CTStartup Podcast

The gaming world has grown by leaps and bounds, and many entreprenuers have great ideas - but lack the technical skills to implement their vision. That's when they turn to Bernard François, founder of rapid game prototyping company Preview Labs. Bernard's journey may have started across the Atlantic, but his entrepreneurial spirit is the sort of thing the American Dream is made of.

Hiring an employee is all about humans - yet the hiring process seems to be more and more automated, and less human, all the time. Enter Jamie Laufer and her recruitment firm Venn, which is grounded in the belief that a person’s greatest potential lives at the intersection of their talent and passion.

Startups and businesses can take many different shapes - some are full-time endeavors, others are more like successful side hustles. For Paul Gaurino of PG Sports, the line has definitely blurred as the sports apparel brand has been flourishing into a beast of its own. Tune in for a discussion about sports, startups, and building a brand from a deeply held passion.

One part of a vibrant city and culture is that when people come to or move for work, for school, or an event they fall in love with it and decide to stay. This is the case for both co-directors of the Collab Caroline Tanbee Smith and Margaret Lee who came to school at Yale and decided to make New Haven home after they graduated. The Connecticut innovation ecosystem is lucky to have these two as they founded Collab to bring a Heart based approach to building companies and uplifting entrepreneurs. In this episode Eric speaks to them about the Why behind starting Collab and their upcoming accelerator that starts this spring. You can use this link if you would like to apply.

Dave Menard and Eric Francis sit down with the founders of The Bolder Company. Jenny Drescher and Ellen Ornato first came on CTStartup as Connect and Improv and return in their new form, as The Bolder Company. A fun conversation which highlighted how COVID-19 forced them to focus their energy into the business which they could have the most impact on. Great lessons for businesses in this episode in addition to the case being made that puppets are necessary addons to a zoom call. Check them out at https://www.theboldercompany.com/

Being an entrepreneur comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, and Nick Wagner highlights how you can be an entrepreneur even with 9-5. Eric Francis sat down with Nick to explore his entrepreneurial journey from his first DJ contract with his high school to selling an aftermarket car parts business to starting a nonprofit. Through his non-profit C.I.T.E, Nick launched the Full Potential Movement to share career stories, ideas, and experiences to empower people to reach their full potential. This wide ranging conversation highlights how to cultivate and harness entrepreneurial skills in your career.

Eric Francis talks with Michael Cocuzza, Founder an CTO of EnviroPower, in his second appearance on the podcasts about the evolution of his company and himself as an entrepreneur. Over the past couple years, Michael has created a manufacturing company which will be releasing their SmartWatt boiler in 2021. Their heating technology, the SmartWatt Boiler, is the next generation heating technology.

Producing high efficiency heat while generating cleaner and inexpensive electricity, the SmartWatt Boiler, is designed to generate significant savings on operating-cost for homeowners, landlords and grid operators and reduce the carbon footprint for millions of buildings. Check them out at https://www.enviropowertec.com/

Eric Francis sits down with Al Bhatt, Director of District Arts and Education to discuss how he is focusing on digging wells instead of wondering if the glass is half full or half empty. Eric and Al start the conversation talking about the storming of the capital and where the country is at this moment in time. Throughout the podcast, Al showcases how the work District Arts and Education is doing will bring about a better world for New Haven and Connecticut. Please visit their website https://www.transformnhv.org/

CTStartup founders and co-hosts, Eric Francis and Dave Menard, get back into the swing of podcasting as they discuss how the podcast has evolved, the new 2021 sponsorship from Connecticut Innovations and CTNext, and what topics the podcast looks to explore in 2021. The false start that was 2020 is over and CTStartup will be evolving this year to create new forms of content and bring together more voices from the Connecticut Startup Community.

In our latest episode of CT startup, Eric sits down with an old friend, Tom Nassr of Checkmate Digital, to discuss Tom's sale of the company, as well as his next moves in the midst of a global pandemic. Definitely worth tuning into!