While just one in 10 VC investments achieves a successful exit or next stage funding, a small team of upstarts has quietly come up with a way to significantly increase the odds of identifying whether a startup has a decent shot at succeeding. After two years of internal work, the Microsoft Startup Predictor has proven … Continue reading #23 – THE NEW AI-POWERED TOOL PREDICTING STARTUP SUCCESS →

Can a company change the face of advertising while doing good at the same time?  The founders of Chicago-based Do Good Media are doing just that. In this edition of Series A – The Podcast, we visit with co-founders Jerome Shimizu and Michael Sheng during a visit to startup epicenter 1871. “We provide publishers with … Continue reading #22-DISRUPTING ADVERTISING WHILE DOING GOOD – DO GOOD MEDIA/CHICAGO →

What do you get when you combine a seasoned serial entrepreneur and technologist with a PhD and tenure track cancer researcher at the University of Chicago?  One of the most promising startups disrupting the health care industry. In the latest of edition of Series A – The Podcast, we return to Chicago for a visit … Continue reading #22 – A DATING APP FOR THE MEDICAL INDUSTRY – JASON SMITH/rMARK BIO →

When Expedia founder Rich Barton was secretly building Zillow, it was Seattle tech news site Geekwire that first uncovered and broke the story.  Same with the first tests of Amazon foray into the grocery business and numerous other big tech stories.  That dogged reporting is why the Seattle-based enterprise has become the preeminent voice of … Continue reading #21 – INTERVIEWING THE INTERVIEWERS – GEEKWIRE/SEATTLE →

When it comes to representation and funding for minorities in the startup world, the numbers are sobering. Less than 3% of venture capital goes to female led startups, while just .02% (you read that right) goes to startups led by women of color. And there are so few Hispanics given the opportunity to lead a … Continue reading #21 – BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS AND BOOSTING DIVERSITY – QUEST MOFFAT/PROJECT UK →

How do you make watching sports and other events truly social, and build a successful business for major media companies at the same time?  For Game On co-founder and CEO Alex Beckman, it’s all about the bots. The problem to solve for the San Francisco-based startup is  figuring out how to get people to watch … Continue reading #20 – TRASH TALKING BOTS AND THE NEW MEDIA LANDSCAPE – ALEX BECKMAN/GAME ON →

For every deal, there’s a document.  Actually, potentially hundreds of thousands or even millions of them.  But thriving Chicago startup Heretik is leveraging AI to help the legal world search, sort through and analyze contracts, dramatically cutting the time and money spent in contract review. The work has always been done manually, with lawyers and … Continue reading #19 – AI, CONTRACTS AND A LEGAL DISRUPTION – ANDY ABBOTT/HERETIK →

If knowledge is power, then Chicago-based startup Packback is rocket fuel for college students blasting off into the future (excuse the cheesy analogy, but it’s apropos in this case.) In the latest edition of Series A – The Podcast, hosted by Jim Brisimitzis from the Microsoft for Startups team, we profile the dynamic startup changing … Continue reading #18-CURIOSITY+COMMUNITY=STARTUP SUCCESS – JESSICA TENUTA/PACKBACK →

Attending a conference, meetup or gathering and coming away without making valuable contacts is an all too common and frustrating occurrence for busy business people.  But Chicago-based Proxfinity is shining a literal light on the problem – with a unique wearable and software solution. In this edition of Series A – The Podcast, meet Lisa … Continue reading #17 – MAKING CONNECTING SMARTER & BETTER – LISA CARREL/PROXFINITY →

From a smart city to smart apartments, Kansas City entrepreneur Blake Miller has been at the forefront of innovation on the Silicon Prairie. In the latest edition of Series A – The Podcast, we travel to Kansas City for an in-depth look at why America’s heartland is home to some of the nation’s top tech … Continue reading #16 – SMART APARTMENTS AND A SMARTER KC – BLAKE MILLER/HOMEBASE →