Raising Capital

Rubik’s Cube

Curt Nelson and Beth Meyer help entrepreneurs spin the Rubik’s cube that is starting (and scaling) a business. The Entrepreneurial Development Center is celebrating 20 years of really getting involved to make an impact. Curt also leads the Iowa Venture Capital Association.

Together, we chat through the origin story of the EDC, then shift gears to chat about tracking milestones with mentors, giving advice, raising financial capital, managing startup boards, and the investor landscape throughout Iowa.

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By Ben McDougal, ago

Cheers to That

Navarr Grevious and Aaron Carter were visiting Des Moines from Miami, for the Black & Brown Business Summit. After QuikLiq won the $50K pitch competition, we found a spot to chat in the wild!

In EP46, we pour innovations into beer, wine, and spirits. We talk about how these co-founders met at Clark Atlanta University, then reunited to build together. We also talk about transitioning a small business to a scalable startup, technology that connects local communities, building a team, how to win pitch competitions, and signals to help you raise financial capital. After the break, you’ll learn about the three-tiered system within the spirits industry and tasty trends you’ll be sipping on soon. I’ll cheers to that!

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By Ben McDougal, ago

Borderless

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.

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By Ben McDougal, ago

Safe Cāmpfires

Gabriel Glynn solves clues to keep team members protected. MākuSafe is making the world safer with hardware, data, and analytics. Imagine you’re sitting next to the campfire with Ben and Gabriel. Let the s’mores melt, as this heartfelt conversation is brewed to enjoy!

Together, we chat about Gabe growing up with his dad, who worked the 3rd shift and in safety management roles within manufacturing. Hear how this led to innovative ideas that now help manufacturers lead with proactive prevention. We also talk about gratitude, prototyping, raising $20M+, product-market fit, and cultivating a culture of significance while maintaining rocket ship growth.

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By Ben McDougal, ago

Data Enablement

Ryan Gerhardy puts data to work. This friend from Australia started in investment banking and worked within venture capital before launching Pitchly. We unclip from our snowboards to chat about data enablement and leadership to scale a startup. As we discuss his team raising over $10M, Ryan outlines three stages investors look for: Potential, Promise, and Proven.

This episode is invaluable for intrapreneurs looking for productivity within big data, non-technical founders raising capital, and investors looking for fresh opportunities.

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By Ben McDougal, ago