Jessi McQuerrey activates leaders. She been connecting dots through Iowa ABI programs like Business Horizons for high school students and Leadership Iowa for business and community leaders. Together, we chat about how real skills open side doors to innovative opportunities. We also talk about event management and the mental weight of such intrinsic work.
Kerty Levy is an advisor, investor, and friend who helps entrepreneurs succeed. Kerty and Ben collaborated through Techstars, so we grab the morning oars to first dance with how smooth is fast.
Together, we then glide through the wild experience of accelerators. The value is vast as we continue by discussing why to think big, building a team, ecosystem exploration, founder-market fit, OKRs, KPIs, financial modeling, mentor madness with a #GiveFirst mindset, raising venture capital, perfecting a pitch, quick thoughts on web3, opportunities of a Startup Weekend, and the special bond that is Techstars for life.
Jeff Reed is a problem solver who uses the art of connection to design the future. Awarded 2023 innovation ENTREPRENEUR of the Year, Jeff is a caring leader who is fueled by the unmatched energy of accelerating others. This elevated episode will make you feel like you’re on top of a mountain as we discuss idea navigation, design thinking, mentor madness, long-term content creation, and hiking the finite journey of life.
Danny O’Halloran defines founder-market-fit and Jake Miyazaki is a data scientist. These high school friends, turned roommates, and now co-founders are building MetaFuel. This team worked through the Techstars Iowa Accelerator in 2022. Today, they deliver a turnkey smart fleet platform that plugs into vehicle telematic systems. The MetaFuel Card is their latest innovation, which helps small trucking companies automate IFTA compliance, identify operational inefficiencies, and drive uptime.
Meet Me Half Way as we crush this episode in our monster truck, with a thoughtful discussion around technology in trucking, web3 ideas for a web2 industry, automated transportation, and much more.
Welcome back to school! Tom Swartwood has made the world a better place by accelerating endless students around the globe. We talk about activating the entrepreneurial spirit within academia and redefining retirement for leaders who will never stop making a ruckus to fuel positive change around the world.