ - https://patreon.com/turoczy ABOUT SILICON FLORIST ---------- For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet. ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ---------- Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird. https://siliconflorist.com #pdx #portland #oregon #startup #entrepreneur

Tennis Australia has launched Beyond Tennis powered by Infosys. It's in incredibly creative free gaming app that blends sport, artificial intelligence, social media, and storytelling. Ridley is a digital innovation leader with extensive experience in emerging technologies. At Tennis Australia, Ridley spearheaded initiatives like the award-winning AO ArtBall NFT and AO Adventure on Roblox, driving millions in revenue and engaging tens of millions of new fans globally. As Senior Manager of Digital Sales and Metaverse, Ridley positioned the Australian Open as a pioneer in Web3 and metaverse strategies. Previously, Ridley contributed to revenue growth as Business Solutions Manager and supported startups as a Lead Mentor with Techstars. Peter  is an accomplished entrepreneur and leader with a focus on innovation and impact. As Founder and CEO of One Future Sports, Peter has driven cutting-edge strategies in sports technology and digital engagement since 2022. In addition to leading a pioneering company, Peter serves as Chairman of the Liptember Foundation, raising millions annually for women's mental health. Previously, Peter held board roles with The Finders Keepers and Ampjar, building and exiting successful ventures. With a career spanning leadership in marketing, partnerships, and entrepreneurship, Peter has consistently delivered transformative results across industries. _____ Subscribe to the Sports Tech Feed newsletter. Your source for in-depth sports technology insights, news, and analysis: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sportstechfeed.substack.com

Jason Saltzman: Entrepreneur, Mentor, and Innovator   Jason Saltzman is the founder of Relief, a groundbreaking platform transforming debt management for everyday people.   With two successful business exits, over a decade mentoring founders through Techstars, and experience teaching entrepreneurship, Jason has solidified his reputation as a thought leader in business and innovation.   As the Co-Chair of MIT's REAP program, Jason plays a key role in shaping the future of entrepreneurial ecosystems, fostering collaboration and growth on a global scale.   His unwavering passion for empowering others drives his mission to create tools and resources that help people thrive.   Through his visionary leadership, Jason continues to make an enduring impact on the entrepreneurial world. Jason's Website: https://www.relief.app/ ..... Want to be a guest on WITneSSes? Send Elisha Arowojobe a message on #PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/member/ambelisha     Elevate your business with Anastasia's expert consulting. Use code Elisha3 for an exclusive offer and transform your business today! https://resurrectionmentor.wixsite.com/so/42PDEPEB8?languageTag=en     Join my Substack subscribers chat here: https://open.substack.com/pub/ambelisha1/p/join-my-new-subscriber-chat?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=3z233v    

In this episode of the Faith Driven Entrepreneur podcast, Justin Forman sits down with Dave Blanchard to explore the evolution of faith-driven entrepreneurship and its growing influence in both the church and broader culture.Key Discussion Points:The origin story of Praxis and how the name came to be through prayer and divine inspirationThe transformation of entrepreneurship from a "starving artist" narrative to a celebrated career pathThe role of programs like Y Combinator, Techstars, and shows like Shark Tank in normalizing entrepreneurshipHow childhood experiences and early business ventures shaped Blanchard's perspective on ethical entrepreneurshipThe impact of Chris Crane and Opportunity International in revealing the redemptive possibilities of entrepreneurshipThe challenge of moving beyond "God cares about your work" to practical implementation in various industriesThe need for churches to become creative centers and reimagine their approach to supporting entrepreneursThe importance of telling authentic stories that include both triumph and struggleDiscussion of the "unnamed villains" and real challenges facing Christian entrepreneursThe future of faith-driven entrepreneurship and the need for local heroes and mentors

Did you know that you are hard-wired to experience different spaces and design in your own way? On today's podcast, Richard Fleming shares how designing to the five senses provides the ultimate design experience, and how to design spaces for productivity, comfort and inspiration. BACK STORY Richard Fleming is a neuro-architect, innovator, and entrepreneur for 20+ years creating transformative, people-centric environments that engage all the human senses. He is committed to creating user experiences (UX) that challenge traditional paradigms and lead to innovation and positive human approach. He designed over 10K built projects for international powerhouse brands such as the Walt Disney Company, Apple, Starbucks, Ferrari, the City of London, UCLA, and real estate developer the Irvine Company. Richard is an awarding winning innovator and, as Principal Architect for Walt Disney Co, received the prestigious Spirit of Disney Award, recognizing his outstanding business contributions to the company's innovations, values, and culture. Richard co-founded Ryzzz, a wearable/portable device that uses AI to gamify cognition/neuroscience and circadian rhythms, earning him recognition as one of the Top 8 Tech Stars and advisory member of IntelliTwin, a healthcare and information technology product recognized as a Top 5 Finalist in the Innovations in Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (AiMed) International Conference. He is a member of the Salk Institute: Cognitive Sciences, the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture. Richard is also an author, keynote speaker, and frequent media commentator, working on his new book exploring the intersections of architecture and neuroscience. Richard's boundless enthusiasm and talent for science and design innovation hones his experience working in diverse cultural hubs such as California, London, Milan, and Paris.   Website: richardflemingarchitect.com Instagram: @fleming.neuroarchitect LinkedIn: Richard T. Fleming, Neuro Architect     SUBSCRIBE TO ICONIC HOUR If you enjoyed today's podcast, I'd be so appreciative if you'd take two minutes to subscribe, rate and review ICONIC HOUR. It makes a huge difference for our growth. Thanks so much!   ICONIC LIFE MAGAZINE  Stay in touch with ICONIC LIFE magazine. We invite you to join our digital VIP list and SUBSCRIBE!   JOIN OUR ICONIC COMMUNITY Website: iconiclife.com Instagram: @iconiclifemag Facebook: Iconic Life YouTube: ICONIC LIFE   FOLLOW RENEE DEE Instagram: @iconicreneedee LinkedIn: Renee Dee   Thanks for being a part of our community to Live Beautifully.  

What happens when two QA professionals turn their frustrations with the industry into a groundbreaking solution? In this episode, Alice Heiman sits down with Ivan Barajas Vargas, co-founder of MuukTest, to explore how he and his partner transformed the QA automation process using AI. Ivan shares his journey from bootstrapping to landing funding, his pivot to a top-down sales strategy, and the lessons learned from building a thriving startup. If you're a CEO looking to scale smarter, embrace innovation, or rethink your sales strategy, this conversation is packed with actionable insights you won't want to miss.About GuestDuring the 15 years that Ivan Barajas Vargas worked in QA and test automation, he realized that testing was slow and required an army of QAs to get it automated. In 2019, he and Renan Ugalde founded MuukTest, an AI-powered solution that effortlessly automates software testing in days instead of years. Since being part of top startup accelerators like MassChallenge and TechStars, MuukTest received grants from the National Science Foundation's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, as well as being included in Google for Startups' Latino Founders Fund for 2023, among other grants.Social Links Connect with Ivan Barajas VargasOur website: MuukTest - Test Automation ServicesIvan's LinkedIn Profile: (50) Ivan Barajas Vargas | LinkedInMuukTest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/muuktest/Connect with Alice HeimanLinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceheiman/Alice's Website: https://aliceheiman.com/

Your Core-4: The ultimate framework for unleashing business success through vision, values, mission and promise by Mrs. Nili Goldberg Amazon.com A mind shifting framework for founders & leaders experiencing anxiety, feeling stuck, or overwhelmed by not knowing which decision to make and what step to take. Nili Goldberg is a multidisciplinary entrepreneur, marketer, and educator who launched her first startup to empower influencer marketing in 2009 immerses her readers in stories of known brands like Netflix & Airbnb to show how their vision and values lead them throughout their journey and even decision making processes. The author zooms in on founders who paved their business to Unicorn status, like Amazon, Wix, Datorama, and SimilarWeb. Being a strong believer in "practice what you preach" Nili shares her authentic analysis of her faux pas while pioneering the concept of social media influencer marketing and its enabling technology. How does your Core-4 reflect on your business? An experiential guide for founders & leaders experiencing anxiety, feeling stuck, or overwhelmed by not knowing which decision to make and what step to take. Identify your unique entrepreneurial and business DNA by exploring how these crucial elements blend into the mindset of leading entrepreneurs and business leaders and then contemplating your own: vision, your unique set of values your mission and the promise you make to your audience, your team and your business partners. About the author Nili Goldberg is a passionate entrepreneur, marketer, and university professor. After working as a strategic marketer and leading product launches in both the corporate world and startups, Nili launched her first startup in 2009 with the vision to disrupt word-of-mouth marketing by recruiting and mobilizing authentic social media creators and influencers into brand ambassadors. The startup was one of the first to manage influencer campaigns for Governmental purposes, and global brands worldwide like GSK, Clinique, and P&G. She researched of the FAASTR alignment strategies first hand for over fifteen years since 2008. Both by aligning fast-moving startup teams to their vision, mission, values & promise or by providing fractional Chief Marketing services to versataile businesses vectors. Her passion for teaching through experiences has been part of her professional life since 2007. She's taught entrepreneurship and marketing at Reichman University, Yeshiva University, Shenkar design schools' entrepreneurial programs to name a few. . Nili holds a master's degree in International Relations, is a guest speaker at international business schools, and mentors in leading entrepreneurial programs like Techstars, Springbourd, and marketing driven communities. She lives with her partner Jonathan, is the mother of Michal and Amalia, a stepmom to Shai and Lee, and prefers to spend time in in nature's embrace, prioritizing outdoor adventures on snowy mountains, beach breaks and desert sunsets with Jonathan and their four girls.

What does it mean to simplify, align, and trust your intuition to create a life of expansion and purpose? In this episode of The Essential Shift Podcast, I'm reflecting on the 40 most powerful lessons I learned during my 40th year (in 2024). From embracing simplicity as my guiding theme for 2024 to celebrating transformative milestones like launching Understanding Zoe and stepping into Techstars, these lessons have profoundly shaped how I approach life, business, relationships, and rest. Whether you're looking for inspiration to set your intention for 2025 or seeking practical guidance for creating alignment in your life and business, this episode is for you. If you LOVE the episode, don't forget to share it on your Instagram stories and tag me @essential.shift. ✨ Set your vision for 2025 with my Abundant Vision Bootcamp. Learn more here. ✨ KEY EPISODE TAKEAWAYS: Simplifying doesn't mean doing less... it means focusing on what truly matters Intuition paired with action leads to clarity, courage, and aligned growth Business thrives on authenticity, community, and consistent progress over perfection Rest and self-care are foundational for creativity, clarity, and resilience SHOW RESOURCES: Abundant Vision Bootcamp: Plan your year intentionally with live sessions on January 29–31. Learn more – HERE. Join amazing women in our female entrepreneur community: The Circle Membership – HERE. FOLLOW me on INSTAGRAM - HERE If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it on your Instagram stories and tag me @essential.shift. Bless it be. With love, Laetitia

This week, Chris speaks with Nicole Glaros, Co-Founder of ForDenverFC, to dive into her remarkable career and the growth of Colorado's tech ecosystem. A key architect of Techstars' success, Nicole helped scale its portfolio from just 10 companies to over 2,500, with assets under management skyrocketing from $300K to more than $750M. In this episode, Nicole shares her journey from sports psychology to entrepreneurship, unique insights into Colorado's tech evolution and he state's leadership in quantum computing plus practical advice for leaders on management and hiring. She emphasizes the importance of fostering team safety and reframing mistakes as learning opportunities. Listen now on: Amazon Music (Alexa) | Spotify | Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts!Connect with hosts Adam and Chris and the Range VC team on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/range-ventures/Check out more about what we're up to at Range.vc See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Cohen is the cofounder and CEO of Techstars, a global startup accelerator and venture capital firm. In this episode of the Blind Ambition podcast, David gives us an inside look of how his firm supports and mentors tech founders and has the willingness to bet early on. He emphasizes that successful investments often seem counterintuitive at first. David notes that there are rarely "aha" moments in investing, and ideas that initially sound bad can turn out to be the most valuable opportunities. This approach has led Techstars to invest in unicorn companies like Uber. He emphasizes the critical role of startups in driving job growth, challenging the traditional notion that large corporations are the primary employment engines. Lastly, David talks about growing his startup community and how he plans to scale tech hubs on the ground everywhere. 

Hiten Sonpal is the CEO of RISE® Robotics, an industrial technology company headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, specializing in sustainable motion control solutions for heavy machinery. He discusses the innovative technology behind their electric actuation system, Beltdraulic™, which offers significant advantages over traditional hydraulic systems. He also shares insights into the commercialization journey of their products, the importance of leadership in navigating organizational priorities, and the balance between having a clear vision and adapting to uncertainty in business. Hiten emphasizes the value of proving their technology's effectiveness to potential customers and the growing demand for electrification and autonomy in robotics. Links: Show notes: http://brandonbartneck.com/buildingbetter/hitensonpal Edison Manufacturing Exchange: https://brandonbartneck.substack.com/publish/home linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/ https://www.riserobotics.com/ https://wefunder.com/riserobotics Takeaways Beltdraulic™ technology is more efficient than hydraulics. The actuator is three times as fast and 80% lighter than hydraulics. Commercialization involves cutting scope and focusing on key products. Leadership requires articulating what not to do to increase speed. The market demand for electrification is growing due to legislation. Proving value to customers is essential for adoption. The technology is designed to be easy to integrate into existing systems. Energy efficiency and cost reduction are key benefits of their technology. Bio: Hiten Sonpal is the CEO of RISE® Robotics, bringing over two decades of experience in robotics, automation, and product innovation. He contributed to generating $2B+ in revenue and shipping 9M+ units at iRobot, scaled deployments 3x at Electric Sheep Robotics, and launched SaaS and hardware products at Robin. As an advisor to Graze Robotics and Main Street Autonomy, Hiten continues to shape the future of technology and automation. With a BS in Computer Engineering from the University of Evansville and an ongoing MS in Computer Science at Georgia Tech (‘28), Hiten is passionate about revolutionizing industrial machinery. At RISE, he is leading efforts to replace traditional hydraulics with sustainable, high-efficiency belt technology while fostering a culture of innovation and impact. About RISE: RISE® Robotics is an industrial technology company headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, specializing in sustainable motion control solutions for heavy machinery. Founded in 2011 by graduates of MIT and RISD, RISE has developed the patented Beltdraulic™ system, a fluid-free alternative to traditional hydraulics. This innovative technology uses lightweight, steel-reinforced belts to deliver high-efficiency performance, reducing machine weight, lowering operational costs, and minimizing environmental impact. RISE is increasing machine productivity while supporting global sustainability goals. Backed by The Engine, Greentown Labs, and Techstars, RISE is redefining what's possible in industrial motion control. Building Better Building Better with Brandon Bartneck is focused on the people, products, and companies that are creating a better tomorrow, often in the transportation and manufacturing sectors. This show was previously called the Future of Mobility podcast. I aim to have real, human conversations to explore what these leaders and innovators are doing, why and how they're doing it, and what we can learn from their experiences. If you care about making an impact then this show might be for you. Topics include manufacturing, production, assembly, autonomous driving, electric vehicles, hydrogen and fuel cells, impact, leadership, and more. Edison Manufacturing and Engineering: Edison is your low volume contract manufacturing partner, focused on assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don't neatly fit within traditional high-volume production methods.

In questa puntata parliamo di consumer hardware, un tema che abbiamo affrontato spesso ultimamente. Oggi ne parliamo con Giovanni Tuccari, co-founder di Clean OS, la startup che sta sviluppando il primo spazzolino da denti ad arcata personalizzato: una sorta di “autolavaggio” per i denti.  Insieme ai suoi co-founder, Pietro, che è dentista, e Francesco, che invece è ingegnere, Giovanni punta ad innovare un settore ad altissimo tantissimo potenziale che vale 710 miliardi di dollari e che ha margini che raggiungono l'80%. Come per molti business di consumer hardware la strada per lanciare un prodotto sul mercato non è semplicissima e Clean OS si appresta in questi mesi a terminare la fase di prototipazione per poi passare alla fase di sviluppo industriale. Ho parlato con Giovanni proprio dopo che avevano appena finito il programma di accelerazione TechStars a Berlino e si apprestano a lanciare una campagna di crowdfunding, quindi abbiamo parlato anche di quello. SPONSOR

Sri talks with founder and coach Adam Mutschler about how to master the 'inner game' when it comes to startups (and life). They also manage to talk about cricket protein and ridding Midwest streams of invasive species :)  And Sri pretends "averagially" is a word

In this episode of The Chad and Cheese podcast, Noelle London, founder and CEO of Illoominus, discusses her AI-powered people intelligence platform designed to integrate and analyze HR data. She shares insights on the challenges of dirty data, the importance of strategic partnerships, and the competitive landscape in HR technology. The conversation also covers funding strategies, the role of Techstars, and how Illoominus aims to provide actionable insights for HR leaders to make informed decisions. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Illoominus and Noelle London 03:36 Pitching Illuminus: The AI-Powered People Intelligence Platform 08:10 Funding and Growth: Navigating the Financial Landscape 12:35 Understanding the HR Tech Landscape and Leadership 14:31 Data Integration: The Key to Effective HR Solutions 17:02 Competition in the HR Tech Space 20:43 Sales and Marketing Strategies for Growth 24:11 Defining Quality of Hire: A Complex Challenge 26:30 Direct Sales vs. Partnerships: Future Strategies 28:59 Identifying Threats and Opportunities in the Market 31:32 Facing the Firing Squad: Final Thoughts and Insights

Get inspired by Nikki Corbett, a distinguished consultant and podcast host, as she unpacks insights on entrepreneurship, branding, and personal well-being. In this conversation, Nikki highlights the power of consistency and minor adjustments to achieve long-term success. Hop in to hear how embracing life pivots has shaped her business wisdom and fueled personal growth.     WHAT TO LISTEN FOR Why consistency matters in both personal and professional growth Beneficial effects of fitness on creativity and problem-solving in business How to leverage personal experiences for expanding one's network and business opportunities The value of diverse guests in enriching podcast content and boosting listener engagement Advice for new podcasters on the importance of passion and clear objectives      RESOURCES/LINKS MENTIONED TechStars The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy | Kindle, Paperback, and Hardcover     ABOUT NIKKI CORBETT Nikki is the host of the Round Two Podcast, where she engages in raw, candid conversations with entrepreneurs, exploring their boldest business ventures, life-changing pivots, and defining moments. Her guests span the globe, and her love for conversation shines through her innate curiosity and exceptional listening skills. With over 15 years of experience in corporate roles, including Supply Chain M&A at Intel and leading the transformation and growth of SkyTC, a startup inside of the SaaS company, SkySlope, Nikki has sharpened her leadership and strategic abilities. Recently, in a consulting role at a pre-seed startup, she had the killer opportunity to participate in Techstars, an intense Accelerator program. This reinforced her passion for working deeply in the startup world. She excels at helping founders refine strategies, assess whether their solutions address critical "morphine-level" problems, and guide them to adapt and pivot efficiently. Beyond her work with startups, Nikki dedicates time to coaching individual contributors to refine their career paths, develop personal brands, and effectively communicate with senior and C-suite leadership. Outside of her professional life, Nikki is an avid world traveler, amateur chef, wine enthusiast, fitness devotee, and lover of music and dogs.     CONNECT WITH NIKKI Website: Nikki Corbett Podcast: Round Two Podcast: Apple Podcasts and Spotify LinkedIn: Nikki Corbett YouTube: Round Two Podcast      CONNECT WITH US If you are interested in getting on our show, email us at team@growyourshow.com. Thinking about creating and growing your own podcast but not sure where to start? Click here and Schedule a call with Adam A. Adams! We also have free courses for you on everything you need to know about starting a great podcast! Check out our first six episodes through the links below! Identify Your Avatar - Free Course 1/6 What To Do BEFORE You Launch Your Podcast - Free Course 2/6 How To Launch A TOP Show - Free Course 3/6 Best Marketing And Growth Strategies - Free Course 4/6 How To Monetize Your Podcast - Free Course 5/6  Top 22 Pitfalls On Starting Your Own Podcast - Free Course 6/6 Subscribe so you don't miss out on great content and if you love the show, leave an honest rating and review here!