Middle Tech

Brad Luttrell is the co-founder and CEO of GoWild, a Louisville-based social commerce platform driven by a data-driven shopping experiences that makes outdoor activities easy to learn & fun to share. Since Brad first came on for ep. 85, GoWild has refined their business model, grown their user base, added several new employees, and raised $4.5mm in venture capital. Aside from hearing about how GoWild has grown, our conversation with Brad also covers his approach to managing a hybrid work environment, the Send It Slam festival GoWild is putting on, and what he's learned about raising capital along the way.

Learn more about GoWild at TimeToGoWild.com

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Middle Tech is proud to be supported by:

Our presenting sponsor, KY Innovation

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The Johnson Law Group

Render Capital

New addition to the Middle Tech Podcast team, Evan Boggs, dives into some useful tips on how to combat the creative block and burnout. 

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Logan and Evan give their thoughts on remote work and the stance Elon has taken on it, and discuss the current state of the US & global economies as Jamie Dimon says we’re headed for an “economic hurricane”.

Watch Middle Tech's Friday Updates LIVE at 8:30am EST on Instagram every week! @MiddleTechPod

Today's Friday Update is sponsored by KY Innovation and Bolt Marketing

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Haley Cawthon is the Assistant Managing Editor at Louisville Business First, a business media publisher covering business news, data and networking for the Greater Louisville area. Our conversation with Haley centers around Ky Inno, a part of Louisville Business First covering Louisville's innovation economy, and working to connect & catalyze the region’s next-generation businesses and business leaders. Throughout this conversation, we discuss media's role in the startup and innovation ecosystem, how the media landscape is shifting thanks to technology such as social media, and what Haley has observed through covering some of Kentucky's top startups and founders.

Learn more about Ky Inno at https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/inno

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Middle Tech is proud to be supported by:

Our presenting sponsor, KY Innovation

Bolt Marketing

The Johnson Law Group

Render Capital

Nate reads a blog originally by Tom Monarch about the importance of an effective Shareholder Agreement when starting a company.

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Nate and Danny discuss continued Twitter/Elon drama, Amazon Style stores, Ethereum 2.0, and Saudi Aramco potentially buying Lexington's Valvoline.

Watch Middle Tech's Friday Updates LIVE at 8:30am EST on Instagram every week! @MiddleTechPod

Today's Friday Update is sponsored by KY Innovation and Bolt Marketing

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For this episode, Logan arranged an interview with a key player in Tampa’s tech community during his visit during CommerceLex's Leadership Visit. Forbes recently named Tampa the #1 Emerging Tech Ecosystem and we wanted to dig into why that is.

Lakshmi Shenoy is the CEO of Embarc Collective, a Tampa-based organization that supports the city’s entrepreneurs by curating the experiences, resources, and environment that helps forward-thinking founders and their teams thrive. Embarc believes that each company is different and measures success in different ways, and therefore works with companies to provide individualized support based on their defined milestones. Prior to leading Embarc, Lakshmi attended University of Chicago and Harvard Business School, and worked to build Chicago’s startup ecosystem through her role at 1871. Our conversation covers the approach that Embarc takes to support Tampa’s entrepreneurs, the catalysts that have allowed their ecosystem to thrive, and their areas of focus as they look to establish Tampa as a major player in America’s tech scene.

Learn more about Embarc Collective at EmbarcCollective.com

Visit us at MiddleTech.com 

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Middle Tech is proud to be supported by:

Our presenting sponsor, KY Innovation

Bolt Marketing

The Johnson Law Group

Render Capital

Nate takes a closer look into a trending breaking news headline regarding well-known rappers Young Thug and Gunna. The two rappers, along with several others were involved in a grand-jury indictment for members of the YSL (Young Slime Life). Will this change the rap scene and the creative process forever? What's next?

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Logan, Nate, and Ross discuss new legislation and policies emerging around content moderation on social media and Ross gives a summary on the new development coming to downtown Lex.

Watch Middle Tech's Friday Updates LIVE at 8:30am EST on Instagram every week! @MiddleTechPod

Today's Friday Update is sponsored by KY Innovation and Bolt Marketing

Visit us at MiddleTech.com

Gary Briggs is the former CMO of Facebook and has deep experience in the tech industry, serving in leadership roles with Google, PayPal, Ebay, and IBM, among others. Gary is part of a group called Meeting of America that is working to build a platform aimed at addressing the growing divisiveness that we see forming in our country through facilitating conversations among those who might share different views, in a constructive and open-minded way. Meeting of America just conducted their first pilot in Lexington, Kentucky and is planning a roll out to the rest of the country. Our conversation covers Gary’s extensive background in the tech industry, his views on how social media and technology have influenced society, and what he hopes to accomplish with Meeting of America.

Learn more about Meeting of America at MeetingOfAmerica.us

Visit us at MiddleTech.com 

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

LinkedIn

Evan's Twitter

Logan's Twitter

Middle Tech is proud to be supported by:

Our presenting sponsor, KY Innovation

Bolt Marketing

The Johnson Law Group

Render Capital