Shows
The Innovation SeriesInvesting in Health Tech: Sanjana Vig on AI, FemTech, and the Future of CareIn this episode of The Innovation Series, host Mike Kelly sits down with Dr. Sanjana Vig, anesthesiologist, co-founder, and Chief Marketing Officer of Langar Holdings, to explore the cutting edge of health tech investing. From AI-powered radiology to robotic surgery and digital scribes, Sanjana shares how emerging technologies are reshaping the patient and physician experience. She explains the philosophy behind Langar’s ETF, which focuses on companies addressing real pain points in healthcare—inefficiencies, costly processes, and gaps that impact everyone from patients to clinicians to insurers. Sanjana also offers a candid look at how her clinical expert...
2025-09-0832 minThe Innovation SeriesWhat VCs Look For: Startup Traits, Market Opportunities, and Risk Management InsightsIn this AMA episode of "Venture Declassified," hosts Mike Kelly, Jacob Schpok, and Ben Pidgeon break down what it really takes to succeed in early-stage venture capital—especially for students and aspiring founders. The conversation kicks off with each speaker’s personal journey into VC, highlighting different career paths from software development to entrepreneurship and fund management. They then dive into the fundamentals of evaluating startups at various stages, unpacking what makes a company truly “venture backable.” Key factors such as market size, strong founding teams, product-market fit, and timing are explored with plenty of candid examples. ...
2025-05-261h 15
UNHIREDWhat VCs Look for When Making an Investment (with Michael Kelly)Michael Kelly, co-founder and CEO of Developertown, joins us for a deep dive into his 15+ year journey building businesses in Indianapolis. From consulting solo at age 13 to managing a portfolio of over 60 companies, Mike shares how he's navigated the highs, lows, and chaotic middle of entrepreneurship. We talk about everything from why equity-for-services is a trap (don't do it), to how venture studios actually work, to what he looks for in early-stage founders when investing through Start Something Ventures. If you're thinking about raising capital or building a portfolio of your own, this one's packed with perspective.
2025-03-3144 minThe Innovation SeriesFuture of Automotive Aftermarkets: Insights from ZF’s Digital Innovation Leader Anuj GuptaIn this installment of our Innovation Series, we dive deep into the transformative power of technology in the automotive aftermarket world. Join our host, Mike Kelly, as he chats with Anuj Gupta, head of digital business at ZF Aftermarket, with a special cameo from Sam Koch. If you're curious about how AI, blockchain, and IoT are shaking up the way we look at vehicle maintenance and repair, this episode is for you!Anuj opens up about the enormous potential of these technologies to tackle stubborn industry issues. He shares insights from ZF's approach, where they either leverage...
2025-01-3055 min
The One PercentEntrepreneurial Insights with Michael KellyIn this episode of Redefining Resilience, Chris and Kiley sit down with Michael Kelly. Michael Kelly is co-founder and CEO at DeveloperTown, an Indianapolis based software agency that focuses on financial services and healthcare digital transformation. In addition to DeveloperTown, Mike is involved in a number of other companies. He’s President and co-founder of FullStack (a regional PEO), the founder of Tenant Tracker (SaaS for CRE), a co-founder of Waterly (SaaS for water and wastewater), a co-founder of OpsStitch (AI for small business governance), a co-founder of 1919 Ventures (a new Carmel-based spirits company), and a co-founder of...
2025-01-271h 24
Venture DeclassifiedEffective Cash Flow Management and Financial Literacy Tips for StartupsEpisode SummaryIn this episode of "Venture Declassified," hosts Mike Kelly and Jacob Spock, along with special guest Nick Wangler, co-founer and COO of Orthodontic Details, delve into the intricate dynamics of venture capital and startup fundraising. The episode offers invaluable advice for founders navigating the challenging VC landscape, focusing on practical strategies to enhance their pitch and financial planning.Key TopicsChallenges founders face with discounted estimatesVarious financial reports: pro forma vs. financial forecast.Importance of accurate pipeline coverage and cost management.Red flags in founder behavior: overpromising and...
2024-11-111h 01The Innovation SeriesThe Business of Well-being: Ryan Larcom's Journey in Entrepreneurship and HealthIn this episode, we're joined by Ryan Larcom, an entrepreneurial expert with an impressive track record of launching over 40 businesses with High Alpha Studio & High Alpha Innovation and investing in countless more through High Alpha Capital. Ryan opens up about the personal side of entrepreneurship, sharing his commitment to self-care and the disciplined regimens that fuel his productivity.But this episode isn't just about the grind—it's a holistic look at life. From debunking holiday weight gain myths to exploring the nurturing role of curiosity in personal growth, Ryan keeps us engaged with stories that inspire....
2024-07-2245 minThe Innovation SeriesRevolutionizing Ideas: David Wong’s Guide to Transforming Organizational Innovation and GrowthWelcome back to another enlightening episode of The Innovation Series, where host Mike Kelly had the pleasure of hosting David Wong, the Executive Director of Innovation and New Growth at CME Group. This episode offers a comprehensive exploration of the innovation practices that drive successful product development.David begins the conversation by giving listeners a glimpse into his role at CME Group, where he leads the innovation lab. His responsibilities include steering the company’s focus towards exploring new territories such as bitcoin and blockchain, as well as addressing complex internal challenges. The discussion illustrates how strategic in...
2024-06-1754 minThe Innovation SeriesRethinking Patient Experience with Dr. Justin SchragerThe Innovation Series with Host Dr. Luke Pittmantheinnovationseries.com In this episode, I (Dr. Luke Pittman) interviewed Dr. Justin Schrager, emergency physician, co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Vital Software. We dive deep into the crucial role of software in enhancing patient care and communication post-emergency department visits. Dr. Schrager sheds light on the varied challenges providers face and how trust plays a significant role in patient interactions.Our conversation explores Vital Software’s expansion into inpatient and outpatient care and examines healthcare economics, illustrating how tech can bridge gap...
2024-03-251h 24
Glasslab PodcastEpisode 19: Building Your Way To Building Great Products with Mike Kelly0:00-1:08 - Intro
1:09-3:03 - The Start of Developertown
3:04-23:30 - Taking Equity for Services
23:31-32:05 - Pros and Cons of the Studio Model
32:06-36:44 - Sharing Risk as a Solution to Common Studio Pitfalls
36:45-39:11 - Software Development vs. Hardware Development
39:12-40:27 - OutroSpecial Guest: Mike Kelly.
2024-03-2040 minThe Innovation SeriesBuilding Technology to Make a Bad Day Better with Brian PoppeWhen people are filing an insurance claim, it’s typically not a good day for them. So it’s important to make the customer’s experience as pain free as possible. With the emerging blockchain and AI technology, there are both opportunities and challenges to work toward smoother processes. To explore this some, I (Mike Kelley) interviewed Brian Poppe, SVP of Income and Wealth Planning at Mutual of Omaha. Among other thoughts, Brian shared some of the areas in which new technology is being refined to make the customer experience faster and less intimidating, while still maintaining privacy...
2023-12-0132 minThe Innovation SeriesTreating the Whole Person and Their Caregivers with Dustin ZieglerAs technology has progressed care in the medical field, there has been a simultaneous advancement in the understanding and application of whole health care. Seeing conditions as more than only a set of physical symptoms has led to a more holistic approach to the health and well being of patients. Through this evolution, the medical community has engaged individuals more fully, as well as begun to take the health and well being of caregivers, and even communities, into account as well.To discuss all this, I (Dr. Luke Pittman) interviewed Dustin Ziegler, the Program Director of Elevance...
2023-08-1858 minThe Innovation SeriesAI / ML Business Impact with Alex Billingsley, Joe Christman, and Brian RoweThe Innovation Series theinnovationseries.com AI / ML (artificial intelligence and machine learning) is having a big impact in our lives, our work, and our businesses. So what should we be looking out for? And how should we be preparing? To explore this topic, I (Alex Billingsley) was joined by fellow DeveloperTown tech experts, Data Practice Leader, Brian Rowe and Senior Software (Data) Engineer, Joe Christman. Together, we discussed how terms have changed, news in large language models, examples of existing AI / ML models,and much more. As we talked, the co...
2023-07-1752 minThe Innovation SeriesLeveraging Data to Meet Social and Physical Health Care Needs with Dr. Joshua VestThe Innovation Series with Host Dr. Luke Pittmantheinnovationseries.com Leveraging Data to Meet Social and Physical Health Care Needs with Dr. Joshua Vest, PhD, MPHAs technology increases and social awareness improves, health care is stepping up as well. Providers are looking to leverage data to not simply react to needs but to identify them earlier and proactively address them with the right resources and solutions. This ability involves not only accessing data but properly and carefully analyzing the results to avoid biases. In this episode with Dr. Jo...
2023-06-271h 21The Innovation SeriesProduct Accessibility to Put Customers First with Helen RobbThe Innovation Series with Host Ben Hiatttheinnovationseries.com Product Accessibility to Put Customers First with Helen RobbPutting the customer first through ease of product accessibility influences every product management decision. Without it, you don’t have an intuitive product or service people want. So getting it right is paramount. To discuss the philosophy and the practicality of all this, I interviewed Helen Robb, a Director of Product Management for the mobile banking app, Spruce Money by H&R Block. Helen related how smart UX desig...
2023-05-0339 minThe Innovation SeriesIS: Carrie DavisConnect with DeveloperTownDeveloperTown is a multi-faceted software consultancy for today’s IT and Business Leaders. They create world-class digital experiences to help businesses succeed in a competitive digital world. LinkedinTwitterFacebook Hear more inspirational and motivational interviews like this one at TheInnovationSeries.com, brought to you by DeveloperTown.
2023-01-1644 min
Agencies That BuildIs Self Care Overrated? - Michael Kelly - Episode #38Michael Kelly is the Managing Partner at Developer Town that works with established companies to create software aimed at key business problems or opportunities.
Michael helps corporate leaders and founders craft a vision for new products by working with them to put together strategies, teams, and funding to help launch, validate, and grow those products and businesses.
Discussion Points:
What myth or bogus strategy do you want to bust? 2:27
How do you find outlets for energy on harder days: 8:00
Agencies talk about impacting society with their culture and environment. What does this mean to yo...
2022-04-2953 min
Savage to SageThe Evolution of Sage while Staying Savage with Mike KellyAs our lives and businesses change, so often our approach does as well. Savage to Sage was started to explore the topics of self-care, self-awareness and multiplication as business owners. In this episode, I chat with Mike Kelly about what it means to remain savage while going through sage evolution both as business owners and individuals.For the first half of this podcast, I interview Mike and then he flips the script and interviews me in the second half. You’ll learn what compelled Mike onto a path he could not have foreseen, why I took a br...
2022-03-0941 min
Powderkeg - UnvalleyPITCH: BOS Framework | Nashville, TNBeing able to launch a tech product can always be a difficult step for startups. The technical issues in the first product are common, and user feedback during the early days of rollout often more focused on the problems than the product's actual features. This can make it difficult for teams to focus on what's working and what isn't. Luckily, in today's episode of Powderkeg Pitch, we brought on someone focused on eliminating this massive headache for startups.
In today’s pitch episode of the Powderkeg Podcast, you’ll hear from Sashank Purighalla, Founder and CEO of BOS Framework. BOS Fram...
2020-07-2415 min
MindMeld by DeveloperTownMindMeld Ep8 - .Net Maui And What It Means For Your Xamarin ProjectIn this episode we take a look at .Net Maui, Microsoft's next-generation cross-platform application sdk, We will discuss how it will affect the Xamarin ecosystem, and what lays on the horizon for your Xamarin project.
2020-07-2209 min
MindMeld by DeveloperTownMindMeld Ep7 - Note - Taking 201- Beyond Simply Writing Things DownMelissa walks through her note-taking process from before the meeting starts to writing during the meeting to sharing out the notes afterward with action items called out for members of the team.
2020-05-2005 min
MindMeld by DeveloperTownMindMeld Ep6 - Design Ops What Is It And Why Do I Need It To Be Successful?Adam shares: What is Design Ops and how does it integrate into my company? We’ll take a quick look at the 4 main areas of Design Ops and give you some ideas on how you might optimize your design team workflow.
2020-05-1206 min
MindMeld by DeveloperTownMindMeld Ep5 - Frontend Pull Requests And Code Review DemystifiedEllie shares DeveloperTown's frontend team goals for pull requests, things to think about while reviewing code, and general code review tips.
2020-05-0505 min
MindMeld by DeveloperTownMindMeld Ep4 - How Should This Table Work By Julie DeSutterIntroduction a series of checklists used to capture detailed requirements for common features and components like tables, models, and inviting users.
2020-04-2804 min
MindMeld by DeveloperTownMindMeld Ep3 - Building Web Applications with StorybookAlex Billingsley shares how DeveloperTown uses Storybook to build web apps that are responsive, ready for internationalization and accessible to all users.
2020-04-2105 min
MindMeld by DeveloperTownSB - New Apple Sign-On Requirements by Jacob Van BruntApple's newest store guidelines have introduced a requirement for all iOS applications using third party or social media authentication to use Apple Sign-On. Learn More
2020-04-1000 min
MindMeld by DeveloperTownMindMeld Ep2 - Webkit Full Third-Party Cookie BlockingMindMeld Ep2 - Webkit Full Third-Party Cookie Blocking by MindMeld by DeveloperTown
2020-04-0304 min
MindMeld by DeveloperTownMindMeld Ep1 - Being an Online Teacher while Working from HomeKat Howenstein from our business development team shares her insights from being an online teacher and what you can do to support eLearning while working from home.
2020-03-2711 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#105: The Innovator’s Guide To Pitching, Startup Funding, And Hiring A PlayersFor today’s episode, we’re going back to where Matt spoke with Chris Heivly who is currently the VP of Innovation at Techstars. Chris is a serial entrepreneur, speaker, investor, and startup founder. And was one of the original Co-founders of MapQuest, a free Web and mobile mapping service that empowers consumers to engage with and navigate the world around them.
This interview is from all the way back in November 2016, and we’re bringing it out of the archives because later this month on October 16th, we’re hosting a VIP event at the Industrious location in Raleigh, North Ca...
2019-10-0131 min
The IBJ Podcast with Mason KingAvoiding the icebergs that can sink your startupHusband-and-wife team Kim and Todd Saxton, both professors at the IU Kelley School of Business at IUPUI, have spent a lot of time inside and outside the classroom serving as mentors to startup founders trying to make their way through the choppy waters of entrepreneurship.
So they recently teamed up with Michael Cloran, a local entrepreneur and partner at DeveloperTown, to write a book of advice about what NOT to do when you're starting a company. The book—“The Titanic Effect: Successfully Navigating the Uncertainties that Sink Most Startups”—uses the tragedy of the Titanic as its outline...
2019-07-2226 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#79: How Successful Startup Teams Avoid Startup FailureOne of the most valuable experiences that entrepreneurs can learn from is the mistake that cost another entrepreneur their dream. Whether you’re building your first company or your tenth, entrepreneurship is full of uncertainty. And while success is always the goal, there are a thousand valuable lessons in startup failure. On today’s episode of the podcast you’ll hear from three serial entrepreneurs about the biggest mistakes to avoid when building a startup.
First, you’ll meet Michael Cloran. This guy started his career on a bumpy road. His first hand in success was making a kid-safe internet venture...
2019-04-0243 min
Converge CoffeeFocus on Your Marketing FundamentalsIn this episode, Sean sits down with Michael Kelly, one of the founders of DeveloperTown, a co-founder of FullStack, the founder of Tenant Tracker, a co-founder of Startup Competitors, and he is an active investor/advisor/board member in a number of startups. We dive into why he created Startup Competitors. Mike explains how companies, especially SaaS, should do market research. That is where is company comes in. They dive deeper on what it take for good market research and what lessons Mike has learned from interviewing over 40 startups on his podcast, providing a market research for them, and...
2018-12-0737 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley# 62: How to Build Turnkey HR Processes with Dawn Lively of Fullstack & Mike Kelly of DeveloperTownWhen you’re busy building an innovative tech company, your time is at a premium. Crucial concerns like developing your product and finding customers usually take center stage, making it easy to put off the more mundane matters of payroll and benefits for your employees. But ignoring these HR issues for too long could seriously hurt your startup when it comes time to scale up.
Our two guests today have years of experience dealing with HR processes in startups and fully understand how important they can be. The first is Mike Kelly, a serial entrepreneur, investor and co-founder of DeveloperTown, wh...
2018-11-0851 min
An Indianapolis Business Podcast: Off the CircleFullstack PEO: What and Why Your Business Might Use a Professional Employer OrganizationA professional employer organization (PEO) is a firm that provides a service under which an employer can outsource employee management tasks, such as employee benefits, payroll and workers' compensation, recruiting, risk/safety management, and training and development.
Fullstack PEO was born out of necessity with the technology startups launched with DeveloperTown and has now expanded to assist any technology startup in the state. (Fullstack PEO does cover 2 other states and many other industries). Services with Fullstack PEO may include payroll, administrative and operational HR support, strategic HR consulting, ancillary HR support, compliance, health, dental, vision, supplemental benefits, 401...
2018-03-0129 min
Scratch Entrepreneur18 – DeveloperTown with Mike KellyHave you ever had a good idea? One that was so obvious, so helpful, so ingenious that you couldn’t believe it didn’t already exist? You searched the web and couldn’t find anytime about it, you researched the patent list and it just wasn’t there. You sat in a darkroom late at night thinking “what is my next step?”. Well, if you idea has anything to do with technology, your first call might be to today’s guest Mike Kelly at DeveloperTown. Along with taking tech ideas from infancy to lauch, Mike and the DeveloperTown gang help large corpora...
2018-01-0746 min
Obsessed Show87-Randy FisherRandy attended Indiana University (I won’t hold it against him) and began the first decade of his career in Chicago. Eventually, he was led back to Indy and began working as a design partner for DeveloperTown. For lack of a better way of saying it, he’s completely obsessed with design. Mentioned in this episode: Origin story DeveloperTown What makes great designers and clients You can download this episode and subscribe on iTunes.
2017-12-0444 min
Developer TeaInterviewer's Wishes with Jason Vasquez (Part 2)Today's episode is all about the environments we work in and the skills that contribute beyond the code. Jason Vasquez, CTO at Developertown, joins me as a guest.
Today's episode is sponsored by Fuse! Build native iOS and Android apps with less code and better collaboration. Head over to spec.fm/fuse to learn more today!
New Promo Code: “dt” will give you listeners 70% off for 12 months. 70%!!! The code must be redeemed by December 31st 2017.
2017-10-3026 min
Developer TeaWorking Environment and Secondary Skills w/ Jason Vasquez (Part 1)Today's episode is all about the environments we work in and the skills that contribute beyond the code. Jason Vasquez, CTO at Developertown, joins me as a guest.
Today's episode is brought to you by Linode.
Linode provides superfast SSD based Linux servers in the cloud starting at $5 a month. Linode is offering Developer Tea listeners $20 worth of credit if you use the code DEVELOPERTEA2017 at checkout. Head over to spec.fm/linode to learn more about what Linode has to offer to Developer Tea listeners!
2017-10-2751 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#43: The Visionary and The Integrator: How Co-Founders of PERQ Work Together to Supercharge GrowthA talented co-founder can be an incredible asset to an entrepreneur, providing a second set of shoulders to bear the responsibilities of business and a second opinion to test ideas against. The right co-founder can compliment your strengths, compensate for your weaknesses and make every aspect of the company better than you could make it by yourself.
But don’t just take my word from it. Instead, listen to business partners, Scott Hill and Andy Medley, co-founders of the marketing tech company, PERQ. In the last episode of the Powderkeg Podcast (that’s episode 42 for those keeping count), I talked with...
2017-09-1258 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#42: How to Develop Your Inner Visionary Superpower with Scott Hill of PERQAt Powderkeg, we believe every entrepreneur has their own personal superpower that makes them great at what they do. Scott Hill’s superpower is being a visionary—that is, being exceptionally capable of seeing opportunities that others can’t and understanding exactly how to prepare so he can seize them when the time is right.
I met Hill at a pivotal time in my life, when I was still a college student in Bloomington, IN, and thinking about becoming an entrepreneur. Hill’s company, PERQ, was in print marketing at the time, and I was so inspired by what he was doin...
2017-08-2946 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#41: Startup Fundraising 101 with Serial Entrepreneur, Investor and Innovation Expert Rachael QuallsA brief glimpse at Rachael Qualls’ resumé will convince you that she’s a true innovator in the world of venture capital and angel investing. A brief meeting with her at a Powderkeg pitch night in Kansas City, MO, convinced me that I had to invite her on the podcast to share her deep knowledge of fundraising and investing with our community of entrepreneurs.
Qualls has a decade of experience building and investing in companies, first among the flourishing tech ecosystem in Nashville, TN, and now in her hometown of Kansas City. She’s seen firsthand how difficult it is for fou...
2017-08-2250 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#40: Top Finance Secrets for Overcoming Healthcare Obstacles with Susan Bratton and Stryker WarrenThe U.S. healthcare industry is in the midst of a rapid evolution to accommodate changing government legislation, market pressures and technological opportunities. The environment is ripe for disruption by innovative startups, but health tech founders face a number of unique obstacles on the road to success.
In this episode of Powderkeg: Igniting Startups, I sit down with health tech entrepreneurs Susan Bratton and Stryker Warren to learn more about these obstacles and how to surmount them. Bratton is a former Wall Street investment banker of 20 years and founder of Savor Health, a personalized nutrition solution for cancer patients. Warren...
2017-08-1539 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#39: How Customer Success Can Be Your Company’s Secret Weapon with Don Aquilano and Haresh GangwaniFollowing last month’s announcement that Powderkeg has officially become a product company, my team and I have been doing some intensive planning on how to build a world-class customer experience (CX). With this in mind, I sought out Haresh Gangwani of Bolstra and Don Aquilano of Allos Ventures for this episode to get the perspective and advice of two experts in the SaaS Customer Success space.
Gangwani and Aquilano have a combined 30 years of customer success experience, Gangwani as a business operator and Aquilano as an advisor and investor. Gangwani previously served in various VP roles at the enterprise so...
2017-08-0848 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#38: How to Announce and Build a Tech Product on a Bootstrap Budget with DeveloperTown PartnerLast Thursday evening, in front of an audience of more than 600 tech entrepreneurs, professionals and investors, I had the privilege of making a monumental announcement.
My company, Verge—a community of over 10,000 members in 8 cities across the country—is merging with Powderkeg and reinventing itself as a product company that will continue to serve this incredible community in new and exciting ways. Over the coming months, my team and I will be building a software product that will connect our members to Events, Exposure and Education in ways that have never before been possible for us.
In this episode of our...
2017-08-0158 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#37: Time-Tested Tips for Building Winning Products from Powderkeg’s Kevin Bailey and Robert HarrisMy ongoing search for the best and brightest tech entrepreneurs outside Silicon Valley leads me to a lot of remarkable founders building incredible companies all around the world. But for this episode of Powderkeg: Igniting Startups, I decided I’d look closer to home and consult with a few gifted minds inside my very own office.
Robert Harris and Kevin Bailey are my colleagues at Powderkeg and its parent company, Verge, and they’re also two of the smartest and most talented people I know. They both have years of experience scaling tech companies and launching multi-million dollar products, and I’m...
2017-07-2553 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#36: C-Level Brand Marketing and Innovation Secrets from ExactTarget CMO Turned VC, Tim KoppWe talk a lot about the power of great mentors here on Powderkeg: Igniting Startups, and today I’m thrilled to introduce one of the most influential mentors I’ve had in my life. Tim Kopp is an experienced brand and digital marketer who’s taught me much of what I know as well as coached me throughout my evolving entrepreneurial journey.
When I first met Kopp, he was CMO at ExactTarget, the Indianapolis SaaS startup that sold to Salesforce in 2013 for $2.5 billion. Prior to his time there, Kopp spent a decade with the world-renowned marketing teams at Procter & Gamble and Co...
2017-07-1844 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#35: Expert Finance Tips to Power Your Company’s Growth from the Founders of mAccounting and Emplify“Cash is king,” the old saying goes, and every entrepreneur will realize at some point along their journey that their business can’t run smoothly without a good financial model. But the intricacies of bookkeeping and accounting can be a bit daunting without a knowledgeable guide, which is why I found two to help me navigate this thorny issue.
My first guest, Tom Gabbert, has 25 years of experience in financial management under his belt. He’s also the founder of mAccounting, an Indianapolis-based firm that provides controllership and CFO services to startups and small businesses that need some help with their fi...
2017-07-1159 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#34: Blazing Your Own Trail and Strategic Risk Taking with Vidyard Co-Founder and CEOMichael Litt (@michaellitt) is the CEO and co-founder of Vidyard, a leading provider of video hosting software for businesses and the kind of high-growth company you might expect to find in Silicon Valley. Although the company completed the prestigious Bay Area accelerator Y Combinator, it began and continues to operate in Kitchener, Ontario.
CEO Michael Litt co-founded Vidyard in 2011, and the company has since raised over $60 million and gained world-class brands like LinkedIn, Lenovo, Sharp, Rockwell Automation, Honeywell and Cengage as customers. Litt credits much of Vidyard’s success to the thriving entrepreneurial communities of Kitchener and nearby Waterloo, as we...
2017-06-2033 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#33: How to Level Up Your Marketing Game with Sales Funnels and StorytellingIf your business doesn’t have a clear, step-by-step process for turning curious consumers into paying customers, you could be losing revenue in missed opportunities. Fortunately, marketing whiz Russell Brunson provides expert advice in this week’s episode on capturing leads through the use of sales funnels and storytelling.
Taking an early interest to marketing, Brunson has become an evangelist for sales funnels and the ability to fuel rapid business growth. His company, ClickFunnels, has helped 43,000 entrepreneurs build effective sales funnels and landing pages that attract more customers for their web-based business. ClickFunnels is on track to earn $70 million this year...
2017-06-1342 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#32: How Shane Mac of Assist Raised Funding for His Startup Without Ever Asking for MoneyShane Mac, a Silicon Valley transplant from his hometown of Pekin, Illinois, is a master of building authentic relationships based on trust and personal connection. In fact, he’s so good at winning people over with his honest Midwestern brand image, that he’s learned how to raise capital without ever asking for money.
I met Mac a few years ago at the Big Omaha conference in Omaha, Nebraska, and he’s consistently blown me away with his ability to grow funded companies ever since. He’s worked on the Gist and Zaarly teams, and he now runs Assist, a free-to...
2017-06-061h 05
Powderkeg - Unvalley#31: Unlocking Your Company’s Potential Through Commitments to Diversity and Personal WellnessHeather Hartnett took a nontraditional path to the world of venture capital, and it’s ignited a great passion for enabling social change through technology and business. She now leverages her experience to help founders build better companies through commitments to diversity, personal wellness and positive impact.
Hartnett began her career in venture capital but was quickly compelled to move into the philanthropy space, where she spent five years on the board of directors for the David Lynch Foundation. When she returned to venture capital, Hartnett decided to merge philanthropy and business through the lens of impact investing. She co-founded Hu...
2017-05-3049 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#30: Cooperating and Competing with Large Companies to Grow Your StartupBrand marketer and venture capitalist Dave Knox is an expert in relationships between large companies and startups, as he has extensive experience working in both worlds.
Knox began his career at Procter & Gamble, where he consistently pushed the envelope in terms of marketing and digital innovation, eventually spearheading the company’s development of digital business strategies. He left the company in 2010 to co-found The Brandery, a startup accelerator in Cincinnati, OH, leveraging his seven years of corporate experience to advise local founders on their entrepreneurial journeys. In addition to his work with The Brandery, Knox also serves as Managing Director of...
2017-05-2351 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#29: Startup CEO’s Guide to Bootstrapping to Profitability and Hosting Industry-Leading ConferencesClint Smith is the co-founder and CEO of Emma, a SaaS company out of Nashville, TN, that has created a new standard of success for bootstrapping businesses and hosting innovative, engaging conferences.
Smith and his co-founder conceived Emma’s email marketing platform in 2002 and took out a bank loan to fund their initial growth. By developing a healthy revenue model and focusing on customer acquisition from the start, they were able to break even on their cash flow only a year and a half later.
Fast forward a decade of continued growth, and the Emma team started hosting its annual Ma...
2017-05-1649 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#28: FOWNDERS Guide to Millennial Motivation and Audience Building with Gerard AdamsThe “Millennial Mentor” Gerard Adams is a thought leader for his generation and is rapidly becoming a role model for young entrepreneurs around the world.
You probably know Adams as the co-founder of Elite Daily, an online news platform and the “Voice of Generation Y,” which sold to DMG Media for $50 million in January 2015. After leaving the company, Adams did some soul searching and started Fownders, a coworking accelerator in Newark, New Jersey. The Fownders program focuses not only on scaling businesses from idea to profitability, but also on developing each entrepreneur’s emotional intelligence, social skills, and leadership abilities.
Adams aspi...
2017-05-0948 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#27: Insider’s Guide to Raising Capital and Getting Funded with CNBC’s Alicia SyrettAlicia Syrett is the founder and CEO of Pantegrion Capital, a seed and early-stage angel investment firm based in New York. You might know her better as a recurring panelist on CNBC’s Power Pitch or MSNBC’s Your Business, where you’ll see her fielding high-stakes pitches and coaching small business owners. Syrett began her career in private equity and has years of experience in financial analysis, recruiting, and early-stage startup investing.
She brings her wealth of knowledge to our interview, giving me expert insights into all things fundraising. Syrett explains how to research investors for good fit with your b...
2017-05-0256 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#26: What I Learned About Business Strategy From Interviewing 25 Tech Entrepreneurs and InvestorsOn the first 25 episodes of Powderkeg: Igniting Startups, we’ve been able to share dozens of best practices and actionable insights through interviews with leading tech entrepreneurs, investors, and thought leaders. We’ve also learned the personal stories of each guest and have witnessed some powerful moments of vulnerability and authenticity.
Some of our favorite segments on the show have come from these great spur-of-the-moment stories told by our guests. In this week’s special episode, we revisit six of the most engaging stories that provide crucial advice for founders and entrepreneurs. You’ll learn how to effectively tell your company’...
2017-04-2531 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#25: Startup Marketing Master Class with Growth Hacking Gurus Sean Ellis and Morgan BrownSean Ellis and Morgan Brown are the world’s leading experts on growth hacking. The two first worked together at Qualaroo, a marketing SaaS solution they grew to millions in recurring revenue before Ellis sold the company in 2016.
At the same time they were working on Qualaroo, they were also building a community of innovative marketers on Ellis’ GrowthHackers website. With Brown serving as the interim Head of Growth, the duo built GrowthHackers into a definitive learning platform, software solution, and talent pool for companies that want to supercharge their growth.
Ellis and Brown sat down with me to chat all...
2017-04-1850 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#24: Content Marketing Magic for Business Growth with Brian Clark of Copyblogger & Rainmaker DigitalBrian Clark is a serial entrepreneur of several seven-figure online businesses, including Rainmaker Digital (which is actually now an eight-figure software company), where he currently serves as CEO. And guess what? He did it all without moving to Silicon Valley OR raising any venture funding. He did it with content marketing!
Brian and I recorded this interview at an interesting time, just before he launched his Unemployable podcast, which now reaches more than tens of thousands of subscribers. And you’ll see why after this interview...
Brian Clark is a pioneer in the $44 billion content marketing industry. He’s been buil...
2017-04-1147 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#23: Startup Strategies from a 5-Exit Founder and NYC Venture PartnerKnowledge comes with experience, and Jeff Leventhal has 25 years of experience in the tech startup world, including leading five companies from idea to exit and investing in many others. It’s an understatement to say he’s learned a few things on his entrepreneurial journey.
Leventhal’s great professional passion has been using technology to facilitate the delivery of professional services. His current iteration on solving this problem is WorkRails, a SaaS solution that helps other software companies sell and deliver their products. He’s also a Partner at BOLDstart Ventures, a “first check” investor for enterprise software founders.
Leventhal is great at...
2017-04-0440 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#22: Powerful CEO Habits for Getting the Most Out of Networking EventsMeeting the right people at the right time can catapult your business to the next level. But it’s difficult to make connections that go deeper than a LinkedIn invite, and it's far too easy to play it safe at networking events, which makes forging authentic relationships that much harder.
David Olk is the cofounder and CEO of Voray, a company that facilitates small-group networking dinners. A Voray event is hosted by a key influencer in an industry who invites a select group of their close friends and colleagues to help create new connections between them. The intimate, curated nature of...
2017-03-281h 03
Powderkeg - Unvalley#21: Proven Business Leadership Habits from the CEO of SendGridIt takes guts, grit, and an uncommon dose of wisdom to lead a business team. Sameer Dholakia has all three qualities, plus two decades of leadership experience in enterprise software.
Dholakia is the CEO of SendGrid, one of the world’s premier email delivery services. SendGrid serves 50,000 customers and delivers 1.3 billion emails each day—more than double Twitter’s daily Tweet volume. In addition to its classic transactional email API, SendGrid more recently rolled out an email marketing product that has already been adopted by 5,000 users.
Dholakia is an experienced tech executive with a love of history and a passion for bu...
2017-03-211h 03
Powderkeg - Unvalley#20: Startup Accelerator Secrets Every Entrepreneur Should Know with NYC Angel InvestorErica Duignan Minnihan knows what investors like to see in startups, and she knows the difficulties founders face meeting those expectations. She has more than 10 years of experience in early-stage startup investing, and now she’s out to help both investors and entrepreneurs be better at their jobs.
Minnihan is currently the Managing Partner at 1000 Angels, a digital venture investment platform launched by OneVest that helps independent investors around the world assess potential deals and build their personal portfolios. She also runs the CoFoundersLab Virtual Accelerator, a six-week online program that teaches founders all the basics of starting up with fe...
2017-03-1448 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#19: How to Unleash Your Team’s True Power with Team Building, Team Learning, and Company CultureMax Yoder is a lifelong learner and trailblazer who knows that clearly-defined processes empower employees to level-up their quality of work from average to exceptional.
Yoder is the cofounder and CEO of Lessonly, a team learning software platform that lets companies capture internal knowledge, best practices, and team policies as searchable and assignable step-by-step lessons. Lessonly currently helps half a million users from hundreds of companies learn the processes they need to excel in their work (Lessonly.com).
Yoder shares some of his most valuable insights on team building, team learning, and building a great company culture. Our conversation exposes...
2017-03-0736 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#18: Inside Innovation, Negotiation, and Virality with Emerson Spartz of DoseEmerson Spartz has hunted down and capitalized on patterns in business since he was 12 years old.
Fast-forward 18 years, and Spartz is the CEO of Dose, a digital media company that reaches 200 million Millennials every month with content designed to provide fresh ideas, knowledge and perspectives. Spartz is also one of the world’s leading experts on virality, having extensively studied its patterns and used what he learned to build his media company that was onced composed of more than 30 unique websites.
In our interview, Spartz lets me in on his secrets for effectively learning new information, his best strategies for ne...
2017-02-2844 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#17: How to Clear Your Mind, Calm Your Nerves, and Pivot Like a Pro with Jenny Blake“Pivoting” might seem like a dirty word in business, but Jenny Blake has learned to embrace it. Not only that, but she’s built her career around it, becoming a business strategist, keynote speaker, and author who teaches others the positive value of pivoting.
Blake is the author of Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One, and the creator of the Pivot Method, which distills all the wisdom she’s gained throughout her career to teach you how to change your business direction without falling on your face.
Blake learned the virtues of pivoting by doing it many tim...
2017-02-2152 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#16: Leading Remote Teams and Podcasting for Business GrowthMichael Sacca is a modern renaissance businessman who inspires tens of thousands of entrepreneurs each week with his podcast Rocketship.fm and has climbed the ranks to become the President of a multi-million dollar business that supports companies and creators across 30 countries.
He’s leveraged his experience in a wide array of roles—like coder, podcaster, web design consultant, product developer and sales lead—to grow his skillset as an entrepreneur, leading to several successful business ventures and, eventually, a leadership role at someone else’s company.
He recently became the President of Crew, a business that matches freelance web designer...
2017-02-1444 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#15: How Startup Grind Bootstrapped from Zero to One Million with Derek AndersenDerek Andersen was a bit of a world traveller growing up, as his family split their time between several countries in Europe and their home in Tampa, Florida. He kept traveling as an adult, jetting all around the globe to build startup communities and connect with entrepreneurs, wherever they were.
These communities are part of Startup Grind, an organization that nurtures startup ecosystems through events, media and partnerships with organizations like Google for Entrepreneurs. Andersen founded Startup Grind in 2010 with one location in Silicon Valley. Today, it’s active in nearly 100 countries around the world, including over 200 cities.
Over the ye...
2017-02-0750 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#14: Paul Singh on Growing Startups and Investing Outside of Silicon ValleyPaul Singh is embracing the changing nature of the venture capital—or VC—game.
Formerly a partner at 500 Startups, an international VC seed fund and startup accelerator, Singh noticed that high-growth tech companies were starting to pop up all across the U.S. If he wanted to invest in the very best startups in the country, then waiting for founders to fly out to Silicon Valley and come to him wasn’t the best method anymore.
Singh decided he had to go to them.
He founded Results Junkies with his wife and started road-tripping across the country in a pickup truck...
2017-01-3146 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#13: Masterclass On Customer Service and Loving Your Haters with Jay Baer of Convince & ConvertJay Baer is a social media expert, consultant, thought leader, keynote speaker, podcaster, startup investor, and NY Times bestselling author of five books. He’s the most retweeted person in the world among digital marketers, which makes him practically a celebrity in that industry.
Baer is best known for founding Convince & Convert, a conversion rate optimization (or CRO) blog turned consulting firm focusing on social media marketing and customer service. He and his team work with some of the best brands in the world, including Adidas, Allstate, Cisco, Oracle, and even the United Nations.
Meanwhile, the C&C blog continues to...
2017-01-2450 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#12: MBA in Corporate Innovation and Startup Disruption with LISNR Founder Rodney WilliamsRodney Williams is the Founder and CEO of LISNR, one of the most disruptive companies in the IoT space and the world of mobile connectivity. You can find Rodney on Twitter (@rodneybwilliams) on twitter and his company at LISNR.com.
LISNR was launched in 2012 around the core premise that sound can do more. More specifically, using sound to connect more people and devices in ways that had never existed before.
LISNR has grown into the world’s most advanced ultrasonic technology. Their team has created an ultrasonic or inaudible technology; a communication protocol that sends data over audio. They use ul...
2017-01-1754 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#11: Mike Dillard on Reinventing Yourself, Thinking Big, and Food InnovationMike Dillard is a serial entrepreneur who is creating a new technology that you’ll be able to put in your house and will supply all of the organic produce that you would want on a monthly basis. In order to bring his idea to life, Dillard teamed up with some entrepreneurial heavy hitters including Peter Diamandis, who is the founder of X Prize and Singularity University. And Dillard’s entrepreneurial path prepared him to make a big impact with this audacious venture.
Mike started first business over a decade ago in an unexpected industry — network marketing. That company turned into a...
2017-01-1057 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#10: The Magic of Immersion for Startups and VCs w/ Upfront Ventures Partner Kara NortmanKara Nortman is the co-founder of Seedling and partner at Upfront Ventures. In this interview she recounts her evolution as a creative child from an adventurous family, to her role as a partner in the largest and most tenured venture capital fund in Los Angeles.
Armed with an AB in Politics and an MBA from Stanford, Kara Nortman found herself the only person from business school attending a C++ class when she interned at Microsoft more than a decade ago. Before that, she delved deep into esoteric stuff, sailing across uncharted waters (talk DSL and IP switches) just to make...
2017-01-0348 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#9: How to Build Traction, Gain Customers, and Grow with DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel WeinbergGabriel Weinberg is the founder and CEO of DuckDuckGo, an Internet search engine that doesn’t track you or your personal data (https://duckduckgo.com/).
And in an industry dominated by goliaths like Google and Yahoo, DuckDuckGo does more than 3 billion searches per year.
Weinberg is the author of Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers, and it has become the field manual for tech entrepreneurs, growth hackers, and marketers around the world.
This framework has been used by founders like Jimmy Wales (Wikipedia), Alexis Ohanian (Reddit), and Paul English (Kayak.com) to build some of the biggest companies and or...
2016-12-2734 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#8: Masterclass On Building Influence with Luis Garcia of Ambition Media and AgentStevenLuis Garcia is one of the most influential people on Instagram. As of the publication of this podcast, Garcia’s three Instagram accounts alone (@AgentSteven, @MotivationMafia, and @PositiveVibesQuotes) have more than 6 million followers and get more than 30 million impressions a week.
Garcia is the founder of Ambition Media (www.ambitionmedia.co), an influencer marketing agency that has built a network of Instagram brands with more than 100+ million followers. Ambition Media has landed clients like Vayner Media founder Gary Vaynerchuk and Shark Tank star Daymond John, and is on track to have its first seven-figure year in 2017.
You can follow Luis on...
2016-12-201h 07
Powderkeg - Unvalley#7: Build Wealth and Invest in Yourself with Jordan Wirsz at Savant InvestmentsJordan Wirsz manages $100 million in real estate investments as CEO of Savant Investment Partners.
Jordan is a nationally recognized real estate expert who has been recognized by members of the U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress, Nevada state government, and has been featured on numerous national television networks including CNBC, NBC, and Fox News.
But today, we go a little off-script and go deep on business philosophy. You can find Jordan at JordanWirsz.com and @JordanWirz on twitter, so give him a shout and let him know what you liked about this interview.
In this episode you’ll learn:
1.) About Jo...
2016-12-131h 00
Powderkeg - Unvalley#6: The Power of Corporate VC and Startup Philanthropy w John Somorjai at Salesforce VenturesJohn Somorjai is Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and head of Salesforce Ventures.
Salesforce has over 3,000 partners and 150+ enterprise cloud and SaaS companies in their current investment portfolio. They’ve also had 30+ exits and five IPOs (on top of the 150!)
You can look up more about Salesforce, its acquisitions, and investments at Salesforce.com. They’re @Salesforce on twitter, but also have various other handles including @SalesforceVC, and @MarketingCloud. But you can find John at @jsomorjai on twitter. He’s extremely smart and definitely worth a follow, so give him a shout.
One of the things we didn’t get to d...
2016-12-0633 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#5: From Hollywood to Hackathons: Inside Startups w/ Cooper Harris, Founder at KlicklyOur guest today is Cooper Harris, who not only has an impressive background, but has an impressive background in two different fields!
She started her career in New York, where she landed a part in the soap opera, As The World Turns. But she eventually moved to Los Angeles and stepped into the Hollywood scene.
After appearing in several movies and other TV shows, Harris became interested in entrepreneurship and started attending hackathons.
Harris won the AT&T Hackathon in Los Angeles, and then went on the first Innovation and Tech Summit during the Sundance film festival, called Collective. UKTI...
2016-11-2847 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#4: How to Fund Your Startup and Hire A Players w/ MapQuest Co-Founder Chris HeivlyOur guest today is Chris Heivly, who just might be the world’s first actual map geek. I say that because he co-founded one of the first online navigation tools, MapQuest.
Some of you listeners may be too young to remember MapQuest and the wonderful experience of searching your route on your home computer so you could print your directions and take them with you.. But back in the day, MapQuest was like PURE MAGIC.
This company was Heivly’s first and it blazed the trail for other navigation-powered apps like Google Maps, Waze, and Uber. MapQuest went public in 1999 and...
2016-11-2241 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#3: The Key To Building Real Wealth and Confessions of a Master Connector w Cole HatterThis master connector has built a network that includes the likes of Robert Herjavec from Shark Tank, James Altucher creator of the James Altucher Show, Jack Canfield author of Chicken Noodle Soup for the Soul and Lewis Howes from The School of Greatness. In fact, he recently connected with all of them in person at his global conference Thrive. He's an author, investor, speaker, and entrepreneur who has built a mission-driven business and life that has impacted millions.
Cole's power comes from his perspective. After 2 accidents 2 months apart, he was left me in a wheel chair. His body was physically...
2016-11-1555 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#2: How To Scale A Software Business + SaaS Leadership w/ Jeremy Roche, CEO At FinancialForceA SaaS innovation and leadership conversation with FinancialForce.com CEO and President, Jeremy Roche (@Jeremy_Roche). With more than 20 years of experience building and leading both public and private technology companies, Jeremy brings a wealth of executive leadership experience.
He has led businesses through IPO, de-merger and acquisition (both as acquirer and acquiree). And his work with growing FinancialForce offers insight into how to play the game of business at a rapid pace and growing scale. With $110 million in capital raised in 2015, the company’s growth has exploded, and Roche has led the team to disrupt the space of financial so...
2016-11-1540 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#1: How to Invest In Your Talents, Build Your Team, and Tell Your Story w/ Kristian AndersenLearn from serial SaaS entrepreneur and investor Kristian Andersen (@KristianIndy). And while I had met a lot of people in school, I had never met anyone like him.
Andersen is positive but direct, which I believe is the key to why he is able to accomplish so much in his companies, investments, and community. You can trace the start of his streak of successes back to 2003, when he founded Studio Science, a design and innovation agency where he still serves as CEO. He and his team have helped many B2B SaaS and innovation-driven organizations (including Verge and Powderkeg) find...
2016-11-0752 min
Private Equity FuncastNative Mobile Applications vs. HTML5 Apps with the Developertown CrewJim spends a fast hour talking with the Developertown crew about all things mobile. Should you develop native iOS and Android applications? Is it better to standardize on responsive HTML5 solutions? PhoneGap vs. Xamarin? These are just a few of the questions that we discuss, plus, shout-outs to Angie's List Founder Angie Hicks and Angela Lansbury. Also, we talk about the Roomba (spoiler alert ... it's awesome).
2016-01-151h 00Private Equity FuncastThe Ruby on Rails Episode with DevelopertownJim spends an hour with Developertown's Michael Kelly and Aaron Lerch talking about Ruby on Rails -- why Jim hates it and why they love it.
2015-10-231h 02
Brand Fast-TrackersBrand Fast-Trackers #201 – Venture DevelopmentCategories: Marketing Start-ups, Marketing Strategy, Podcast Discussion, Starting a BusinessTags: DeveloperTown, Frank Dale, venture developmentIn a lot of ways, today’s podcast completes the venture capital trifecta. In episode #137 with Dave Knox, we spoke about his work with the Cincinnati-based start-up accelerator The Brandery and why budding entrepreneurs have to act on their ideas. In episode #143 with Ed Zimmerman, a venture lawyer, we spoke about how he helps start-ups [...](Read more...)The post Brand Fast-Trackers #201 – Venture Development appeared first on Brand Fast-Trackers.
2013-04-1721 min