StitchCrew Change Makers Podcast

Eighty percent of all venture capital is spent on three coastal states. Unfortunately, this statistic often leads founders to think they have to move to places like California or New York to build a high growth company.  

There are many reasons why fund managers and venture capitalists have concentrated in certain regions, luckily new fund managers are emerging in the middle of the country to close the funding gap and help support early stage entrepreneurs.

Today we talked to one of those fund managers. Nathaniel Harding is the Managing Partner at Cortado Ventures, a new Venture Capital Fund in Oklahoma looking to invest in the most promising companies in the state and region. Join us as we talk to him about the dire need to invest in local startups, and the struggles of establishing an early stage fund in Oklahoma. 

People all over the world are experiencing abrupt life changes as we attempt to return to work safe and responsibly. As founders, we must figure out ways to keep not just our loved-ones but our employees and customers safe, our companies afloat, and investors onboard. And on top of that we also need to take care of our mental state because if we are not well, we can’t help others. 

In this episode we talk to Brian Sampson, the owner of multiple ServiceMaster franchises in Louisville and Nashville specializing in disaster restoration and commercial cleaning services. Before venturing on his own, Brian managed multiple multimillion-dollar business units in the oil and gas industry. Join us as we talk to him about what it’s like to manage an essential business, how his employees are reacting to the situation and how he transitioned from a 6 figure salary with perks and benefits in the oil and gas industry, to a business owner.

Why is it so hard to talk about money? With our parents, spouse, kids, friends, employees and yes, investors? Is it a taboo or social norm?

In this episode we talk to Steven Hughes the founder of Know Money, a nonprofit teaching college students how to think, talk, and interact with money. 

Having made nearly every financial mistake imaginable during his own college experience, Steven now dedicates his efforts to helping other young adults avoid the same pitfalls. Selected for his contributions as one of the Global Shapers at the World Economic Forum Steven is now a nationally recognized Financial Education Instructor providing workshops and conferences in universities across the country. 

Join us as we talk about money, the financial psychology behind it and how we can use it to get us through this uncertain time.

In this episode, we talk to Max Tuchman, the Co-Founder and CEO of Caribu, an interactive video-calling platform that helps grandparents and parents, have virtual playdates, read and draw with children when they’re not in the same location. 

What a concept right? Especially as we shelter at home with our kids in an attempt to flatten the Covid-19 curve. But Max and her Co-Founder came up with this idea way before Covid-19. 

Max's passion for educational equity began way before Caribu. Prior to launching her startup, Max served as the Executive Director of Teach For America in Miami-Dade. Her policy background also helped inform her views on financial equity. Appointed by President Obama, Max served as a White House Fellow in the U.S. Department of Treasury where she worked on issues of financial inclusion and she also worked in Mayor Bloomberg’s administration. 

Join us as we talk to Max about the origins of her startup, how she became the first Latinx Founder to raise more than $1 million dollars via Reg CF, and her experience running an edtech startup ahead of its time.  

Co-founded by Henrique Dubugras and Pedro Franceschi, two engineers who previously founded one of the largest payment processors in Brazil, Brex, is now valued at well over $2 billion dollars and is backed by high profile investors, including Paypal co-founders Max Levchin and Peter Thiel, Y Combinator, Ribbit Capital, Yuri Milner, and Carl Pascarella, former CEO of Visa. 

In this episode, we talk to Larissa Rocha, Employee No. 1 at BREX, the ultimate corporate credit card for Startups which doesn’t require a personal guarantee and has the ability to issue cards instantly while providing higher limits than traditional options on the market. The card also provides points and rewards more suitable and relevant for startups.

Join us as we discuss how as a fintech, BREX is adapting and helping other startups with cash flow and cash management.

Links discussed on the episode:

- Brex's Response to COVID-19 includes new WFH rewards, learn more at brex.com/remotecollaboration

- Webinars and other resources for Startups, go to brex.com/blog

People all over the world are experiencing abrupt life changes as we attempt to flatten the COVID-19 curve. As founders, we must figure out ways to keep not just our loved-ones but our employees and customers safe, our companies afloat, and investors onboard. And on top of that we also need to take care of our own mental state because if we are not well, we can’t help others. This new podcast series we’ll be sharing tips, tools, and tactics from entrepreneurs on how they are adapting to the new norm and how they are finding opportunities in this uncertain time.

 In this episode we talk to Harold Hughes, the Founder of Bandwagon, a blockchain-based analytics company helping sports teams better understand fans behavior and increase game-day revenue. Join us as we discuss how he is adapting and communicating with his team and investors.

Bandwagon is backed by high profile investors including Blue Vista Ventures, Backstage Capital, and the Black Angel Tech Fund. 

Imagine walking out to your backyard and picking bright red tomatoes, bell peppers and fresh-picked cilantro. Or any other fresh produce that is often expensive and difficult to find in stores. Sounds great no? Particularly in times of uncertainty like we are experiencing now as we combat coronavirus fears and isolation.

During World War II, people experienced food shortages, fear and anxiety, so Dr. George Washington Carver, a prominent scientist and inventor, promoted the idea of Victory Gardens, urging people to grow their own food, mostly as a way of supplementing their rations, but also as a way to boost morale. 

There are so many good reasons to begin growing your own food and really no reason not to. Growing food doesn’t just increase your access to nutritious food, it can save you money all while providing a creative and active outlet. It can also help reduce our carbon footprint, since long-distance transportation of produce relies heavily on fossil fuels and packaging. The problem is, not a lot of people know how or where to start. 

Luckily there are social entrepreneurs like Dale and Carrie Spoonmore, the Founders of From Seed to Spoon, who created an app to teach people how to grow their own food. The app even lets you sort out plants by health benefits.

In this episode, we talk to them about the origins of the idea and how they plan to help others build their own Victory Garden.  

Urinary incontinence, or urine leakage you can't control, is something that many Americans, men and women, suffer from. In fact, it is believed that one third of Americans in the U.S. suffer from urinary incontinence. That means millions of people, although experts don’t know the exact number since many people do not tell anyone about their symptoms often because they are embarrassed, or because they think nothing can be done. So they suffer in silence.

Many people think urinary incontinence is just part of getting older. But it's not. It’s also not just a medical problem. It can affect individuals emotionally and psychologically. It can also effect one’s social life. Given that many people who experience it are often afraid to do normal daily activities that keeps them from enjoying life.

Luckily there are entrepreneurs like Allison Watkins-Conti, Founder of Watkins-Conti Products, who is developing women’s health products, including solutions for urinary incontinence. Join us as we talk to Allison about Leaky Lady, her latest invention currently undergoing clinical trials that aims at helping women experiencing this problem, the stigma surrounding the condition, and the struggles she’s had to overcome to get the product to market.

Imagine spending 10 days with creatives, artists and thought leaders from across the world. Last year, the SXSW Conference & Festivals combined exceeded more than 400,000 attendees. The conference alone was comprised of more than 2,100 sessions, 73,000 attendees, almost 4800 speakers, and 4300 media representatives from around the globe. 

SXSW began in 1987 and every year it’s grown in size and scope, emerging as one of the world’s most influential conferences and festivals. The event celebrates the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries — and takes place every year in March in Austin, Texas. This year, SXSW conference will feature 22 diverse tracks of programming and will include featured speakers like:

Award-winning host and comedian, Stephen Colbert, Former Microsoft CEO and founder of USAFacts, Steve Ballmer, New York Times bestselling author Dr. Brené Brown, Kim Kardashian and artist Janelle Monáe, Trent Reznor and mega film director Michael Moore, just to name a few.

Programming will also include pitch competitions, activations and thought-provoking sessions ranging from politics and startups to sports and culture, some of the featured sessions include:

• the Future of Space Exploration? With former Oklahoma Representative and now NASA Administrator, Jim Bridenstine.
• Building the Consumer Bank of the Future From Scratch.
• How Women Win on Gun Safety – and Stop the NRA 
• Leadership in Turbulent Times 

Sounds pretty cool right? But can you imagine having to organize an event of this magnitude?

Join us as we talk to Hugh Forrest, Chief Programming Officer at SXSW about the early days of SXSW, its evolution over time and what to expect this year and in the future. 

You’ve heard us talk about the daunting statistic that almost 80% of all venture capital is spent on three coastal states. And while there are plenty of investors arguing why this trend will continue, there are contrarian investors looking beyond the coasts for their next homerun.

Steve Case, Co-founder of AOL, is one of those investors. Steve co-founded Revolution, an investment firm that houses multiple funds. One of those funds is the Rise of the Rest seed fund which made its debut in 2014 to invest in startups located outside traditional tech hubs. Since, Steve has raised a second fund backed by high profile individuals like Jeff Bezos, Sara Blakely, and Ray Dalio.

As part of their efforts, the Rise of the Rest Team hosts other investors, and first-tier national media on a bus tour every year making one-day stops in five different cities. The goal of the tour is to highlight the innovation happening across the nation. The team also invests in at least one startup per stop. This year, as part of their tour, they will be making a stop in both Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

Although it will be their first bus tour through Oklahoma, the Rise of the Rest Team is already familiar with the startup community in the state. Last year, the fund made their first investment in Oklahoma when they participated in Zero Card’s Series A round which closed at $7 million. 

Join us as we talk to Anna Mason, Partner of the Rise of the Rest and find out more about their investment thesis and get a behind the scenes breakdown of the tour and pitch competition.