Fast Frontiers
Refinery Ventures
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An exploration of how innovation frontiers are emerging in surprising places.
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Nov 1, 2022
S6 Ep. 7 — James Norman: Black Operator Ventures
Today on Fast Frontiers host Tim Schigel speaks with James Norman, a general partner at Black Operator Ventures, a venture fund that specifically empowers the entrepreneurship of people of color. James takes listeners on a deep dive of his growth and trajectory from Hollywood to venture capital, lessons learned in leadership, and how important networking and nurturing relationships are to customer acquisition.
Key Takeaways:
* [00:09 - 00:58] Intro to James Norman and his venture projects
* [01:00 - 02:57] James' early life in Michigan and entrepreneurship inklings as a child
* [02:58 - 04:25] Building speaker systems for car audio
* [04:25 - 05:18] Transitioning from speaker systems to whole cars
* [05:18 - 07:58] Lessons learned doing private planning at Mitsubishi in LA
* [08:03 - 10:12] James' first tech company, Ubi, and lessons in leading
* [10:12 - 11:42] Growing his network and how NewME helped make connections
* [11:44 - 12:52] Heavy on product, heavy on execution
* [12:52 - 13:58] The stories we tell
* [14:04 - 15:42] How James realized his strength in building video platforms
* [15:44 - 18:09] Why diverse development teams are necessary, and navigating abrasive cultures as a person of color
* [18:10 - 20:55] The path to capital and realizations about next steps
* [20:55 - 23:12] Acquiring data and monetizing it with GroupFix and Pilotly
* [23:12 - 24:32] Working with Joe to build GroupFix and Pilotly
* [24:32 - 26:36] How Black Ops Ventures came about
* [26:36 - 28:13] Communicating better, and learning from icons like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk
* [28:14 - 28:57] Bias from investors and developing empathy
* [28:58 - 30:23] A golden opportunity to build a better resource for black founders
* [30:24 - 32:01] The Four Challenges for Venture Capital to Invest in Black Founders
* [32:01 - 34:01] Starting right now, and getting involved
* [34:04 - 35:06] Builders and leaders
* [35:06 - 36:42] Building relationships and holding yourself accountable to your identity as a leader
* [36:44 - 38:57] Customer acquisition and nurturing the relationship, and confidence in outcomes
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Oct 18, 2022
S6 Ep. 6 — Tim Kight: CEO of Focus 3
On today's show, Tim Kight, CEO of Focus 3, stops by Fast Frontiers to talk to host Tim Schigel about growth mindsets, characteristics of people with fortitude, and all about his framework, E+R=O.
Key takeaways:
* [01:51 - 04:23] Mistakes are feedback, and a sign of innovating
* [04:28 - 06:23] Silicon Valley and failing fast, an opportunity to try again with greater insight
* [06:23 - 08:19] Defining leadership, understanding cause and effect, and coaching for success
* [08:53 - 13:50] The role of deep practice and Tim's E + R = O framework
* [13:51 - 16:20] Developing clarity and seeing better by asking 5 questions
* [16:41 - 18:08] Blame, Complain, Defend
* [18:10 - 21:47] Growth mindsets and commitment
* [21:50 - 23:14] Characteristics of the compelled
* [23:16 - 25:42] Teaching E + R = O to employees and producing better outcomes
* [25:45 - 26:16] ERO is not just about work
* [26:18 - 30:58] Understanding how finding the compelled and those with a similar ERO mindset relates to HR and recruiting
* [31:03 - 34:00] Recognizing the journey you're on and navigating uncharted territories
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Oct 13, 2022
S6 Ep. 5 — Inside Refinery: Bernadette Butler, StoryTap
Bernadette Butler of Storytap sits down with Fast Frontiers host Tim Schigel to discuss the power of storytelling and connection. Bernadette is the CEO and Co-Founder of Storytap, and in this conversation discusses her path to creating the company, it's goals working with clients to help them gather stories from customers, and what her experience of bootstrapping the company has been like.
Key takeaways:
* [00:56 - 05:49] Benadette's background
* [05:50 - 07:09] The origin of StoryTap
* [07:11 - 09:04] Where Bernadette met her co-founder Sean Braacx
* [09:08 - 11:56] What StoryTap is, and the trends it is capturing
* [11:56 - 13:51] Text, video, and influencers impact on brands
* [13:53 - 15:48] Ownership of the brand and assets, repurposing content to amplify message
* [15:52 - 18:17] A renewed emphasis on text, and navigating fake BS
* [18:19 - 19:35] Exemplifying work through your own content and clients
* [19:36 - 20:37] Discussing working with KY and Durex, sex education
* [20:40 - 21:30] Stories and connection
* [21:32 - 22:21] Text reviews and getting what you get
* [22:24 - 23:09] Some of Bernadette's customers
* [23:12 - 23:53] An incredible melting pot society
* [24:02 - 25:00] What it is like running a startup in Vancouver
* [25:01 - 26:28] What is next for StoryTap
* [26:44 - 27:26] Next week's episode with Joseph Hanna
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Oct 11, 2022
S6 Ep. 4 — Upal Basu: General Partner at Ngp Capital
Today on Fast Frontiers, Upal Basu of ngp capital stops by to talk to host Tim Schigel about what Upal has learned as an investor, and about current events in SaaS, software, and edge computing. Upal is the a general partner at ngp capital, and in this role manages more than a billion and a half dollars in assets. He'll also talk today about lessons learned throughout his career as an investor.
Key Takeaways
* [01:34 - 03:36] About NGP Capital
* [03:36 - 05:06] Upal's background
* [05:24 - 07:20] What Upal brings to investing that he learned as an operator
* [07:28 - 11:37] Investments NGP looks for
* [11:38 - 15:52] SaaS and Edge Computing
* [15:52 - 19:40] AI Transformation and improving human performance
* [20:00 - 23:58] Trends in innovation outside Silicon Valley
* [24:07 - 27:49] Best advice for entrepreneurs and investors on how to navigate the coming year
* [27:50 - 29:44] Have market conditions changed Upal's investing pace in any way?
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Sep 27, 2022
S6 Ep. 3 — Dave Mawhinney: The Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship
Dave Mawhinney joins host Tim Schigel to talk about a history of entrepreneurship and what the transition was like entering into academia at Carnegie Mellon. Dave is the Executive Director of the The Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, and in his role he connects with brilliant minds about developing their innovative and creative solutions. In today's conversation, Dave and Tim offer advice to aspiring entrepreneurs, and discuss the technology output and scene around Carnegie Mellon.
Key Takeaways:
* [00:14 - 01:26] About Dave Mawhinney
* [01:54 - 04:28] A serial entrepreneur walks into academia
* [04:30 - 06:41] How Dave's background as an entrepreneur enables him to communicate to entrepreneurs coming out of academia
* [06:55 - 10:49] The Swartz Center, Jim Swartz, and his support
* [10:49 - 18:22] Carnegie Mellon and what separates it from other technology-centric institutions
* [18:23 - 20:44] Carnegie Mellon's ranking as a top destination for tech talent, it's student population
* [20:45 - 24:36] The Carnegie Mellon startup scene and it's successes
* [24:37 - 28:05] Comparing the startup scene between last decade, today, and ten years into the future
* [28:06 - 29:38] How people can become more involved with activities and events at CMU tech scene
* [29:41 - 30:48] Network, network, network
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Sep 15, 2022
S6 Ep. 2 — Inside Refinery: Mike Kadin, CEO of RedCircle
On today's episode of Fast Frontiers, host Tim Schigel sits down to speak with Mike Kadin, the CEO of RedCircle. The two discuss strategies for managing high-growth companies, lessons learned in hiring and how Mike met his co-founder Jeremy Lermitte.
Key Takeaways:
* [01:55] Meet Mike Kadin of RedCircle
* [05:56] Experiences unique to RedCircle's growth and lessons in high-growth
* [09:55] How far out was RedCircle planning their growth strategy
* [11:10] Hiring takeaways and lessons
* [16:38] When and how Mike and Jeremy met
* [18:56] Mike and Jeremy finding common ground and learning from past workplaces
* [23:01] Be Real and Be Respectful
* [25:31] Continuously learning and different stages of growth
* [29:02] What's attracted Mike to podcasting
* [32:25] The integration of technology in cars and the listening experience
* [33:15] How Mike is helping podcasters, and how the medium has changed
* [37:02] What Mike wants podcasters to know about RedCircle
* [38:28] What the future of podcasts looks like according to Mike
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Sep 13, 2022
S6 Ep. 1 — Gokul Rajaram: Investor and Company Helper
Welcome back to Fast Frontiers! In the Season 6 premiere, Gokul Rajaram talks with host Tim Schigel about working as an investor and "company helper." Gokul does a deep dive into his SPADE decision-making framework, about creating compelling products that solve real-world issues, and the rise in product analytics as a function of business.
Key Takeaways:
* [01:20] Introduction to Gokul
* [02:33] Being exposed to high-caliber people
* [03:47] Keep learning and stay humble
* [04:54] Investing and having fun building businesses, making connections
* [07:44] Cold-calling and indulging curiosity as a great "party trick"
* [09:15] The SPADE decision-making framework
* [11:07] Transparency in business operations and decision-making
* [12:58] Diving into SPADE
* [16:18] This framework should not be used for day-to-day reversible decisions
* [19:15] How Gokul sees organizations do a good job of staying focused on the problem and not the product
* [23:05] Evaluating the company mission and making a compelling product that solves problems
* [26:41] The rise of product analytics as a function
* [29:05] Feature launch is not a goal, feature launch is not an outcome. It is an experiment
* [29:47] Technologies Gokul is interested in investing in
* [29:47] Words of wisdom on solving problems and setting goals
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Aug 23, 2022
Trailer: Season 6 is Coming Soon!
Rediscover the best podcast around for learning about Refinery Ventures' portfolio of companies and the work those organizations are doing. Host and Managing Partner at Refinery Ventures, Tim Knight, speaks with CEOs, founders, and experts about startups, technology, the future, and more.
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Apr 19, 2022
S5 Ep 5. Pete Blackshaw: CEO of Cintrifuse
Pete Blackshaw joins host Tim Schigel to talk about his efforts at Cintrifuse to create a startup economy in Cincinnati. Pete talks about how his career working with companies like Nielsen BuzzMetrics and Nestle influenced his work with startups, and how programming helps to grow culture and community. The two discuss the impact of transforming Cincinnati's airport into a startup and technology platform, as well as initiatives that excite Pete like sustainability, electrification, and zero waste.
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Apr 12, 2022
S5 Ep 4. Carl Grant: Executive Vice President of Global Business Development at Cooley
Carl Grant joins Fast Frontiers and host Tim Schigel to chat about his career journey, and how experiencing a recession at an early-stage startup influences his insights and leadership in the VC world. Carl also talks about his initiative with Venture Raise, a platform for entrepreneurs to match with venture capital funding, shares tips for building connections as entrepreneurs, and how faith has helped him navigate life and business.
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Apr 5, 2022
S5 Ep 3. Steve Escaravage: Executive Vice President at Booz Allen
Steve Escaravage, Executive Vice President at Booz Allen, talks about what A.I. is and its uses at Booz Allen, as well as popular ideas surrounding artificial intelligence. Tim and Steve also discuss how entrepreneurs can approach opportunities to collaborate with venture capital firms, hurdles to A.I. development, and Steve's thoughts on where the technology is headed.
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Mar 22, 2022
S5 Ep 2. Aashish Dalal: Co-founder of ParkWhiz (now Arrive Mobility)
Host Tim Schigel is joined by Co-founder and Chairman of Arrive Mobility, Aashish Dalal, to talk about his journey taking ParkWhiz from inception to present day as Arrive Mobility. Aashish walks through growing the company's footprint, naïveté about investor capital, and ultimately the business lessons and relationships that helped ParkWhiz find success.
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Mar 15, 2022
S5 Ep 1. Brian Cobb: Chief Innovation Officer at CVG airport
Chief Innovation Officer of CVG Airport, Brian Cobb, talks about his career in the aviation industry and seeking innovative solutions that have transformed the airport into a business hub. Along with host Tim Schigel, the two discuss CVG's acceptance of technology and data to solve customer perceptions, aligning with leadership towards business innovation, and the future of the airport with startup incubation and the next generation of technologies.
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Nov 16, 2021
S4 Ep 7. Man Behind the Mic Part 2: Interview by Joe Kaiser at Mercato Partners
Today we're continuing with part two of the Man Behind the Mic conversation with our friend, Joe Kaiser. Joe is director at Mercato Partners, a private equity firm, where he leads their investment efforts in the Midwest, as well as their performance team. For part two, Joe asked my thoughts, advice, rules, principles, guidelines about how I approach venture capital.
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Nov 9, 2021
S4 Ep 6. Man Behind the Mic Part 1: Interview by Joe Kaiser at Mercato Partners
Today we're doing something different. This is our Man Behind the Mic episode where I'll be interviewed by my friend Joe Kaiser. Joe's a Director at Mercato Partners, a private equity firm where he leads the firm's investment efforts in the Midwest, as well as its performance team. A huge thank you goes out to Joe for coming up with this idea and giving us his time and thoughtful questions. He was kind enough to switch seats and put me in the hot seat for this interview. For part one, we're going to dive into why we started Fast Frontiers, my experience and journey as a CEO, operator, fund to funds manger and VC investor. And we'll also discuss the origin and thesis for Refinery Ventures.
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Oct 26, 2021
S4 Ep 5. Stephany Lapierre: Tealbook
Today we're talking with Stephany Lapierre, founder and CEO of Tealbook headquartered in Toronto, Canada, and also a portfolio company of Refinery Ventures. In this episode, we're going to dive into how Stephany discovered the problem in supply chain procurement and it's all about the data. The biggest theme or so what, I hope you take away from this conversation is the importance of finding the right market positioning. It takes time to get everything moving in the right direction. And how do you articulate your position in a way that makes everyone's hand go up in the air, wanting your solution?
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Oct 19, 2021
S4 Ep 4. Adam Sharkawy: Material Impact
Today we're talking with Adam Sharkawy. Adam is the co-founder and managing partner at Material Impact a venture fund located in Boston, Massachusetts. Material Impact focuses on deep tech innovation, and we share an investment in Folio Photonics. We get a bit geeked out on chaos and complexity theory, and nonlinear systems, and discuss that some of the most interesting innovations come from the convergence of technology and business models. And that's where the cool stuff happens. The biggest theme or so what I hope you take away from this conversation is that whether you're pulling technology and intellectual property out of research universities, or corporate innovation processes or startups, they're all hard to do well, but when done correctly can be extremely disruptive and successful.
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Oct 12, 2021
S4 Ep 3. Elaine Bryant: Dayton Development Coalition & Jobs Ohio
Today we're talking to Elaine Bryant. Elaine is a 20-year Air Force veteran and currently holds dual appointments as executive vice president for Aerospace and Defense at the Dayton Development Coalition and managing director for the Military and Federal Installation Sector at JobsOhio. In this episode, we're going to dive into how economic development activity relates to the military, as well as research and initiatives like the Air Force Research Lab, which are a treasure trove of uncommercialized technologies. The biggest theme or so what I hope you take away from this episode is that there is so much innovation available, you just need to know where to look. Our military has invested countless dollars in technology. There's so much to discover and cultivate in our own backyard, so let's go window shopping.
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Oct 5, 2021
S4 Ep 2. Sarah Anderson: Vault Fund
Today we're talking with Sarah Anderson, Founder and Partner of Vault Fund. We're going to dive into what makes a venture studio? Sarah will help us differentiate between a typical venture fund, venture studios, accelerators, and incubators. She dives deeper into the various venture studio models that we are seeing in the market and includes her thoughts on how a studio should be set up with fair and incentivized equity structures. The biggest theme or, so what? I hope you take away from this conversation is that venture studios are a unique and viable way to start companies by facilitating the zero to one stage company creation, backing experienced hyper-growth entrepreneurs with domain expertise.
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Sep 28, 2021
S4 Ep 1. Jeff Bloomfield: Braintrust
In this episode, we're talking with Jeff Bloomfield, founder and CEO of Braintrust. Braintrust helps individuals and companies transform their sales and marketing systems by understanding the power of neuroscience on everyday communication. In this episode, we're going to dive into the reasons why Jeff started Braintrust. The biggest theme, or so what I hope you can take away from this conversation is that it's all about communications. The determining factor of success for a person or an organization is how successful they communicate. If you can't communicate effectively, you're sunk, in every area of your life.
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Jun 29, 2021
S3 Ep 12. Alex Frommeyer: Beam Dental
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.
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Jun 22, 2021
S3 Ep 11. Kimberly Reed: Export-Import Bank of the U.S.
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.
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Jun 15, 2021
S3 Ep 10. Brian Hopcraft: Lewis & Clark Ventures
In this episode, we're talking with Brian Hopcraft, Managing Director at Lewis & 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 & 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.
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Jun 8, 2021
S3 Ep 9. John Nottingham: Nottingham Spirk
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.
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Jun 1, 2021
S3 Ep 8. Roy Bahat: Bloomberg Beta
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.
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May 25, 2021
S3 Ep 7. John Simon: Sigma Prime & GreenLight Fund
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.
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May 18, 2021
S3 Ep 6. Mitch Port: 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. 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.
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May 11, 2021
S3 Ep 5. Darcy Howe: KCRise Fund
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.
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May 4, 2021
S3 Ep 4. Nick Cromydas: Hunt Club & Kaleb Dumot: Integrity Power Search
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.
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Apr 27, 2021
S3 Ep 3. Ethan Batraski: Venrock
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.
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Apr 27, 2021
S3 Ep 2. Adam Symson: E.W. Scripps
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.
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Apr 27, 2021
S3 Ep 1. Dhani Jones: Entrepreneur & Former NFL Linebacker
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.
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Apr 20, 2021
Cross Over Episode: Refinery Ventures on The Casted Podcast, Season 6
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.
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Apr 6, 2021
Cross Over Episode: Tim Schigel on Negotiations Ninja with Mark Raffan
Check out our friend, Mark Raffan's podcast, Negotiations Ninja. Episode #197 is from our very own host at Fast Frontiers. Please enjoy listening to: Inside the mind of venture capitalist Tim Schigel
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Mar 23, 2021
S2 Ep 12. Jon Medved: OurCrowd
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!
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Mar 16, 2021
S2 Ep 11. Steve Santamaria: Folio Photonics
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.
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Mar 9, 2021
S2 Ep 10. Niki Scevak: Blackbird Ventures
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.
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Mar 2, 2021
S2 Ep 9. Bruce Vojak: Breakthrough Innovation Advisors
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.
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Feb 23, 2021
S2 Ep 8. Kevin Maney: Author & Category Design Advisor
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.
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Feb 16, 2021
S2 Ep 7. Mackey Craven: OpenView
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.
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Feb 9, 2021
S2 Ep 6. Michelle McBane: StandUp Ventures
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.
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Feb 2, 2021
S2 Ep 5. Baiju Shah: Cleveland Innovation Project
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.
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Jan 26, 2021
S2 Ep 4. Noor Sweid: Global Ventures
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.
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Jan 19, 2021
S2 Ep 2. Victor Gutwein: M25
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.
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Jan 19, 2021
S2 Ep 1. Wendy Lea: CEO, Board Director, Strategic Advisor
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.
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Jan 19, 2021
S2 Ep 3. Steve Walchek: FIS
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.
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Dec 22, 2020
S1 Ep 14. Jason Warner: GitHub
In this episode we’re bringing you my conversation with Jason Warner, CTO of GitHub.
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Dec 22, 2020
S1 Ep 15. Scott Dorsey: High Alpha
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
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Nov 17, 2020
S1 Ep 13. Yuval Brisker: Mezu
In this episode we cover:
* Yuval’s interesting path to his technology career
* Starting TOA Technologies in Cleveland, OH
* What he’s working on now. First Mezu and now, Alviere
Resources & People Mentioned
* TOA Technologies acquired by Oracle in 2014
* Irad Carmi
* Jonathan Murray and Mike Stubler at Draper Triangle in Pittsburgh
* Mezu
Connect with Yuval
* Connect with Yuval on LinkedIn
* Alviere Website
Connect with Tim
* Follow Refinery Ventures on Twitter: @RefineryVC
* Connect with Tim on LinkedIn
* Follow Refinery Ventures on LinkedIn
Subscribe to Fast Frontiers
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Nov 10, 2020
S1 Ep 12. Chris Rizik: Renaissance Venture Capital
In this episode we cover:
* Building Renaissance and the great programming with UnDemo Day and HotList as ways to expose top VCs to the startup talent in the midwest
* The Fund of Funds model and how every MSA could benefit, including the impact they can have on a city/state/region
Resources & People Mentioned
* Rick Snyder and Avalon Investments
* SoulTracks
* Exits: TomoTherapy and Esperion
* Business Leaders for Michigan
* UnDemo Day
* HotList
* Cintrifuse
* HX Fund in Houston
* Duo Security
* Larry Page graduated from the University of Michigan and started Google
* Venture Funds: NEA, Revolution Ventures, Arboretum Ventures, Plymouth Ventures, RPM Ventures, Beringea Ventures, eLab Ventures, Material Impact Fund
* Bloomscape
* Dan Gilbert
* NVCA (National Venture Capital Association) recent Chair of Board of Directors, Jan Garfinkle
* TechTown, Wayne State University accelerator program
* Orbion, spin up company from Michigan Technological Univ…
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Nov 3, 2020
S1 Ep 11. Joe Marks: Carnegie Mellon University
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:
* Growing up in Ireland and his path to coming to the US/Harvard for college
* His work in applied computing and research labs in multiple industries
* 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
Resources & People Mentioned
* Olympic event of Hammer Throwing
* Bolt, Beranek and Newman (BBN) where the ARPANET was built that became the internet
* DARPA (Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency)
* Ray Tomlinson, put the @ sign in email addresses
* The Battle of 73 Easting
* Bob Johansen, author of Leaders Make the Future
* Digital Equipment Corporation
* Mitsubishi Electric
* Disney Research
* Center is funded by
* UPMC, integrated healt…
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Oct 27, 2020
S1 Ep 10. Chad Summe: Quotient Technology
In this episode we cover:
* Chad’s experience working at Quotient - a Silicon Valley based company with their largest office in Cincinnati
* 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
Resources & People Mentioned
* Acquisition of Ahalogy
* Quotient won Best Places to Work award in 2017
* Board of Northern Kentucky International Airport
* Amazon’s Prime Air hub and DHL’s Americas hub
* Pete Blackshaw at Cintrifuse
* Local Universities: Miami, NKU and University of Cincinnati
* REDI and Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce
Connect with Chad
* Connect with Chad on LinkedIn
* Quotient Technologies Website
Connect with Tim
* Follow Refinery Ventures on Twitter: @RefineryVC
* Connect with Tim on LinkedIn
* Follow Refinery Ventures on LinkedIn
Subscribe to Fast Frontiers
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Oct 20, 2020
S1 Ep 9. Vic Gatto: Jumpstart Foundry
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:
* Vic and Tim’s parallel experiences of putting in the time and learning the venture business
* Starting Jumpstart in Nashville, capitalizing on the healthcare hub and the advantage of being in middle America
* 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
Resources & People Mentioned
* Massey Burch and Blue Chip Venture Company
* Vic’s partner at Jumpstart, Marcus Whitney
* Andreessen Horowitz
* ScriptDrop, prescription delivery
Connect with Vic
* Connect with Vic on LinkedIn
* Jumpstart Foundry Website
Connect with Tim
* Follow Refinery Ventures on Twitter: @RefineryVC
* Connect with Tim on LinkedIn
* Follow Refinery Ventures on LinkedIn
Subscribe to Fast Frontiers
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Oct 13, 2020
S1 Ep 8. Bob Meese: Duolingo
In this episode we cover:
Resources & People Mentioned
* Duolingo Investors: Kleiner Perkins, Union Square, NEA, Drive Capital, General Atlantic, Ashton Kutcher’s A-Grade Investments, Tim Ferriss
* Google Play - the App store for Android
* Dave Mahwinney, Executive Director at Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship at CMU
* Andy Rubin, co-founder and CEO of Android
* Duolingo co-founders: Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker
* Andrew Moore (CMU and google)
* Luis previously founded reCAPTCHA that was acquired by Google in 2009
* Carnegie Mellon University
* Duolingo English Test
Connect with Bob
* Connect with Bob on LinkedIn
* Duolingo Website
Connect with Tim
* Follow Refinery Ventures on Twitter: @RefineryVC
* Connect with Tim on LinkedIn
* Follow Refinery Ventures on LinkedIn
Subscribe to Fast Frontiers
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Oct 6, 2020
S1 Ep 7. Tim Holcomb: Miami University
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:
* Tim’s first career as an entrepreneur and his path to Miami University
* His work at the Center for Entrepreneurship at Miami
* Capitalizing on their alumni base
* His bet on the next Fast Frontier: Data
Resources & People Mentioned
* John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship at Miami University
* Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship at Florida State University
* Telecom Global Solutions acquired by Flex (Flextronics)
* Helping venture-funded companies: ReliaQuest, Oros, Cerkl
* Miami Faculty member: Jim Friedman
* StartupCincy
* Michael Markesbery and Rithvik Venna of Oros
* The Brandery
* In 2016, Money Magazine ranked Miami University No. 3 for producing the most Fortune 500 CEOs (behind Stanford and Princeton)
* PitchBook
* RedHawk Venture…
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Sep 29, 2020
S1 Ep 6. Nick Moran: New Stack Ventures and The Full Ratchet Podcast
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:
* How New Stack approaches working with portfolio companies
* The human element is super important, at the end of the day, it’s people that build businesses and build value
* Investing in the middle of the country - with mission driven leaders
Resources & People Mentioned
* Danaher Corporation
* M25
* Jonathan Ellis at Sandalphon Capital
* Sarah Tavel, General Partner at Benchmark Capital
* Cintrifuse
* Eric Paley at Founder Collective
Connect with Nick
* Follow Nick on Twitter: @TheFullRatchet
* Connect with Nick on LinkedIn
* New Stack Ventures Website
* The Full Ratchet Website
Connect with Tim
* Follow Refinery Ventures on Twitter: @RefineryVC
* Connect with Tim on LinkedIn
* Follow Refinery Ventures on LinkedIn
Subscribe to Fast…
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Sep 22, 2020
S1 Ep 5. Anant Madabhushi: Case Western Reserve University
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 diagnostics
In this episode we cover:
* Anant’s distinguished background - patents, peer-reviewed articles and the multidisciplinary lab he has created
* The unique medical research ecosystem in Cleveland, OH
* The collaboration across departments, working together towards a common goal and making a real impact on the future
Resources & People Mentioned
* Dr. Alberto Montero, Director of Breast Cancer Program at UH
* Dr. Joseph Willis, Vice Chairman of Pathology at UH
* Dr. Lee Ponsky, Chair of Urology and Director of Urologic Oncology Center at UH
* Dr. Vikas Gulani, Chair of Radiology at Michigan institute of Imaging Technology and Translation
* Tata Memorial Cancer Center in Mumbai
* Baiju Shah, Senior Fellow for Innovation at the Cleveland Found…
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Sep 15, 2020
S1 Ep 4. Tim Guleri: Sierra Ventures
In this episode we cover:
* Finding early-stage companies across the country and being the bridge to Silicon Valley
* Having a great idea is different than building a successful company
* Three things necessary to build a great company: the capital, the people, and the playbook
Resources & People Mentioned
* Scopus Technologies, went public in 1995
* Octane Software, aquired by E.piphany
* Two Sierra portfolio companies that went public under Tim, Sourcefire and MakeMyTrip
* Cintrifuse in Cincinnati, OH
* Renaissance Venture Capital in Ann Arbor, Michigan
* Shared portfolio company of Sierra and Refinery, Astronomer in Cincinnati, OH
* Treasure Data in Tokyo, Founded by Kaz, sold to SoftBank’s ARM group
* VC research databases: Pitchbook, Crunchbase
* Michael Driscoll, CEO - known by Tim and Scott Yara from Greenplum
* Sierra’s CXO Advisory Board
* Tim’s motoring adventure in Endurance Rally, 2019 - Peking to Paris
Connect with Tim Guleri
* Foll…
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Sep 8, 2020
S1 Ep 3. Ian Hathaway: techstars
In this episode we cover:
* Personal connections to championing entrepreneurs
* The role of city government and economic development in attracting and understanding what startups need to thrive and build an ecosystem
* Understanding the stages and locations of VC funding across the country
* The future of work post-COVID
Resources & People Mentioned
* Ian’s new book - The Startup Community Way: Evolving an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
* Techstars
* Cintrifuse
* Richard Florida
* Eric Ries’ book - The Lean Startup
* Kauffman Foundation
* Scott Dorsey started High Alpha after ExactTarget was acquired by Salesforce
Connect with Ian
* Follow Ian on Twitter: @IanHathaway
* Connect with Ian on LinkedIn
* Ian Hathaway Website
Connect with Tim
* Follow Refinery Ventures on Twitter: @RefineryVC
* Connect with Tim on LinkedIn
* Follow Refinery Ventures on LinkedIn
Subscribe to Fast Frontiers
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Sep 8, 2020
S1 Ep 2. David Cohen: techstars
In this episode we cover:
* Building bridges and relationships not just for capital, but across the spectrum
* Delevoping ecosystems in surprising places like Buffalo, NY
* Long term view - developing an ecosystem takes time, which leaders and entrepreneurs in the community are going to be here in 20 years?
* Launching companies and raising capital in a recession
Resources & People Mentioned
* Techstars
* Co-Founders of Techstars with David Cohen: David Brown, Jared Polis and Brad Feld
* Give First
* Adam Grant’s book - Give and Take
* Brad Feld’s book - Startup Communities: Building and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City
* Jesse Marble - The Botchcast Podcast
* Cintrifuse
* SendGrid - started in LA, incubated in Boulder, grew offices in Denver and San Francisco (aquired by Twilio)
* WELL Health
* Tasso
* Chowbotics
* University of Waterloo outside Toronto, Canada
* ConnXus in Cincinnati (aquired by Coupa)
Connect with David
* Connect wi…
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Sep 8, 2020
S1 Ep 1. Shashank Saxena: VNDLY
In this episode we cover:
* Working at Kroger Digital
* Founding VNDLY and raising capital
* Understanding the market and simplifying the message
* Are you earning or buying revenue?
* Knowing your levers so you don’t burn out of runway
* Location: Cincinnati, is that a disadvantage or an advantage?
Resources & People Mentioned
* Kroger
* Battery Ventures
* Hyde Park Venture Partners
* EPIC Ventures
* Insight Partners
* Bowery Capital
* Narayana Surabhi
* Workday
* Cintrifuse in Cincinnati
* Duo Security in Ann Arbor (acquired by Cisco)
* Exact Target in Indianapolis (acquired by Salesforces)
Connect with Shashank
* Connect with Shashank on LinkedIn
* VNDLY Website
Connect with Tim
* Follow Refinery Ventures on Twitter: @RefineryVC
* Connect with Tim on LinkedIn
* Follow Refinery Ventures on LinkedIn
Subscribe to Fast Frontiers
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