upside

Interview begins: 8:37
Debrief: 58:58

Nathan McDonald is the CEO and Managing Partner of Keiretsu Capital as well as the Chairman of the Keiretsu Forum Northwest.

Keiretsu Forum is a global investment community of accredited private equity angel investors, venture capitalists, and corporate/institutional investors. Keiretsu Forum is a worldwide network of capital, resources, and deal flow with 53 chapters on 4 continents. Keiretsu Forum members invest in high-quality, diverse investment opportunities. Keiretsu Forum and Keiretsu Capital (the exclusive worldwide fund partner of Keiretsu Forum) are ranked as the most active venture investors in the USA. The Keiretsu community is also strengthened through its involvement in social and charitable activities.

Keiretsu Forum was founded in the San Francisco East Bay in California in 2000 by Randy Williams.

Key points: 

• Keiretsu Forum's beginning 12:34
• There are no shortcuts to investing 14:26
• Angel investors on Keiretsu 15:37
• Due Diligence teams 19:04
• Timeline for entrepreneurs 21:35
• Competition for deal flow 23:36
• How chapters work? 29:03
• Downsides of an unengaged network 34:47
• Misconceptions of angel investing 38:28
• Angel groups in the time of COVID 47:43

Learn more about Keiretsu Forum:  https://www.keiretsuforum.com/

Follow Nathan McDonald:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanmcdonald1/ 

Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm
–

This episode is sponsored by Enterprise Rising Conference.

This year, Enterprise Rising is October 20-21 and totally online. If you're an enterprise SaaS startup then this will be the best online event you could attend all year.

Get your tickets here and use promo code upside to save an additional 20%.

–

This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland.

Click here to learn more about Taft

–

This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations.

They can do the same for you. 

Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more.

–

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Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show.

Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:

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Interview begins: 10:30
Debrief: 45:38

Mary Grove is Managing Partner of Bread and Butter Ventures. She brings nearly two decades of leadership experience in technology, early-stage investing, and startup ecosystem growth. She began her career working on the Google IPO, and went on to lead new business development partnerships, negotiating early-stage product and technology deals worldwide. Mary then served as the founding director of Google for Startups, leading the company’s global efforts to support entrepreneurs in over 100 countries. 

After her 15 year career at Google, Mary worked as an investment partner at Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund where she led dozens of investments in a range of sectors including healthcare, enterprise software, and fintech. She also built the fund’s portfolio support platform and built a network of over 150 mentors and partners to guide startup growth.

She is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Silicon North Stars, a nonprofit that she and her husband Steve founded in 2013 to help young Minnesotans from underserved communities pursue careers in tech.  Mary serves on the boards of Vital Voices, the Minneapolis Foundation, and the Techstars Foundation. She earned her BA and MA from Stanford University. Mary and her family moved from Silicon Valley to Minneapolis in 2018 and she loves cooking, hiking, and getting to know Minnesota through the eyes of her three-year-old twins. Mary's bread and butter is helping organizations build teams and infrastructure to operate at scale, building partnerships, and home-cooked Thai recipes.

Key points: 

• Vantage point within Google supporting startup weekend. 14:21
• Why prefer a dutch auction style IPO vs the traditional IPO. 18:43
• Early days if Google for Entrepreneurs 22:59
• Starting Bread and Butter Ventures 27:23
• Why in Minneapolis? 29:55
• Starting a venture firm in 2020 35:45
• Choosing the right teammates 37:35
• Dropping city names to look for 43:18

Learn more about Bread & Butter Ventures:  https://www.breadandbutterventures.com/ 

Follow Mary Grove: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marygrove/ 

Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm

This episode is sponsored by Enterprise Rising Conference.

This year, Enterprise Rising is October 20-21 and totally online. If you're an enterprise SaaS startup then this will be the best online event you could attend all year.

Get your tickets here and use promo code upside to save an additional 20%.

–

This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland.

Click here to learn more about Taft

–

This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations.

They can do the same for you. 

Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more.

–

Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience?

Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show.

Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:

• read by Jay and/or Eric on upside
• linked from the show notes
• linked from this website, upside.fm

Interview begins: 11:02
Debrief: 53:06

Matt Valeo is the founder and CEO of Documo. 

Documo creates document workflow solutions that make working with documents easy, more secure, and better for the planet. Their product suite includes mSign, mFax, and mDrive.

Documo was founded in 2017 and based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Key points: 

• Poker as a profession 11:21
• Moving to San Diego 17:41
• What keeps faxing around 22:17
• Rebranding 26:39
• Documo and Bootstrapping 28:05
• Documo's Niche 30;29
• What does Documo offer 35:22
• Documo culture 45:13

Learn more about Documo: https://www.documo.com/ 

Follow Matt Valeo:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattvaleo/ 

Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm

---

This episode is sponsored by Enterprise Rising Conference.

This year, Enterprise Rising is October 20-21 and totally online. If you're an enterprise SaaS startup then this will be the best online event you could attend all year.

Get your tickets here and use promo code upside to save an additional 20%.

–

This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland.

Click here to learn more about Taft

–

This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations.

They can do the same for you. 

Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more.

–

Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience?

Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show.

Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:

• read by Jay and/or Eric on upside
• linked from the show notes
• linked from this website, upside.fm

Interview begins: 8:44
Debrief: 51:53

Ashley Flucas is an angel investor and syndicate lead with Flucas Ventures.

By day, Ashley is a general counsel/partner at a real estate finance fund (infrastructure, sports arenas and large-scale condo, apartment and commercial buildings) with approx $3B AUM (LPs are overseas HNWIs).

By night, she is an active angel investor who has participated in more than 100 deals through AngelList and direct investment.

Flucas Ventures is sector and geography agnostic primarily focused on pre-seed to series A-stage deals, but occasionally sharing compelling late-stage deals.

Learn more about Flucas Ventures:  https://www.flucasvc.com/ 

Follow Ashley Flucas:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/asflucas/

Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm

Key points: 

• Moments when there are good returns 15:18
• Difference in the investment due diligence memo 18:13
• Onboarding process to become an LP of Flucas Ventures? 21:02
• Co Syndication 27:05
• Deal Memos 28:59
• Advice on starting out 33:25

This episode is sponsored by Enterprise Rising Conference.

This year, Enterprise Rising is October 20-21 and totally online. If you're an enterprise SaaS startup then this will be the best online event you could attend all year.

Get your tickets here and use promo code upside to save an additional 20%.

–

This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland.

Click here to learn more about Taft

–

This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations.

They can do the same for you. 

Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more.

–

Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience?

Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show.

Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:

• read by Jay and/or Eric on upside
• linked from the show notes
• linked from this website, upside.fm

Interview begins: 9:28
Debrief: 35:09

Einar Vollset is a General Partner at TinySeed.

TinySeed is a year-long, remote accelerator designed for early-stage SaaS founders.

He is also a YC-alum, former Cornell CS Professor, and the founder of Discretion Capital, a tech-focused M&A investment bank. He sold his first startup to Google in 2010 and exited his most recent in 2016.

Know more about Einar Vollset: https://tinyseed.com/people 

TinySeed Website: https://tinyseed.com/ 

Listen to our interview with Rob Walling: https://upside.fm/rob-walling-tinyseed/ 

Key Points: 

• Hole in the funding market 13:31
• Downside 19:08
• Fundraising process 21:14
• TinySeed and VC 26:50
• TinySeed focusing ong b2b SaaS 31:09
• Getting involved with TinySeed 33:11

This episode is sponsored by Enterprise Rising Conference.

This year, Enterprise Rising is October 20-21 and totally online. If you're an enterprise SaaS startup then this will be the best online event you could attend all year.

Get your tickets here and use promo code upside to save an additional 20%.

–

This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland.

Click here to learn more about Taft

–

This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations.

They can do the same for you. 

Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more.

–

Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience?

Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show.

Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:

• read by Jay and/or Eric on upside
• linked from the show notes
• linked from this website, upside.fm

Interview begins: 8:54

Debrief: 1:02:09

SLP Toolkit™ is a web-based app with built in assessments and tools that give a school-based Speech Language Pathologist the confidence s/he needs to take charge of her busy caseload. The software is designed to help SLPs collect data to determine communication strengths and needs, as well as monitor progress over time. 

Features include built-in present level assessments, progress monitoring tools, daily data, strategies for teachers/parents, a therapy scheduler, and a customizable goal bank.

Lisa Kathman and Sarah Bevier are former Speech Language Pathologists who have bootstrapped the company.

SLP Toolkit was founded in 2015 and is based in Phoenix, Arizona.

Know more about Lisa Kathman and Sarah Bevier: https://www.slptoolkit.com/about/

Website: https://www.slptoolkit.com/

Key Points: 

• Speech-language pathologist 11:49
• Who needs a SLP? 17:23
• Coming up with the SLP toolkit 23:29
• What is the SLP toolkit 35:37

–

This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland.

Click here to learn more about Taft

–

This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations.

They can do the same for you. 

Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more.

–

Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience?

Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show.

Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:

• read by Jay and/or Eric on upside
• linked from the show notes
• linked from this website, upside.fm

Interview begins: 6:52

Debrief: 44:32

Rachel Sanders is the co-founder and CEO of Rootine.

Rootine was founded in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2018 and creates custom daily vitamins based on your DNA, lifestyle, and blood level data.

Follow Rachel Sanders: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-soper-sanders/

Website: https://rootine.co/

Key Points:

• The genius behind Rootine 8:53
• Fads and the underlying truth 9:55
• What makes Rootine? 11:52
• Rootine personalizing your vitamins 16:53
• Results with Rootine 20:20
• Rootine earning as a business 21:14
• Commercializing Rootine 26:51
• Raising capital for Rootine 27:44
• Data privacy and security 29:55
• Rootine's Demographics 35:30
• Distribution 37:40

–

This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland.

Click here to learn more about Taft

–

This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations.

They can do the same for you. 

Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more.

–

Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience?

Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show.

Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:

• read by Jay and/or Eric on upside
• linked from the show notes
• linked from this website, upside.fm

Interview begins: 7:12

Debrief: 48:41

Colin Campbell is the founder and chairman of.CLUB Domains, a domain registry that owns the generic top-level domain rights to .club domains. 

Colin took two internet company's public in the heat of the 1990s and is a wealth of knowledge on all things internet. 

Domains are released by ICANN irregularly with the last offering in 2012, and Colin was able to secure the rights to.CLUB.

.CLUB Domains was founded in 2011 and based in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Follow Colin Campbell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinccampbell/

Website: https://names.club 

Key Points:

• Behind the scenes of internet infrastructure 15:19
• What is ICANN 17:01
• Buying Domains 20:20
• Purchasing .CLUB 22:28
• Investing in .CLUB 24:09
• Distribution and Marketing 28:41
• Registering new domain extension 38:07
• Building relationships 40:34

–

This episode is sponsored by Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a full-service law firm known for assisting entrepreneurs across the Heartland.

Click here to learn more about Taft

–

This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations.

They can do the same for you. 

Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more.

–

Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience?

Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show.

Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:

• read by Jay and/or Eric on upside
• linked from the show notes
• linked from this website, upside.fm

Interview begins: 6:03

Debrief: 48:54

Lillian (Lil) Roberts is the founder and CEO of Xendoo.

Xendoo is a cloud-based bookkeeping and accounting service focused on small business owners. By harnessing technology we give our accounting teams more time to work directly with clients and their individual business needs. Xendoo offers a low, flat monthly rate with unprecedented service and response.

Xendoo was founded in 2016 and based in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Key Points:

• Discovering entrepreneurship 9:33
• Getting interested to sales 12:06
• Selling ownership and scorecards 16:15
• Xendoo's beginnings 19:32
• What Xendoo can do 21:44
• Xendoo as a solution 28:28
• Interacting with technology 32:12
• Qualifications to work at Xendoo 35:36
• Xendoo's demographics 38:06
• Covid on businesses 46:40

Follow Lillian Roberts: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chetan-parekh/
Website: https://www.xendoo.com/

--

This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their other professional advisors – including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations.

They can do the same for you. 

Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more.

–

Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience?

Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show.

Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:

• read by Jay and/or Eric on upside
• linked from the show notes
• linked from this website, upside.fm

Interview begins: 6:49
Debrief: 35:17

Today we're talking with Dave Sachse, the founder, and managing partner of the Sachse Family Fund.

The Sachse Family Fund is a family office venture capital fund based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In today’s episode, we’re finally exploring the family office investing model!

Key Points:

• Family office beginnings - 5:46
• Family offices and VCs - 8:33
• Branding for family offices - 13:02
• Pros and cons - 15:38
• Collaboration between family offices - 22:57

Follow Dave Sachse: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-sachse-1244989/

-----

This episode is sponsored by Midwest Tech.

Midwest. Tech is a virtual summit for startup founders and investors across the Midwest taking place September 8-10. 

The goal of the summit is to connect early-stage founders across the Midwest with venture capitalists and angel investors focused on pre-seed, seed, and series A fundraising. The event is free for founders. 

Apply by August 7 at midwest.tech/connect. 

–

This episode of upside is also sponsored by Ethos Wealth Management. 

Managing wealth with an eye toward the future demands vigilance and skill in today’s global economy. Over the years, Ethos Wealth Management has worked with clients and their professional advisors - including attorneys and accountants – to create comprehensive wealth management plans designed to make the best use of their wealth today and help ensure its endurance for future generations.

Ethos helps you live the one life you have to live the best way you can. 

Visit upside.fm/ethos to learn more.

–

Want to share information about your company, or an opportunity with the upside audience?

Book a classified advertisement and your advertisement will be read in an upcoming episode of the show.

Classified ads are priced at $100, and are:

• read by Jay and/or Eric on upside
• linked from the show notes
• linked from this website, upside.fm