The Startup Catalyst

Joining us today on the Season 2 finale is Lisa Kleissner, co-founder of The Toniic Institute, KL Felicitas Foundation, and Hawaii Investment Ready. She’ll be talking to us today about her pursuits to expand impact investing on both the local and global levels.

From her beginnings in Hawaii and success in Silicon Valley to being a pioneer in the field of impact investing, Lisa has stayed true to her values in the midst of many challenges. Lisa is changing the landscape of financial investment and helping XLR8ALL by showing how impact investing can pay dividends financially and socially. This female investor is tackling the industry's inclusivity problem by investing in and impacting the communities that need help the most. We’ll find out how she defines success in impact investing and how it can be expanded globally. Plus, we’ll hear her take on how the financial industry can bridge the gap and promote inclusivity through transparency.

Joining us today is Elizabeth Gore, Founder & President of Alice. She’s a pioneer in more ways than one, and is our first guest to join us from the road.

From a cattle ranch in rural Texas to maneuvering the high tech world of artificial intelligence, Elizabeth has never been afraid to take on life’s biggest challenges. She's changing the landscape of entrepreneurship and helping XLR8ALL by using technology to help women and minority founders reach their goals. Following in the footsteps of her grandmother, Elizabeth is leading by example and creating a better future for tomorrow's leaders.

Today’s guest is Olin Lagon, Founder of Shifted Energy.

From growing up in one of Hawaii's most notorious low income housing developments to founding a sustainable energy storage startup, Olin has always triumphed despite the odds and managed to stay ahead of the curve. When he’s not founding companies and spearheading innovation, Olin gives back to the community by providing technical educational programs for underrepresented youth in Hawaii. Tune in to find out Olin’s favorite surf spot, and why he’s passionate about Hawaii’s future.

Today’s guest is Rodney Sampson, a Brookings Fellow & the Founder of Opportunity Hub.

From Atlanta to Washington DC, Rodney has been forging his own path for as long as he can remember. A lifelong problem solver, entrepreneur, and thought leader, Rodney has dedicated his life's work to giving back to the citizens of Atlanta, elevating the black community in America, and shifting the landscape when it comes to tech, entrepreneurship, and investing. He’s not just the CEO of OHUB, he’s also the founder of Techsquare labs, a Fellow at the Brookings Institute in Washington DC, and a proud husband and father. In this episode, we’ll hear what inspired Rodney along the way, and what he believes is the key to closing the gap and increasing inclusivity across the venture capital industry.

On today’s podcast, we’ll hear from Donavan Kealoha, a Director at Startup Capital Ventures and Founder of Purple Mai'a.

Find out how Donavan, proud local boy and Native Hawaiian, translated his humble beginnings on the island of Lānaʻi into a successful career in the venture capital industry, while providing technical education to disadvantaged children in Hawaii. He’ll give us his take on the importance of inclusivity within the tech and venture capital industries, and discuss some of the challenges (and blessings) he has faced as a Native Hawaiian in these fields. We’ll also hear two critical pieces of advice for individuals to promote inclusivity in the business realm and most importantly, the need to focus on positive strength rather than negative obstacles to achieve success in a competitive world.

Today, we’ll hear from Maureen Murat, Founder & Chief Advisor of Crowdie Advisors, and Of Counsel at Cogent Law Group.

Find out how Maureen persevered in the face of tremendous adversity, and the obstacles she encountered as a first-generation Haitian-American searching for success. Later, we'll learn about her unexpected path to entrepreneurship, law, and blockchain technology. We’ll hear her take on the importance of affirmative action, and why she believes inclusion and diversity in business is essential. Finally, Maureen shares two critical pieces of advice for women and minorities looking to make it in the entrepreneurial scene, and her tips how to network like a boss.

Today, we’ll hear from Aaron Walker, Founder and CEO of Camelback Ventures.

Focused on increasing diversity in the startup ecosystem by addressing the many inequities of entrepreneurship and education, Camelback Ventures is shifting the landscape and helping underrepresented founders get their shot. We’ll find out what led Aaron down his path to become a visionary CEO, from his days as a public school teacher in West Philadelphia, to selecting his fourth group of fellows in 2018. Aaron shares with us his vision as a CEO, built upon the lessons he's learned along the way that have allowed him to overcome the odds and make a positive change in the industry. Plus, we’ll find out the number one thing he says every aspiring entrepreneur should learn in order to be successful.

Today's guest is Julie Lenzer, Co-director of UM Ventures and Associate Vice President of Innovation and Economic Development.

Before leading the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship for the EDA, Julie built a reputation as someone who gets S#!& done. From her early days in Dallas, to spearheading innovation at UM Ventures, Julie has always managed to embrace life's hurdles and turn the negative into a positive. Find out how she got involved in tech, and what she's doing to empower her daughters, women, and minorities across the country.

Somebody has to tell entrepreneurs when their baby is ugly. Today’s guest isn’t afraid to tell founders the harsh truths that face their businesses. Join us as we hear from Kirstie Chadwick, President & CEO of InBIA.

As a pioneer in the tech industry, Kirstie got her first taste of #StartupLife when she joined a software company in the early years before they went public. When everyone else went to Silicon Valley during the 90s dot com boom, Kirstie stayed in Florida and managed to forge a career from the East Coast. Find out how she wound up leading InBIA, a global network of incubators, accelerators and other entrepreneurial support organizations with over 2,200 members. Plus, hear why some people call her the Ice Queen.

Today’s guest is Samson Williams. A partner and co-founder at Axes & Eggs, Samson is the internet's go-to cryptocurrency, blockchain, and crowdfunding expert.

Growing up in rural Texas, no one was expected to make it further than the edge of town. Samson Williams not only left Texas, but made a name for himself across the world for his no-nonsense problem-solving abilities and financial expertise.

Tune in to today’s episode to hear about the Washington D.C. resident who travels around the world, advising startups and companies on everything they need to know about innovation, blockchain, technology, and crowdfunding.

We’ll hear how a half-black, half-mexican guy from Texas became the official Irish Ambassador for crowdfunding to the EU. Plus, find out why he thinks Amazon will soon launch their very own cryptocurrency token, and why that could catalyze change for the U.S. government.