49SAFPOD

Join 49SAF and three exited black entrepreneurs turned entrepreneurial ecosystem builders. They discuss the challenges that Black, Indigenous and People of Color entrepreneurs face. Featuring: Dan Kihanya of Founders Unfound, Erin Horne McKinney of Black Female Founders, and BJ Stewart of Urban Impact.

It's another dual shot of espresso! We sit down with Jani Tuomi, cofounder of Texas-based medical tech company Imaware and Jacqueline Summers, Managing Director of Alaska's Health TIE (Testbed for Innovative Enterprises). We talk COVID, at home medical testing and how one software developer becomes the founder of a health tech company.

We've got a great, informative podcast in two parts--with a royal cameo kicking us off! Hear from Toby Rittner, President and CEO of the Council of Development Finance Agencies ("CDFA"), and Katie Kramer, the company's Vice President. Part I of the Podcast is all about the SBA Loan Options available to small businesses right now in light of COVID-19; Part II is more policy oriented and covers the CARES Act, Development Finance, and best-in-class local finance responses to this crisis. TOP TIP: Alaska's Small Business Development Center's COVID-19 page (https://aksbdc.org/covid19/) is a great resource for details on this as well. PLUS the SBDC is holding daily web briefings on these SBA lending products, answering questions, and getting detailed -- like with this PDF document that explains both the Economic Injury Disaster Loan and the Payroll Protection Program in detail (presented week of April 6, 2020, pdf): https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/articles/EIDL_and_P3_4.1.2020_FINAL_2pm.pdf

We talk with two founders who live 800+ miles apart: Keith MacIntyre of Big Bear Software in Penticton, Canada and Marc Wheeler of Coppa in Juneau, Alaska. It's a mashup cast with meaning: Keith builds tech products, Marc makes Alaska-infused ice cream, and both find common threads in this discussion about entrepreneurship and what helps them, their companies and communities move forward.

HERE WE GO with one of Alaska's premier entrepreneur and investor events. Deadlines: Entrepreneurs (Feb 11), Investors (Feb 29) PLUS make sure to hit the Juneau Innovation

49SAF's Erin Baca and Advisory Committee Member Kevin Croy talk with the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development's Nolan Klouda and Gretchen Fauske on their super-soon-to-launch startup accelerator: www.upstartalpha.com

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! We talk with Andy Rogers of Alaska Business Week (http://alaskabusinessweek.com), a nonprofit that hosts weeklong bootcamps for junior and high school students on entrepreneurship. Andy co-founded the nonprofit, as well as another Anchorage company--which today is known as Pango Technology. We talk about investing, entrepreneurial capacity building, economics, gratitude and more.

We're talking with Pitchfest 2019 participants Meredith Noble of LearnGrantWriting.org, Candy Fitzpatrick of Rest Angles, Mike Irving of Alaska's Best Shellfish, Chidi Iwuoha of Agent Film School and Suzanne Swartz of ApothAKary. And we cover a lot of ground: These individual startups, the easiest and hardest things about Pitchfest, customer development / lead gen, as well as whether Pitchfest should keeping going, and whether Alaska needs some kind of entrepreneur-led support group. It's a deep and fun one, dive in!

We talk with Jennifer about September's Pitchfest 2019 event (she's involved); the changes she's seen recently in both her client base and the Anchorage startup scene; and finally, overcoming challenges from the past.

Jeff Levin is an Anchorage-born technologist who helps sail more than a few ships in our community: He's at both the Alaska Developers Alliance, a nonprofit, and Legalverse, his tech startup. Join us for a chat with Jeff about Anchorage charter schools, the UA Scholars program, creating value in the legal space, and what Alaska needs to successfully compete in tech.