614Startups

On this episode, Elio interviews Flavio Lobato, Co-Founder of Ikove Capital. Ikove Capital is is a venture development company founded to pursue early-stage investments with an emphasis on technology commercialization. Through its proprietary Startup Nursery, in partnership with multiple U.S. research institutions, Ikove identifies and validates developing high-impact technologies, providing capital and commercialization resources to bridge the gap between R&D and VC funded rounds. Flavio shares his journey from Harvard to funding and co-founding technology startups on the cutting edge of their respective industries.

On this episode, Elio interviews Kathryn Dougherty, Founder of Spritz Sparkling Tea. In addition to creating delicious beverages that can be enjoyed on their own or as part of your favorite cocktail, Spirtz is committed to supporting females as they pursue their ambitions. The company donates 1% of sales to support female-focused local non-profits. Kathryn shares her path from the corporate world to starting a beverage company without any prior industry experience. Enjoy!

On this episode, Elio sits down with Pat Sweetman, Founder of Voice First to discuss his vision for how to transform Columbus into the voice capital of the world. Voice First helps entrepreneurs, influencers, businesses, and artists to get found on voice-enabled devices like Amazon's Echo and Google Assistant.

On this episode, Elio interviews Tommy Hillyer, Co-Founder of Helm. Helm's platform allows coders to take on challenges and share projects to get hired. Helm makes hiring about creativity, not just competency. Tommy tells the Helm story and how they intend to revolutionize hiring.

On this episode, Elio sits down with Phil Osolinski, Co-Founder of Ryze Rewards to discuss bootstrapping and how Ryze Rewards uses spending to help their users get out of debt. Enjoy!

On this episode, Elio sits down for a second time with Nafis Azad, Co-Founder of Waker. Waker was formed as a result of a merger between Nafis's first company GhostLab and Atlanta-based company Appify. Waker is an application development company that combines technical expertise with business acumen to advise clients on not only how to build their product but also how to turn their idea into a business. We discuss the fundamentals of evaluating a startup idea, building an MVP and finding product-market fit. Enjoy!

Elio interviews Nick Potts, Founder of ScriptDrop. ScriptDrop provides prescription delivery by seamlessly connecting pharmacies to a network of professional couriers. Nick shares his thoughts on what it takes to go from employee to founder and how ScriptDrop intends to change the way you receive your prescriptions in the future.

On this episode, Elio interviews Branden Jones, Co-Founder of Blk Hack. Branden shares his journey from a paper route as a kid to the Founder of Blk Hack a company that helps African Americans and people of color grow, nurture, and scale their businesses by providing access to an engaged and supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem. Branden's path provides a brief glimpse into the early days and evolution of the Columbus startup community.

Elio interviews Beni Gradwohl, Co-Founder of Cognovi Labs, a predictive analytics company that “quantifies how people feel, and what they will do next”. Beni started his career in the corporate world including as EVP of Citibank helping homeowners remain in their home during the financial crisis of 2008. Beni and Cognovi Labs are now on the leading edge of predictive analytics and the implications of their work will impact all our lives. Enjoy.

Elio interviews Kyle Barger, Founder of Champion Trading Group and Make-A-Day. Champion Trading Group helps companies in the scrap metal and steel industry increase profits. Make-A-Day is spreading love positivity in our community (Columbus, OH) through random acts of kindness, charitable giving, and volunteering. Kyle shares his story on how he went from 9-5 to starting a company that now generates $10 million per year in revenues and how through Make-A-Day he is making life better one act of kindness at a time.