With the lifetime estate and gift tax exemption, currently $12.92 million for individuals, scheduled to sunset in two years and decrease to around $6 million starting in 2026, our next guest says now is a good time to make the most of your charitable giving strategies. Mike Switzer interviews Ashton Lawrence, a certified financial planner with Mariner Wealth Advisors in Greenville, SC.

Mike Switzer interviews John Warner, a serial entrepreneur and founder of Innoventure in Greenville, S.C. John tells us about two area organizations each recently receiving $1 million grants for cybersecurity research.

Today we continue our discussion from yesterday about a company that was recently accepted into the Austin, Texas location of Techstars, a leading startup accelerator program. They are only the third Midlands-area company in our state to participate in the program, and their business model involves the sneaker resale market. We found this topic quite interesting and so we invited our guest to return for part two. Mike Switzer interviews Brett Nilsen, CEO and co-founder of Copyt in Columbia, SC.

Our next guest’s company was recently accepted into the Austin, Texas location of Techstars, a leading startup accelerator program. They are the third Midlands-area company to participate in the program, which in itself indicates they may have something special. But what’s really interesting is that their business model involves the sneaker resale market. Now that’s a specialty. Mike Switzer interviews Brett Nilsen, CEO and co-founder of Copyt in Columbia, SC.

The tight labor market continues to push companies toward finding more efficient ways to operate with fewer employees. Our next guest’s company has been busy developing augmented reality software for just this purpose and that has moved them onto the radar of SC Launch and a $250,000 investment. Mike Switzer interviews Angela Ortiz, co-founder of New Forge Technologies in Lake Wylie, SC.

The cryptocurrency market has been on a steady rebound this year. Ok, well maybe steady is not the right word because it has certainly continued its traditional volatility. So where does it go from here? Mike Switzer interviews Allen Gillespie, chief investment officer at FinTrust Capital Advisors in Greenville, SC.

Mike Switzer interviews John Warner, a serial entrepreneur and founder of Innoventure in Greenville, S.C. John talks about the importance of the intersection of industry, universities, local government, and economic development.

As the tight labor market continues to pressure business growth, organizations like those run by our next guest are becoming increasingly important as pipelines for talent. Mike Switzer interviews Anne Walker, president and CEO of the Alston Wilkes Society in Columbia, SC.

Two years ago our next guest’s company received $75,000 in grants from SC Launch and just recently, they received another $300,000. All to help them continue to penetrate the market research industry. Mike Switzer interviews Michael Donofrio, co-founder and CEO of TestedHQ in Mauldin, SC.

For the past 40 years, our next guest’s Upstate family-run bakery has been shipping seven-layer cakes across the country and receiving national recognition. Today, we’re going to look into their secret to success. Mike Switzer interviews Richard Reutter, president of Caroline’s Cakes in Spartanburg, SC.