IU Ventures

Mike Farah is a producer of film & television. A 3-time Emmy winner, select credits include Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, @fter Midnight with Taylor Tomlinson, Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis, Billy on the Street, Drunk History, and American Vandal. Mike recently embarked on a new phase of his career as an independent producer after leaving Funny Or Die, where he started as its first producer in 2008, later rising to CEO. Hear what drew him from Ann Arbor to Bloomington, how he got his start producing, what Will Ferrell & Zach Galifianakis are like in person, how to bring joy as a leader, and the reason Mike missed out on Little 5. Learn more about Mike on LinkedIn, and learn more about IU Ventures at IUVentures.com. This podcast is presented by Kelley Direct Online MBA. Learn more at Kelley.IU.edu

David Krane is the CEO & Managing Partner at GV (Google Ventures - Google's venture capital fund) and balances his time between directing GV's global activities & leading investments. His portfolio includes Uber, StockX, Mill, NOTHING, Nest, Bored Ape Yacht Club, and Blue Bottle Coffee. His Google career began nearly 25 years ago, where he helped grow the company from a small startup to a multi-billion dollar global enterprise. Hear the most important pitch of his life, what the early days of Google were like as employee 84, the moment he knew Google would be a massive success, how he decides what companies to invest in, and his memories from History of Rock and Roll Music with Professor Glenn Gass. Learn more about David at GV.com and on LinkedIn, and learn more about IU Ventures at IUVentures.com. This podcast is presented by Kelley Direct Online MBA. Learn more at Kelley.IU.edu

Julie Heath serves as Executive Director of IU Innovates, a new initiative that advances entrepreneurship at Indiana University. She co-chairs the Ecosystem Building Leadership Network (EBLN), a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives, catalyzed by a series of initiatives funded by the Kauffman Foundation. Hear about her upbringing in a family of public servants, her memories from working at the Smithsonian, the magic that comes from bringing entrepreneurs together, the story behind IU Innovates, and the role of the Von Lee in supporting IU entrepreneurs. Learn more about Julie on LinkedIn and learn more about IU Ventures at IUVentures.com. This podcast is presented by Kelley Direct Online MBA. Learn more at Kelley.IU.edu

IU alum Dan Hanrahan is the Founder of Neighbor Serve, which helps Indy neighbors care for their homes by finding vetted, local-owned contractors. An experienced entrepreneur in tech, marketing, and the trades, Dan also founded and co-owns Haulstr (home services), Sigstr (marketing tech acquired by Terminus), and iGoDigital (ecommerce tech acquired by ExactTarget/Salesforce). Hear how his showdown with Antwaan Randle El went at the HPER, his favorite part of launching startups, the most valuable skill set for a startup founder, how to keep going when times are tough, and the Bloomington restaurant he misses the most. Learn more about Dan on LinkedIn, NeighborServe.com, and the Neighbor Serve Facebook page, and learn more about IU Ventures at IUVentures.com. This podcast is presented by Kelley Direct Online MBA. Learn more at Kelley.IU.edu

IU student Matt Gacek is a first-generation entrepreneur and a rising senior at the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering at Indiana University. As a sophomore, Matt created Theia, an AI-driven therapy and personal growth app designed to encourage more men and marginalized groups to seek mental health and self-care treatment. Hear the perks of being a digital nomad in Bali, his journey building and selling Theia, how to prepare for an exit, how to turn rejection inside out, and the best pizza and ice cream in Bloomington. Learn more about Matt on LinkedIn, and learn more about IU Ventures at IUVentures.com. This podcast is presented by Kelley Direct Online MBA. Learn more at Kelley.IU.edu

Vince Wong brings significant valuable multinational and startup company experience to BioCrossroads, a catalyst for Indiana's diverse and growing life sciences industry. Before becoming CEO, he was most recently Chief Commercial Officer at Geneoscopy, a venture-backed start-up company focused on developing gastrointestinal diagnostics. Hear his experience in Bloomington for law school, what he learned from his gap year in China, how to grow a startup in a highly-regulated environment, what the life sciences ecosystem looks like today and in the future, and how we can further support Indiana University as a leader in life sciences. Learn more about Vince on LinkedIn and BioCrossroads.com, and learn more about IU Ventures at IUVentures.com. This podcast is presented by Kelley Direct Online MBA. Learn more at Kelley.IU.edu

Megan Caldwell recently helped sell Elevate Security to Mimecast. Previous to the sale, Megan spent 5 years at Elevate Security, leading at different times the customer, sales, and operations teams. Hear her memories racing in the Little 500, stories of famous phishing scams, lessons from leading multiple exits, how to develop an exit strategy, and her secret spot to hang out on campus. Learn more about Megan on LinkedIn, ElevateSecurity.com, and Mimecast.com, and learn more about IU Ventures at IUVentures.com. This podcast is presented by Kelley Direct Online MBA. Learn more at Kelley.IU.edu

Jean Ross, RN is the Co-Founder and CEO of Primary Record, an app designed to provide families with a secure platform to organize, collaborate, and share health data. As a second-degree nurse, Jean's career began in critical care before she expanded her focus to the community - driven by her passion for supporting older adults and family caregivers. Hear her unlikely path to IU, how to focus on families with your business, how to build a business with a business partner, how to iterate your pitch deck along the way, and Jean's memories on the court at HPER. Learn more about Jean on LinkedIn and at PrimaryRecord.com, and learn more about IU Ventures at IUVentures.com. This podcast is presented by Kelley Direct Online MBA. Learn more at Kelley.IU.edu

Thomason "Tommy" Chan is a Serial Entrepreneur and the CEO of ACwise. He's been at the forefront of innovation in FoodTech, online marketplace, FinTech, and sustainability, and has over 15 years of experience building and scaling startups in Asia. Hear how he got his first number at Nick's, how ACwise is leading accessible sustainability, how to keep your entrepreneurial spirit as a founder, why it's so important to fail, and the funding environment in Singapore. Learn more about Tommy on LinkedIn and at ACwise.com, and learn more about IU Ventures at IUVentures.com. This podcast is presented by Kelley Direct Online MBA. Learn more at Kelley.IU.edu

Max Yoder is the Co-Founder and Former CEO of Lessonly, which was acquired by Seismic in 2021. He's the Author of Do Better Work, an Amazon #1 Bestseller about communication and teamwork. Hear why he initially thought he got rejected by IU, how to find mentors and gain support from others, the pivot that shaped the trajectory of Lessonly, how to show your humanity as an entrepreneur, and how his book helped him and his business. Learn more about Max on LinkedIn, check out his book on Amazon, and learn more about IU Ventures at IUVentures.com. This podcast is presented by Kelley Direct Online MBA. Learn more at Kelley.IU.edu