Built in Ohio

Sam Change is the co-founder at Midstory, Toledo's Media Thinkhub. A nonprofit that examines, researches and reports on the issues of brain drain, community, and the historical intersections between environment, industry, and technology.

In this episode, we spoke with Sam about why he returned to Toledo after attending Princeton and beginning his career on the East Coast, what exactly is a thinkhub and how their work can help cities like Toledo across the country.

Sam started Midstory with a group of similar-minded people to cultivate the many narratives from the Midwest, to challenge, uplift, restore, clarify, and empower this region through creative multimedia storytelling and solutions-oriented research, to be a magnet for more individuals like me to also find the courage and boldness to return.

Midstory is dedicated to retain, cultivate and attract youth and the public to post-industrial cities — beginning in the city of Toledo — through creative storytelling and solutions-oriented projects.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit nonpartisan thinkhub, Midstory works toward revitalizing the socio-cultural infrastructure of the Midwest region by bringing together researchers, creatives, students and other young people from all over the nation to work on research, docket creation, creative storytelling and public media creation. Past and current topics include demography, the Lake Erie water crisis, higher education, and more.

For more information on Midstory: https://www.midstory.org/

Connect with Sam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-chang-68178989/

Calvin Cooper is the co-founder and CEO of Rhove, a Columbus-based fintech company founded on the belief that everyone has the right to invest in their home.

In this episode we talk to Calvin about bringing innovation to the challenges of home ownership, why this was an idea he and his co-founders just had to pursue and what the future of ownership looks like.

Prior to founding Rhove, Calvin was a Director and Venture Partner at an early stage venture capital firm located in the Midwest. Calvin is active in community and entrepreneur support organizations.

He serves on the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center YEx Advisory Board. In 2017, the Columbus City Council and the Create Columbus Commission recognized Calvin with the Visionary Award, and he was also listed in the 40 Under 40 Class of 2017 by Columbus Business First. Calvin earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Capital University in Financial Economics.

For more information on Rhove: https://rhove.com/

Connect with Calvin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calvinncooper/

Follow Calvin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalvinNCooper

Jay Clouse and Eric Knight Hornung are the co-hosts of Upside, a podcast about startup investing outside of Silicon Valley. They are also the Producers of Test City, USA, a feature film on the technology and startup ecosystem that is Columbus, Ohio.

In this episode we talk with Jay and Eric about their journey during the filming of Test City, USA, what they learned about the innovation ecosystem in Columbus, and how cities across the world are trying to create their own Silicon Valleys.

For more information on Upside: https://upside.fm/

To watch Test City, USA: https://upside.fm/test-city-usa/

Connect with Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayclouse/

Follow Jay on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayclouse

Connect with Eric on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekhornung/

Follow Eric on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ekhornung

Jerry Valentine is the Founder and CEO of Renter Mentor, a for-profit social enterprise IT and consultant services company that helps connect people to affordable housing.

The idea of Renter Mentor was first pitched at Give Back Hack Columbus, a weekend hack-a-thon for social good, in April of 2019, where the team won the competition and received seed money for the idea.

Jerry and the team then took the idea to the 2019 SEA Change Signature Cohort, a 14 week startup accelerator for social entrepreneurs, that allowed them to develop the concept, business plan and product. At the conclusion of the program, Renter Mentor was named a Top Three startup and won additional seed money.

The idea of Renter Mentor was born during Jerry's time working at the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority and where he experienced firsthand the challenges and problems that existed in the space.

Jerry is a graduate of Ohio University and currently resides in Columbus. 

Learn more about Renter Mentor: https://www.rentermentor.net/

Connect with Jerry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerry-valentine-24610b194/

Follow Jerry on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JerryV513_

Andrew Wolfe is the CEO of Skiplist, a software company that accelerates development and drives value for organizations of all sizes.

In this episode we talk to Andrew about his decision to build his company remotely, why that decision is paying off now, and how other leaders can make the successful shift.

As a leader and executive dedicated to building world-class teams and solutions to the world’s hardest technology problems, Andrew advise startups and enterprises on the right way to adopt cutting-edge technology into their companies and products while ensuring that their teams can handle the innovations themselves.

For more information on Skiplist, please visit: https://skiplist.com/

To connect with Andrew on LinkedIn, please visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-wolfe-5a127034/

Follow Andrew on LinkedIn: https://twitter.com/AndrewWWolfe

Ben Blanquera is the Vice President of Client Success and Experience at the Columbus Callboratory and the Founder of TechLife Columbus.

In this episode, we talk to Ben about how the strong Columbus tech community was born, the journey to today and his background as a community leader. We also learn more about his work at the Columbus Collaboratroy, which is a unique and innovative advanced technology company that focuses on driving solutions in the areas of big data, analytics and cyber security.

Ben's career has included technology focused leadership positions at Fortune 100 companies, nonprofits and startups.

Connect with Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benblanquera/

For more on TechLife Columbus, please visit: http://www.techlifecolumbus.com/

For more information on the Columbus Collaboratroy, please visit: https://columbuscollaboratory.com/

Doug Weintraub is the Chief Executive Officer of Bounce Innovation Hub, an accomplished technology executive, and active investor and advisor to startups.

In this episode, we speak with Doug on how Akron came together to build Bounce, his entrepreneurial story and his work today as a tech investor.

Bounce is Akron’s “front door” for collaborative innovation and seeks to engage, educate and grow Akron's innovation ecosystem. Bounce serves community innovators including startup founders, universities, corporations, investors and makers by offering programming, event space, private office space, conference rooms, co working space, a maker space, and an online community.

Doug has built his career in the tech industry, holding roles from Chairman, CEO, Advisor, Investor, and more.

Connect with Doug on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglas-weintraub-4799a75/

For more information on Bounce Innovation Hub, please visit: https://bouncehub.org/

Rehgan Avon is the Founder and President of Women in Analytics and Principal Consultant at Rehgan Consulting where she helps businesses grow through analytics and technology.

In this episode with Rehgan, we talk about how she launched a global community through Women in Analytics, elevating diverse voices and launching her new business.

Rehgan has spent her career executing on the fundamentals of developing and implementing data science and analytics products and solutions. She specializes in analyzing, assessing, and improving analytics processes and standards.

She also evaluates analytics tools, solutions, and strategies to fit operational needs and requirements. Rehgan has worked with best in class organizations designing and implementing these standards.

Her experience is grounded in working with early stage technology startup companies to build analytics software for the large enterprise. She is passionate about cultivating analytics and technology communities that are diverse and equitable.

For more information on Women in Analytics, please visit: https://womeninanalytics.com/

For more information on Rehgan Consulting, please visit: https://rehganconsulting.com/

Connect with Rehgan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rehganavon/

Justin Bibb is Vice President of Corporate Strategy for KeyCorp and a community leader in his hometown of Cleveland.

In this episode, we talk with Justin about Cleveland's comeback, his work with smart cities across America and how to build opportunity for everyone.

Prior to joining Key, Justin was a Senior Consultant at Gallup and was responsible for building and growing the firm’s Global Cities Practice. His client portfolio included local governments, foundations, and public-private partnerships. In that capacity, he provided advisory services in the areas of smart cities, economic development, and government service delivery transformation.

Previously, Justin served as Director of Corporate Strategy for kgb, a leading provider of local information, financial products and business solutions, where he was responsible for supporting the firm’s senior executive team with leading strategic business development initiatives and evaluating and executing M&A opportunities.

Justin received his J.D. and M.B.A. from Case Western Reserve University and his B.A. in Urban Studies from American University and the London School of Economics. Justin serves on the boards of Destination Cleveland, Teach for America Greater Cleveland, LAND studio, Inc., and the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. 

Connect with Justin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinbibb/

Follow Justin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justinmbibb

Kaleb Dumont is the Founder and CEO of Integrity Power Search, a boutique retained search firm for high growth startups & technology companies across North America.

In this episode, we talk with Kaleb about building great teams, doing it remotely and what top talent looks for when deciding on opportunities. 

Since 2012, Kaleb and his team at IPS have successfully executed 800+ searches and their clients have collectively raised over $2.5 billion in VC funding and counting.

Kaleb is also an active startup investor and works with top tech startups all across North America.

Connect with Kaleb on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalebdumot/

Learn more about Integrity Power Search: https://www.integritypowersearch.com/