Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Victoria Dickerson, Jeff Amerine, and Grace Gill sit down with Stamatis Astra, co-founder and head of product at Intelligent Relations, a PR firm that leverages artificial intelligence to build broader and smarter relationships. Additionally, Stamatis is a venture partner who invests in strategic startups with applications that enrich people’s lives. He also co-hosts Grecian Echoes, a talk show in Boston, that offers an in-depth analysis of current news and events laced with provocative commentary to its one hundred fifty thousand Greek-American audience members. Throughout this episode, Stamatis discusses his experience as a lifetime entrepreneur, finding excitement in the beginnings of new ventures, and making public relations accessible for businesses of every size.
Show Notes:
(0:49) Introduction to Stamatis
(1:20) Stamatis’s Background
(3:57) About Intelligent Relations
(10:59) How Artificial Intelligence Benefits Companies
(13:52) Different Startup Models
(18:18) Chasing New Ventures
(21:47) Raising Venture Capital
(25:34) Overcoming Challenges
(29:34) Advice to Younger Self
(30:39) Closing Question
Links:
Quotes:
“Our technology is a combination of media monitoring databases and artificial intelligence. It allows us to, depending on the company, find the relevant stories, find the relevant journalists that cover the stories, and create relationships with them…bottom line is, we allow any business to connect with journalists and get press.” - Stamatis Astra, (5:34)
“There’s very different levels of startups. There’s a startup that is simply a Powerpoint or a deck and there’s two or three people and that’s it. And there’s a startup with a seed round and twenty-five to fifty people that pay salaries.” - Stamatis Astra, (14:14)
“That’s what we do. We train the model, we get the data. The more data we get, and the more speeches and ideas the customer puts in, the more robust the model gets in order to do all the matching and creating the content.” - Stamatis Astra, (27:38)
Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Matthew Ward, Caleb Talley, and Jeff Amerine sit down with Dr. Adam Stoverink, the director of the Sam M. Walton College of Business MBA program at the University of Arkansas. Dr. Stoverink is the author of the book Unbreakable, a resource for leaders on how to build resilient teams, and has also been featured in twelve other notable publications. Additionally, Dr. Stoverink is an associate professor of management, teaching leadership and teamwork to graduate, undergraduate, and executive audiences. Throughout this episode, Dr. Stovering discusses the four essential pillars of resilient teams, how to create adaptability, and what character traits define a satisfactory team member.
Show Notes:
(1:12) Introduction to Dr. Stoverink
(2:16) About Unbreakable
(6:19) The Process of Writing a Book
(8:23) Advice on Building Psychological Safety
(13:16) The Walton MBA Do Good Project
(19:24) Learning from Failure
(22:21) The Four Pillars of Resilient Teams
(28:13) Hard Work vs. Lucky Timing
(30:14) Attributes of Good Team Members
(32:49) Advice to Younger Self
(35:56) Closing Thoughts
Links:
Quotes:
“We have to feel safe in that environment to speak up. Innovation is a big part of what you all do, and if you want to be innovative, you simply have to have all the perspectives on the table. And if people don't feel safe to go against the grain, your innovation is cut.” - Dr. Adam Stoverink, (7:31)
“We don’t really have one another’s back. We do what we have to do to accomplish our goals, but we don’t go beyond that. I think that is what really separates the outstanding teams from the mediocre teams.” - Dr. Adam Stoverink, (12:50)
“You have to have a moderately high, above average confidence, but it can’t be too high. Otherwise, you’re going to run into the situation where hubris takes over and you’re not on the lookout for possible adversities because you think you’re untouchable.” - Dr. Adam Stoverink, (23:12)
“Part of building a resilient team is being very clear about what components are needed to be successful. Part of that is personality. You want a mix of personalities, but most important is diversity of thought that often comes from diversity of backgrounds, which correlates with diversity of demographics.” - Dr. Adam Stoverink, (31:25)
Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Victoria Dickerson sit down with Kelton Hays, executive director of Cobblestone Farms. Cobblestone Farms is a local nonprofit committed to cultivating a community free from hunger by ensuring all people have access to fresh, nutritionally dense foods that are produced through sustainable agriculture practices. Throughout this episode, Kelton discusses the deeper mission of Cobblestone Farms and how important addressing food insecurity is to uplifting the community.
Show Notes:
(0:53) Introduction to Kelton
(1:34) Kelton’s Background
(5:20) Why Cobblestone Farms Needs to Exist
(11:03) Food Insecurity in Northwest Arkansas
(15:41) Being Unburdened by Shame
(17:35) Growing Food for Hunger Relief vs. Donating Food
(21:45) Raising Money
(30:54) Engaging Bigger Players
(37:51) Getting People Involved
(41:34) Advice to Younger Self
Links:
Quotes:
“If somebody were to ask us what we do at Cobblestone Farms and I wanted to be a little ethereal, a little heady, I would say we give people dignity. Food is a lot more than calories. We want people to have dignified access to great food in the same way any of us sitting in this room would have.” - Kelton Hays, (6:34)
“That’s the big picture. We want to give people dignity. We want people to feel dignity because your quality of life, your health outcomes, and your ability to thrive as a human being, if you do not possess dignity and live in shame, is going to be a negative outcome .” - Kelton Hays, (14:46)
“My heart is to mobilize individual community members. We all have such potential…We often get so intimidated by the magnitude of an issue or by our perceived inability to meet the issue that we think, ‘Well, I can’t do anything.’ Yeah, you can.” - Kelton Hays, (20:02)
Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and previous Startup Junkie Michael Iseman sit down with Philip Mudd, a former CNN correspondent and counterterrorism analyst. During Philip’s extensive and accomplished career, he was a valuable asset to the FBI, CIA, and the American nation as a whole and received numerous CIA awards for his expertise and diligence. Philip is also the author of three distinguished publications and is a member of multiple prestigious associations. Throughout this episode, Philip shares insight on how to present information to your boss (in his case, President George W. Bush), how to successfully navigate chaos, and why you need to have a “call mom” sentence for any project.
Show Notes:
(1:03) Introduction to Philip
(1:58) From English Major to Senior Executive
(4:29) Leadership Basics
(8:34) Decision Advantage
(16:08) Addressing Vulnerabilities
(19:00) Navigating Crises
(28:00) Taking Responsibility When Things Go Wrong
(31:12) Hiring People More Experienced than You
(39:24) Voicing your Opinion to a Worldwide Audience
(44:44) Protecting Data
(48:51) Cyberattacks during Times of War
(55:14) Geopolitical Business Consequences
(1:06:50) Advice to Younger Self
Links:
Quotes:
“There’s a couple basics you have to think about. One's how to get people better. Mediocre mission, great people, you can win. Great mission, mediocre people, you can’t win.” - Philip Mudd, (4:51)
“I’ll never forget it, the difference between presenting what you know and presenting what the decision maker needs to know based on determining what the decision is.” - Philip Mudd, (13:53)
“We have a responsibility not only to customers, but to families. Let’s talk about how we ensure that today we work through this as opposed to man this is a rough day. Don’t do that. The workforce will tense up and tense means worse decision making.” - Philip Mudd, (24:27)
“I think you have to take a step back and say, ‘I am not the keeper of knowledge. I am the keeper of the questions.’ Questions result from judgment, experience, exposure, and perspective. So some people around the table might have knowledge that I don’t have.” - Philip Mudd, (31:31)
Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Grace Gill sit down with Quinn Robertson, a senior associate at NXTUS. NXTUS is a non-profit organization that connects mentors, capital opportunities, and customers in an effort to further entrepreneurial growth. As an entrepreneurship supporter, Quinn decided to leave his position in the corporate world and work with startup founders by helping them grow companies of significance. Throughout this episode, Quinn shares about NXTUS’s role in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, the startup scene in Wichita, and the state of the Heartland as a place for families and entrepreneurship to prosper.
Show Notes:
(0:59) Introduction to Quinn
(1:26) Quinn’s Background
(3:23) Wichita’s Startup Scene
(6:18) Comparing Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
(14:42) NXTUS’s Role in Wichita’s Growing Ecosystem
(21:20) Weaknesses in the Regional Ecosystem
(23:50) What’s Next for NXTUS
(27:24) Cultivating Entrepreneurship in the Next Generation
(32:58) Opportunity Gaps in Northwest Arkansas
(39:54) Advice to Younger Self
(42:40) Closing Questions
Links:
Quotes:
“I think both of our ecosystems will press forward with money flowing in from the federal or state government and family or philanthropic areas as well…there’s this little cluster here in the Heartland that I think we’re going to see all grow together.” - Quinn Robertson, (7:00)
“We try to be a connector more than anything. Even if we’re not everything to everybody, we want to be one arm's length away from everything so we can connect individuals to the right people from our own lane and let other people do the great work they’re better suited to do than we are.” - Quinn Robertson, (16:18)
“There’s a little bit of continually morphing and finding small injection points where we can add value, but also where we can stand back and be incredibly supportive of the work that’s going on.” - Quinn Robertson, (28:37)
“As I talk to entrepreneurs, I ask them, ‘What’s your level of success? What’s your happiness metric that you're trying to go towards?’ As long as you have a clear understanding of what that is, then I think you can start to align things really well.” - Quinn Robertson, (41:39)
Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies
On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Victoria Dickerson sit down with Nate Walls to chat about his endeavors, Secondhand Smoke and Second Helping NWA. Nate has been serving the community since 2020, when he started sharing meals with families impacted by the pandemic. Throughout the episode, Nate shares his entrepreneurial journey starting Secondhand Smoke and his mission to better the community with Second Helping NWA.
Show Notes:
(0:59) Introduction to Nate
(1:38) Nate’s Backstory
(8:11) About Secondhand Smoke and Second Helping NWA
(12:25) Current Business
(16:24) Running a Nonprofit and Business
(18:45) The Importance of Community
(22:20) Taking the Winding Path
(25:17) A Willingness to Learn
(28:46) What’s Next for Nate
(31:46) Advice to Younger Self
(33:27) Closing Questions
Links:
Quotes:
“People say all the time that it’s the people, but it really is the people. If you don’t have a good rapport with the community, I don’t know that you can make it.” - Nate Walls, (18:45)
“Just love people and whatever your trade is or business you’re trying to start, just make sure that love is apparent in what you do.” - Nate Walls, (23:13)
“I think when we start, we have this I know it all attitude, but you have to say, ‘I don’t know everything.’ You have to be humble and say, ‘I don’t know everything, but I can learn.’ If you’re not able to do that, it’s going to be slow moving.” - Nate Walls, (25:17)
Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
In this episode, Startup Junkies Jeff Amerine, Caleb Talley, and Victoria Dickerson sit down with Michail Myburgh, co-founder and chief technology officer of Backd, an alternative lending company headquartered in Austin, TX. Michail explains how Backd helps entrepreneurs secure business funding with quick turnaround times rather than waiting months for traditional funding options. He also shares about what it's like to build a resilient company culture, going into business with his brother, and why the United States is an incredible place for starting a business.
Show Notes:
(0:54) Introduction to Michail
(1:12) About Backd
(3:28) Backd’s Ideal Customer
(5:04) Backd’s Funding Process
(10:10) Michail’s Entrepreneurial Journey
(12:41) What Winning Looks Like
(15:12) Getting Creative with Backd
(19:13) The Culture of Backd
(24:28) Advice to Younger Self
(27:20) Closing Questions
Links:
Quotes:
“Our efficiency and our quickness is really where we shine. There’s quick decision making on our part.” - Michail Myburgh, (7:01)
"The way we see it, our greatest asset is our employees and the people that make the company. It's very important to us to get the right talent and create a culture where everyone can thrive." - Michail Myburgh, (19:14)
"The advice I would give is go to the United States. Don't waste time anywhere else. This environment, for a business owner, is absolutely amazing. There's nowhere else on earth where I think you can build these businesses as effectively as you can here." - Michail Myburgh, (24:36)
Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Victoria Dickerson sit down with Tim Swindle, a serial entrepreneur in the toy and game space and co-founder of Glacier Games. With his passion for outdoor sports, Tim teamed up with two others to create a new recreational game called PaddleSmash, which combines the best elements of Pickleball and Spikeball. Throughout the episode, Caleb, Jeff, Victoria, and Tim discuss how incorporating fun into your day is a necessity, building a business with Kickstarter, and how entrepreneurs should advertise their ideas, not safeguard them.
Show Notes:
(0:55) Introduction to Tim
(1:27) Tim’s Origin Story
(5:16) The Development of PaddleSmash
(9:36) Tech vs Outdoor Sports
(13:41) The Importance of Having Fun
(17:33) Lessons Learned
(22:49) Increasing Your Surface Area
(26:01) The Kickstarter Experience
(29:17) Social Media Strategy
(32:34) Advice to Younger Self
(33:11) Closing Questions
Links:
Quotes:
“There’s a resurgence to being low-tech right now. People spend so much time on their computers, laptops, iPads, and iPhones that you’re seeing physical board games and outdoor games becoming more popular. We’ve become so digital with society that they provide this opportunity to get back to actually interacting with each other.” - Tim Swindle, (12:07)
“That would be my biggest advice to entrepreneurs. Go out there, share your ideas, and talk to people. Don’t worry about anybody stealing it, that’s not going to happen. Get the real raw feedback as to whether or not you have something and can move forward.” - Tim Swindle, (25:01)
“People think Kickstarter is where you start, but a lot of times these people have gathered interest and email addresses prior to launching, and they engage that community once they go. Then the Kickstarter algorithm says they’re trending, and they start to show up everywhere. So focus on pre-marketing and building a community before you ever go live.” - Tim Swindle, (26:27)
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Victoria Dickerson sit down with Brad Gentry, the CEO of Gentry Professional Services, an elite engineering consulting and talent acquisition firm that specializes in placing subject matter experts with clients that require specific knowledge. With over a decade of experience, Brad is experienced and skilled in engineering design, project management, and business development. Throughout the episode, Caleb, Jeff, Victoria, and Brad discuss preparing the next generation of labor workers and how a company’s culture is vital to success.
Show Notes:
(1:12) Introduction to Brad
(1:26) About Gentry Professional Services
(5:34) Challenges with the Labor Market
(8:06) Encouraging Employee Retention
(11:02) Navigating the CHIPS Act
(13:36) Technologies' Role in Supplementing Labor
(19:23) Gentry Professional Services Culture
(28:08) The Future of Gentry Professional Services
(32:02) Advice to Younger Self
(34:36) Closing Questions
Links:
Quotes:
“The way that manifests itself today is when someone retires they may have someone who is two or three steps behind them in experience. So that generational gap has followed us as people have progressed through their careers.” - Brad Gentry, (4:37)
“We go through a vetting process of not just checking references, but also behavioral assessments because somebody can be the smartest person in the room but if they can’t work with others then it’s not going to be a good fit. So we do several things to assess not only their knowledge and skills, but also how well they interact with the team they’re going to be supporting.” - Brad Gentry, (16:15)
“We work hourly and that fits with retirees greatly…They’re coming back because they want to. So we want to make it a good experience for them and treat them like family. We found that if you let them have that autonomy, flexibility, and respect to work on what they want to, they will in turn represent you well to the clients.” - Brad Gentry, (25:04)
Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley and Jeff Amerine sit down with Matthew Moore and Kyle Kellams of KUAF. Matthew is a reporter and producer for Ozarks at Large, a locally produced news podcast/daily show that covers news, sports, politics, arts, culture, and the quirky and unusual happenings in the Ozarks. Kyle has been the news director at KUAF for over twenty-five years and has been producing Ozarks at Large for over three decades. Throughout the episode, Caleb, Jeff, Matthew, and Kyle discuss the history and future of public radio, how podcasting has influenced traditional radio, and the burden of providing newsworthy content.
Show Notes:
(0:57) Introduction to Matthew and Kyle
(2:03) Matthew and Kyle’s Origin Stories
(7:02) Marrying Podcasting with Traditional Radio
(8:57) Podcasting’s Effect on the Radio Business
(10:52) Providing News Coverage to Large Areas
(14:24) A Public Radio Station’s Business Model
(20:11) Changes in the Radio Industry
(24:18) Listening to Your Own Content
(27:05) Interesting Moments
(32:46) When Earned Media Makes Sense
(37:11) Advice to Younger Selves
(40:10) Closing Questions
Links:
Quotes:
“I think for a certain number of people who had left radio for whatever reason, audio became cool again. For public radio, at least, podcasting is a natural rift back and forth.” - Kyle Kellams, (9:10)
“At Ozarks at Large sometimes we get to tell a different kind of story that you can really only tell on radio. If you were trying to tell that story in the paper or on TV, you would need different kinds of aids, but hearing someone tell a story from perfect memory in a way you can only do through audio is really cool.” - Matthew Moore, (13:42)
“I could talk forever about the fractured media landscape and the danger that it poses, but I think one of the great things going for us is there’s so many out there doing it like that and so few doing it like us, that we have people searching for the kind of radio we do.”- Kyle Kellams, (16:03)
“There’s this expectation of a kind of journalism, reporting, and storytelling they can hear from other stations like NPR. What they hear from Ozarks at Large is a very specific and very regional version of that. It’s high-quality and well-informed, unbiased storytelling.” - Matthew Moore, (16:34)
Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and guest host Permjot Valia sit down with Elizabeth Prenger, founder and chief brand officer of Prose Creative, a company that helps brands and individuals connect with audiences by creating authentic relationships through their content and messaging. Elizabeth is also the co-founder as well as the marketing and public relations lead at FemHealth Founders, a startup that empowers female entrepreneurs to build and lead profitable women-centric companies. Throughout the episode, Caleb, Jeff, Permjot, and Elizabeth discuss the current product landscape and how women are making their voices heard through entrepreneurship.
Show Notes:
(1:12) Introduction to Permjot
(2:10) Introduction to Elizabeth
(5:09) Elizabeth’s Entrepreneurial Origin Story
(10:45) Pain Points with the Current Product Landscape
(17:41) About Elizabeth’s New Prototype
(23:45) Launching FemHealth Founders
(27:40) The Response to FemHealth Founders
(33:28) Decision-Making Hierarchies between Women and Men
(37:38) New Postpartum Recovery Concepts
(40:25) Giving Women the Words to Identify Their Needs
(44:41) Advice to Younger Self
(48:38) Closing Thoughts
Links:
Quotes:
“One of the things I love the most about this journey of being an entrepreneur and launching these ideas is I’ve learned so much about things I wouldn’t have even considered looking into before.” - Elizabeth Prenger, (7:06)
“What I really liked and found refreshing about you [Elizabeth] was you didn’t talk about your identity, you were talking about the problem and the women who suffered from the problem and how your product solved that.” - Permjot Valia, (11:08)
“We have 80% of the buying power. Women are the primary purchaser in the retail and healthcare space. So we should be more involved. We should be making these products.” - Elizabeth Prenger, (28:43)
“If we as women feel more empowered to research, educate ourselves, ask questions, and be our own best advocate in this space, I think the outcomes of that can be really powerful. It can save lives. It can save families. It can save a lot of women.” - Elizabeth Prenger, (43:21)
Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Victoria Dickerson sit down with Sophia Rascoff, the co-founder of Recon Food, a social media app that allows users to research, recommend, and reconnect with friends through a common love of food. Sophia explains how Recon Food was designed to be a space where individuals can share photos, recipes, and experiences with their social network without all the stressors that come with a more mainstream media platform. Throughout the episode, Caleb, Jeff, Victoria, and Sophia discuss the rise of vertical social platforms and how Recon Food aims to combat the toxicity of social media.
Show Notes:
(1:12) Introduction to Sophia
(1:21) About Recon Food
(7:00) Navigating the Toxicity of Social Media
(9:59) Being a Young Entrepreneur
(12:44) Three-year Forecast
(17:04) Monetizing Recon Food
(18:57) Product Placement Opportunities
(21:29) Advice to Younger Self
(25:19) Closing Thoughts
Links:
Quotes:
“Social media as an entire concept has become very stressful as of late due to the bad news you encounter on it. It’s not really a fun place anymore. So the goal of this was to be a space where people could talk without having to be bombarded with everything else.” - Sophia Rascoff, (1:29)
“On the receiving content side of Instagram, it’s a highlight reel where you’re left comparing the best of what you see to your entire life, which isn’t accurate and is not a great reflection, but it’s what happens.” - Sophia Rascoff, (8:50)
“...everyone says just get off social media, but I don’t think for my generation that's really a viable solution. It’s such a powerful tool I know we can do so much with. It’s just about optimizing it and making sure it’s used in the best way.” - Sophia Rascoff, (15:58)
“My favorite piece of advice, which I would give someone else and also which I wished I had discovered sooner, is that in this day and age, if you have the ability to just go do it, why not start?” - Sophia Rascoff, (21:29)
Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Grace Gill sit down with Yang Luo-Branch, founder and president of the Arkansas Association of Asian Businesses, the first Arkansas-Asian Chamber of Commerce in the Natural State. Yang shares about her experience as a first-generation immigrant from China and overcoming struggles that many immigrants face, such as public speaking and adjusting to an individualistic society. Throughout the episode, Caleb, Jeff, Grace, and Yang discuss what it means to be a global citizen, create meaningful connections through conversations, and how problem-solving is a lot like eating with chopsticks.
Show Notes:
(1:12) Introduction to Yang Luo-Branch
(1:51) About the Arkansas Association of Asian Businesses
(8:13) Yang’s Origin Story
(10:51) What’s Next for the Arkansas Association of Asian Business
(14:04) The Association’s Reach in Arkansas
(18:41) From Global Citizen to Northwest Arkansas Resident
(21:11) Being Welcomed in Northwest Arkansas
(24:44) First-Generation vs Second-Generation Immigrants
(27:02) Global Challenges
(32:38) Tangible Outcomes of the Association
(38:40) Advice to Younger Self
(39:24) Closing Questions
Links:
Arkansas Association of Asian Businesses - join the Arkansas Association of Asian Businesses newsletter here!
Quotes:
“We have an analogy in my culture—we use chopsticks to eat everything, right? The rice, the noodles, the soup, whatever. We just have this mindset of problem solving and using chopsticks to eat everything versus using different shapes of knives, you know, utensils. Very specialized. So that’s how I approach things in life, too, I feel, doing art, doing nonprofit, doing data analytics at Tyson which is the company I work for. To me, it’s just approaching life. Solving life’s whatever needs to be solved and if I can play a role in this whole context, I feel I’m pretty lucky.” - Yang Luo-Branch (10:24)
“We have members writing to us long paragraphs telling their stories from east Arkansas, from south Arkansas, from north Arkansas, definitely outside of these population-dense areas. They just feel passionate about, ‘Hey, there’s something like this existing in Arkansas.’ And they care about us in south Arkansas, too.” - Yang Luo-Branch (14:59)
“I think global citizen, I mean it sounds fancy or sounds like a big word, but to me it’s really just making the best of living wherever you are, wherever you find your place on this earth. That’s just about participating in life wherever in the world. That’s my definition of it. So, today I find myself in Northwest Arkansas, you know, with my husband and my daughter here and all my family is still in China, so what do I do? I need to participate in life in Northwest Arkansas. And I feel probably many residents in this area share that same kind of attitude, no matter if they’re local or from other parts of the world. I think my message would be, ‘Hey let’s all come out and let’s all give back and we can all bring something to the community and make the most of it for ourselves too.’” - Yang Luo-Branch (18:41)
“If I can help [immigrants] to create a channel out to help them connect their little enclave or bubble with the rest of the community who’s so willing to help, if I can be that channel, I’m willing to.” - Yang Luo-Branch (24:54)
“Personally I feel there should be more talks between people to people connection, community to community connections, the geopolitical things. I can see why on an intellectual level but I feel we’re missing out if we just stop talking to each other, if we just stop socializing because the ‘big guys’ are not playing along very well.” - Yang Luo-Branch (28:50)
“Every connection starts with a conversation, so I just see people get connected on LinkedIn due to our event, or people write thank you notes to us and say, ‘Hey, we’ve carried on the relationship after your initial introduction.’” - Yang Luo-Branch (33:40)
Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Davis McEntire, Victoria Dickerson, and Jeff Amerine sit down with Parker Graham, founder and CEO of Finotta, a platform that helps financial institutions personalize their mobile banking. Along with his successful entrepreneurship career, Parker has also played in the NFL as a tackle for the Baltimore Ravens and was named Innovator of the Year by Pipeline in 2022. Throughout the episode, Davis, Victoria, Jeff, and Parker discuss the past, present, and future of Finotta and the intricacies behind funding a startup.
Show Notes:
(1:05) Introduction to Parker
(1:34) About Finotta
(2:38) Finotta’s Journey So Far
(5:09) Who Finotta Caters To
(8:43) How Being an Athlete Influences Entrepreneurship
(13:57) The Ideology behind Finotta
(19:29) Advice to Entrepreneurs
(25:25) Advice to Younger Self
(27:19) Closing Thoughts
Links:
Quotes:
“The mobile app looks similar at every bank and credit union, there’s not a lot of differentiation. So what we build is a technology that gets embedded in the mobile front end and personalizes the user experience.” - Parker Graham, (1:49)
“It’s all about engagement. We improve the times that users are spending on the device with that bank. So the more time the bank has with that customer, the more opportunities they have to sell them a product and generate revenue.” - Parker Graham, (5:46)
“Open banking is the buzzword and what that means is the infrastructure is becoming less siloed where technology’s starting to talk to each other. Technology stacks are becoming more fluid and it allows for companies like us to come in and build and deploy cool stuff quickly.” - Parker Graham, (16:29)
“Be patient and get your metrics in order so that when you want to raise capital, you can. The worst thing you can do is get on a treadmill where you’re constantly consuming and needing more.” - Parker Graham, (21:21)
Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley and Jeff Amerine sit down with Luke Owings, VP of product at Abilitie, a leadership development company that provides team-based simulations. In 2020, Luke left his corporate job and decided to lean into his mosaic career, pulling together a disparate set of experiences to create a fulfilling and impactful picture of work. Throughout the episode, Caleb, Jeff, and Luke discuss the history behind Abilitie, how Abilitie is influencing education, and Abilitie’s vision for the future.
Show Notes:
(1:12) Introduction to Luke
(6:10) How Being an Athlete Affected Luke’s Career
(9:26) About Abilitie
(12:40) Driving Change in How Education Is Delivered
(16:35) Bringing Faculty to the Table
(19:57) What’s Next for Abilitie
(22:12) Advice to Younger Self
(23:14) Closing Thoughts
Links:
Quotes:
“With tools like ours, we run our entire MBA virtually to create an accessibility that never existed in the past, and of course there’s the pricing accessibility as well.” - Luke Owings, (13:40)
“What we strive to do when we create our cohorts and our classes, is to have some diversity. So, the entrepreneurs are one group we have in there, and we also like to have some people who are transferring from one thing to another.” - Luke Owings, (14:58)
“From our faculty perspective, we opt toward practitioners, people who have been there, people who have experience...who are coming together and saying, ‘I learned a ton over the years. I want to help the next generation.’” - Luke Owings, (16:58)
“Our goal is to grow. Our goal is to continue to create an opportunity for people to have conversancy in the language of business connections around the world and confidence in how they build and run their company.” - Luke Owings, (20:33)