614Startups

On this episode, Elio interviews Tad Dritz, Entrepreneur in Residence at Ikove Capital. Tad discusses his love for cycling, the Ikove evaluation process for identifying startups they fund, and the first Ikove Pitch Day. Enjoy!

On this episode, Elio interviews Vickie Nortz of Ridiculously Good Salsa. Vickie, a part-time nurse who launched her food company while serving as a caregiver to her child and working full-time epitomizes the entrepreneurial spirit. Not only is Ridiculously Good Salsa ridiculously good, the company is well led and focused on building long-term relationships with local grocers and brand loyalty with their customers. This episode is chock full of practical tips that can only come from experience in the trenches. Enjoy.

On today’s episode, my guest is Travis Smith, Founder & CEO of TribeVest. We discuss one of the most interesting and needed startup ideas we have had on 614Startups, group investing. TribeVest is an online platform that makes forming a small investment group and funding investments easy, transparent, and accessible to the masses. Small group investing has primarily been the domain of immigrants allowing them to pool resources in order to achieve a common goal such as opening a business or investing in real estate. TribeVest seeks to spread the word about small group investing and create a community of successful small group investors all across the globe.

On this episode of the podcast, I interview Adiya Dixon Wiggins, Founder of Yubi Beauty. We discuss the invention process, inspiration for the Yubi Brush and diversity in beauty. We explore Adiya’s journey from idea, to product and the Yubi Brush being named one of Time Magazine’s 50 Best Inventions of 2018. Enjoy!!

I have a treat for you today, especially for all the women out there who loves to do makeup, as I have our very own Adiya Dixon Wiggins, Founder of Yubi Beauty. Today’s podcast will be all about discussing the invention process, inspiration and diversity in beauty, and how was her journey from getting an idea to becoming a powerful CEO of a successful beauty brand. The principle product of Yubi beauty is the Yubi Brush that is a tool designed to elevate and simplify the cosmetic application experience for women everywhere.

On this episode of the 614Startups Podcast, Elio chats with Bri Branco of Ikove Startup Nursery. We discuss how she went from intern to Head of Creative for Ikove, how Ikove’s startup studio works, and her views on the importance of creative strategy for startups.

Our guest today is Tonnisha English, Founder of TJE Communications. TJE Communications is a public relations and digital marketing firm that helps small businesses develop and execute comprehensive marketing strategies to brand awareness. Tonnisha discusses her journey from a recent college graduate who couldn’t find work to the founder of a fast-growing PR firm helping startups grow.

On today’s episode, our guest is Michelle Murcia, Founder and CEO of Book+Street. We discuss Michelle’s distinguished corporate career, her transition to working with startups and her founder’s journey of building a fractional CFO practice that helps entrepreneur’s set up financial systems that can take them from early-stage ventures to growth and beyond.

Today in the house we have the man himself Ashwin Rajgopal, Chief Technology Officer of NXTSTOR. We discuss what NXTSTOR is all about and the big problem they are working to solve. NXTSTOR is basically a peer-to-peer marketplace for finding and renting storage space. NXTSTOR primarily serves college students who need temporary storage solutions while away from campus housing whether returning home during the summer or while they study abroad.

On this week’s podcast, our guest is Rodolfo Bellesi, Founder of Ikove Capital. Ikove is a venture development company founded to pursue early stage investments in the Mid-West. Rodolfo discusses the importance of taking risks in pursuit of opportunity and how the Startup Nursery model helps Ikove build great companies from ideas and research in a lab to market movers impacting the well-being of humanity.