Description

This week on the Rooted and Reaching podcast Marty Mechtenberg and Susan Ford are joined by a vibrant panel of entrepreneurs and startup founders at IDEA Week, a festival hosting business, technology, and entertainment events to inspire and further innovation in communities. Ray Fraser, Cofounder of Vital View Technologies, Riley Ellingsen, Cofounder of heARsight, Joshua Rodgers, Chief Growth Officer of Mili Llama, and Lynn Greenberg, Founder, and CEO of Pivt, share their unique paths to entrepreneurship. They impart critical lessons on identifying the right time to raise capital and share how startups can utilize resources by leveraging personal and community connections. 

Listen this week as we dive deep into the world of startups and fundraising with industry experts pushing the boundaries of innovation in the South Bend Elkhart region.

QUOTES

• "Knowing what you don't know is one of the biggest strengths you can have as being a founder." -Lynn Greenberg

• “ I think everyone on the stage has to deal with a little bit of chaos in the startup community. So I want the chaos, I want the loudness, I want the unknown.” -Josh Rodgers

TIMESTAMPS

(00:24) Panel Introduction and Backgrounds

(02:54) Learning from Startup Challenges

(04:07) Recommended Books for Startup Leaders

(07:15) Finding the Path to Startup Leadership

(12:43) Positioning for Fundraising and Closing Rounds

(18:50) Avoiding Time Wasters During Fundraising

(25:22) Current Market Challenges in Fundraising

(28:02) Advice for Individuals Starting to Raise Funds

(35:01) Metrics for Gauging Venture Funding Needs

RESOURCES

IDEA Week: https://ideaweek.com/ 

CONTACT

Martin Mechtenberg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-mechtenberg-515a648/ 

Susan Ford: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-howard-ford-8446441/