Refinery VC

Today we're talking with Alex Frommeyer, co-founder and CEO at Beam Dental in Columbus, Ohio. Beam Dental was founded in 2012 by three engineers at University of Louisville, who saw the opportunity to modernize the dental insurance industry by using technology. The first product was the Beam Brush, which was one of the earliest examples of the Internet of Things in healthcare. We had a great conversation about the power of OKRs, Objectives and Key Results. The important thing about OKRs is clearly stating your goals and intentions, and making sure it relates to every single person in your organization so that you can articulate and re-emphasize, and re-state, and reminding everyone, at all times, what they're doing and why they're doing it. If you want a high performance team, you need to master the art of OKRs.

Alex Frommeyer

Co-founder and CEO at Beam Dental

S3 Ep 12. Alex Frommeyer: Beam Dental

Today we're talking with Kimberly Reed, the former chairman of the board of directors, president, and CEO of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. We're going to talk about Kimberly's roots and values that were formed while growing up in West Virginia, where she learned the importance of reaching out, taking a risk, picking up the phone. You just never know who may have an impact on your life. We also get a masterclass on understanding how the Export-Import Bank works, its purpose, and how small businesses and startups can utilize these resources.

Kimberly Reed

Former Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and CEO at Export-Import Bank of the United States

S3 Ep 11. Kimberly Reed: Export-Import Bank of the U.S.

In this episode, we're talking with Brian Hopcraft, Managing Director at Lewis &amp; Clark ventures in St. Louis. An early stage venture firm managed by former founders and operators, investing in late seed through series B companies between the coasts. We're going to dive into the origin story of Lewis &amp; Clark, and talk about the value of having venture investors with operating experience, that can help entrepreneurs understand the importance of raising the right amount of capital and from the right firms.

Brian Hopcraft

Managing Director at Lewis & Clark Ventures

S3 Ep 10. Brian Hopcraft: Lewis & Clark Ventures

In this episode, we're talking with John Nottingham, Co-President of Nottingham Spirk, the longstanding design collaborative and innovation center located in Cleveland, Ohio. We're going to dive into the unique, vertical innovation approach that Nottingham Spirk uses to partner with companies to create new products. And we will talk about their new partnership with EY that will house their Global Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Mobility.

John Nottingham

Co-President at Nottingham Spirk

S3 Ep 9. John Nottingham: Nottingham Spirk

In this episode, we're talking with Roy Bahat, head of Bloomberg Beta, an early stage venture firm backed by Bloomberg LP, focused broadly on the future of work. We're going to dive into how COVID has accelerated that future of work and how some of the trends that we're experimenting with today will continue.

Roy Bahat

Head of Bloomberg Beta

S3 Ep 8. Roy Bahat: Bloomberg Beta

In today's episode, we're talking with John Simon, Managing Director at Sigma Prime Ventures and Co-Founder of the GreenLight Fund. We're going to dive into John's venture career that he has used for good, and discuss the activities and impact we can make on our communities for a multidimensional and meaningful life experience.

John Simon

Managing Partner at Sigma Prime Ventures and Co-Founder of the GreenLight Fund

S3 Ep 7. John Simon: Sigma Prime & GreenLight Fund

In this episode, we're talking with Mitch Port, Vice President of Strategy and Analytics at BlockFi, which provides wealth management products for crypto investors, all powered by blockchain technology. We're going to dive into all things cryptocurrency, how exchanges are actually very similar to traditional financial services, and how crypto is plugging into open monetary networks worldwide. We also discuss that crypto is still in the very early stages, likely the first or second inning. While it still seems like everyone is talking about it, adoption and engagement is only around 1%. It'll be exciting to see how the next few innings evolve.

Mitch Port

Vice President of Strategy and Analytics at BlockFi

In this episode, we're talking with Mitch Port, Vice President of Strategy and Analytics at BlockFi, which provides wealth management products for crypto investors, all powered by blockchain technology


S3 Ep 6. Mitch Port: BlockFi

In today's episode, we're talking with Darcy Howe, founder and managing director of KCRise Fund, which launched in 2016 as an initiative of KC Rising, which has a long-term vision for the greater Kansas City region, building capacity and bringing existing businesses to scale. In 2019, KCRise Fund II was launched bringing total committed capital to over $60 million. We're going to dive into Darcy's background and her family inspiration, as well as her first career in private wealth management and investment banking, which led to her passion for early-stage entrepreneurs. Darcy's also going to share with us what she believes is the secret sauce of Midwest startups.

Darcy is the Founder and Managing Director of KCRise Fund in Kansas City, Missouri. Prior to 2015, Darcy was a founding member of a Merrill Lynch Private Banking and Investment Group of Merrill Lynch in Kansas City, which grew from 30 advisors to 350 with $240 billion in assets under management and over $1 billion in revenue before her retirement. A 20-year veteran angel investor, Darcy was a founding member of Women’s Capital Connection, a network of accredited investors who invest in women-led, early-stage businesses. She has a passion for innovation, both within large companies and back-of-the-napkin ideas which germinate into great businesses. Darcy is a regional leader in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, developing connectivity between funders, entrepreneurs, and advisors.

Darcy Howe

Founder and Managing Director at KCRise Venture Fund

S3 Ep 5. Darcy Howe: KCRise Fund

In today's episode, we're talking with two great recruiting leaders in the Midwest, Nick Cromydas and Kaleb Dumot. Nick is co-founder and CEO of Hunt Club in Chicago, Illinois. Kaleb is the founder and CEO of Integrity Power Search in Cleveland, Ohio, a boutique retained search firm for high-growth startups and technology companies across North America. We're going to dive into the effects of COVID on remote work, hiring, and recruiting, how it has eliminated friction in that first phone call interview, how the ability to work remotely opens up options for companies and potential hires, and how you would develop trust remotely. Taking a job is incredibly personal so feeling that trust is important.

Kaleb is the founder and CEO of Integrity Power Search in Cleveland, Ohio, a boutique retained search firm for high-growth startups and technology companies across North America. Since 2012, Integrity Power Search has successfully executed thousands of retained searches and their clients have collectively raised tens of billions of dollars in venture and private equity funding. 

Kaleb Dumot

Founder & CEO of Integrity Power Search

Nick is co-founder and CEO of Hunt Club in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 2015, Hunt Club is a tech-enabled recruiting service helping companies find the best passive talent for every open position. He is also the founder of New Coast Ventures, a combination creative agency, and venture capital fund.

Nick Cromydas

Co-founder & CEO of Hunt Club 

S3 Ep 4. Nick Cromydas: Hunt Club & Kaleb Dumot: Integrity Power Search

In today's episode, we're talking with Ethan Batraski, Partner at Venrock, in Palo Alto, California. Ethan invests across sectors with a particular focus on hard engineering problems, such as development infrastructure, advanced computing, and space technologies. We're going to dive into our shared investment in Astronomer and why they invested as well as the Space Frontier and how communication will change and new cases will start to emerge that we're not even thinking about today.

Ethan is a Partner at Venrock, based in the Palo Alto office where he invests across sectors, with a particular focus on hard engineering problems such as developer tools & infrastructure, open source software, space, and emerging compute.

Ethan Batraski

Partner at Venrock

S3 Ep 3. Ethan Batraski: Venrock

In today's episode, we're talking with Adam Symson, president and CEO of the E.W. Scripps Company in Cincinnati, Ohio. We're going to dive into the disruption of television where we learn new terms like 'time poverty'. We're also going to talk about consumer choice and how Scripps is evolving with over-the-air broadcasting and been the country's largest holder of broadcast spectrum.

Prior to becoming CEO in August 2017, Adam was Scripps’ chief operating officer, overseeing the company's broadcast TV, radio and digital media divisions.

As chief digital officer from 2011 to 2016, he was responsible for Scripps digital businesses in more than 25 local markets and for national businesses including Newsy and Midroll. He was responsible for leading the company’s efforts to develop new businesses in emerging media through investment and acquisition.

Adam Symson

President, Chief Executive Officer at E.W. Scripps Company

S3 Ep 2. Adam Symson: E.W. Scripps

In today's episode, we're talking to Dhani Jones. Dhani is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, author, host, and explorer, who began his career in the NFL as a linebacker playing with the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Cincinnati Bengals. We're going to dive into how a professional athlete and entrepreneur are actually very similar, and Dhani's focus on the future of mobility.

Dhani is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, author, host, and explorer, who began his career in the NFL as a linebacker playing with the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Dhani Jones

Strategic Advisor & Board Member

S3 Ep 1. Dhani Jones: Entrepreneur & Former NFL Linebacker

Check out The Casted Podcast, hosted by Casted CEO, Lindsay Tjepkema. Their sixth season started last week, including an episode recorded with Fast Frontiers. Please enjoy listening to: Making the Leap Into Podcasting with Refinery Ventures' Abby Fittes and Tim Schigel.

Lindsay Tjepkema

Co-founder and CEO of Casted

Cross Over Episode: Refinery Ventures on The Casted Podcast, Season 6

Check out our friend, Mark Raffan's podcast, <a href="https://www.negotiations.ninja/podcast/inside-the-mind-of-venture-capitalist-tim-schigel-ep-197/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Negotiations Ninja</a>. Episode #197 is from our very own host at Fast Frontiers. Please enjoy listening to: Inside the mind of venture capitalist Tim Schigel

Mark Raffan is an entrepreneur, procurement veteran, podcast host, speaker and a recognized negotiation expert. Mark has led c-suite negotiations for many years for a variety of companies and industries. Now running his own practice, Mark utilizes his extensive speaking experience to deliver engaging, usable, and market relevant training to an under served market.

Mark Raffan

Host and Founder of Negotiations Ninja and Founder of Content Callout

Cross Over Episode: Tim Schigel on Negotiations Ninja with Mark Raffan

Jon Medved is a serial entrepreneur and leading high-tech venture capitalist. Jon is the founder and CEO of OurCrowd, the world's largest equity crowdfunding platform for accredited investors, which has raised more than $1B for over 170 companies since its launch in February 2013. Thanks for listening to Fast Frontiers, Season 2 - We will be back with Season 3 soon!

Jonathan Medved is a serial entrepreneur and according to the Washington Post (2007) “one of Israel’s leading high-tech venture capitalists.” In the 2008 NY Times Supplement “Israel at 60" Medved was named one of the top 10 most influential Americans who have impacted Israel. Medved is the founder and CEO of OurCrowd, the world’s largest equity crowdfunding platform for accredited investors which has raised more than $1B for over 170 companies since its launch in February 2013. Bloomberg Businessweek said that OurCrowd “has blown up the exclusivity around tech fundraising” and The Jerusalem Post added that “It has taken OurCrowd only a matter of months to become one of Israel’s most active funds.” TheStreet.com said that OurCrowd is “Crowdfunding for Real Investors.” Prior to OurCrowd, Medved was the co-founder and CEO of Vringo (Nasdaq:VRNG) and the co-founder and General Partner of Israel Seed Partners, with $262M under management.

Jon Medved

CEO at OurCrowd

S2 Ep 12. Jon Medved: OurCrowd

Today we're bringing you my conversation with Steve Santamaria, CEO of Folio Photonics in Cleveland. We dive into Steve's story and background as a boomerang, someone who moved back to Cleveland after working on the West Coast. We're also going to talk about how Steve manages the relationships with his board of directors using a Japanese concept called nemawashi. The biggest takeaway is the value of boomerangs to startups in our region. The experience of working in the coastal, hyper-growth environment along with the connections that come with it can have a huge impact.

Steve Santamaria is the Chief Executive Officer at Folio Photonics in Cleveland, Ohio. During his 14 year career at Intel Corporation, he led a wide variety of strategic projects and managed the relationship with Microsoft. Steve has a background in sales, business development, and other startup experience. He's a seasoned technology executive, entrepreneur, and student of disruptive technologies.

Steve Santamaria

CEO of Folio Photonics

S2 Ep 11. Steve Santamaria: Folio Photonics

Today we're bringing you my conversation with Niki Scevak, co-founder and partner of Blackbird Ventures in Melbourne, Australia. We're going to talk about the Australian tech ecosystem, which was virtually nonexistent in 2010 when Niki and his co-founder Rick Baker started raising Blackbird fund number one. And now today they have over $1.3 billion under management across four funds. Blackbird's investing thesis is that they value the relationship with the company first and often start by investing early before product and revenue and follow the company through every round of venture financing.

Niki Scevak is the co-founder and partner of Blackbird Ventures. After moving back to Sydney in 2010, Niki founded Startmate, one of Australia's preeminent incubators. Before investing, he also started two software companies and lived in New York City. Blackbird is a leading venture firm in Australia and New Zealand and has invested in companies like graphic design platform, Canva, and autonomous vehicle company, Zoox.

Niki Scevak

Partner at Blackbird Ventures

S2 Ep 10. Niki Scevak: Blackbird Ventures

Today we're bringing you my conversation with Bruce Vojak, researcher, author, and managing director of Breakthrough Innovation Advisors. We're going to dive into some of Bruce's learnings that came out of his writing, Serial Innovators. Bruce and his coauthors immerse themselves in the problems of a people view of innovation, rather than a process and structure or cultural view of innovation. We're also going to dive into the concept of VUCA, V-U-C-A, which stands for volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous, a term that came out of the military. It's a concept that is invaluable to help you navigate and excel, even in the middle of chaos.

Bruce Vojak is an author researcher and consultant. He coauthored, Serial Innovators, How Individuals Create and Deliver Breakthrough Innovations in Mature Firms. Bruce also serves on the board of directors at Medtronics, the advisor board of JV Partners and on the board of Micron Industries. He consults with major corporations like Procter and Gamble, and is the founder of Breakthrough Innovation Advisors. Bruce has also served as associate dean and adjunct professor at the college of engineering at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Early in his career he was director of advanced technology for Motorola's non-semiconductor component business, where he held research and business development positions. Bruce has a bachelor's of highest honors, master's, and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA from University of Chicago.

Bruck Vojak 

Researcher, Author, and Managing Director of Breakthrough Innovation Advisors

S2 Ep 9. Bruce Vojak: Breakthrough Innovation Advisors

Today we're bringing you my conversation with Kevin Maney, advisor of Category Design and co-author of Play Bigger. In this episode, we're going to dive into the learnings that came out of writing Play Bigger, a book that I recommend to all of our startups. Kevin talks about how to define and own a category, as well as the timeline of successful companies that ultimately go public. So what is category design? While most companies start out with a product idea, Kevin tells us successful companies start out by designing the need and the category. So this involves asking a really simple question. What problems do you really want to solve? Spend the time defining the problem, finding that category and defining it, and aligning your team to help drive the process. If you set that North Star early, you have a better chance of attracting customers and convincing others that your journey is worth it. Ultimately you can become a category king.

Kevin Maney is a journalist, author, and co-founder of Category Design Advisors. He has also been a contributor to Newsweek, Fortune, The Atlantic, Fast Company, Strategy and Business, Harvard Business Review, CNN, ABC News, and others.

Kevin Maney

Author, Columnist, Commentator, Advisor

S2 Ep 8. Kevin Maney: Author & Category Design Advisor

Today we're bringing you my conversation with Mackey Craven, partner at OpenView. In this episode, we'll dive into Mackey's exploration mindset and how his academic experience impacted his work in venture capital. And the biggest theme that I want you to take away from this today is the concept made famous by Jeff Bezos called disagree and commit. It's something that's used often among partners in venture firms. Not everybody agrees with an investment idea, but once the investment's made everybody is pulling in the same direction. This is a concept that is very useful and helpful in any organizational setting, so I hope you can find some things to take away from this discussion.

Mackey focuses on enterprise infrastructure and data-driven application software at OpenView. Prior to joining OpenView, Mackey was an associate at Bessemer Venture Partners focusing on investments in cloud computing, consumer internet, and data infrastructure. At Bessemer, Mackey was a board observer at Twitch, which was acquired by Amazon, Zapier, Xtime, acquired by Cox Automotive, and Apperian acquired by Arxan, and was involved with Bessemer's investments in Infinio, Liaison, and Antigua. Mackey began his career in research and teaching positions at the Sloan School of Management and in the departments of physics and biology at MIT where he co-founded BioVolt, a company focused on designing low cost microbial fuel cells for use in the developing world. He has also served as an independent scientific consultant to Continuum Energy Technologies and analyzed pipe and SPAC opportunities for Hudson Bay Capital Management. Mackey joined OpenView in 2013 and was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2017.

Mackey Craven

Partner at OpenView

S2 Ep 7. Mackey Craven: OpenView

Today we're bringing you my conversation with Michelle McBane, managing director of StandUp Ventures in Toronto, Canada. In this episode, we're going to dive into the origin of StandUp Ventures, which was formed to address the issue that, without many female founders around, there's a belief that you can't be what you can't see. We're also going to talk about what makes the Toronto and Canadian ecosystems different and unique in terms of the economic benefits with R&D tax credits, and the growing density of talent and engagement among corporations and universities.

Michelle is passionate about working with amazing technology entrepreneurs. As the managing director of Standup Ventures, she leads investments in early stage technology companies led or co-led by women founders. Michelle is a skilled business professional with over 25 years of combined operational and venture capital experience. Her background includes 20 years of venture capital investing as well as sales and marketing roles in both engineering and scientific industries. 

Michelle McBane

Managing Director at StandUp Ventures

S2 Ep 6. Michelle McBane: StandUp Ventures

Today we're bringing you my conversation with Baiju Shah, Senior Fellow for Innovation at the Cleveland Foundation, where he focuses on catalyzing strategic initiatives for the region, including serving as the leader of the Cleveland Innovation Project. We're going to dive into what Baiju sees as the gaps in the Midwest and how he's working to combat these through his work with the Cleveland Innovation Project, which includes setting expectations and identifying opportunities to bring high growth and innovation to the region through three sectors of focus, next-generation healthcare, smart manufacturing, and water technologies.

Seasoned executive, entrepreneur, and investor with 20 years of experience in building life science technology companies, innovation platforms, and strategic alliances, from start-up phase through sustaining organizations and exits. Significant public company, private firm, and nonprofit organization board leadership and involvement through founding, growth, and turnaround situations, and substantial engagement with public agencies and officials. Frequent speaker and commentator on innovation models. Broadly networked in life sciences sector including venture capital firms, large companies, research institutions, disease foundations, and impact investors.

Baiju Shah

Senior Fellow for Innovation at the Cleveland Foundation

S2 Ep 5. Baiju Shah: Cleveland Innovation Project

Today we're bringing you my conversation with Noor Sweid, Founder and General Partner at Global Ventures in Dubai. Noor has a very impressive background having founded, scaled, exited, and taken a company public in various ventures. Her passion is solving big problems and opening up opportunities to venture capital for entrepreneurs throughout the Middle East region. Her fund, Global Ventures, was founded in 2018 and focuses on enterprise B2B and digital health. They closed their first fund in April 2020 of $50 million to invest in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Noor is passionate about enabling disruptive technology companies and their emerging market founders to solve real problems while changing the world with measurable impact. Noor is a founder, investor, and operator. Identified by Forbes magazine as one of the “World’s Top 50 Women in Tech”, Noor's previous roles include CIO at The Dubai Future Foundation, and founder of ZenYoga studio chain (acquired by Cedarbridge). Furthermore, Noor was the first Arab woman to scale, IPO and operate a public company in the MENA region, listing Depa on the NASDAQ Dubai and the London Stock Exchange (DEPA:DU) for US $1.1. billion in April 2008.

Noor Sweid

General Partner at Global Ventures

S2 Ep 4. Noor Sweid: Global Ventures

Today we’re bringing you my conversation with Steve Walchek, Chief Innovation Officer at FIS. In this episode, we dive into his experience with technology and entrepreneurship in various capacities from founder to product manager, to business development and everything in between. Then we discuss the commitment to Innovation by FIS and the team Steve is leading as they look to meet the customer's needs of today and tomorrow and service both of them well. Finally, we take a fun look ahead to 20 years in the future at what Steve sees regarding frictionless payments and commerce.

Steve Walchek currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at FIS. In this role, he co-founded, co-designed, and leads the innovation and incubation organization at FIS.

Steve Walchek

Chief Innovation Officer at FIS

Steve Walchek and I talk about the commitment to innovation, and on the focus of meeting not just the needs of today’s customer but tomorrow’s too.

S2 Ep 3. Steve Walchek: FIS

Today we're bringing you my conversation with Victor Gutwein, Founder and Managing Partner at M25 in Chicago, Illinois. In this episode, we're going to dive into three different areas. One is Victor's motivation for creating M25, which was really addressing a gap in the Midwest landscape regarding access to capital, particularly pre-seed, seed and later seed stages. Second, we'll look at their access and activity across the region, which includes investments in 24 cities and the snowball effect that happens once you make an investment in a city and a community and how that spreads. And finally, the many ways that M25 is fostering community with Midwest founders, with their summit conferences, their midweststartups.com for boomerang talent and Club 25.

Victor is the Founder and Managing Partner of M25 Ventures. Based in Chicago, it is the most active early-stage VC firm in the Midwest

Victor Gutwein

Founder and Managing Partner at M25

Victor Gutwein talks to us about addressing the gap in the Midwest re: capital in pre-seed, seed, and later seed stages, which led to the creation of M25.

S2 Ep 2. Victor Gutwein: M25

Today's conversation is with friend, Wendy Lea, digital innovation strategist, ecosystem development guru, and currently the CEO of Energize Colorado. Wendy has a lot of learnings to share with us and unique experiences. These were formed by her intention and direction in life to be independent, self-reliant, and self-directed. Wendy shares her great stories of lessons she's learned working for, as she calls them, "Big CO's" and small businesses that experienced big growth, which led her to ultimately become startup CEO and eventually successful angel investor.

Wendy Lea is a leading expert in digital innovation strategy and ecosystem development. As an experienced CEO, board director, and strategist, she advises government, public/private partnerships, and global enterprises on growth through innovation. 

Wendy Lea

CEO, Board Director, Strategic Advisor

Wendy Lea’s conversation focuses on her drive to be independent, and self-directed, and how that led to her being a start-up CEO and angel investor.

S2 Ep 1. Wendy Lea: CEO, Board Director, Strategic Advisor

In this episode, we’re bringing you my conversation with Scott Dorsey, Co-founder and managing partner at High Alpha, a venture studio in Indianapolis, and Former CEO and co-founder of ExactTarget which was acquired by Salesforce in 2013 for over $2.5B

Scott Dorsey

Co-founder and managing partner at High Alpha in Indianapolis

S1 Ep 15. Scott Dorsey: High Alpha

In this episode we’re bringing you my conversation with Jason Warner, CTO of GitHub.

Jason Warner

CTO of GitHub

S1 Ep 14. Jason Warner: GitHub

In this episode we cover:<ul><li>Yuval’s interesting path to his technology career</li><li>Starting TOA Technologies in Cleveland, OH </li><li>What he’s working on now. First Mezu and now, Alviere</li></ul>Resources & People Mentioned<ul><li>TOA Technologies <a href="https://www.oracle.com/corporate/pressrelease/oracle-buys-toa-technologies-073114.html">acquired by</a> Oracle in 2014</li><li><a href="https://www.crunchbase.com/person/irad-carmi">Irad Carmi</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-murray-6232662/">Jonathan Murray</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-stubler-3a5827/">Mike Stubler</a> at <a href="http://drapertriangle.com/">Draper Triangle</a> in Pittsburgh</li><li><a href="https://www.mezu.com/about/">Mezu</a></li></ul>Connect with Yuval<ul><li>Connect with Yuval on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuvalb/">LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="https://alviere.com/">Alviere</a> Website</li></ul>Connect with Tim <ul><li>Follow Refinery Ventures on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/RefineryVC">@RefineryVC</a></li><li>Connect with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/timschigel/">Tim on LinkedIn</a></li><li>Follow <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/refinery-ventures/?viewAsMember=true">Refinery Ventures on LinkedIn</a></li></ul><a href="http://eepurl.com/hbJORv">Subscribe to Fast Frontiers</a>

Yuval Brisker

Co-founder, CEO & President of Mezu in Cleveland, OH

S1 Ep 13. Yuval Brisker: Mezu

In this episode we cover:<ul><li>Building Renaissance and the great programming with UnDemo Day and HotList as ways to expose top VCs to the startup talent in the midwest</li><li>The Fund of Funds model and how every MSA could benefit, including the impact they can have on a city/state/region</li></ul> Resources & People Mentioned<ul><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Snyder">Rick Snyder</a> and <a href="https://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20080921/SUB01/809220333/ardesta-venture-capital-fund-folds">Avalon Investments</a></li><li><a href="https://www.soultracks.com/">SoulTracks</a></li><li>Exits: <a href="https://investors.accuray.com/news-releases/news-release-details/accuray-acquire-tomotherapy-approximately-277-million-cash-and">TomoTherapy</a> and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2003/BUSINESS/12/21/us.pfizer.reut/">Esperion</a></li><li><a href="https://businessleadersformichigan.com/">Business Leaders for Michigan</a></li><li><a href="https://rvc.connect.space/2019-renaissance-venture-capital-undemo-day-and-strolling-dinner-october-2nd/details">UnDemo Day</a></li><li><a href="https://www.renvcf.com/hotlist/">HotList</a></li><li><a href="https://www.cintrifuse.com/">Cintrifuse</a></li><li><a href="https://hxventurefund.com/">HX Fund</a> in Houston</li><li><a href="https://duo.com/">Duo Security</a></li><li><a href="https://ece.engin.umich.edu/stories/g-is-for-google">Larry Page</a> graduated from the University of Michigan and started Google</li><li>Venture Funds: <a href="https://www.nea.com/">NEA</a>, <a href="https://www.revolution.com/">Revolution Ventures</a>, <a href="https://www.arboretumvc.com/">Arboretum Ventures</a>, <a href="https://plymouthgp.com/">Plymouth Ventures</a>, <a href="https://www.rpmvc.com/">RPM Ventures</a>, <a href="https://www.beringea.com/">Beringea Ventures</a>, <a href="http://elabvc.com/">eLab Ventures</a>, <a href="https://materialimpact.com/">Material Impact Fund</a></li><li><a href="https://techcrunch.com/2019/08/01/bloomscape-series-a/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAF-obg_ai_FWiikHjxTZu2KGqr6DxIyaCWq4FQVf6Gk7oN9gKD3zlj5UC4jGHtqt1X160nJ6E3_lZxrl4glZ9aMPEdf3Lw5kdjWS0K9hGudDtylIrnL3_AqvyY6KuBaWDJMvj53Qvz-OVV8_gPOB_zSRtfnFc_mMG4Zf9B1l8_nO">Bloomscape</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Gilbert">Dan Gilbert</a></li><li>NVCA (<a href="https://nvca.org/">National Venture Capital Association</a>) recent Chair of Board of Directors, <a href="https://www.arboretumvc.com/team/jan-garfinkle/">Jan Garfinkle</a></li><li><a href="https://techtowndetroit.org/about/">TechTown</a>, Wayne State University accelerator program</li><li>Orbion, <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/2019/12/upper-peninsula-aerospace-company-skyrockets-with-groundbreaking-technology.html">spin up company</a> from Michigan Technological University</li></ul> Connect with Chris<ul><li>Connect with Chris on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-rizik-674300/">LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="https://www.renvcf.com/">Renaissance Venture Capital Fund</a> Website</li></ul>  Connect with Tim<ul><li>Follow Refinery Ventures on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/RefineryVC">@RefineryVC</a></li><li>Connect with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/timschigel/">Tim on LinkedIn</a></li><li>Follow <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/refinery-ventures/?viewAsMember=true">Refinery Ventures on LinkedIn</a></li></ul><a href="http://eepurl.com/hbJORv">Subscribe to Fast Frontiers</a>

Chris Rizik

CEO at Renaissance Venture Capital Fund

S1 Ep 12. Chris Rizik: Renaissance Venture Capital

In this episode we’re bringing you my conversation with Joe Marks, Executive Director of the Center for Machine Learning and Healthcare at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh In this episode we cover:<ul><li>Growing up in Ireland and his path to coming to the US/Harvard for college</li><li>His work in applied computing and research labs in multiple industries</li><li>Joe’s work at CMU - at the intersection of big companies, university and government research to produce fast moving startups that can get venture investment </li></ul>Resources & People Mentioned<ul><li>Olympic event of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammer_throw">Hammer Throwing</a></li><li><a href="https://www.raytheon.com/sites/default/files/rtnwcm/groups/gallery/documents/digitalasset/rtn_221418.pdf">Bolt, Beranek and Newman</a> (BBN) where the <a href="https://www.darpa.mil/about-us/timeline/arpanet">ARPANET</a> was built that became the internet</li><li><a href="https://www.darpa.mil/">DARPA</a> (Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency)</li><li><a href="https://www.internethalloffame.org/official-biography-raymond-tomlinson">Ray Tomlinson</a>, put the @ sign in email addresses</li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Tank-Battles/dp/B07MG5T6R9">The Battle of 73 Easting</a></li><li>Bob Johansen, author of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5375064-leaders-make-the-future">Leaders Make the Future</a></li><li><a href="https://www.computerhistory.org/brochures/d-f/com-42b9d67d9c350/">Digital Equipment Corporation</a></li><li><a href="https://www.mitsubishielectric.com/en/index.html">Mitsubishi Electric</a></li><li><a href="https://www.disneyresearch.com/">Disney Research</a></li><li>Center is funded by<ul><li><a href="https://www.upmchealthplan.com/">UPMC</a>, integrated healthcare provider and insurer in Pennsylvania</li><li><a href="https://aws.amazon.com/">Amazon Web Services</a></li><li><a href="https://www.roche.com/">Roche</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-kingsford-42b702a2/">Carl Kingsford</a> co-founder of <a href="https://oceangenomics.com/">Ocean Genomics</a></li><li><a href="https://www.moore.org/">Gordon Moore Foundation</a></li><li><a href="https://www.heinz.cmu.edu/">The Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy</a> at Carnegie Mellon University</li></ul>Connect with Joe<ul><li>Connect with Joe on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marksjoe/">LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="https://www.cs.cmu.edu/cmlh-cfp">Center for Machine Learning and Health</a> at Carnegie Mellon University Website</li></ul>Connect with Tim <ul><li>Follow Refinery Ventures on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/RefineryVC">@RefineryVC</a></li><li>Connect with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/timschigel/">Tim on LinkedIn</a></li><li>Follow <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/refinery-ventures/?viewAsMember=true">Refinery Ventures on LinkedIn</a></li></ul><a href="http://eepurl.com/hbJORv">Subscribe to Fast Frontiers</a>

Joe Marks

Executive Director of the Center for Machine Learning and Healthcare at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh 

S1 Ep 11. Joe Marks: Carnegie Mellon University

In this episode we cover:<ul><li>Chad’s experience working at Quotient - a Silicon Valley based company with their largest office in Cincinnati</li><li>Supply Chain or “Supply Way” in the Cincinnati area - Chad’s work on the board of CVG airport and the potential that we can capitalize on in the area around supply chain, logistics and advanced manufacturing</li></ul>Resources & People Mentioned<ul><li><a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180601005270/en/Quotient-Technology-Signs-Definitive-Agreement-Acquire-Ahalogy">Acquisition</a> of <a href="https://www.ahalogy.com/">Ahalogy</a></li><li>Quotient won <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171115006294/en/Quotient-Wins-%E2%80%98Best-Place-to-Work%E2%80%99-Award">Best Places to Work</a> award in 2017</li><li><a href="https://www.cvgairport.com/about/lead">Board</a> of Northern Kentucky International Airport</li><li><a href="https://www.cvgairport.com/about/next/amazon-and-cvg">Amazon’s Prime Air hub</a> and <a href="https://www.cvgairport.com/about/next/dhl-and-cvg">DHL’s Americas hub</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/consumergeneratedmedia/">Pete Blackshaw</a> at <a href="https://www.cintrifuse.com/">Cintrifuse</a></li><li>Local Universities: <a href="https://www.miamioh.edu/">Miami</a>, <a href="https://www.nku.edu/">NKU</a> and <a href="https://www.uc.edu/">University of Cincinnati</a></li><li><a href="https://redicincinnati.com/">REDI</a> and <a href="https://www.cincinnatichamber.com/">Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce</a></li></ul> Connect with Chad<ul><li>Connect with Chad on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadsumme/">LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="https://www.quotient.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwuL_8BRCXARIsAGiC51DEDo6verkC42zEbbv8DsNI4ZriCX3QP7v6bGTmv2aRKFi1A3h98tAaAvKTEALw_wcB">Quotient Technologies</a> Website</li></ul> Connect with Tim <ul><li>Follow Refinery Ventures on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/RefineryVC">@RefineryVC</a></li><li>Connect with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/timschigel/">Tim on LinkedIn</a></li><li>Follow <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/refinery-ventures/?viewAsMember=true">Refinery Ventures on LinkedIn</a></li></ul><a href="http://eepurl.com/hbJORv">Subscribe to Fast Frontiers</a>

Chad Summe

S1 Ep 10. Chad Summe: Quotient Technology

In this episode we’re bringing you my conversation with Vic Gatto, CEO and Founder of Jumpstart in Nashville, TN. In this episode we cover:<ul><li>Vic and Tim’s parallel experiences of putting in the time and learning the venture business</li><li>Starting Jumpstart in Nashville, capitalizing on the healthcare hub and the advantage of being in middle America</li><li>Working together with his partner, Marcus Whitney to bring their different backgrounds and perspectives to the table and tackle systemic racism in the startup world</li></ul>Resources & People Mentioned<ul><li><a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2007/05/21/daily11.html">Massey Burch</a> and <a href="http://bcvc.com/">Blue Chip Venture Company</a></li><li>Vic’s partner at Jumpstart, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcuswhitney/">Marcus Whitney</a></li><li><a href="https://a16z.com/">Andreessen Horowitz</a></li><li><a href="https://scriptdrop.co/">ScriptDrop</a>, prescription delivery</li></ul>Connect with Vic<ul><li>Connect with Vic on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/vicgatto/">LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="https://jsf.co/">Jumpstart Foundry</a> Website</li></ul>Connect with Tim <ul><li>Follow Refinery Ventures on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/RefineryVC">@RefineryVC</a></li><li>Connect with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/timschigel/">Tim on LinkedIn</a></li><li>Follow <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/refinery-ventures/?viewAsMember=true">Refinery Ventures on LinkedIn</a></li></ul><a href="http://eepurl.com/hbJORv">Subscribe to Fast Frontiers</a>

S1 Ep 9: Vic Gatto at Jumpstart 

In this episode we cover:Resources & People Mentioned<ul><li>Duolingo Investors: <a href="https://www.kleinerperkins.com/">Kleiner Perkins</a>, <a href="https://www.usv.com/">Union Square</a>, <a href="https://www.nea.com/">NEA</a>, <a href="https://www.drivecapital.com/">Drive Capital</a>, <a href="https://www.generalatlantic.com/">General Atlantic</a>, Ashton Kutcher’s <a href="https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/a-grade-investments">A-Grade Investments</a>, <a href="https://tim.blog/">Tim Ferriss</a></li><li><a href="https://play.google.com/store">Google Play</a> - the App store for Android</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/davemawhinney/">Dave Mahwinney</a>, Executive Director at Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship at CMU</li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Rubin">Andy Rubin</a>, co-founder and CEO of Android</li><li>Duolingo co-founders: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_von_Ahn">Luis von Ahn</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/severinhacker/">Severin Hacker</a></li><li>Andrew Moore (CMU and google)</li><li>Luis previously founded <a href="https://www.google.com/recaptcha/about/">reCAPTCHA</a> that was acquired by Google in 2009</li><li><a href="https://www.cmu.edu/">Carnegie Mellon University</a></li><li><a href="https://englishtest.duolingo.com/">Duolingo English Test</a></li></ul> Connect with Bob<ul><li>Connect with Bob on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/rmeese/">LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="https://www.duolingo.com/">Duolingo</a> Website</li></ul>Connect with Tim<ul><li>Follow Refinery Ventures on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/RefineryVC">@RefineryVC</a></li><li>Connect with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/timschigel/">Tim on LinkedIn</a></li><li>Follow <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/refinery-ventures/?viewAsMember=true">Refinery Ventures on LinkedIn</a></li></ul><a href="http://eepurl.com/hbJORv">Subscribe to Fast Frontiers</a>

S1 Ep 8: Bob Meese at Duolingo

In this episode we’re bringing you my conversation with Tim Holcomb, Professor and Director of the John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship at Miami University.In this episode we cover:<ul><li>Tim’s first career as an entrepreneur and his path to Miami University</li><li>His work at the Center for Entrepreneurship at Miami</li><li>Capitalizing on their alumni base</li><li>His bet on the next Fast Frontier: Data</li></ul>Resources & People Mentioned<ul><li>John W. Altman Institute for <a href="https://miamioh.edu/fsb/academics/entrepreneurship/index.html">Entrepreneurship at Miami University</a></li><li><a href="https://jimmoraninstitute.fsu.edu/">Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship</a> at Florida State University</li><li>Telecom Global Solutions <a href="https://www.eetimes.com/flextronics-to-acquire-telcom-global-solutions/">acquired by</a> Flex (Flextronics)</li><li>Helping venture-funded companies: <a href="https://www.reliaquest.com/">ReliaQuest</a>, <a href="https://www.orosapparel.com/">Oros</a>, <a href="https://cerkl.com/">Cerkl</a></li><li>Miami Faculty member: <a href="https://miamioh.edu/fsb/directory/?up=/directory/friedmj2">Jim Friedman</a></li><li><a href="http://www.startupcincy.com/">StartupCincy</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-markesbery-32169088/">Michael Markesbery</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/rithvikvenna/">Rithvik Venna</a> of Oros</li><li><a href="https://www.brandery.org/">The Brandery</a></li><li>In 2016, Money Magazine ranked Miami University <a href="http://www.miami.miamioh.edu/news/top-stories/2016/06/money-magazine.html">No. 3 for producing the most Fortune 500 CEOs</a> (behind Stanford and Princeton) </li><li><a href="https://pitchbook.com/">PitchBook</a></li><li><a href="https://www.redhawkventures.co/">RedHawk Ventures</a></li><li><a href="https://www.flywheelcincinnati.org/">Flywheel Social Enterprise Hub</a> and Bill Tucker</li><li>Art Collins, former CEO at Medtronic, made the <a href="https://www.miamioh.edu/fsb/news/2019/05/miami-university-and-flywheel-social-enterprise-hub-partnership-accelerates-impact-investments-in-social-entrepreneurs.html">social impact fund</a> possible</li><li><a href="https://www.drivecapital.com/">Drive Capital</a> in Columbus</li><li><a href="https://hydeparkvp.com/">Hyde Park Venture Partners</a> in Chicago</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuart-frankel-aa63b6/">Stuart Frankel</a>, founder of Narrative Science</li><li><a href="https://www.afrl.af.mil/">Air Force Research Lab</a></li></ul>Connect with Tim Holcomb<ul><li>Follow Tim Holcomb on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/TimRayHolcomb?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">@TimRayHolcomb</a></li><li>Connect with Tim Holcomb on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/timrholcomb/">LinkedIn</a></li></ul>Connect with Tim Schigel<ul><li>Follow Refinery Ventures on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/RefineryVC">@RefineryVC</a></li><li>Connect with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/timschigel/">Tim on LinkedIn</a></li><li>Follow <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/refinery-ventures/?viewAsMember=true">Refinery Ventures on LinkedIn</a></li></ul><a href="http://eepurl.com/hbJORv">Subscribe to Fast Frontiers</a>

S1 Ep 7: Tim Holcomb at Miami University

In this episode, we’re bringing you my conversation Nick Moran, Founder and General Partner of New Stack Ventures and the Founder of the first venture capital podcast, The Full Ratchet.In this episode we cover:<ul><li>How New Stack approaches working with portfolio companies</li><li>The human element is super important, at the end of the day, it’s people that build businesses and build value</li><li>Investing in the middle of the country - with mission driven leaders</li></ul>Resources & People Mentioned<ul><li><a href="https://www.danaher.com/">Danaher Corporation</a></li><li><a href="https://m25vc.com/">M25</a></li><li><a href="https://sandalphoncapital.com/team/">Jonathan Ellis</a> at Sandalphon Capital</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahtavel/">Sarah Tavel</a>, General Partner at Benchmark Capital </li><li><a href="https://www.cintrifuse.com/">Cintrifuse</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/epaley/">Eric Paley</a> at Founder Collective</li></ul>Connect with Nick<ul><li>Follow Nick on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/TheFullRatchet">@TheFullRatchet</a></li><li>Connect with Nick on<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-moran-a738503/"> LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="https://www.newstack.vc/">New Stack Ventures</a> Website</li><li><a href="https://fullratchet.net/">The Full Ratchet</a> Website</li></ul>Connect with Tim <ul><li>Follow Refinery Ventures on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/RefineryVC">@RefineryVC</a></li><li>Connect with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/timschigel/">Tim on LinkedIn</a></li><li>Follow <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/refinery-ventures/?viewAsMember=true">Refinery Ventures on LinkedIn</a></li></ul><a href="http://eepurl.com/hbJORv">Subscribe to Fast Frontiers</a>

S1 Ep 6: Nick Moran at New Stack Ventures and The Full Ratchet Podcast

In this episode, we’re bringing you my conversation Dr. Anant Madabhusi, Professor of biomedical engineering at Case Western Reserve University and Director for the center for computational imaging and personalized diagnosticsIn this episode we cover:<ul><li>Anant’s distinguished background - patents, peer-reviewed articles and the multidisciplinary lab he has created </li><li>The unique medical research ecosystem in Cleveland, OH</li><li>The collaboration across departments, working together towards a common goal and making a real impact on the future</li></ul>Resources & People Mentioned<ul><li><a href="https://www.uhhospitals.org/doctors/Montero-Alberto-1962510826">Dr. Alberto Montero</a>, Director of Breast Cancer Program at UH</li><li><a href="https://case.edu/medicine/pathology/faculty/joseph-willis">Dr. Joseph Willis</a>, Vice Chairman of Pathology at UH</li><li><a href="https://www.uhhospitals.org/doctors/Ponsky-Lee-1871511972">Dr. Lee Ponsky</a>, Chair of Urology and Director of Urologic Oncology Center at UH</li><li><a href="https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/radiology/vikas-gulani-md-phd">Dr. Vikas Gulani</a>, Chair of Radiology at Michigan institute of Imaging Technology and Translation </li><li><a href="https://tmc.gov.in/index.php/en/">Tata Memorial</a> Cancer Center in Mumbai</li><li><a href="https://www.accelevateventures.com/bio">Baiju Shah</a>, Senior Fellow for Innovation at the Cleveland Foundation</li><li>Cleveland Clinic <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/departments/eye">Cole Eye Institute</a></li><li>Cleveland Clinic <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/departments/urology-kidney/staff">Glickman Urological & Kidney Institute </a></li></ul>Connect with Anant <ul><li>Connect with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/anant-madabhushi-9a75a21/">Anant on LinkedIn</a></li><li>Follow Anant on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/anantm">@anantm </a></li><li><a href="https://engineering.case.edu/centers/ccipd/">Center for Computational Imaging and Personalized Diagnostics</a> Website</li></ul>Connect with Tim <ul><li>Follow Refinery Ventures on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/RefineryVC">@RefineryVC</a></li><li>Connect with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/timschigel/">Tim on LinkedIn</a></li><li>Follow <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/refinery-ventures/?viewAsMember=true">Refinery Ventures on LinkedIn</a></li></ul><a href="http://eepurl.com/hbJORv">Subscribe to Fast Frontiers</a>

05 - Anant Madabhushi

In this episode we cover:<ul><li>Finding early-stage companies across the country and being the bridge to Silicon Valley  </li><li>Having a great idea is different than building a successful company</li><li>Three things necessary to build a great company: the capital, the people, and the playbook</li></ul>Resources & People Mentioned<ul><li>Scopus Technologies, went public in 1995</li><li>Octane Software, <a href="http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/321151/Epiphany+Buys+Octane+Software+for+32+Billion.htm">aquired by</a> E.piphany</li><li>Two Sierra portfolio companies that went public under Tim, <a href="https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/services/acquisitions/sourcefire.html">Sourcefire</a> and <a href="https://www.makemytrip.com/?ccde=us">MakeMyTrip</a></li><li><a href="https://www.cintrifuse.com/">Cintrifuse</a> in Cincinnati, OH</li><li><a href="https://www.renvcf.com/">Renaissance Venture Capital</a> in Ann Arbor, Michigan</li><li>Shared portfolio company of Sierra and Refinery, <a href="https://www.astronomer.io/">Astronomer</a> in Cincinnati, OH</li><li><a href="https://www.treasuredata.com/">Treasure Data</a> in Tokyo, Founded by <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kazukiohta/">Kaz</a>, sold to <a href="https://www.arm.com/company/news/2018/08/arm-acquires-treasure-data">SoftBank’s ARM group</a></li><li>VC research databases: <a href="https://pitchbook.com/">Pitchbook</a>, <a href="https://www.crunchbase.com/">Crunchbase</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/medriscoll/">Michael Driscoll</a>, CEO - known by Tim and Scott Yara from <a href="https://greenplum.org/">Greenplum</a></li><li>Sierra’s <a href="https://www.sierraventures.com/cxo-advisory-board/">CXO Advisory Board</a></li><li>Tim’s motoring adventure in <a href="https://www.endurorally.com/events/the-7th-peking-to-paris-motor-challenge/">Endurance Rally, 2019 - Peking to Paris</a></li></ul>Connect with Tim Guleri<ul><li>Follow Tim Guleri on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/timguleri">@timguleri</a></li><li>Connect with Tim Gueleri on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/timguleri/">LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="https://www.sierraventures.com/">Sierra Ventures Website</a></li></ul>Connect with Tim Schigel<ul><li>Follow Refinery Ventures on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/RefineryVC">@RefineryVC</a></li><li>Connect with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/timschigel/">Tim on LinkedIn</a></li><li>Follow <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/refinery-ventures/?viewAsMember=true">Refinery Ventures on LinkedIn</a></li></ul><a href="http://eepurl.com/hbJORv">Subscribe to Fast Frontiers</a>

04 - Tim Guleri

In this episode we cover:<ul><li>Personal connections to championing entrepreneurs</li><li>The role of city government and economic development in attracting and understanding what startups need to thrive and build an ecosystem</li><li>Understanding the stages and locations of VC funding across the country</li><li>The future of work post-COVID</li></ul>Resources & People Mentioned<ul><li>Ian’s new book - <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Startup-Community-Way-Entrepreneurial-Ecosystem-ebook/dp/B085422QMC">The Startup Community Way: Evolving an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem</a></li><li><a href="https://www.techstars.com/">Techstars</a></li><li><a href="https://www.cintrifuse.com/">Cintrifuse</a></li><li><a href="http://creativeclass.com/richard_florida/">Richard Florida</a></li><li>Eric Ries’ book - <a href="http://theleanstartup.com/">The Lean Startup</a></li><li><a href="https://www.kauffman.org/entrepreneurship/research/">Kauffman Foundation</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-dorsey-096b393/">Scott Dorsey</a> started <a href="https://highalpha.com/">High Alpha</a> after <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/products/marketing-cloud/email-marketing/">ExactTarget</a> was acquired by Salesforce</li></ul>Connect with Ian<ul><li>Follow Ian on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/IanHathaway?ref_src=twsrc%255Egoogle%257Ctwcamp%255Eserp%257Ctwgr%255Eauthor">@IanHathaway</a></li><li>Connect with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-hathaway/">Ian on LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="http://www.ianhathaway.org/about">Ian Hathaway Website</a></li></ul>Connect with Tim<ul><li>Follow Refinery Ventures on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/RefineryVC">@RefineryVC</a></li><li>Connect with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/timschigel/">Tim on LinkedIn</a></li><li>Follow <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/refinery-ventures/?viewAsMember=true">Refinery Ventures on LinkedIn</a></li></ul><a href="http://eepurl.com/hbJORv">Subscribe to Fast Frontiers</a>

03 - Ian Hathaway

In this episode we cover:<ul><li>Building bridges and relationships not just for capital, but across the spectrum</li><li>Delevoping ecosystems in surprising places like Buffalo, NY</li><li>Long term view - developing an ecosystem takes time, which leaders and entrepreneurs in the community are going to be here in 20 years?</li><li>Launching companies and raising capital in a recession</li></ul>Resources & People Mentioned<ul><li><a href="https://www.techstars.com/">Techstars</a></li><li>Co-Founders of Techstars with David Cohen: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dbrown/">David Brown</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Polis">Jared Polis</a> and <a href="https://foundrygroup.com/team/brad-feld/">Brad Feld</a></li><li><a href="https://givefirst.techstars.com/">Give First</a></li><li>Adam Grant’s book - <a href="https://www.adamgrant.net/give-and-take">Give and Take</a></li><li>Brad Feld’s book - <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Startup-Communities-Building-Entrepreneurial-Ecosystem/dp/1531886035">Startup Communities: Building and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City</a></li><li>Jesse Marble - <a href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/834103">The Botchcast Podcast</a></li><li><a href="https://www.cintrifuse.com/">Cintrifuse</a></li><li><a href="https://sendgrid.com/">SendGrid</a> - started in LA, incubated in Boulder, grew offices in Denver and San Francisco (aquired by Twilio)</li><li><a href="https://wellapp.com/">WELL Health</a></li><li><a href="https://www.tassoinc.com/">Tasso</a></li><li><a href="https://www.chowbotics.com/">Chowbotics</a></li><li><a href="https://uwaterloo.ca/">University of Waterloo</a> outside Toronto, Canada</li><li><a href="https://connxus.com/procurement-solutions/">ConnXus</a> in Cincinnati (aquired by Coupa)</li></ul>Connect with David<ul><li>Connect with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidgcohen/">David on LinkedIn</a></li><li>Follow David on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/davidcohen">@davidcohen</a></li><li><a href="https://davidgcohen.com/">David Cohen Website</a></li><li><a href="https://www.techstars.com/">Techstars Website</a></li></ul>Connect with Tim<ul><li>Follow Refinery Ventures on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/RefineryVC">@RefineryVC</a></li><li>Connect with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/timschigel/">Tim on LinkedIn</a></li><li>Follow <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/refinery-ventures/?viewAsMember=true">Refinery Ventures on LinkedIn</a></li></ul><a href="http://eepurl.com/hbJORv">Subscribe to Fast Frontiers</a>

S1 Ep 2: David Cohen at Techstars

In this episode we cover:<ul><li>Working at Kroger Digital</li><li>Founding VNDLY and raising capital</li><li>Understanding the market and simplifying the message</li><li>Are you earning or buying revenue?</li><li>Knowing your levers so you don’t burn out of runway</li><li>Location: Cincinnati, is that a disadvantage or an advantage?</li></ul>Resources & People Mentioned<ul><li><a href="https://www.thekrogerco.com/">Kroger</a></li><li><a href="https://www.battery.com/">Battery Ventures</a></li><li><a href="https://hydeparkvp.com/">Hyde Park Venture Partners</a></li><li><a href="https://epicvc.com/">EPIC Ventures</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insightpartners.com/">Insight Partners</a></li><li><a href="https://bowerycap.com/">Bowery Capital</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/narayana-surabhi-67664b18/">Narayana Surabhi</a></li><li><a href="https://www.workday.com/">Workday</a></li><li><a href="https://www.cintrifuse.com/">Cintrifuse</a> in Cincinnati</li><li><a href="https://duo.com/">Duo Security</a> in Ann Arbor (acquired by Cisco)</li><li><a href="https://www.salesforce.com/products/marketing-cloud/email-marketing/">Exact Target</a> in Indianapolis (acquired by Salesforces)</li></ul>Connect with Shashank<ul><li>Connect with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/shashank-saxena-659b497/">Shashank on LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="https://vndly.com/">VNDLY Website</a></li></ul>Connect with Tim<ul><li>Follow Refinery Ventures on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/RefineryVC">@RefineryVC</a></li><li>Connect with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/timschigel/">Tim on LinkedIn</a></li><li>Follow <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/refinery-ventures/?viewAsMember=true">Refinery Ventures on LinkedIn</a></li></ul><a href="http://eepurl.com/hbJORv">Subscribe to Fast Frontiers</a>

S1 Ep 1: Shashank Saxena at VNDLY

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