Jeffrey Kaplan is the Director of Venture Asheville, an organization helping startups throughout Asheville by connecting them with talent, mentors, and investors. Through programs such as The Elevate Program, Asheville Angels Investor Network, and by partnering with local support organizations - like Supportedly - the company has helped startups throughout the community raise over $4-Million in capital. They have been featuredin several print publications including Forbesand The Huffington Post. Beforeworking with Venture Asheville, Jeff instructed in Entrepreneurship at the University of Florida, launched and successfully sold a pet-tech company, and has worked as a Product Owner and Consultant in digital product development at Anthroware.

 

Nick Moen is the founder of The Bright Angle, a collaborative handmade design studio in Asheville that focuses on bridging the gap between technology, design, and handmade crafts. He is a designer and studio artist with a background in ceramics and a degree from Alfred University with a focus on ceramic design and materials. He is passionate about working in a collaborative environment with highly skilled craftspeople, producing well-designed handcrafted products for customers to enjoy and cherish.

 

Jeff joins me today to share his journey into entrepreneurship and why he is passionate about helping the entrepreneurial and startup communities. He explains how Venture Asheville helps startups connect and network with mentors, investors, and other entrepreneurs within the community and the support new entrepreneurs can expect from each of their programs. He also explains how to identify when your startup is ready to pitch to investors and shares tips on how to create a well-thought-out pitch. I also spoke with Nick to learn how The Elevate Program has helped him grow and scale his businesses, how he discovered the program, and some of the exciting new projects he has planned on the horizon with his company.

 

 

 

“Entrepreneurship is the most freedom-creating, independence-driving movement of our time. An individual can gain entrepreneurial skills so they can be their owndriver of self-reliance.” - Jeffrey Kaplan

 

 

 

This week on the Supportedly Podcast:

 

• How Jeff began working with Venture Asheville.
• Why he is passionate about helping the entrepreneurial and startup communities.
• How the Elevate Program assists high-growth startups.
• What is the Asheville Angel Investor Network and how it helps entrepreneurs raise capital for their ventures?
• What is the Asheville Entrepreneurship Week?
• The type of entrepreneur that The Elevate Program can help the most.
• The support entrepreneurs can expect from The Elevate Program’s mentors and participants.
• How to identify when your startup is ready to pitch to the Asheville Angel Investor Network.
• Advice on creating the perfect pitch for angel investor funding.
• How to get started with Venture Asheville.
• Nick’s journey into entrepreneurship and how he started The Bright Angle.
• Interesting and unique projects that have started from the collaborations and connections he’s madewith other artists.
• How he became involved with Venture Asheville’s Elevate program.
• His experience with participating in the Elevate program.
• How the Elevate program has impacted the growth of The Bright Angle.
• Nick’s advice for startup entrepreneurs.
• What every entrepreneur should ask themselves before working with Venture Asheville.

 

 

 

“The mentors I’ve worked with in Asheville Venture’s Elevate program have really helped me refine what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and how to move forward.” - Nick Moen

 

 

 

 

Free & Low-Cost Programs at Venture Asheville:

 

• The Elevate Program
• Asheville Angels Investor Network

 

 

Resources Mentioned:

 

• The Only 10 Slides You Need in a Pitchby Guy Kawasaki

 

 

Connect with Jeffrey Kaplan:

 

• Venture Asheville
• Email: [email protected]

 

 

Connect with Nick Moen:

 

• The Bright Angle
• The Bright Angle on YouTube

 

 

 

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