The Established Podcast

On this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, we listen to Frank Gruber's interview with Lo Toney at the Startup of the Year Summit in the fall of 2020. Lo is the founding managing partner at Plexo Capital, which is an institutional investment firm he incubated and spun out from Google Ventures. Plexo Capital invests in emerging seed-stage VCs led by diverse teams and invests directly into companies sourced from the portfolios of VCs where Plexo Capital has an investment. Prior to founding Plexo Capital, Lo was a Partner on the investing team at Google Ventures where he focused on marketplaces, mobile and consumer products. Before Google Ventures, Lo was a Partner with Comcast Ventures where he led the Catalyst Fund and worked with the main fund where he focused on mobile messaging and marketplaces. Lo also worked with Zynga as the GM of Zynga Poker with full P+L responsibility for Zynga's largest franchise at that time. He has also held executive roles with Nike, eBay, as well as startups funded by top tier investors. On another note, we have a very exciting SXSW event planned on March 15 - 20. Our programming will also include a segment for Government Funding Opportunities for Startups and a Venture Capital Reverse Pitch, where investors will actually pitch their funds to startups...which everyone is really excited about. If you are interested in learning more or getting involved visit: www.est.us/sxsw21. We also invite all of our listeners to get involved with our program by visiting: established.us/programs. This is the best way to get notified of the various startup opportunities that we come across while working with various partner organizations and in a number of ecosystems across the country. It is also that time of year again when the Startup of the Year 2021 Application is open. So if you are a startup looking for exposure and to become part of an amazing community make sure to apply at https://www.startupofyear.com/application. We also want to congratulate Kamana Health (Established Venture Portfolio & 2019 Top 100) for announcing that they've been acquired by Triage. Kamana is a software platform connecting healthcare providers and staffing agencies with traveling nurses and other medical professionals. Learn more at the following: https://www.kamanahealth.com/an-open-letter-to-our-customers/. Lastly, check us out on the Clubhouse App, where we are planning a bunch of new rooms and sessions coming out regularly and we will also have some rooms during our SXSW festivities. Follow our Club - Startup Community Club. Thank you for listening, and as always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at www.est.us Checkout Startup of the Year at www.startupofyear.com/ Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: http://startupoftheyear.libsyn.com/ Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube *** Startup of the Year helps diverse, emerging startups, founding teams, and entrepreneurs push their company to the next level. We are a competition, a global community, and a resource. Startup of the Year is also a year-long program that searches the country for a geographically diverse set of startups from all backgrounds and pulls them together to compete for the title of Startup of the Year. The program includes a number of in-person and virtual events, including our annual South By Southwest startup pitch event and competition. All of which culminate at our annual Startup of the Year Summit, where the Startup of the Year winner is announced, along with an opportunity at a potential investment. Established is a consultancy focused on helping organizations with innovation, startup, and communication strategies. It is the power behind Startup of the Year. Created by the talent responsible for building the Tech.Co brand (acquired by an international publishing company), we are leveraging decades of experience to help our collaborators best further (or create) their brand & accomplish their most important goals. Connect with us on Twitter - @EstablishedUs and Facebook - facebook.com/established.us/.

On this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, we listen to Frank Gruber's interview with Dr. Ximena Hartsock at the Startup of the Year Summit in the fall of 2020. Ximena is the Co-founder of Phone2Action, the world's leading technology company for civic participation and stakeholder engagement. The platform has empowered millions of advocates to make over 40 million connections with elected officials. She is passionate about education and about empowering people to take action to make this world a better place. In addition to running her own companies, Ximena is a member of the board of directors of Consumer Technology Association which produces CES and she is also on the Forbes list of Women Crushing it in Technology. When we heard from her at our Summit in the Fall of 2020 she was still working with Phone2Action, but after eight years, she announced that she left the Arlington-based civic tech company to pursue a new venture and launch a new technology product. We are excited to hear more about her new endeavor when more details are available. We also hear from Rich Maloy, our VP of Engagement with Established and part of Established Ventures, who has some tips for raising capital with a segment called the "VC Minute." As many of you may know, we've had a long tradition of heading down to Austin, Texas every March for SXSW and we want to quickly let you all know we have something brewing again this year in mid-March. If you are interested in learning more or getting involved visit: www.est.us/sxsw21. We also invite all of our listeners to get involved with our program by visiting: established.us/programs. This is the best way to get notified of the various startup opportunities that we come across while working with various partner organizations and in a number of ecosystems across the country. Lastly, check us out on the Clubhouse App, where we are planning a bunch of new rooms and sessions coming out regularly and we will also have some rooms during our SXSW festivities. You can follow us at @frankgruber, @jenconsalvo, @johnguidos or we will be updating our Clubhouse calendar in our weekly newsletter. Thank you for listening, and as always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at www.est.us Checkout Startup of the Year at www.startupofyear.com/ Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: http://startupoftheyear.libsyn.com/ Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube *** Startup of the Year helps diverse, emerging startups, founding teams, and entrepreneurs push their company to the next level. We are a competition, a global community, and a resource. Startup of the Year is also a year-long program that searches the country for a geographically diverse set of startups from all backgrounds and pulls them together to compete for the title of Startup of the Year. The program includes a number of in-person and virtual events, including our annual South By Southwest startup pitch event and competition. All of which culminate at our annual Startup of the Year Summit, where the Startup of the Year winner is announced, along with an opportunity at a potential investment. Established is a consultancy focused on helping organizations with innovation, startup, and communication strategies. It is the power behind Startup of the Year. Created by the talent responsible for building the Tech.Co brand (acquired by an international publishing company), we are leveraging decades of experience to help our collaborators best further (or create) their brand & accomplish their most important goals. Connect with us on Twitter - @EstablishedUs and Facebook - facebook.com/established.us/.

On this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, Frank Gruber talked with Suneel Gupta at the Startup of the Year Summit in the fall of 2020. Suneel teaches innovation at Harvard University and is the author of the upcoming book, "BACKABLE," which just came out on February 23rd. The book is rooted in Suneel's journey from first-time entrepreneur to being named "The New Face of Innovation" by the New York Stock Exchange, and explores how to get people to believe in your ideas. "BACKABLE" can be purchased at the following link: https://amzn.to/3aPtRab Suneel's ideas have been backed by firms like Greylock and Google Ventures, and he served as an Entrepreneur in Residence inside Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. He has personally backed startups including Impossible Foods, AirBnB, 23&Me, Calm, and SpaceX. In 2019, Suneel established the Gross National Happiness Center of America in partnership with the Kingdom of Bhutan. We also hear from Rich Maloy, our VP of Engagement with Established and part of Established Ventures, who has some tips for raising capital with a segment called the "VC Minute." As many of you may know, we've had a long tradition of heading down to Austin, Texas every March for SXSW and we want to quickly let you all know we have something brewing again this year this year in mid-March. If you are interested in learning more or getting involved visit: www.est.us/sxsw21. We also invite all of our listeners to get involved with our program by visiting: established.us/programs. This is the best way to get notified of the various startup opportunities that we come across while working with various partner organizations and in a number of ecosystems across the country. Thank you for listening, and as always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at www.est.us Checkout Startup of the Year at www.startupofyear.com/ Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: http://startupoftheyear.libsyn.com/ Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube *** Startup of the Year helps diverse, emerging startups, founding teams, and entrepreneurs push their company to the next level. We are a competition, a global community, and a resource. Startup of the Year is also a year-long program that searches the country for a geographically diverse set of startups from all backgrounds and pulls them together to compete for the title of Startup of the Year. The program includes a number of in-person and virtual events, including our annual South By Southwest startup pitch event and competition. All of which culminate at our annual Startup of the Year Summit, where the Startup of the Year winner is announced, along with an opportunity at a potential investment. Established is a consultancy focused on helping organizations with innovation, startup, and communication strategies. It is the power behind Startup of the Year. Created by the talent responsible for building the Tech.Co brand (acquired by an international publishing company), we are leveraging decades of experience to help our collaborators best further (or create) their brand & accomplish their most important goals. Connect with us on Twitter - @EstablishedUs and Facebook - facebook.com/established.us/.

On this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, Frank Gruber talks with Zvi Band, the co-founder CEO of Contactually, a top CRM which empowers professionals in real estate, consulting, and other professional industries to build authentic relationships. He is also the author of the book Success is in Your Sphere. Zvi co-founded Contactually in 2011, and led the company to $12M in venture backing, 75 employees, and tens of thousands of customers, including 8 of the top 20 real estate brokerages in the country. Contactually was then acquired by Compass, where Zvi stayed on as a General Manager until this year. Zvi started off the year with some big news by announcing that he left Compass and is now building a new company, which will be interesting to hear more about in the near future. We also hear segments from some of our Established Team members. Our Co-CEO, Jen Consalvo, shares some words of inspiration for startup founders, and Rich Maloy, our VP of Engagement with Established and part of Established Ventures, has some tips for raising capital with a segment called the "VC Minute. As many of you may know, we've had a long tradition of heading down to Austin, Texas every March for SXSW and we want to quickly let you all know we have something brewing again this year this year in mid-March. If you are interested in learning more or getting involved visit: www.est.us/sxsw21. We also invite all of our listeners to get involved with our program by visiting: established.us/programs. This is the best way to get notified of the various startup opportunities that we come across while working with various partner organizations and in a number of ecosystems across the country. Thank you for listening, and as always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at www.est.us Checkout Startup of the Year at www.startupofyear.com/ Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: http://startupoftheyear.libsyn.com/ Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube *** Startup of the Yearhelps diverse, emerging startups, founding teams, and entrepreneurs push their company to the next level. We are a competition, a global community, and a resource. Startup of the Year is also a year-long program that searches the country for a geographically diverse set of startups from all backgrounds and pulls them together to compete for the title of Startup of the Year. The program includes a number of in-person and virtual events, including our annual South By Southwest startup pitch event and competition. All of which culminate at our annual Startup of the Year Summit, where the Startup of the Year winner is announced, along with an opportunity at a potential investment. Establishedis a consultancy focused on helping organizations with innovation, startup, and communication strategies. It is the power behind Startup of the Year. Created by the talent responsible for building the Tech.Co brand (acquired by an international publishing company), we are leveraging decades of experience to help our collaborators best further (or create) their brand accomplish their most important goals. Connect with us on Twitter -@EstablishedUsand Facebook -facebook.com/established.us/.

On this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, Frank Gruber talks with acclaimed author and the CEO of WLJ Advisors, Whitney Johnson. Whitney is a former Wall Street Analyst and is the cofounder of the Disruptive Innovation Fund with Harvard Business School's Clayton Christensen in which they invested in at least one unicorn. She is also an executive coach, speaker, and innovation thinker who was recently named one of the most influential management thinkers by Thinkers50. She also is the author of "Build an A-Team" and the critically acclaimed author of "Disrupt Yourself" among other books. Lastly, Whitney hosts the weekly Disrupt Yourself podcast, where every week she explores her passion for personal disruption through engaging conversations with disruptors. You can find the podcast at: http://whitneyjohnson.com/disrupt-yourself-podcast/ We invite all of our listeners to get involved with our program by visiting: established.us/programs. This is the best way to get notified of the various startup opportunities that we come across while working with various partner organizations and in a number of ecosystems across the country. Thank you for listening, and as always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at www.est.us Checkout Startup of the Year at www.startupofyear.com/ Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: http://startupoftheyear.libsyn.com/ Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube *** Startup of the Year helps diverse, emerging startups, founding teams, and entrepreneurs push their company to the next level. We are a competition, a global community, and a resource. Startup of the Year is also a year-long program that searches the country for a geographically diverse set of startups from all backgrounds and pulls them together to compete for the title of Startup of the Year. The program includes a number of in-person and virtual events, including our annual South By Southwest startup pitch event and competition. All of which culminate at our annual Startup of the Year Summit, where the Startup of the Year winner is announced, along with an opportunity at a potential investment. Established is a consultancy focused on helping organizations with innovation, startup, and communication strategies. It is the power behind Startup of the Year. Created by the talent responsible for building the Tech.Co brand (acquired by an international publishing company), we are leveraging decades of experience to help our collaborators best further (or create) their brand & accomplish their most important goals. Connect with us on Twitter - @EstablishedUs and Facebook - facebook.com/established.us/.

On this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, Frank Gruber talks with Rohit Bhargava about business, marketing, and his book "Non-Obvious Mega Trends." Rohit is an innovation and marketing expert and the founder of the Non-Obvious Company. He is also a Wall Street Journal best selling author of six business books and also teaches marketing and innovation at Georgetown University. His most recent book is titled "Non-Obvious Mega Trends" and it is the culmination of a decade of Non-Obvious trend books. You can buy the book at: www.nonobvious.com/megatrends Rohit is hosting The Non-Obvious Beyond Diversity Summit on January 26 - 29th, where Frank will also be speaking about investing in diverse startups along with Courtney Caldwell of ShearShare, Travis Holoway of Solo Funds, Ash Kumra of Peak Mindful, Marlon Nichols of MaC Venture Capital, and Allyson Kapin of The W Fund. Find out more about the event and at: www.nonobviousdiversity.com As always, we invite all of our listeners to get involved with our program by visiting: established.us/programs. This is the best way to get notified of the various startup opportunities that we come across while working with various partner organizations and in a number of ecosystems across the country. Thank you for listening, and as always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at www.est.us Checkout Startup of the Year at www.startupofyear.com/ Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: http://startupoftheyear.libsyn.com/ Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube *** Startup of the Year helps diverse, emerging startups, founding teams, and entrepreneurs push their company to the next level. We are a competition, a global community, and a resource. Startup of the Year is also a year-long program that searches the country for a geographically diverse set of startups from all backgrounds and pulls them together to compete for the title of Startup of the Year. The program includes a number of in-person and virtual events, including our annual South By Southwest startup pitch event and competition. All of which culminate at our annual Startup of the Year Summit, where the Startup of the Year winner is announced, along with an opportunity at a potential investment. Established is a consultancy focused on helping organizations with innovation, startup, and communication strategies. It is the power behind Startup of the Year. Created by the talent responsible for building the Tech.Co brand (acquired by an international publishing company), we are leveraging decades of experience to help our collaborators best further (or create) their brand & accomplish their most important goals. Connect with us on Twitter - @EstablishedUs and Facebook - facebook.com/established.us/.

On this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast we're going to hear an interview that Rich Maloy, our VP of Engagement at Established, did with Aaron Froug. Aaron is the Co-Founder and CEO of Grifin, which is a cool new fintech app that makes investing as energizing as buying your morning coffee. Basically, the app allows users to invest a dollar in every company where they spend money. It is pretty amazing and I've never really seen anything quite like it. Grifin was the People's Choice Award winner at our Startup of the Year Summit last Fall and our entire team was pretty excited about it and most actually downloaded the app. Aaron also talks about raising capital and other tips and tricks that he has learned while navigating the waters as a startup entrepreneur. We also want to invite all of our listeners to get involved with our programs by visiting: www.established.us/programs. This is the best way to get notified of the various startup opportunities that we come across while working with various partner organizations and in a number of ecosystems across the country. As always, we're still offering a free domain to anyone interested in claiming a .US domain. So if you're listening and want register a new domain for a new idea or for an existing business, simply go to to http://est.us/SummitUs and register right away, thanks to our partnership with our friends at .US Thank you for listening, and as always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at www.est.us Checkout Startup of the Year at www.startupofyear.com/ Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: http://startupoftheyear.libsyn.com/ Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube *** Startup of the Year helps diverse, emerging startups, founding teams, and entrepreneurs push their company to the next level. We are a competition, a global community, and a resource. Startup of the Year is also a year-long program that searches the country for a geographically diverse set of startups from all backgrounds and pulls them together to compete for the title of Startup of the Year. The program includes a number of in-person and virtual events, including our annual South By Southwest startup pitch event and competition. All of which culminate at our annual Startup of the Year Summit, where the Startup of the Year winner is announced, along with an opportunity at a potential investment. Established is a consultancy focused on helping organizations with innovation, startup, and communication strategies. It is the power behind Startup of the Year. Created by the talent responsible for building the Tech.Co brand (acquired by an international publishing company), we are leveraging decades of experience to help our collaborators best further (or create) their brand & accomplish their most important goals. Connect with us on Twitter - @EstablishedUs and Facebook - facebook.com/established.us/.

On this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, Frank Gruber talks with Kara Goldin about her journey as an entrepreneur and her new bestselling book "Undaunted," which was just released in October of 2020. Kara is the Founder and CEO of Hint, Inc., the leading unsweetened flavored water and they also make hand sanitizer She has been named one of InStyle's Badass 50, Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business, Fortune's Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs, amongst other notable awards. You can find more information about Kara at: www.karagoldin.com We also hear some segments from some of our Established Team members. Our Director of Strategic Operation, John Guidos, provides some tips for startup founders, and Rich Maloy of Established Ventures provides some tips for our startup founder listeners during the "VC Minute." As always, we invite all of our listeners to get involved with our program by visiting: established.us/programs. This is the best way to get notified of the various startup opportunities that we come across while working with various partner organizations and in a number of ecosystems across the country. Finally, we're still offering a free domain to anyone interested in claiming a .US domain. So if you're listening and want register a new domain for a new idea or for an existing business, simply go to http://est.us/SummitUs. We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and we'll be back in 2021 with more episodes of the Startup of the Year Podcast. Thank you for listening, and as always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at www.est.us Checkout Startup of the Year at www.startupofyear.com/ Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: http://startupoftheyear.libsyn.com/ Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube *** Startup of the Year helps diverse, emerging startups, founding teams, and entrepreneurs push their company to the next level. We are a competition, a global community, and a resource. Startup of the Year is also a year-long program that searches the country for a geographically diverse set of startups from all backgrounds and pulls them together to compete for the title of Startup of the Year. The program includes a number of in-person and virtual events, including our annual South By Southwest startup pitch event and competition. All of which culminate at our annual Startup of the Year Summit, where the Startup of the Year winner is announced, along with an opportunity at a potential investment. Established is a consultancy focused on helping organizations with innovation, startup, and communication strategies. It is the power behind Startup of the Year. Created by the talent responsible for building the Tech.Co brand (acquired by an international publishing company), we are leveraging decades of experience to help our collaborators best further (or create) their brand & accomplish their most important goals. Connect with us on Twitter - @EstablishedUs and Facebook - facebook.com/established.us/.

On this episode of the Startup of the Year podcast, Frank Gruber talks with Mike Evans at our 2020 Summit. Mike shared his story behind starting and taking GrubHub to IPO. He also talked about his new startup Fixer.com, and forthcoming book Hangry. Frank also takes a moment to share that the Established team has been mourning the recent loss of Tony Hsieh, the former CEO of Zappos and author of Delivering Happiness, and the man behind the Downtown Project to revitalize downtown Las Vegas. Tony was a visionary whose thoughts on culture changed the e-commerce industry with Zappos.com and inspired us and so many to lead with a solid company culture. He was a very generous person who dreamed big and chased the vision rather than the money. He was an investor in our previous company, TechCo and we worked closely with him over the last decade. His work in downtown Las Vegas impacted many with the small business and startups that were attracted to the area to take part in his huge vision to revitalize the previously faceless downtown area and make it a place for live, work and play. He was loved by us and so many, he will be missed greatly. Gone too soon at only 46 years old, rest in peace, Tony Hsieh. We also hear some segments from some of our Established Team members. Rich Maloy of Established Ventures provides some tips for our startup founder listeners during the "VC Minute." Also, our Director of Partnerships, Jacqui Dietrich, provides an update about our Partner Programs and specifically discusses the following: REUNION - joinreunion.com Halcyon X Black Girl Ventures Intensive https://halcyonhouse.org 2020 Startup of the Year Ambassadors - https://summit.startupofyear.com/sponsors-and-partners Learn How You Can Partner with Us - https://www.startupofyear.com/partner-with-us Thank you for listening, and as always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at www.est.us Checkout Startup of the Year at www.startupofyear.com/ Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: http://startupoftheyear.libsyn.com/ Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube *** Startup of the Year helps diverse, emerging startups, founding teams, and entrepreneurs push their company to the next level. We are a competition, a global community, and a resource. Startup of the Year is also a year-long program that searches the country for a geographically diverse set of startups from all backgrounds and pulls them together to compete for the title of Startup of the Year. The program includes a number of in-person and virtual events, including our annual South By Southwest startup pitch event and competition. All of which culminate at our annual Startup of the Year Summit, where the Startup of the Year winner is announced, along with an opportunity at a potential investment. Established is a consultancy focused on helping organizations with innovation, startup, and communication strategies. It is the power behind Startup of the Year. Created by the talent responsible for building the Tech.Co brand (acquired by an international publishing company), we are leveraging decades of experience to help our collaborators best further (or create) their brand & accomplish their most important goals. Connect with us on Twitter - @EstablishedUs and Facebook - facebook.com/established.us/.

On this episode of the Startup of the Year podcast, we included a recap of highlights from the 2020 Startup of the Year Summit. During the episode, we also hear commentary from some of our Established Team members. Rich Maloy from Established Ventures pitches in with the "VC Minute." Our Director of Partnerships, Jacqui Dietrich, also provides an update about our partner programs and specifically discusses the following items: IFundWomen, https://ifundwomen.com/ AMSE Association of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs https://www.amse.co/ Boomtown Sports Tech Accelerator https://boomtownaccelerators.com/accelerators-startups/sports-tech/ Feel free to nominate a Startup Ambassador or Investment Partner by emailing [email protected]. We also invite all of our listeners to get involved with our program by visiting: www.established.us/programs For those of you who did not attend the Summit, we again congratulate our big Startup of the Year winner SoloFunds! Travis Holoway and his team are really building a fantastic company on a mission to provide affordable access to loans for those in need by connecting borrowers to lenders through our convenient mobile Marketplace. As part of being named the Startup of the Year winner, they are also candidates for an investment from Established Ventures. During the Summit, we had to narrow down thousands of applicant down to the Top 100 companies -- an amazing group of judges helped us narrow it down to the Top 15 companies which included: Freeman Capital YellowCard Andonix Mi Terro Cherry Blossom Intimates Inclusology Grifin MITO Material Solutions SweetBio Otolith Labs Finmark Jeenie Hoy Health GLASS SoLo Funds The judges then narrowed the group down to the Top 5 Finalists which included: Finmark - Who eliminates the need for complex spreadsheets with a simple to use platform, so founders can easily create, update, and share their financial plans. GLASS - A software ecosystem powering high-performance governments to aid the procurement process Jeenie - On-Demand Interpreters for Better Communication Hoy Health - Whose vision is to provide access to bilingual English and Spanish speaking healthcare professionals that include Doctors, Nurses, Psychologist and a variety of other health care related professionals. And of course our winner - SoLo Funds. At this year's Summit we also highlighted the special .US Veteran Startup of the Year category thanks to our partnership with the .US domain, and I am proud to announce that Jeenie, who won a $10k non-dilutive cash prize, which was given to a startup founded by a US Veteran - Spouse - or Dependent. We also had the Startup of the Year World Impact Award winners: Leda Health Leaf Global Vonzella 70 Million Jobs CRPWrap Perimeter Youth Enrichments There were also the Startup of the Year Honorable Mentions, which included: Spira CloudCampaign Otrafy At Ease Rentals Corporation Calendar Refactr TiLT TipTags Rosy TruGenomix, Inc. Beagle Learning Lineus Medical Target Arm Fulcrum Gardenio We also had our People's Choice Award, for which we were tallying votes up until the end of the Summit and we are happy to announce the winner of People's Choice award is Grifin! Grifin is a really interesting app/product that allows you to invest in all of the companies that you buy things from, making it easier to invest in the places you purchase things from. We also want to congratulate the winners of a few other People's Choice categories: Fintech & Security Category Winner - Just Protect Health, Wellness, MedTech & Biotech Category Winner - Clear Child Psychology Platform Technology, AR/VR, AI Robotics Category Winner - Airgility Social Impact, Lifestyle & Culture, EdTech, Smart Cities Category Winner - Neolth. Also, at the Summit, in addition to the pitch competition we had a lot of other activities including some amazing "Ask Me Anything Sessions, Alumni Spotlight sessions (where we caught up with some startups that previously participated in our events). To see a full list of all of the experts, judges, AMA panelists, please go to: summit.startupofyear.com/summit-experts We also had Curated Office hours (where we paired startup founders with mentors), and networking hallways where attendees could get to know one another and discuss synergies between their companies. We also featured a number of exciting speakers including: Tim Draper, venture capitalist and founder of Draper Associates and entrepreneur. Author Kara Goldin will discuss her journey in starting Hint Water and her new book Undaunted. Entrepreneur Mike Evans will share his candid story behind starting and taking GrubHub to IPO plus his new startup Fixer.com, and forthcoming book Hangry. Author and entrepreneur Rohit Bhargava will share learnings from his latest book Non Obvious Mega Trends. Author Meredith Fineman will teach us tips from her new book Brag Better. Author Whitney Johnson will teach you how to Disrupt Yourself. Zvi BandCo-Founder & CEO, Contactually and GM, Compass, and Au

On this episode of the Startup of the Year podcast, we talk with Dawn Dickson-Akpoghene, the Founder & CEO of PopCom, which has developed software to make kiosks and vending machines intelligent through data and analytics at the point of purchase. PopCom uses facial recognition, A.I, and blockchain technology to help retailers collect valuable customer insights. We first met Dawn when she participated in the Startup of the Year program with a company called Flat Out of Heels. We also hear some segments from some of our Established Team members. Rich Maloy of Established Ventures provides some tips for our startup founder listeners during the "VC Minute." Also, our Director of Partnerships, Jacqui Dietrich, provides an update about our Partner Programs and specifically discusses the following: AFWERX SBIR Open Topics - Contracts worth up to $50K http://afwerxlearning.com/ Centrepolis - Industry 4.0 Accelerator Program https://www.centrepolisaccelerator.com/Programs/Industry-4-0-Accelerator MassChallenge - Applications Open - https://masschallenge.org/ As mentioned in the episode, please join us for our upcoming 8th Annual Startup of the Year Summit which will be held online on November 16-18. The Summit is a curated experience for emerging founders, seasoned entrepreneurs, corporate innovation leads, accelerators, and investors to build relationships that fuel success. Summit is also the culmination of the 2020 Startup of the Year competition, and attendees can expect some of the following: The Top 100 Startups will compete for the 2020 Startup of the Year championship title. Up to $20K in potential investment from Established Ventures for one of the semifinalists. $10K non-diluted cash prize for a U.S. Veteran-led company from sponsor .US Curated connections for the Top 100 with investors and corporate leads. "Ask Me Anything" sessions with VCs, Corporate Leaders, and Seasoned Entrepreneurs. Opportunity to network with expert judges and mentors, such as Phil Nadel, Lesa Mitchell, Erica Minnihan, and more. Also, at the summit we will be featuring a number of exciting speakers including Tim Draper, venture capitalist and founder of Draper Associates; entrepreneur and author Kara Goldin will discuss her journey in starting Hint Water and her new book Undaunted; entrepreneur Mike Evans will share his candid story behind starting and taking GrubHub to IPO plus his new startup Fixer.com, and forthcoming book Hangry; author and entrepreneur Rohit Bhargava will share learnings from his latest book Non Obvious Mega Trends; author Meredith Fineman will teach us tips from her new book Brag Better; author Whitney Johnson will teach you how to Disrupt Yourself, and more. Learn more about the Summit and register now at: est.us/Summit2020 This year's Summit will also highlight the special .US Veteran Startup of the Year category. In partnership with .US, there will be a $10,000 non-dilutive cash prize given to a startup founded by a US Veteran, Spouse, or Dependent. .US is offering our community a free .US domain offer. This is a great opportunity for you to get your idea online - and have your dream domain. You can find more info at: https://soty.link/dotusplus Thank you for listening, and as always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at www.est.us Checkout Startup of the Year at www.startupofyear.com/ Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: http://startupoftheyear.libsyn.com/ Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube *** Startup of the Year helps diverse, emerging startups, founding teams, and entrepreneurs push their company to the next level. We are a competition, a global community, and a resource. Startup of the Year is also a year-long program that searches the country for a geographically diverse set of startups from all backgrounds and pulls them together to compete for the title of Startup of the Year. The program includes a number of in-person and virtual events, including our annual South By Southwest startup pitch event and competition. All of which culminate at our annual Startup of the Year Summit, where the Startup of the Year winner is announced, along with an opportunity at a potential investment. Established is a consultancy focused on helping organizations with innovation, startup, and communication strategies. It is the power behind Startup of the Year. Created by the talent responsible for building the Tech.Co brand (acquired by an international publishing company), we are leveraging decades of experience to help our collaborators best further (or create) their brand & accomplish their most important goals. Connect with us on Twitter - @EstablishedUs and Facebook - facebook.com/established.us/.

On this episode of the Startup of the Year podcast, we included a recap of our Startup of the Year online pitch event that we hosted, where we featured Black Founders. We had an amazing group of companies presenting their pitches. The startups included: CPRWrap, Freeman Capital, SoLo Funds, Thermaband, and Youth Enrichments Additionally, the event was presided over by an incredible group of judges that included Shila Nieves Burney the Founding and Managing Partner at Zane Venture Fund; Edward Jean-Louis a Partner at Tale Venture Partners; Aubrie Pagano a General Partner at Corigin Ventures; and Christie Pitts a General Partner at Backstage Capital. Congratulations to Freeman Capital for winning the Pitch Competition! They are now one of the Top 100 Semifinalists at the 8th Annual Startup of the Year Summit. Youth Enrichments also had the honor of taking home the People's Choice Award. During the episode, we also hear commentary from some of our Established Team members. Rich Maloy from Established Ventures pitches in with the "VC Minute" to provides some advice for planning the amount of capital that a company should set out to raise. We also hear from our VP of Programs, Lori Thiel, with her favorite part about the upcoming Startup of the Year Summit being virtual this year. Please join us for our upcoming 8th Annual Startup of the Year Summit which will be held online on November 16-18. The Summit is a curated experience for emerging founders, seasoned entrepreneurs, corporate innovation leads, accelerators, and investors to build relationships that fuel success. Summit is also the culmination of the 2020 Startup of the Year competition, and attendees can expect some of the following: The winner can take home up to $20K in potential investment from Established Ventures. There will also be curated connections for the Top 100 with investors and corporate leads. We also plan to have keynote speakers, such as Tim Draper, Mary Grove, and more. And attendees will have the opportunity to network with expert judges and mentors, such as, Phil Nadel, Lesa Mitchell, Erica Minnihan, and more. All programming across the three days will be complimentary for registered attendees. We're building a flexible schedule so that you can best fit programming into your day while not having to miss out on anything - meaning both our featured speakers and helping with homework. Attendees can also participate during 'Ask Me Anything' Sessions with industry experts. Fireside chats from Mike Evans, the co-founder of GrubHub; Rohit Bhargava, the Founder and Chief Trend Curator at the Non-Obvious Company; Meredith Fineman, the Founder of FinePoint and Author Brag Better; and many more. You can lean more about the Summit and register for the event at https://summit.startupofyear.com/ This year's Summit will also highlight the special .US Veteran Startup of the Year category and there will be a $10K non-dilutive cash prize given to a startup founded by a US Veteran - spouse or dependent. Please get your free .US domain today by going to the following link: soty.link/dotusplus. Thank you for listening, and as always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at www.est.us Checkout Startup of the Year at www.startupofyear.com/ Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: http://startupoftheyear.libsyn.com/ Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube *** Startup of the Year helps diverse, emerging startups, founding teams, and entrepreneurs push their company to the next level. We are a competition, a global community, and a resource. Startup of the Year is also a year-long program that searches the country for a geographically diverse set of startups from all backgrounds and pulls them together to compete for the title of Startup of the Year. The program includes a number of in-person and virtual events, including our annual South By Southwest startup pitch event and competition. All of which culminate at our annual Startup of the Year Summit, where the Startup of the Year winner is announced, along with an opportunity at a potential investment. Established is a consultancy focused on helping organizations with innovation, startup, and communication strategies. It is the power behind Startup of the Year. Created by the talent responsible for building the Tech.Co brand (acquired by an international publishing company), we are leveraging decades of experience to help our collaborators best further (or create) their brand & accomplish their most important goals. Connect with us on Twitter - @EstablishedUs and Facebook - facebook.com/established.us/.

On this episode of the Startup of the Year podcast, we hear from Polly Rodriguez, the founder, and CEO of Unbound, a sexual wellness company for women. They make and sell vibrators, lubricants, and accessories online along with their digital magazine. Polly and Unbound competed in the 2017 Startup of the Year program and finished in the Top 5 that year. We also hear some segments from some of our Established Team members. Our Co-CEO, Jen Consalvo, provides advice for startup founders that are trying to find their path. Also, our Director of Partnerships, Jacqui Dietrich, provides an update about our Partner Programs and specifically discusses the following: Backstage Capital - https://backstagecapital.com Halcyon Incubator - https://halcyonhouse.org/incubator/apply American Inno - https://www.americaninno.com Startup Space - https://startupspace.captivate.fm As mentioned in the episode, please join us for our upcoming 8th Annual Startup of the Year Summit which will be held online on November 16-18. The Summit is a curated experience for emerging founders, seasoned entrepreneurs, corporate innovation leads, accelerators, and investors to build relationships that fuel success. Summit is also the culmination of the 2020 Startup of the Year competition, and attendees can expect some of the following: The Top 100 Startups will compete for the 2020 Startup of the Year championship title. Up to $20K in potential investment from Established Ventures for one of the semifinalists. $10K non-diluted cash prize for a U.S. Veteran-led company from sponsor .US Curated connections for the Top 100 with investors and corporate leads. Keynote speakers, such as Tim Draper (Draper VC), Kara Goldin (Hint Water), and Mike Evans (GrubHub), and more. "Ask Me Anything" sessions with VCs, Corporate Leaders, and Seasoned Entrepreneurs. Opportunity to network with expert judges and mentors, such as Phil Nadel, Lesa Mitchell, Erica Minnihan, and more. You can learn more about the Summit and register for the event at the following link: https://summit.startupofyear.com/ Also, please get your free .US domain today by going to the following link: soty.link/dotusplus. Thank you for listening, and as always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at www.est.us Checkout Startup of the Year at www.startupofyear.com/ Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: http://startupoftheyear.libsyn.com/ Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube *** Startup of the Year helps diverse, emerging startups, founding teams, and entrepreneurs push their company to the next level. We are a competition, a global community, and a resource. Startup of the Year is also a year-long program that searches the country for a geographically diverse set of startups from all backgrounds and pulls them together to compete for the title of Startup of the Year. The program includes a number of in-person and virtual events, including our annual South By Southwest startup pitch event and competition. All of which culminate at our annual Startup of the Year Summit, where the Startup of the Year winner is announced, along with an opportunity at a potential investment. Established is a consultancy focused on helping organizations with innovation, startup, and communication strategies. It is the power behind Startup of the Year. Created by the talent responsible for building the Tech.Co brand (acquired by an international publishing company), we are leveraging decades of experience to help our collaborators best further (or create) their brand & accomplish their most important goals. Connect with us on Twitter - @EstablishedUs and Facebook - facebook.com/established.us/.

On this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, we hear some startup wisdom from the Founder and CEO of Blendoor, Stephanie Lampkin. Blendoor is inclusive recruiting and people analytics software that mitigates unconscious bias. Candidates are sourced from hundreds of strategic partners and universities and presented to recruiters without the candidate's name, photo, or dates. Blendoor was also the winner of the Startup of the Year pitch competition in 2015. We also hear some segments from some of our Established Team members. Our VP of Engagement, Rich Maloy, provides some advice with the "VC Minute" and our Director of Strategic Operations and managing member of Established Ventures, John Guidos, gives his "Pitch Deck Pointers." Lastly, our Co-CEO Frank Gruber provides his thoughts about how to stay positive in the current state of the world. As mentioned in the episode, please join us for our upcoming 8th Annual Startup of the Year Summit which will be held online on November 16-18. The Summit is a curated experience for emerging founders, seasoned entrepreneurs, corporate innovation leads, accelerators, and investors to build relationships that fuel success. Summit is also the culmination of the 2020 Startup of the Year competition, and attendees can expect some of the following: The Top 100 Startups will compete for the 2020 Startup of the Year championship title. Up to $20K in potential investment from Established Ventures for one of the semifinalists. $10K non-diluted cash prize for a U.S. Veteran-led company from sponsor .US Curated connections for the Top 100 with investors and corporate leads. Keynote speakers, such as Tim Draper, Mary Grove, and more. "Ask Me Anything" sessions with VCs, Corporate Leaders, and Seasoned Entrepreneurs. Opportunity to network with expert judges and mentors, such as Phil Nadel, Lesa Mitchell, Erica Minnihan, and more. You can learn more about the Summit and register for the event at the following link: https://summit.startupofyear.com/ Also, please get your free .US domain today by going to the following link: soty.link/dotusplus. Thank you for listening, and as always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at www.est.us Checkout Startup of the Year at www.startupofyear.com/ Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: http://startupoftheyear.libsyn.com/ Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube *** Startup of the Year helps diverse, emerging startups, founding teams, and entrepreneurs push their company to the next level. We are a competition, a global community, and a resource. Startup of the Year is also a year-long program that searches the country for a geographically diverse set of startups from all backgrounds and pulls them together to compete for the title of Startup of the Year. The program includes a number of in-person and virtual events, including our annual South By Southwest startup pitch event and competition. All of which culminate at our annual Startup of the Year Summit, where the Startup of the Year winner is announced, along with an opportunity at a potential investment. Established is a consultancy focused on helping organizations with innovation, startup, and communication strategies. It is the power behind Startup of the Year. Created by the talent responsible for building the Tech.Co brand (acquired by an international publishing company), we are leveraging decades of experience to help our collaborators best further (or create) their brand & accomplish their most important goals. Connect with us on Twitter - @EstablishedUs and Facebook - facebook.com/established.us/.

On this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, we catch up with David Aronson, the Founder & CEO of Peanut Butter, a company that helps employers offer student loan assistance as a benefit. David has over 20 years of business experience and has founded 6 ventures as an entrepreneur. He previously served as Senior Director of Business Development for Sears Holdings, and Director of Corporate Development for Gevity HR, beginning his career at the Aronson family's Tasty Bakery. We also hear segments from some of our Established Team members. Our VP of Programs, Lori Thiel, provides some thoughts about our 2020 events. Also, our Director of Strategic Operations and managing member of Established Ventures, John Guidos, gives his "Pitch Deck Pointers." As mentioned in the episode, please get your free .US domain today by going to the following link: soty.link/dotusplus. Also, please join us for our upcoming 8th Annual Startup of the Year Summit which will be held online in November. You can lean more about the Summit and register for the event at the following link: https://www.startupofyear.com/startup-of-the-year-summit Thank you for listening, and as always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at: www.est.us Checkout Startup of the Year at: www.startupofyear.com/ Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: http://startupoftheyear.libsyn.com/ Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube *** Startup of the Year helps diverse, emerging startups, founding teams, and entrepreneurs push their company to the next level. We are a competition, a global community, and a resource. Startup of the Year is also a year-long program that searches the country for a geographically diverse set of startups from all backgrounds and pulls them together to compete for the title of Startup of the Year. The program includes a number of in-person and virtual events, including our annual South By Southwest startup pitch event and competition. All of which culminate at our annual Startup of the Year Summit, where the Startup of the Year winner is announced, along with an opportunity at potential investment. Established is a consultancy focused on helping organizations with innovation, startup, and communication strategies. It is the power behind Startup of the Year. Created by the talent responsible for building the Tech.Co brand (acquired by an international publishing company), we are leveraging decades of experience to help our collaborators best further (or create) their brand & accomplish their most important goals. Connect with us on Twitter - @EstablishedUs and Facebook - facebook.com/established.us/.

On this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, we catch up with Cooper Harris, the founder, and CEO of Klickly, an A.I. impulse-payments platform. Cooper invented a payment layer that leverages machine-learning to make purchasing directly within digital UIs possible. This significant innovation creates a huge efficiency in the market – the platform's machine-learning identifies payment situations and uses sophisticated cross-origin calls to facilitate the transaction. As such, she has been invited to share her insights at international summits including the United Nations, CES, Cannes Lions, SXSW, ShopTalk, Sundance, Los Angeles TechWeek, London Technology Conference, and Jason Calacanis' LAUNCH Scale. Ms. Harris speaks on topics including FinTech / Retail Tech / MarTech, fostering women in STEM, and disrupting the status quo using technology/innovation. We also hear some segments from some of our Established Team members. Our VP of Engagement at Established, Rich Maloy, provides some advice with the VC Minute and our VP of Programs, Lori Thiel, provides a tip for startups looking to get found. Also, our Co-CEO, Jen Consalvo, provides insight about starting a company, and our Director of Partnerships, Jacqui Dietrich, provides an update about our Partner Programs and specifically discusses the following: Hello Alice Pitching Investors Virtually Guide: https://helloalice.com Techstars 2021 Application: https://www.techstars.com/ SEED SPOT Impact Accelerator: https://seedspot.org/ AFWERX SBIR Program: http://afwerxlearning.com/ Become an Established Startup or Investment Community Partner at: https://est.us/cp As mentioned in the episode, please join us for our upcoming 8th Annual Startup of the Year Summit which will be held online in November. You can learn more about the Summit and register for the event at the following link: https://www.startupofyear.com/startup-of-the-year-summit Thank you for listening, and as always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at www.est.us Checkout Startup of the Year at www.startupofyear.com/ Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: http://startupoftheyear.libsyn.com/ Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube *** Startup of the Year helps diverse, emerging startups, founding teams, and entrepreneurs push their company to the next level. We are a competition, a global community, and a resource. Startup of the Year is also a year-long program that searches the country for a geographically diverse set of startups from all backgrounds and pulls them together to compete for the title of Startup of the Year. The program includes a number of in-person and virtual events, including our annual South By Southwest startup pitch event and competition. All of which culminate at our annual Startup of the Year Summit, where the Startup of the Year winner is announced, along with an opportunity at a potential investment. Established is a consultancy focused on helping organizations with innovation, startup, and communication strategies. It is the power behind Startup of the Year. Created by the talent responsible for building the Tech.Co brand (acquired by an international publishing company), we are leveraging decades of experience to help our collaborators best further (or create) their brand & accomplish their most important goals. Connect with us on Twitter - @EstablishedUs and Facebook - facebook.com/established.us/.

On this episode of the Startup of the Year podcast we are featuring our virtual event that we hosted, Honoring U.S. Veteran Founders. We had a great group of veteran-led companies presenting their pitches. The STARTUPS included: Govlia (Fort Lauderdale, FL); Milk Money Kitchens (New York, NY); Target Arm (Ridgefield, CT); TCare (St. Louis, MO); and TruGenomix (Rockville, MD). Additionally, the event was presided over by an incredible group of amazing judges that included Burunda Prince (Chief Innovation Officer of B6); Jason Rathje (Partner - AF Ventures, AFWERX); Derren Burrell (President and Founder, Veteran Ventures Capital); and Kim Folsom (Co-Founder and CEO, Founders First Capital Partners, and Founder, LIFT Development Enterprises). Congrats to TruGenomix for winning the Pitch Competition! They are now one of the Top 100 Semifinalists at the 8th Annual Startup of the Year Summit. Also, we are very excited for TCARE, which took home the People's Choice Award. We also hear some new segments from some of our Established Team members. Our VP, Engagement at Established, Rich Maloy, provides some advice with the VC Minute. Our CTO, Joe Corbett discussed some pointers with the Two Minute Tech Tips and our Director of Partnerships, Jacqui Dietrich provides and update about our Partner Programs and specifically discusses the following: Bunker Labs Virtual Town Halls https://www.facebook.com/thebunkerlabs/ Hello Alice Black-Owned Business Resource Center https://helloalice.com/homepage Business coaches at http://wiseher.com Embarc Collective Florida Survey https://bit.ly/2BBdHSR Founders Beta Talent Matchup foundersbeta.com Backstage Capital at Startup of the Year Pitch Event https://sotyblackfounders.eventbrite.com NFX How VCs Judge Your Startup (on zoom) https://bit.ly/2FgsunB Please nominate a Community Partner supporting or investing in startups! Feel free to email Jacqui at: [email protected] As mentioned in the episode, please join us for our upcoming event we are hosting on September 3rd, as we celebrate five Black-led companies. During the event, each startup will pitch to a panel of expert judges for a $1,000 cash prize and an automatic Top 100 Semifinalist Spot at our 8th Annual Startup of the Year Summit which will be held online on November 9th - 10th You can register for the event at the following link: https://startupoftheyearblackfoundersevent.eventbrite.com/ Thank you for listening, and as always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at: www.est.us Checkout Startup of the Year at: www.startupofyear.com/ Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: http://startupoftheyear.libsyn.com/ Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube

On this episode of the Startup of the Year podcast we are featuring our virtual event that we hosted, Celebrating Female Founders. We had a great group of female-led companies presenting their pitches. The STARTUPS included: Cherry Blossom Intimates (Washington, D.C.); MITO Material Solutions (Indianapolis, IN); Pocketnest (Ann Arbor, MI); PredictivCare (Bethesda, MD); and ReThink Words (Chicago, IL) Additionally, the event was presided over by an incredible group of esteemed judges that included Jean Case (National Geographic, Case Impact Network); Eric Bahn (Hustle Fund); Cheryl Campos (Republic); Jesse Draper (Halogen VC); and Phil Nadel (Forefront Venture Partners) Congratulations to the winner of the pitch event, MITO Material Solution. Also, a huge shout out to our People's Choice Award winner, Cherry Blossom Intimates. As always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at: www.est.us Checkout Startup of the Year at: www.startupofyear.com/ Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: http://startupoftheyear.libsyn.com/ Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube

On this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, we hear from Courtney Caldwell and Dr. Tye Caldwell, the co-founders of ShearShare, which is the first on-demand salon and barbershop space rental app, which is also of the Startup of the Year Alumni company and Established Ventures portfolio company. During the episode, we hear some interesting insights from two Black startup entrepreneurs as they navigate the COVID-19 landscape and provide their thoughts about the Black Lives Matter movement. Courtney Caldwell was named a 2019 Inc Female Founder 100 and she was the 33rd Black Female to Raise $1m. Tye Caldwell is recognized as a tech visionary and industry pioneer, whose mission is to help beauty and barbering professionals around the world maximize their earnings potential. Make sure to also tune-in to our online virtual event that we have coming up on Thursday, July 23 from 1 - 2:30 PM EDT. The event is the Startup of the Year Pitch Competition: Honoring U.S. Veteran Founders and is Presented by Established & Sponsored by .US. RSVP to join us online! The event is also one of the virtual events that lead up to the 8th Annual Startup of the Year Competition & Summit which will be inline this year and take place on November 9th and 10th. The Summit will help startups elevate their brand and grow networks. The Top 100 Semi Finalists will compete for up to $20K in potential investments from Established Ventures, the championship title, and more! Startups should apply today at startupofyear.com/application As always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at: www.est.us Checkout Startup of the Year at: www.startupofyear.com/ Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: http://startupoftheyear.libsyn.com/ Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube

On this episode of the Startup of the Year podcast, Frank Gruber talks with investor Josef Merrill about investment trends and strategies and his work at Sputnik ATX, an Austin based accelerator that funds makers and founders and helps people reach their full potential by creating an ecosystem to attract hard-working nerds, connect them with investors, and train them for success. Sputnik ATX's accelerator application deadline is June 30th, so make sure to apply now at: http://gust.com/programs/sputnik-atx-6-summer-2020 Frank also talks about the Startup of the Year online virtual event that is coming up in June. The event is: "Startups & Government - Compatible at Last," presented by Established, where our panel will be discussing the misconception that working with the government will kill your startup. Find out more about the event and RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/startups-government-compatible-at-last-presented-by-established-tickets-108121789182 As always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at: www.est.us Checkout Startup of the Year at: www.startupofyear.com/ Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: http://startupoftheyear.libsyn.com/ Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube boosts#toggleFormOnEscOrEnter" data-boosts-adding-class="boosts--adding" data-boosts-deleting-class="boost--deleting">

On this episode, we hear highlights highlights from our Virtual Office Hours, where we answered questions from multiple startups. The office hours were hosted by Rich Maloy from our team and also included commentary from Jen Consalvo and Frank Gruber. We plan to do more of these virtual office hour events in the future so keep a lookout for upcoming events, as we look forward to continuing to offer opportunities to startups. On another note, please join us as we celebrate female founders at an upcoming special Startup of the Year Virtual pitch competition on May 28th. Five Startup of the Year applicants with Female Founders will pitch their innovations to a panel of experts as well as our global community and there will be time for Q&A from an amazing panel of expert judges and venture capitalists. The winner will then have a Fast-track spot to the 8th Annual Startup of the Year Virtual Summit as a Top 100 Semifinalist, at which time the Top 100 will have a chance for up to $20K in potential investment from Established Ventures and curated connections with a ton of investors. As always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at: www.est.us Checkout Startup of the Year at: www.startupofyear.com/ Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: https://www.startupofyear.com/soty-po... Subscriber to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube boosts#toggleFormOnEscOrEnter" data-boosts-adding-class="boosts--adding" data-boosts-deleting-class="boost--deleting">

On this episode, we hear highlights from the Startup of the Year virtual event, where we learned about various efforts by startups in the Startup of the Year community that are doing great work to help during this COVID 19 pandemic. The startups that participated in the event were involved were Aperiomics, Fiveable, Kamana, Lazarus 3D, and OneMilo. The amazing panel of experts that were involved with the event included: Susan McPherson, CEO, McPherson Strategies. Susan's company focuses on the intersection between brands and social impact. She is also a regular guest on NPR and CNN. Zachary Poll, Head of U.S. Healthcare Partnership for Plug and Play. Plug and Play Tech Center is the most active venture capital firm in the world, and the third most active in healthcare. David Hall, Revolution'S Rise of the Rest, Managing Partner at Revolution's Rise of the Rest Seed Fund and is responsible for investment sourcing, execution, and oversight of the Fund's portfolio companies. Jared Evans, Partner at AF Ventures, AFWERX, Captain Jared Evans has been in the Air Force for almost a decade. As Partner of AirForce Ventures, he focuses on the intersection of government, business, and research. As always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at: www.est.us Checkout Startup of the Year at www.startupofyear.com/ Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: http://podcast.startupofyear.com/ Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkm5AOWXNzF1fBq3OfE3U2Q boosts#toggleFormOnEscOrEnter" data-boosts-adding-class="boosts--adding" data-boosts-deleting-class="boost--deleting">

On this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, Frank Gruber talks with Rafiq Ahmed and Mitul Patel about their new fund at Dipalo Ventures and about their experiences developing products. Rafiq Ahmed is the Managing Director at DiPalo Ventures, an early-stage investment fund interested in connected hardware and hard tech. Rafiq also has experience developing mobile products expertise including design of Motorola Mobility's first apps, which was acquired by Google. Lastly, he was also the co-founder of Demibooks, the first platform for developing interactive book apps on the iPad (Demibooks was acquired by Education Development Corporation in 2015). Mitul Patel is a Venture Partner at at Dipalo Ventures and the CEO at MP Consulting. Mitul has worked on a variety of projects in his career; from phones and wearables to innovative smart home applications and industrial sensors. He has also constantly pushed the boundaries of technology and innovation by submitting more than 10 U.S. Patents in the last decade. Startups can contact Dipalo Ventures at [email protected] and their website is dipaloventures.com. Frank also talks about Established's partnership with .US and suggests that veteran startup founders apply for the .US Veteran Startup of the Year award, which will be awarded in the fall of 2020 at the 8th Annual Startup of the Year Summit - apply now at: soty.link/SOTYUSVET .US is also proud to provide startups with a FREE .US domain and website builder. Startups can obtain their free .US domain at the following link: soty.link/USdomain

On this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, Frank Gruber talks with US veteran startup founders Blake Hall and Kimberly Citizen about how their military experience helped them with their roles as startup entrepreneurs. Blake Hall is the founder of ID.me, a digital identification platform where individuals can verify who they are online and receive discounts and benefits if they are part of groups like first responders, the military, students or teachers. Blake was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor for leading his men during a firefight against insurgents and credited with saving twenty American lives. Blake also obtained an MBA from Harvard Business School. Kimberly Citizen is another US veteran and an Inc. 5000 Entrepreneur. She is the CEO at Applied Development, that champions the rights of people of all abilities to work and communicate effectively through sign language interpretation, reader services, advocacy, and outreach. Frank also talks about Established's partnership with .US and suggests that veteran startup founders apply for the .US Veteran Startup of the Year, which will be awarded at the 8th Annual Startup of the Year Summit, produced by Established, will take place in the fall of 2020 (date and location to be announced soon). At least 10 of our Top 100 Semifinalists will also compete for the .US Veteran Startup of the Year (must qualify) of $10,000 non-dilutive cash from .US, in addition to the prizes from the regular Startup of the Year competition itself. Application deadlines are on our website and coming up fast - go to soty.link/SOTYUSVET .US is also proud to support the Established Community. A thriving community made up of veterans, entrepreneurs, startup teams, and industry leaders all making a difference around the world. We are proud to provide each of you a FREE .US domain and website builder. Startups can obtain their free .US domain at the following link: soty.link/USdomain Lastly, Frank talks about Established's upcoming virtual even, which is focused on showcasing a handful of startups taking on the COVID19 pandemic. The event will air live on April 17 2020 and you can join us and participate in the conversation. To learn more about the participating companies and the virtual presentation and register to attend at: soty.link/StartupsCOVID19.

In this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, Frank Gruber talks with Larry Berlin, an entrepreneur and angel investor, who teaches and mentors at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Larry also talk about his work with the "New Venture Challenge" every year, where 30 teams compete for a total of $1M for the tops winners. Frank also catches up with Reed Alexander the Relationship Manager, SMB Partnerships at American Airlines. The two talk about the products and travel programs that AA offers for startups and small business and the AA Business Extra program. Lastly, Frank talks about Established's partnership with .US and suggests that veteran startup founders apply for the .US Veteran Startup of the Year competition. Apply at the link: soty.link/SOTYUSVET Startups can also obtain a free .US domain at the following link: soty.link/USdomain

On this episode, Frank Gruber talks with Lakshmi Shenoy, the CEO of Embarc Collective about startup opportunities in Tampa, Florida. The two also catch up about Lakshmi's journey and how she became the CEO of a nonprofit that has the goal of helping Tampa Bay startups build bold, scalable, thriving companies. They also talk about Embarc Collective's recent launch event, which brought attention to the investment landscape of the Southeast United States, and much more.

On this episode, we hear from two of the finalists from last year's Startup of the Year Summit. First, Frank Gruber talks with Erik Maltais, the CEO & Co-Founder of Immertec, about their new approach to surgical training that transports surgeons into the surgical suite for real-time training in virtual reality. We also talk with Richard Munassi, the Cohort Director at Tampa Bay Wave, who referred Immertec to the Startup of the Year program. We also hear from Amber Hayes and Mars McClain, the co-founders of SecondKeys, about their company that helps streamline property management operations all while improving cash flow with the essential features needed to manage, organize, and track property management operations. During the interview we also hear from Katie Milligan from Start Co. about he growing tech industry in Memphis.

Kathryn Rose, the founder of wiseHer, discusses her technology platform that provides on-demand expert advice to women in business. She also tells her startup story and talks about the value of having a strong network and support system, and much more…

On this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, Frank Gruber checks in with Erica Duignan, the founder of 1000 Angels and co-founder of Reign Ventures. Erica chats about her long-time involvement as a judge at the Startup of the Year pitch competitions and her work as an investor with a focus on technology, and much more...

In this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, Frank Gruber talks with Sarah Kunst of Cleo Capital. The two chat about Sarah's experience working at a startup and then her work as an investor and running an investment fund, where she raised $3.5M, which is the largest first-time fund raised by an African American woman. Sarah also talks about her team's use of Investment Scouts to find and vet potential portfolio companies. She also discusses the differences when investing in an LLC and C-Corp. Lastly, Sarah shares pointers for people looking to start companies and much more...

On this special episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast we will be looking back to some of our best investor interviews of 2019. Specifically, we catch Frank Gruber's conversation with Mark Cuban the owner of the Dallas Mavericks and one of the main "shark" investors on the ABC reality television series, Shark Tank. Frank chats with Steve Case, the AOL founder about what types of investments he likes to make, the importance of leveling the playing field for entrepreneurs, and more. Lastly, Frank talks with Tim Draper, the founder of Draper Associates and Draper University, inventor of viral marketing, early investor in startups like Skype, Twitch, and Space X.

On this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, Rich Maloy the VP Engagement at Established talks with Thor Culverhouse, CEO of Lighter Capital, and John Willard the Managing director of Silicon Valley Bank, about revenue-based financing. They also discuss alternative capital opportunities and structures and ways to finance your startup that are not tradition venture capital methods, and more…

Frank Gruber is joined by co-hosts Jen Consalvo, Rich Maloy, Lori Thiel, and John Guidos from the Established and Startup of the Year team, and they discuss the following Startups that would make great 2019 holiday gifts: Gift Guide: Pix - A first backpack which appearance can be controlled from the IOS/Android app. YogiFi - Powered by a unique digital AI platform that elevates the online yoga class experience to a whole new level. Anyware Solutions - With a mission to bring Smart Living to every home in the world as-a-Service, Anyware offers everyday "services" in the app to monitor the indoor climate of your home, prevent intrusion and notify you when you need to know. The Last Gameboard - A technology company building the world's first board game console touchscreen device that has a library of games a player can purchase or subscribe from. Smart Beat - A breath-detection-baby-monitor startup. Last Bottle Clothing - A recycled-and-recyclable-clothing startup. Pressa Bottle - Pressa Bottle's patented technology allows you to squeeze real fruit into your water bottle throughout the day. HobbyDB - A collectibles-marketplace startup. Also discussed in this episode: OROS Apparel (Inspired by NASA) coats The 2019 goop Holiday Gift Guides Music Attributions: Jungle Juice - Wataboi Jingle Bells Ukulele - Musicphrase

Elnaz Sarraf, the CEO of artificial intelligence startup ROYBI, provides candid stories about running one of the world's up-and-coming educational companies. ROYBI Robot is the world's first smart toy robot designed to help children ages three through seven learn multiple languages and STEM skills. Elnaz also discusses ROYBI being featured on the cover of Time Magazine as one of the 100 Best Inventions of 2019.

Silicon Valley Bank's Vice President of Startup Banking, JP Giannini, discusses tips for startup founders to grow an early stage company. Among other topics, JP also provides insights for companies that are looking to raise strategic capital to scale their business.

On the latest episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast our co-hosts Frank Gruber and Lori Thiel provide a recap of the 2019 Startup of the Year Summit that took place in Memphis, Tennessee. They also talk about all of the festivities, best startup pitches, and interview this year's Summit winner Samantha Snabes and talk with her about her company re:3D's efforts to empower local change-makers by developing quality, industrial printers that can be adapted in new markets. Additionally, for every 100 Gigabots delivered, re:3D donates a Gigabot to a group dedicated to improving their community.

Each year, Silicon Valley Bank releases an invaluable compendium of insights about the current state of the industry and thoughtful projections for the year ahead. Looking at trends that range from hiring, to raising capital, to general building conditions, the survey is a result of meticulous reporting, dedicated analysis, and, most importantly, observations from founders, investors, and partners in the space. For this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, host Rich Maloy sits down with Lewis Hower, Managing Director, Early Stage Practice at Silicon Valley Bank, to delve into both last year's report as well as the 2020 edition. The SOTY Podcast touches on everything from the changing attitudes around IPOs and acquisitions to the tremendous growth opportunities for lesser-known regions, both in the country and around the world. This year's survey is now open, so make sure to head over to soty.link/svbs20, and help Silicon Valley Bank continue to help startup ecosystems worldwide. Thank you in advance for sharing your valuable thoughts and opinions.

Most of the Startup of the Year podcast team is already Walkin' in Memphis in advance of the 2019 Startup of the Year Summit — which is less than a week away — but two of our co-hosts, Frank Gruber and Lori Thiel, are still on hand and on mic to discuss all the exhilarating things attendees can expect at the event; from the raucous kickoff reception at the Hu. Hotel to the awarding of the $100,000 grand prize. They're also proud to announce that over 40% of the founders/co-founders competing this year are women, over 48% are minority, 11% are veterans, and 6% identify as LGBTQ. Then, Frank shares his interview with beloved VC Arlan Hamilton of Backstage Capital from last year's Startup of the Year Summit. During their conversation, they discuss how someone with no financial background was able to grow a firm into one that has invested in more than 100 companies — all of which (minus one) is run by a woman, a person of color, or an LGBTQ founder — the importance of having intimate conversations in order to learn more about what you didn't even know you didn't know, and how Twitter can be a true source of catharsis. Put on your blue suede shoes and check it out! And don't forget to join us in Memphis October 14-16 for the 2019 Startup of the Year Summit & Finals!

For the first time in a long time the expected lifespan of American adults is going in the wrong direction, which is why our co-hosts Frank Gruber, Jen Consalvo, Rich Maloy and Lori Thiel have dedicated this 11th episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast to discussing the booming health tech movement and some of the startups attacking this problem in innovative ways. Specifically, Jessie, an on-demand digital clinic for women; Phylomics, which uses routine blood draws to detect multiple types of cancers before symptoms even appear; NeuroFlow, which enables behavioral health access and engagement across the continuum of care; and Etta Epidermis, an artificially intelligent skin cancer detection software program. Frank was able to recently connect with Crystal Icenhour, Ph.D., the CEO and co-founder of 2018 Startup of the Year winner Aperiomics, which provides a service that identifies every single known bacteria, virus, parasite, and fungus from clinical samples in order to give health care providers the best possible information so that they in turn can give better patient care. Over the course of their conversation, they touch on everything from the importance of understanding the science of how our bodies work, the future of personalized medicine, the vital role gut bacteria plays in our overall health, how to deal with bad actors, and why she never wears black turtlenecks. Grab a kombucha and check it out! And don't forget to join us in Memphis October 14-16 for the 2019 Startup of the Year Competition & Summit!

For this tenth installment of the Startup of the Year podcast, host Frank Gruber interviews a very special guest: Tim Draper, founder of Draper Associates and Draper University, inventor of viral marketing, early investor in startups like Skype, Twitch, and Space X, and author of How to be The Startup Hero: A Guide and Textbook for Entrepreneurs and Aspiring Entrepreneurs. Over the course of the episode, they touch on everything from the consequences of decentralization, the importance of emotional training, and why "ten years from now versus today is going to be like night and day." Photo By: JD Lasica

In this episode of the Startup of the Year podcast, hosts Frank Gruber, Jen Consalvo, Rich Maloy and Lori Thiel — fueled by turmeric ginger and mushroom teas — discuss their experience at INNOConf in New Orleans. Specifically, the event they held there that showcased 36 startups from around the globe and which hosted an exhilarating live pitch competition that saw the five Startup Night NOLA finalists vie for one of two fast-track spots to the Startup of the Year Summit taking place in Memphis this fall. And while only two of those five were able to win the coveted fast-track spots, the team takes the time to specifically highlight all five of the Startup Night NOLA finalists, as they are all more than deserving of some SotY podcast love: Enlivity — a medical nutrition company whose goal is to help make cancer treatment side effects better by providing patients with affordable, easy-to-use, over-the-counter products MyStrongHome — a benefit corporation that strengthens communities in coastal areas by providing home upgrades that are independently certified and secure financing for those improvements based on future insurance savings EnrichHER — a debt investment platform that connects female entrepreneurs with up to $250k from lenders who want to earn 15% return on their investment while fueling the growth of women-led businesses Hacware — a startup that identifies a company's employees who are most likely to be hacked (based on their habits) and trains those vulnerable employees to combat email hacking TrayAway — a startup founded by a hospitality industry veteran that saves hotels time and money by automating the room service tray retrieval process Artunity — a mobile app that lets individuals both donate to up-and-coming artists and possibly win a highly-valuable work of an already established artist.

The Startup of the Year team is back from a whirlwind week that saw them popping up everywhere from the inaugural InnoConf in New Orleans to Las Vegas' SALT Conference to Florida and Puerto Rico for Revolution's Rise of the Rest Road Trip with Steve Case. In this episode, host Frank Gruber talks with the AOL founder about what he gleaned from those latest tour stops, as well as Rise of the Rest's overall mission to be a catalyst for those entrepreneurs and startups that aren't getting attention from mainstream media and coastal venture capitalists. Or, as Steve put it, "to throw a little more kerosene on those fires, so they burn a little brighter and a little faster than they might have otherwise done." Then, Frank is joined by his co-hosts Jen Consalvo, Rich Maloy, and Lori Thiel to discuss the respective winners of the Orlando, Space Coast, Tampa, Miami, and Puerto Rico pitch competitions: AireHealth, Atomos, Immertec, Xendoo, and Abartys Health. As always, please let us know how you like the show by dropping us a review on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts, and don't forget to follow us @Startupofyear to stay up to date on all things SoTY. While our 2019 Startup of the Year program application window has closed we're already starting to collect more applications for the next year and we're always showcasing startups that are doing exciting things on our podcast and in our daily email called Daily Dealflow. To get in the mix for these opportunities have your startup apply here. Also, make sure to save the date for the Startup of the Year Summit, taking place October 14-16 in Memphis Tennessee!

For this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, hosts Frank Gruber, Lori Thiel, and Rich Maloy of the Established team are joined by Silicon Valley Bank's Theron McCollough to share some insights about SVB's Startup Outlook Report for 2019, which details how technology and life science founders and executives in the U.S., the UK, China and Canada are growing their companies, and planning for future growth, amid our current state of economic uncertainty. Touching on everything from demographic shifts, to the doubling-downs by microfunds, to the loud ringing of IPO bells, Theron helped lead an illuminating discussion on the latest industry trends and what signals to keep an eye out for in the near future. Then, as always, the team highlights a handful of their favorite startups. This episode, they examine Knack, out of Tampa Bay; Rent Check, from New Orleans; Atlanta's Qoins; and WattBuy, from Washington, D.C. Remember to come say hi to us on Instagram and Twitter at @startupofyear, and pretty please let us know how you like the show by dropping us a review on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts. We'd love to hear how you feel about the Startup of the Year Podcast and what you'd like to hear more of.

In just over two weeks the Established team will be be heading down to the Big Easy for Startup of the Year New Orleans taking place at INNO Conf, so our hosts Frank Gruber, Jen Consalvo, Lori Thiel, Rich Maloy, and Joe Corbett are dedicating this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast to showcasing companies from the greater Gulf Region; many of which have actually competed — and won — past Startup of the Year competitions. Dig Dates - New Orleans, L Fade - Austin, TX Flat Out of Heels - Miami, FL Lazarus 3D - Houston TX One Milo - Miami, FL From furry friends to furry men, personalized 3D-printed medical training models to smartphone-connected at-home lab tests, these startups are not only raising the profile of their oft-overlooked locales but changing the way the tech industry views — and invests in — this area of the county. Frank also had a chance to talk with Gerard Ramos, founder and CEO of Revelry Labs, about what the New Orleans startup scene is like, as well as what we can expect from the INNO Conf event (which just so happens to be tucked in between the two weekends of Jazz Fest!). If you're attending — or even just in the area that weekend — make sure to block off April 30th, when we'll be hosting Startup of the Year New Orleans at the Ace Hotel for a night of live pitching and festivities.

We just got back from Austin, Texas, and South by Southwest (SXSW), where we hosted an all-day Startup of the Year House — for our 10th year running — and what a weekend it was! In this fifth installment of the Startup of the Year Podcast, the Established team of Frank Gruber, Jen Consalvo, Lori Thiel, Rich Maloy, and Joe Corbett revisit the 24 inspiring startups that pitched and were showcased at the event, the gripping conversation on innovation with Andre Heeg from Sandoz and 15-time author Guy Kawasaki, and a special fireside chat with Carol Lynch, President of Sandoz US, and, of course, the top 5 finalists — Easy Expunctions, Gravy, Medsaf, runner-up Hera Health Solutions, and our ultimate champion, Proov Test, who've earned themselves a fast-track to the Startup of the Year Semi-Finals. We also share some of our favorite SXSW takeaways, ranging from the meteorological, to the technological, to the chiropteran, before discussing the upcoming INNO CONF; where we'll have 50 startups from the Startup of the Year pitching for a shot at a fast-track to our Startup of the Year Summit in… drumroll… MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE! So, if you have a startup, or know an early-stage startup, in your area, be sure to apply/have them apply now at StartupofYear.com!

In this fourth installment of the Startup of the Year podcast, Established's Frank Gruber, Jen Consalvo, Lori Thiel, and Rich Maloy discuss the man who's been a true Maverick in every sense of the word, Mark Cuban, beginning with a dexterous exploration of his impressively curated and notably diverse portfolio. Companies we discuss include the following: Dropbox, Magnolia Pictures, IFTTT, Grypmat, Zoba, Combat Flip Flops, Monkey Mat, Veggie Mama, uBeam, ilumi, and My Croft AI. But first the gang checks out the recent SVB Startup Outlook Report for 2019 as it has some interesting findings and trends related startups. Then, Frank speaks with the self-professed lifelong learner about everything from his excitement over machine learning and neural networks, to the pitfalls startups can fall into, to his 2024 political aspirations. A quick teaser... Here's the first thing Mark looks for when potentially investing in a company: "It's always the same. I want something that's unique/differentiated. Something that makes you say, 'Why didn't I think of that?' or 'It makes perfect sense, I'm shocked no one's done it before.' That's first." Also, here's his advice for aspiring NBA team owners: "Make a lot of money."

Our third episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast was produced following Super Bowl LII where the New England Patriots defeated the LA Rams 13 to 3 in what was one of the most boring Super Bowls ever. That said, in this episode we discuss some of the Super Bowl advertising spends and our thoughts on the overall program before we dive into five fresh startups that tackle the following areas: safer medication supply chains to save lives, reducing the $160B in crops wasted each year, improving recycling processes with magnets, making the immigration process more efficient (and empathetic), and an expressive backpack offering unlimited personal expression and marketing potential. Host Frank Gruber is joined by co-hosts Rich Maloy, Lori Thiel, and Jen Consalvo from the Established /Startup of the Year team. The five startups discussed were all companies that came through our startup newsletter, Daily Dealflow. ToMarket - Denver, CO Magnomer - Boston, MA Pix, Ukraine & China Formally, Providence, RI Medsaf, Nago, Nigeria Listen in as these five growing, early-stage companies are discussed with insights and thoughts from our startup and product experts, diving deeper into what's interesting about the company, the team, and the industry. Also mentioned are upcoming Startup of the Year opportunities at the SXSW interactive festival in Austin, Texas on March 10th. Learn more here: www.startupofyear.com/sxsw

Our second episode Startup of the Year Podcast was produced during the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas with the theme of startups from the Startup of the Year program that showcased at CES 2019. Host Frank Gruber is joined by co-hosts Rich Maloy, and Lori Thiel from the Established and Startup of the Year team and special guest Eric Matthews from Start Co an accelerator based in Memphis, Tennessee as they cram into a Tiny House in Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh's Airstream Village downtown Las Vegas. The four startups discussed were all at CES 2019 and part of the Startup of the Year program in the past, and so each co-host dives deeper into one of these startups with an update: Buoy Labs - Santa Cruz, CA Bartesian - Ontario, Canada Lifeina - Paris, France GoSun - Cincinnati, OH Listen in as these four growing, early-stage companies are discussed in great detail. The team also discusses CES and shares some insights for entrepreneurs and startup founders looking to push their startup or idea forward. Find out which startups discussed are raising funding rounds, which companies have the most traction, and what these companies have planned in the year ahead. Llamas, big brands at CES, Tiny House living, and banana stands may have also been discussed on this episode, but you'll have to tune in to find out.

In the first episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, host Frank Gruber is joined by co-hosts Jen Consalvo, Rich Maloy, and Lori Thiel from the Established and Startup of the Year team to discuss five startups that shined bright in the 2018 Startup of the Year program. The five startups discussed include: Aperiomics - Ashburn, VA Park & Diamond - Brooklyn, NY WeatherCheck - Louisville, KY Tivic Health - Menlo Park, CA Ario - Norfolk, VA Listen in as these five growing, early-stage companies are discussed in great detail. Find out which startups are raising funding rounds, which companies have the most traction, and what these companies have planned in the year ahead.