Build Tech Stack Equity

In this episode, we sit down with Cheryl Potts, the Founder, and CEO of Cleerkut Inc. and Crystal Clear Music, a firm that specializes in providing copyright and royalty administration services to record labels and music publishers. With her extensive experience as a software engineer, Cheryl has developed expertise in automating royalty accounting and ensuring accurate payments to artists. She explains the difficulties involved in documenting and categorizing royalties for multiple songs and artists, often with non-uniform data that contains errors. Cheryl emphasizes the importance of accurate royalty accounting to avoid legal issues and ensure that artists and labels receive the payments they are due.

Cheryl also highlights the ways in which artists can be short-changed, including through misunderstandings of their agreements and clauses that reduce royalty rates. She shares her experience in helping numerous record labels reach RIAA status and developing Licenseyoursong.com, a platform that enables independent music creators to issue their own mechanical licenses.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Founder Bio:

Cheryl M. Potts is the Founder and CEO of Cleerkut, Inc. & Crystal Clear Music. She has been a copyright and royalty administrator for independent record labels and music publishers for over 17 years. When one of her clients obtained major label distribution, she needed to automate her royalty accounting process. After looking in the market, she could not find a suitable solution for her needs. She decided to develop a system herself and automate many of her administrative tasks, which led to the creation of Cleerkut Royalty. Cheryl was selected by the U.S. Copyright Office to participate in the music licensing study to provide her views on behalf of independent music creators regarding possible changes to the U.S. Compulsory License. Her comments were included in the final music licensing study conducted by the U.S. Copyright Office. Ms. Potts was a senior software engineer building enterprise software for companies. With her two backgrounds merged together, she designed and built Cleerkut Royalty.

Time Stamps:

03:11 Cheryl’s background and music industry experience

05:12 Automating administration tasks in the music publishing industry

07:04 Understanding the process of recording and publishing royalties

10:00 Royalty accounting and unique identifiers for records

14:50 Benefits of Cleerkut royalty for record labels and music publishers

18:16 Analyzing music sales with analytics and licensing solutions

23:22 Developing the platform and scaling up the team

27:10 Software development and ownership of source code

30:00 Offshore development and royalty accounting

32:20 Reaching out to publishers and labels for product market entry

34:26 Clear music administration services

35:44 Found rising journey at Cleerkut

40:32 Conversation on AI and Copyright law in music publishing

42:20 Deep dive music publishing masterclass

44:03 How to get in contact with the Cleerkut team

Resources

Company website: https://cleerkutroyalty.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cleerkutroyalty/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cleerkutroyalty

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cleerkutroyalty

Join us in this episode as we speak with Jasmine Jones, the founder and CEO of Cherry Blossom Intimates, a company that provides breast cancer survivors with fully customizable, insurance-billable prosthetic breasts. Jasmine shares her inspiring story of entrepreneurship, from starting her own business as a teenager to founding Cherry Blossom Intimates instruments in honor of her grandmother. We explore the challenges she faced as a young entrepreneur, from bootstrapping her business to navigating the world of venture capital. We also learn about the importance of self-funding and the power of winning a global pitch competition.

Jasmine's passion and dedication to her mission are truly inspiring, and we discuss the impact her company is having on the lives of breast cancer survivors. We delve into topics such as software implementation in the physical product industry, leveraging tech talent, and exploring business models. We also explore the benefits of AI for business scalability, raising venture capital for business growth, and drawing comparisons to established companies when raising capital.

If your company is looking to hire top dev and/ or AI engineers, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in recruiting the best of the best software developers, machine learning engineers, and data scientists.

Founder Bio:

Jasmine Jones is the founder and CEO of Cherry Blossom Intimates with a seed round of $1.25 million. She is one of the few black women in the world to close over 1 million in venture funding. Jasmine is a Fashion Institute of Technology award-winning lingerie designer, a Tory Burch Fellow, and a Forbes Under 30 list maker.

Time Stamps:

03:25 - Jasmine's background journey: from thrift store reselling to healthcare company CEO

07:41 - Exploring the challenges of bootstrapping a physical product company

10:02 - Maya's customizable breast prosthetics and fit experience

12:15 - Software implementation in the physical product industry

14:25 - How innovative solutions enabled business growth

16:57 - Finding the right tech team for a pivoting business

20:55 - Leveraging tech talent and exploring business models

24:13 - Exploring automation for business growth

26:32 - Exploring the benefits of AI for business scalability

28:36 - Raising venture capital for business growth

29:52 - Raising over $7 million in funding for a startup

33:31 - Benefits of drawing comparisons to established companies when raising capital

36:23 - Benefits of explaining breast prosthetics to a variety of audiences

38:24 - Revolutionizing the breast cancer prosthetics experience

39:10 - How to get in contact with the Cherry Blossom Intimates team

Resources:

Company website: https://cherryblossomintimates.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cherryblossomintimates/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cherryblossomintimates/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CBIntimates

Every year, an increasing number of healthcare practices struggle with administrative complexities, reimbursements, and cash flow needed to run viable practices. Revenues have dropped and costs have risen, leading to an unprecedented decline in privately-owned practices. 

In this episode, we speak with Emmanuel Akintayo, the Co-founder and CTO of Gentem, an AI software company that automates billing workflows for healthcare organizations. Manny shares his fascinating background, originally hailing from Nigeria and moving to the US at the age of 13, where his parents encouraged him to study electrical engineering. However, he pursued his interest in software engineering and started a business building website.

Gentem transforms the reimbursement experience by handling the end-to-end billing and revenue cycle processes. Leveraging automation, data science and the latest financial technologies, Gentem is able to increase cash flow while drastically reducing account receivable days and uncovering opportunities to increase revenue. In just a few short years, they has raised over $14 million and serves specialties such as behavioral health, primary care, and pain across the entire country. Tune in to hear more about Manny's journey to becoming a founder and the mission behind Gentem to simplify the reimbursement process and elevate the patient financial experience in healthcare.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Founder Bio: 

Emmanuel Antikayo earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering and his Master’s degree in quality and manufacturing management from Penn State University. After completing his education, Manny launched his career as an operations and systems engineer at QBC Diagnostics. Over the last decade, Manny has held analyst and software engineer roles at JP Morgan Chase & Co, Accenture and OfferUp. With his experience in the mobile consumer-to-consumer (C2C) space, he joined Facebook in 2018 to help develop the emerging Facebook Marketplace platform. In 2019, Manny left Facebook to join forces with Gentem Co-Founder/CEO Fisayo Ositelu, MD. Fisayo had been searching for a co-founder with engineering expertise and entrepreneurial drive.

Time Stamps: 

00:00 Manny Akintayo background and journey from Nigeria to tech entrepreneur

06:22 Exploring the pain point in healthcare software, benefits and challenges

10:10 Benefits of automation and AI in healthcare claims processing

15:06 Go-to-market strategies for healthcare startups

18:52 Building strategic partnerships for mutual benefits

22:17 Building a team for a healthcare technology company

26:52 Discussion on building a tech team and selecting a code language

29:21 Optimizing for the best engineering talent, remote teams and job market considerations

31:52 Raising capital: a journey from seed to series A

34:20 fundraising strategies for startups: a conversation with an entrepreneur

35:44 Raising capital for a software company

40:30 How to get in contact with the  team

Resources:

Company website: https://gentem.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GentemHealth/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gentemhealth/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gentemhealth

As business circumstances shift, workplaces must also adapt, necessitating new types of leaders with the appropriate skills and mindset. Due to its significant impact on competitiveness and profitability, companies seeking to safeguard their business's future must prioritize leadership development.

In this episode, we speak with Alex West Steinman, the founder, CEO, and partner of The Coven. The Coven is a premier workspace and community for women, non-binary individuals, and trans folks in Minneapolis St. Paul. Alex also reflects on her personal journey of transitioning from a freelancer to an entrepreneur and co-founding The Coven with a group of friends in 2016. Their vision was to establish a secure and empowering workspace that would benefit their demographic. Furthermore, Alex emphasizes the advantages of creating a women-centric workplace environment and integrating technology into their business.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Founder Bio: 

Alex West Steinman is co-founder of The Coven, one of the world’s premier community and workspaces with two locations in Minneapolis St. Paul, a thriving online community and new franchise model to tap into the collective wisdom of entrepreneurs across the country to open more inclusive spaces for radical leaders.

Before she became an entrepreneur herself, Alex served as a communications director for both global brands and local politicians and is a powerhouse when it comes to PR.  But beyond what she can do, is why she does it: Alex has a genuine enjoyment of people, a dedication to the economic empowerment and advancement of women, and a passion for telling the stories of underestimated communities.

In no particular order, Alex loves her two kids, husband, Oprah, and Beyonce. You can find her giving weight to exciting topics and holding space for the community.

02:38 Alex West professional background before The Coven

04:30 making the leap from freelancer to entrepreneur

07:21 Designing a safe and brave space for women, non-binary, and transgender folks 

11:12 Exploring the benefits of a women-centric workplace environment

14:35 Benefits of coworking and incorporating software into the business

17:53 Coworking space digital community development during the pandemic

21:21 Value of digital community platforms for coworking spaces

24:34 Opening and raising capital for coworking space

28:27 Crowdfunding challenges for B2B products

30:28 raising funds for a preceding round

33:03 The process of fundraising for a startup

37:37 conversation on raising funds for a co-working space

41:08 How to get in contact with The Coven team

Resources

Company website: https://www.thecoven.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecoven.co/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thecovenco/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thecovenco

Latin America is ripe for social and economic transformation. With its rapidly growing and digitizing middle class, we are facing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring our empathy, ingenuity, and grit to design and scale vibrant solutions for this traditionally underserved demographic. A growing and empowered middle class is the foundation of a more equal, stable, and prosperous society.

In this episode, we speak with Wenyi Cai, the successful entrepreneur Co-founder, and CEO of Polymath Ventures. Wenyi shares her insights on the challenges of raising funds for startups and her solution to the problem: hiring top software development talent from Latin America. She also shares her experiences working in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, and other emerging markets during the mid-2000s. She discusses the transformative technology in these regions and how, with the right technology and distribution models, it can generate profitable and exponential growth, as well as better jobs and income for the entire value chain.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Founder Bio:

Wenyi Cai is the Founder & CEO of Polymath Ventures, a venture studio that builds digital platforms to empower the middle class of Latin America. Prior to founding Polymath, Wenyi was an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. As the COO of Milo.com, a consumer internet startup that sold to eBay in 2010, Wenyi led business development efforts with major technology companies like Microsoft and eBay and oversaw the product and engineering teams. Earlier in her career, Wenyi was a consultant with McKinsey & Company in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. Preceding her business career, Wenyi helped build a quantitative trading hedge fund and was a published researcher in applied physics. Wenyi graduated cum laude from Harvard College and studied philosophy and physics. Wenyi was born in China and grew up between China and the United States.

02:57 Wenyi Cai Background and professional experience

06:28 Exploring the Transformative Power of Technology in Emerging Markets

08:23 Summary of the professional journey from McKinsey to Silicon Valley and beyond

10:37 Benefits of doing business in Colombia

14:05 The untapped potential of Colombia’s talent pool

16:43 Polymath venture studio model and investment strategy

19:19 Discussion on business designers and the transition to the founder role

22:16 Benefits of a venture studio model for business model innovation

24:17 Conversation on the entrepreneurial drive and business models in Latin America

29:14 Enterprise SAAS in China and Latin America talent pool

33:45 Benefits of the venture studio model with Polymath ventures

36:43 Process of fundraising for Polymath Venture.

38:51 Benefits of being multilingual in the Latin American startup ecosystem

43:04 How to get in contact with the Polymath Venture team

Resources

Company website: https://polymathv.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/polymathventures/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/polymath-ventures/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/polymathdigital

Explore the cutting edge of healthcare delivery and innovation with Derek Miles, founder and CEO of CourMed and chairman of TMB Equity Partners. Derek shares his journey from discouraged entrepreneur to successful leader in the healthcare industry, offering valuable insights on fundraising, global expansion, and partnerships for sourcing skilled healthcare professionals.

Discover the benefits of CourMed's concierge healthcare services, including prescription delivery, medical services, infusion therapies, vaccines, and advanced testing. With a world-class team of medical practitioners, CourMed is dedicated to providing exceptional healthcare and wellness solutions to consumers wherever they are.

Don't miss this exciting episode featuring Derek Miles, as he discusses the future of healthcare and the challenges of scaling a healthcare business.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Founder Bio: 

Derrick is Founder/Chief Executive Officer at CourMed. In addition, Mr. Miles is Chairman + Founder of TMB Equity Partners (executive team are former healthcare executives with 15+ years of experience); a boutique firm focused on investing/developing innovative healthcare solutions that achieve a liquidity event within five years. Derrick is also a multiple patented inventor, he received both an MSHA (#1 Program in the country) and MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He also holds a BS in Medical Technology (minor in Chemistry) from Bethune-Cookman University. Derrick is married with two sons; his family lives in Collin County, TX, and Dade County, FL.

Show Notes:

02:47 Derrick Miles background to Healthcare Executive

06:13 Encouraging people through innovative healthcare delivery platforms

09:22 Investing in health care company to serve high net worth clients

14:34 CourMed health and wellness service models

17:14 Becoming national provider of concierge health and wellness for the NBA

19:16 Benefits of CourMed concierge health care platform and wellness services

26:04 Tech features for scalability in the concierge business

28:34 Building a tech stack for CourMed with a fractional CTO

35:22 Leveraging partnerships to source high-skilled healthcare professionals

38:37 Exploring the challenges of expanding a healthcare business globally

40:18 Journey of raising funds for a startup and understanding the investment process

42:58 Understanding the difference between investment and found less sponsorship

45:50 What’s next for CourMed in 2023

46:40 How to get in contact with the Bardeen team

Resources:

Company website: https://www.courmed.com/about-us/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courmed/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/courmed/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CourMed

Currently, black women are starting businesses at 6 times the national average but are not seeing the same receipts as other founders. There are 3 major areas where women of color require support: access to capital, access to influential networks, and the ability to hire employees. The lack of access to capital for women is becoming a more prevalent part of the entrepreneurial conversation however solutions to solve the issue are still evolving. Black Girl Ventures is specifically focused on creating access to capital for women. All programming is centered on addressing this issue head-on.

In this episode of the podcast, we sit down with Omi Bell, an entrepreneur and founder of Black Girl Ventures, to discuss her journey to success and the challenges faced by black women in the startup world. Omi shares her story of pursuing her entrepreneurial dreams after a difficult breakup and job loss, and how she founded Black Girl Ventures to provide resources and funding for black women interested in launching their own startups. We learn how her organization has funded over 300 women founders, generating about 10 million in revenue and creating over 3,000 jobs, and how talent is the biggest culprit behind why startups fail.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Founder Bio:

Omi  Bell is the Founder/CEO of Black Girl Ventures, the host of The Omi Show on SiriusXM Urban View, and the creative director of Omi’s World Media. She has been named one of the top 100 most powerful women in business by Entrepreneur Magazine, Entrepreneur of the Year by Technically DC, and a Rising Brand Star by Adweek. She has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Inc Magazine, Yahoo Finance, and Refinery29; also been seen on Good Morning America, Vice TV, Cheddar, Bloomberg, Fox Business, Nike billboards and ads. Her work with entrepreneurs has been revered and honored by two murals in Washington, DC. Under her leadership, Black Girl Ventures has funded over 300 women founders representing about $10MM in revenue and creating over 3000 jobs for the US economy. Omi’s story and efforts have directly impacted over 20,000 people across 64 countries through training, mentoring, and speaking. 

Show Notes:

03:28 Omi Bell's background in computer science

06:06 reflection on teaching computer science to a diverse classroom

08:30 Combining creative and analytical thinking to create Black Girl Ventures (BGV) 

11:45 Exploring access to capital for black entrepreneurs

14:14 BGV pitch, fellowship program, and emerging leaders program overview

16:31 Leadership, business, and equity in the tech industry 

19:12 Industry agnostic and focused on specific verticals

21:37 Investment opportunities and donor-advised fund

25:30 Investment strategies for women-led companies at the million-dollar mark

30:29 Positioning a company for sale or merger

33:58 Advice for founders seeking investment

37:10 Preparing for enterprise sales: what you need to know

40:42 Omi Bell's new book context 

46:47 How to get in contact with the BGV team

Resources:

Company website: https://www.blackgirlventures.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackgirlventures/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blackgirlventures/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BGirlVentures

Many healthcare organizations are required to conduct time studies to document the time their practitioners spend on contracted activities. The resulting data is crucial for financial and cost reporting, as well as operational efficiency and workforce effectiveness initiatives. However, the discontinuous data reporting schedules and inefficient data collection workflows associated with traditional time studies can make them a burden for practitioners and result in low response rates.

On today's episode, we're joined by Kishau Rogers, CEO and founder of TimeStudy, to discuss how her AI-powered platform is improving productivity and creating competitive advantages for healthcare organizations. By leveraging machine learning and natural language processing, TimeStudy streamlines the time study process, making it less burdensome for practitioners and increasing response rates.

In addition to discussing the benefits of TimeStudy, Kishau shares her journey as a tech entrepreneur, her fundraising experience, team-building strategies, and advice for engaging with customers and minimizing investment risks. We also explore the use cases for time analysis in healthcare finance.

Join us for an insightful conversation on the future of time studies and their impact on healthcare organizations.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Founder Bio:

Kishau Rogers is a technology entrepreneur using computer science, systems thinking, and common sense to create intelligent human-centered solutions. As the Founder and CEO of Time Study, Kishau is one of the first Black women in the state of Virginia to raise millions in venture capital to scale her tech startup. Headquartered in New York City, Time Study is a platform that uses artificial intelligence to help enterprises understand the impact of how their employees spend their time. Time Study serves many of the largest health organizations in the US. Kishau’s work has been featured in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, and Black Enterprise. She holds a Computer Science degree and has over 25 years of technology and entrepreneurial leadership experience.

Show Notes:

02:38 Becoming a tech entrepreneur background

06:33 Leveraging relationships to start a business

08:48 Understanding the role of a founder in building a solution

10:38 Discussion on services business vs. start-up mindset for software development

14:11 Working hand in hand with initial customers

18:12 Benefits of machine learning, clustering, and natural language processing

20:03 Exploring the benefits of speed, contextualization, and standardization

23:26 Use cases for time analysis and predictions in healthcare finance

26:15 Benefits of healthcare ai for financial operations and workforce effectiveness

27:42 Team building strategies at time study

31:22 Fundraising and capital funding journey for time study

42:00 Strategies for de-risking investment and engaging with customers

44:56 How to get in contact with the Time study team

Resources:

Company website: https://timestudy.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/timestudycom/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timestudycom

Twitter: https://twitter.com/timestudy

Cybersecurity is at the forefront of today's news as the frequency of cyber-attacks continues to escalate alarmingly. Statistics reveal that the number of global cyber-attacks rose by a significant 28% during Q3 of 2022, compared to the previous year. The shift towards remote work, the rapid pace of digital transformation, and the emergence of highly sophisticated threat actors have made ensuring the safety of sensitive information a crucial concern for all companies.

In this episode, we discuss Corey's background as a cybersecurity expert, the benefits of combining software and services for cybersecurity solutions, and the go-to-market strategies for such solutions. Corey also touches on affordable pricing options for small-medium sized businesses and the benefits of services-based business models for tech startups. His company offers incident response and managed services solutions, combining both product and service to provide comprehensive protection for businesses. 

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Founder Bio:

As a transformative, servant leader, Corey is a proven entrepreneur focused on innovating and creating new paradigms in the security industry and life. His leadership style is focused on an employee first approach because of the positive impact of happy employees on their customer relationships. Corey has chosen to take a people centric approach to life and to let all outcomes be driven by that philosophy. Twenty-five years of experience in the security industry has seasoned him to create the next exponential evolution. As Founder and Chief Experience Officer, Corey has created Cyvatar.ai to enable vendor partners to deliver reliable, repeatable, and measurable business outcomes to clients through an outstanding customer experience. This also allows the partner to engineer out complexity, improve renewal/upsell/cross-sell opportunities, and increase their customer satisfaction and referrals.

Show Notes:

03:03 Background of cybersecurity expert Corey White.

06:18 Cybersecurity incident response and managed services solutions.

09:52 Combining product and service to protect businesses.

11:32 Building a cybersecurity solution with the right team and partnerships.

13:30 Benefits of combining software and services for cybersecurity solutions.

17:10 How everything started from a product perspective.

19:26 Leveraging proprietary technology to create fastest outcomes in the industry.

24:14 Go-to-market strategies for cybersecurity solutions.

28:16 Cybersecurity solutions for startups and small-medium-sized businesses.

30:14 Affordable pricing and direct to customer solutions for small businesses.

35:54 External partners to build a company faster

39:14 Revenue-based financing as an alternative funding model for startups 

44:47 Benefits of services-based business models for tech startups

Resources

Company website: https://cyvatar.ai/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cyvatar-ai/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyvatar.ai/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cyvatar

Millions of pounds of food are wasted every year in the United States and millions of people go without meals. Bridging that gap has been challenging, but now there are solutions using technology to help solve this problem. Our guest today is at the forefront of this movement to end hunger. 

Jasmine Crowe is the CEO and Founder of Goodr, and she’s working specifically on this food waste problem. Goodr’s mission is to feed more and waste less using their technology platform that connects those with excess food to the people who need it most. In this episode, Jasmine talks in depth about how Goodr started and the challenges she’s faced growing the company. 

Founder Bio

Jasmine Crowe is an award-winning social entrepreneur, children’s book author, TED Speaker, and leader who is working to make the world a better place one cause at a time. Jasmine’s goal is to foster change and create awareness about the leading socioeconomic issues of today, including climate change, food waste, and hunger.  In 2017, after years of feeding people experiencing homelessness from her own kitchen, Jasmine launched Goodr, a sustainable waste management company that leverages technology to combat hunger and reduce food waste. She has been featured on CNBC, Oprah Magazine, Inc., Forbes, Fast Co., NY Times, and named by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the top 100 influential female founders.

Under Jasmine’s leadership, Goodr has redirected over 20 million pounds of surplus food from event centers, airports, and businesses to people that are food insecure. Goodr has also launched a grocery delivery program that provides free weekly groceries to thousands of senior citizens and students. Most recently, the company implemented its first no-cost, grocery store for a Title 1 school. Goodr clients include Turner Broadcasting, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson Airport, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Capital One, Six Flags Over Georgia, and many more.

Timestamps

03:26 - How Jasmine’s consultancy led to starting Goodr 

06:59 - The tax benefits companies receive from using Goodr’s platform 

7:37 - The challenges of being a solo founder and how Jasmine built her team

11:00 - Dealing with potential investors’ concerns if you don’t have a team 

14:30 - How Jasmine utilized advice for mentors early on to help grow her team

17:48 - The importance of delegating to the team to be able to actively raise money

20:00 - How Goodr used technology to solve the waste management problem by making the ecosystem more efficient

21:26 - The way Goodr manages the relationships with each stakeholder

24:26 - How Goodr’s platform makes it easy for drivers to pick up and deliver the food 

25:44 - How Goodr gained traction in her early days

28:13 - Using a customer acquisition strategy that includes direct outreach, partnerships, referrals and more

30:00 - Jasmine explains the fundraising journey for Goodr and the type of investors that are a best fit

32:10 How to get in contact with the Goodr team

Resources

Company website: https://goodr.co
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/goodrco/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodrCo/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thegoodrco

The auto-industry has embraced artificial intelligence as a key tool in achieving autonomous driving.  However, we've also got innovative startups tapping into AI to further improve the safety and quality of the driver experience. 

In this episode, we sit with Rashid Galadanci, the CEO, and co-founder of Driver Technologies, an AI-based mobility tech startup that delivers a safer driving experience. He co-founded the company in 2019 based on his inspiration to share the benefits of advanced vehicle technologies without barriers to access, while also improving safety - forever.

The app transforms a driver's phone into a mobile driving assistance system and dash cam designed to make connected mobility technology more accessible. It has users in over 170 countries.

Founder Bio

Rashid Galadanci is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Driver Technologies. He serves as Board Member at Pigeonly as well as a Venture Partner at The Social Entrepreneurs Fund. He has a background in emerging market economic development, technology, energy, and management consulting. Before joining TSEF, he was an Associate at Armonia LLC, an impact investing-focused family office. Previously, he managed global initiatives and operational policy at FINCA International, a leading microfinance institution with 1.7 million clients in 23 countries.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

2:40 - Rashid's Background and the inspiration behind launching Driver Technologies 

6:56 – Transitioning from investor to tech entrepreneur

12:09 – Overview of Driver Technologies team and how the company was launched

16:43 – How Driver Technologies is positioned in the car safety industry

19:11 – Navigating complex driving conditions in varied geograpic regions

 23:00 – Defining the user experience

 25:48 - Everyday user qualitative perception and reviews of the app.

 27:42 – Who created the first version of the app and how was the process. 

 29:48 – How was the fundraising journey?

 36:42 – How things changed moving from a seed stage to series A.

 37:44 – Seed extension pros and cons.

 39:56 – What’s next for Driver Technologies.

 40:50 – Where to learn more about Driver Technology, download the app, and test the product.

https://drivertechnologies.com/

Financial literacy is important for all ages but particularly for children and young adults. This issue is heightened for minority consumers who work hard but may not have the tools and information needed to ensure they’re making the best choices with their money. 

Daricus Releford is the CEO and Founder of Store Cash, and he’s working specifically on this financial literacy problem. StoreCash is a fintech company that gives users up to 15% cashback on their everyday shopping, and helps young consumers receive vital lessons on financial literacy. 

Founder Bio

Daricus is a serial entrepreneur that started his first business at the age of 12. After college Daricus started an online Berry business called Twiggy's Berries, and with no funding, he strategized free ways to market the business and ultimately made appearances in Kiplinger magazine. 

Daricus was also a guest on the Steve Harvey Show, several other news outlets and almost landed his own reality show on TLC. Seeking funding and expansion of the business, Daricus drove from Pennsylvania to Silicon valley where he landed jobs at Apple, Facebook and Google. He then ultimately founded the company that we'll talk about today, StoreCash.

Timestamps

02:30 - Daricus’ childhood and teenage experiences with entrepreneurship 

04:45 - The chocolate covered strawberry business that got them on the Steve Harvey Show 

06:12 - How Daricus broke into the tech industry and landed jobs at some of the biggest tech companies in Silicon Valley 

08:22 - The catalyst for starting StoreCash

11:05 - Breaking down the  StoreCash product and the importance of early financial literacy education 

15:10 - How they utilize the debit card as a core fintech product and financial literacy tool

16:55 - How do users interact with the platform  

18:04 - How they approached building the technology behind StoreCash 

19:58 - Best practices for working with offshore developer teams 

23:58 - How Daricus met his co-founders and the pros and cons of solo entrepreneurship 

30:15 - Darius and Daricus discuss maneuvering through the fundraising process 

34:22 Managing team members, growing as a leader, and how to recruit great talent to your business 

38:38 - How to get in contact with Daricus and the StoreCash team

Many small businesses are cash strapped operations that need access to working capital to take care of everyday needs like payroll and inventory. Sadly, many loan vehicles for small business owners and particularly, minority owned small businesses, do not serve this large and necessary demographic of entrepreneurs. 

Today, I sit with Kenny Salas,Co-founder and COO of Camino financial,  an AI powered community development, financial institution, or CDFI. This FinTech platform fuels generational wealth for America's overlooked entrepreneurs. 

Kenny along with his brother, Sean, Co-founder and CEO of Camino Financial, have built a team of 130 plus associates across the United States and Latin America to fulfill their vision. Since its inception in 2014, the company has financed over $150 million in micro loans funding over 7,000 small businesses resulting in over $100 million in fees and interest saved.

Founder Bio 

Before starting Camino Financial with his brother, Sean, Kenny worked at the private equity firm, Palladium Equity Partners. His responsibilities included investing into middle-sized businesses, managing five portfolio companies and serving on the board of directors for Wise Foods. He also collaborated with his portfolio brands to formulate strategic and financial planning. 

Before Palladium, Kenny began his career as a financial analyst for Barclays capital. He holds an MBA from Harvard business school  and a bachelor's in political economy from the University of California, Berkeley. 

03:23 - Kenny’s professional journey and how him and twin brother grew up pre-Camino Financial 

07:16 - How his mom and family’s entrepreneurial journey influenced his life and career 

11:13 - The pain point for small business owners that became the catalyst for Camino Financial 

13:30 - The first demographic of small business owners they went after and the initial insights they got from the first iteration of the loan service 

17:32 - How they’re utilizing data on their borrowers to automate the loan process and build AI solutions within their platform 

22:19 - The importance of being culturally aligned with their customer base and how that’s influenced them to build an office in Mexico City

24:09 - How they approached building a digital first platform with little coding experience

28:28 -  How they approach team building in Mexico and South America

34:53 - Kenny’s fundraising strategy for Camino Financial and how it changed in different funding rounds

39:48 - Kenny’s advice on preparing for the Seed round vs Series B

43:21 -  Camino’s potential to expand into other international markets 

45:29 - How to get in contact with the Camino Financial team

As commerce becomes more digitized, businesses have both the opportunity and responsibility to create improved experiences for their customers. This can be as simple as shortening the turnaround time on answering a customer’s question to making the customer feel like she or he is having a tailored experience with that business. 

Today, I sit with Charles Ifedi of Ebanqo, who has built a solution that helps businesses and customers better communicate with one another, and simplify a world with multiple messaging platforms by bringing them together under one roof. 

Charles is a serial entrepreneur and fintech unicorn builder who has a thoughtful approach to building products that are supremely influenced by the core needs of its users. He shares with us his entrepreneurial journey, approach to product development, working with offshore developers and team building over his multi-decade career. 

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Founder Bio:

Charles Ifedi is the founder and CEO of Ebanqo, an omnichannel customer engagement startup that helps businesses aggregate their messaging channels, including webchat, Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp. By bundling these channels they help businesses build stronger customer relationships, offer their services on the web, and multiple messaging apps. 

Prior to launching Ebanqo, Charles was the pioneer CEO of Verve, Africa’s leading payment card brand. He was also the co-founder of a fintech company, named Inner Switch that was valued at over a billion dollars after receiving an investment from Visa. He’s also worked with American Express, PWC, and Accenture across Africa, Europe and the US. Charles has a doctorate in Business Administration from Georgia State University, an MBA from Cranfield University, and a bachelor’s of science with a specialization in computer science from University of Ilorin. 

3:08 - Charles’s early career and entrepreneurial ventures in Fintech

4:00 - How Nigeria and the African continent quickly grew into an internationally relevant tech hub and first mover in popular technology trends like payments and instant transfer

9:20 - Origins of Ebanqo

12:38 - How Ebanqo’s core product works and how it helps businesses better serve their customers 

14:59 - Understanding how and when to use AI within Ebanqo’s customer experience, and knowing that a human element is still needed when serving customers

19:37 - How focusing on solving the need of the customer changed his goal of building a fintech business to creating a platform that serves any type of B2C business
21:25 - How Charles learned to sell into industries that he didn’t have previous experience in 

23:06 - Building the Ebanqo product and partnering with a dev shop for the MVP 

26:01 -The most important thing to think about when building a product 

27:03 - How to successfully work with a dev shop 

33:01 - Building the Ebanqo Team 

35:43 - How Charles approached fundraising for Ebanqo 

37:56 - How does Charles and the team differentiate Ebanqo from other players in the market

As business culture evolves, so will the process of developing the next generation of business leaders.  Companies that want to be at the forefront of this next generation will do so by investing in their talent.

Today, I sit with Stephen Bailey, Co-founder and CEO of ExecOnline. ExecOnline is a pioneer in online leadership development for enterprises. Stephen oversees the organization's strategic vision and broader efforts to engage with corporations to create a more diverse pool of future business leaders .

Since its inception in 2012, Stephen has raised nearly $90 million, building the company into a leadership development powerhouse that works with Fortune 500 and Global 2000 companies, as well as NGOs and government agencies. Under his leadership, ExecOnline has grown to now include partnerships with 12 of the world's leading business schools and is named as a “Top Tech Company to Watch” by Forbes. 

Founder Bio 

Stephen is a seasoned lawyer and operator, and was the CEO of Frontier Strategy Group, a global market intelligence company, before founding ExecOnline. He is an impassioned advocate for the development of more inclusive corporate environments and better development pathways for all leaders. 

Timestamps

02:45 - Stephen’s background and career experiences that lead to him starting ExecOnline

07:49 - The current state of ExecOnline and how they partner with top business schools to train and develop the next generation of leaders  

09:44 - Understanding how the ExecOnline platform works

12:28 - Stephen’s thoughts on the current state of leadership development and how it’s shifting 

16:11 - Organizations that are most excited about this space and see leadership development as a necessary strategic initiative 

20:15 - Understanding how organizations and users engage with the platform

25:32 - How they’ve engaged both business organizations and universities within their business model to ensure that all parties are getting value. 

29:36 - Breaking down the ExecOnline product strategy 

32:30 - Breaking down the ExecOnline fundraising strategy and thoughts on managing equity with subsequent rounds of funding 

38:56 - How to get in touch with Stephen and ExecOnline

There isn’t a single business owner or individual who hasn’t felt the friction created around the tax preparation process.  Even accounting and tax professional get a bit of a headache when thinking about managing tax data.  Today, I sit with Matt Parker of Modern Tax, who is on a mission to automate many of that data intensive processes around tax planning and preparation.

Matt is a former Division 1 basketball player who discovered a passion for entrepreneurship given his knack for creativity and high-performance personality.  He shares with us his journey – from stumbling through corporate America to finding his footing as a tech founder.

Founder Bio:

Matt Park is the founder and CEO of Modern Tax, a startup building a suite of API and no-code solutions that provide a better way to engage with tax data for financial institutions and FinTech platforms. Each product allows businesses to verify income, report and confirm income with the IRS, automate tax service switching and form population, verify identity, and decrease fraudulent income reporting.

Most recently, Matt is running ModernTax, in which he has raised over $3M in venture capital to date. He lives in San Francisco with his wife Whitney and his newborn son Cain.

2:55 How basketball shaped Matt’s early days and his future as an entrepreneur

7:39 How Matt chose his next career path post hoop dreams

9:58 Launching his first entrepreneurial endeavor empowering athletes

13:08 Origins of Modern Tax

15:40 What is Modern Tax and what is the core problem it’s solving?

19:00 Why tax automation software and tax experts work better together

23:15 The value of finding a co-founder with a complimentary skillset

25:36 Building an engineering organization and finding the right talent

28:28 The importance of resilience in a startups workforce

30:31  Approaching Series A | Matt’s thoughts on fundraising

35:24 What is the best type of investor for Modern Tax?

Prior to the pandemic, the term essential professional was virtually unused.  We quickly discovered just how important certain professions are to our existence.  While essential professionals may not have received any special benefits because of their efforts, startups like Landed are working to ensure that they do see some economic benefit.

Today, I sit with Alex Lofton, who leads Landed’s effort to create wealth for essential professionals through the home buying process.  His team has created an innovative fintech product that provides the financing required to buy a home.

Founder Bio:

Alex Lofton is the Co-Founder and President of Landed.  He is a proud product of Bellevue Public Schools in his native Washington state. Alex previously worked as a member of Barack Obama’s field team in 2007 and 2008, managing hundreds of paid staff who organized thousands of volunteers for the then-Senator’s successful presidential primary and general election campaigns.

Alex then served as a Founding Regional Director of Organizing for America – the political mobilization wing of the Democratic National Committee – until 2010.

Alex has since served in leadership positions at numerous social enterprises and technology start-ups in D.C., London, and San Francisco. Alex got his start in real estate at developer Forest City, and he holds a B.A. from Northwestern University and an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.

Timestamps:

2:41  From Seattle to Chicago | Alex’s early career in politics with Barack Obama’s early campaign

6:52  Building brand awareness for the Barack Obama and his Presidential campaign

10:21  How Alex found his footing in the startup ecosystem

13:58  How Landed is helping essential workers build wealth via home buying

17:21  Business Model | The Xs and Os of how Landed helps acquire a home using innovative finance

20:03  Automating data-driven financing decisions

26:30  Organizing the team to deliver the first version of a data driven product

28:46  The job of a startup President and “Chief Enroller”

30:29  The evolution of Landed’s go-to-market strategy

37:20  Why essential professionals became the ideal customer/partner

41:20  Adding to the 70+ person team after closing Series B

43:56  The value in finding investment partners with a stake in the constituency you serve

47:15  The differences between raising a seed round and raising a Series B

While tech startups are winning the headlines and press attention, it’s the everyday small business that continues to drive our economy.  Today, we sit with Carolyn Rodz (Founder, Hello Alice), who has built a platform to support the growth of these small businesses.

Carolyn shares her journey from investment banker to successful entrepreneur.  More importantly, she shares her experience and learning lessons from launching 2 failed business.  In just a few short years, Carolyn when from high earning banker to $25/hr contract work.  It’s clear that she has returned to her status as a rockstar, but we are fortunate that she was very willing to share a very candid recount of the journey.

Founder’s Bio:

An investment banker turned three-time award winning Latina entrepreneur from Bolivia, Carolyn Rodz serves as the Founder and CEO of Hello Alice. A free multi-channel platform powered by AI technology, Hello Alice guides business owners by providing access to funding, networks and services. Through a network of nearly half a million companies in all 50 states and across the globe.

During her time at Hello Alice, Carolyn was recognized as a “17 Women to Watch,” by Inc. Magazine, in 2020 was named Hispanic CEO of the year by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, has testified before the U.S. Congressional House Small Business Committee, and was featured in a U.S. Senate report by Senator Shaheen titled, “Tackling the Gender Gap: What Women Entrepreneurs Need to Thrive.” She was selected by Mayor Turner of Houston to co-chair the Women and Minority Small Business Task Force in 2019.

Prior to Hello Alice, Carolyn launched the world’s first completely virtual accelerator, supporting over 300 women from across the United States and internationally and helped them raise over $76 million in investments. Fast Company highlighted the accelerator as the “most innovative and fastest growing for women.”

Timestamps:

3:13 Growing up as a Bolivian-American | Raised in Houston, TX

4:46  Early career as an investment banker in JPMorgan’s M&A group

6:45  Leaving banking at 25 to “jump blindly” into launching a business in retail

11:00  A humble recovery from a public failure as a first first-time entrepreneur

17:27  Launching and exiting a digital marketing company

22:18  Introducing Hello Alice | A community that helps 600K small businesses succeed

25:40  How entrepreneurs can tap into grants to launch and/or grow their small business

28:54  Landing Dell as an corporate partner as a very early stage startup

34:51  Creating an trustworthy and effective marketplace revenue model

40:13  Hello Alice’s funding journey from grants to venture capital

44:00  From Seed to Series B | Key metrics investors focus on with marketplaces

48:44  The benefit of moving from in-office (Houston & San Francisco) to fully-remote

52:00  Check out Hello Alice at helloalice.com for free

Since 2011, when Bobby Bryant watched IBM Watson play and win against the two winningest players in Jeopardy history, he’s been obsessed and intrigued by the possibilities when it comes to voice activated intelligent assistants. That same year(2011), APPLE introduced the world to Siri. It was at that moment he envisioned a multi-model and mobile-first experience for consumers on the go for all of their real estate needs. The ability to list, search, and service any home in the country at the edge of your fingertips and/or voice.

Company Overview:

Bobby Bryant is the Co-Founder and CEO of Doss.  A Google-backed startup, DOSS is a voice-activated intelligent assistant designed exclusively for the real estate industry. Their objective is to empower people to speak, text, or type any question about any property in the country to get accurate, easy, and instant answers. Architecturally built on an Intelligent User Interface(IUI), DOSS leverages everything that Artificial Intelligence(AI) has to offer to better centralize, democratize, and humanize BIG DATA in a more intuitive and meaningful way

Timestamps:

2:12  Houston – a budding tech hub

3:44  The early days | Military kid, elite athlete

5:10  From school teacher to real estate millionaire

8:30  How losing it all in the real estate collapse led to tech entrepreneurship

11:30  Working with IBM to build an intelligent assistant

13:53  Bobby’s approach to building tech as a non-technical founder

16:48  Building the initial team + selling the vision and creating proper incentives

22:49  What is DOSS?  How does it impact the real estate industry?

29.20  Test out DOSS for free at www.askdoss.com

30:44  Bobby’s approach to building out an effective marketplace product and business model

36:39  DOSS traction to date + managing server costs and user growth

44:20  What’s up next for Doss? + fundraising goals

There could not be a better time to discuss building a global workforce and optimizing a remote work teams.  Companies like Slack, Zoom, and other platforms have taken off given how they reduce friction for the future of work.  YAC has recently joined that class of tools.

Our guest, Jordan Walker, experienced the challenges of managing a global workforce while running a software development shop prior to founding YAC.  He sits with us today to discuss how communication is the critical pain point that needs to be solved for businesses to execute on their strategic goals.  YAC, and asynchronous communication platform, was born from that idea.

Founder Bio:

Jordan Walker is one of the three co-founders of Yac as well as a board member and angel investor. To date Yac has raised $10M+ in funding from GGV Capital, Slack, and Arlan Hamilton, Anthony Pompliano, and more. You can find him in the news on TechCrunch, WSJ, Business Insider, Fast Company, and Protocol.

Timestamps:

2:26  Jordan’s background and early days as an athlete

5:41  Taking on the startup journey as a college student + meeting cofounders

7:03  Launching a product out of a software development shop

10:11  Challenges and best practices to leverage when working with a development shop/offshore talent

15:41  Solving the communication problems inherent in managing remote teams

19:31  The value of asynchronous communication and how YAC takes the experience to the next level

22:30  How YAC took off on Product Hunt + a DM that led to funding from VC mogul Adam Draper

27:01  YAC’s motivation for raising venture funding vs bootstrapping

34:01  Taking investment from corporate venture capital: Slack

36:11  How YAC’s founders decided what roles to take in the startup

38:41  Going global with VC firm GGV + how investor provide resources to startups

40:47  YAC’s inbound/outbound go-to-market strategy

42:51  Never assume a VC deal is done until the money is in your bank account

46:11  YAC raises $7.5mm Series A – What’s next and how will they spend it?