614Startups

On this episode, Elio interviews Michelle Murcia, Founder and CEO of Book+Street. Book+Street provides comprehensive finance and administration services for private and pre-IPO companies, and also designs and administers equity-based compensation plans that make it easy for startups to start off right, right from the start. Michelle defines equity, breaks down the types of equity and the pros and...

On this episode, Elio interviews Dan Rockwell, CEO and Co-Founder of Big Kitty Labs. Big Kitty Labs is a software development agency focusing on software development for web, enterprise, and mobile applications. Big Kitty Labs has worked with a long list of Columbus startups and don't be surprised if you a fan of a platform they helped develop. Dan shares his wealth of knowledge gained from w...

This week we return to in-person sessions as Elio interviews LoLo Smith and George "Ski" Zarebski of the Urban Business Development Center. The U as it is commonly known envisions a world where systematic oppression is not an obstacle for Black and Brown businesses. The U fulfills this vision by bridging the access gap ensuring awareness of resources, providing culturally competent education, faci...

On this episode, Elio interviews Todd Federman, Managing Director of North Coast Ventures. North Coast invests in early-stage entrepreneurs and connects them with on-demand access to intellectual capital through their member network and deep links to corporate decision-makers, leading to game-changing opportunities. Todd discusses how North Coast came to be, the power of focus for VC funds and ent...

On this episode, Elio interviews Travis Smith, Founder and CEO of Tribevest. Tribevest makes it easy to invest with your friends, family, and other like-minded individuals. The company has coined the term tribevesting which is the process by which friends and family become business partners and invest together. Travis returns to the podcast after 3 years to share how he has grown as a founder, his...

On this episode, Elio interviews Mike Popadak, CEO of iVueit. iVueit provides facility managers with on-demand visual validation and compliance verification on the properties they manage nationwide. iVueit accomplishes this by leveraging Vuers who earn extra cash by completing interior/exterior site inspections (Vues) at nearby properties. Mike shares how the idea for iVueit came about, solving th...

On this episode, Elio interviews Elspeth "Elle" Paige-Sack, Founder of Hunter Marketing. Hunter Marketing is a marketing communications firm that helps businesses large and small create and execute marketing strategies that work. Elle describes herself as a sales and marketing expert and former pizza pimp who decided to take the leap and start her own business. True to her values, Hunter Marketing...

On this episode, Elio interviews Dan Keough, CEO of Holmes Murphy and Co-CEO of BrokerTech Ventures. Holmes Murphy is an independent insurance brokerage firm specializing in property-casualty insurance and employee benefits strategy. BrokerTech Ventures leverages partnerships with brokerage firms, carrier networks, and access to early-stage investment capital to identify and scale disruptive techn...

On this episode, Elio interviews Sahil Shah, Co-Founder of MESH. MESH is a cloud-based SaaS platform designed for manufacturers to streamline their sourcing and quality processes into one centralized, easy-to-use online platform. As complex and integrated as the global supply chain is, much of sourcing and quality assurance processes lack digitization.  Sahil uncovered this problem during a S...

In this episode, Elio interviews Kristy Campbell, Chief Operating Officer of Rev1 Ventures. Rev1 Ventures provides seed-stage venture capital funding in Columbus, Ohio along with startup services, space, mentoring, and connections. Kristy leads operations for Rev1 Ventures, the investor startup studio providing strategic services and capital to help startups scale and corporates innovate. She supp...

On this episode, Elio interviews Gloria Ware, Founder and Chief Rainmaker of Get The Bag, LLC. Get The Bag is focused on helping black female entrepreneurs access capital and build the networks they need to start and scale successful businesses. Gloria started her career in banking with an emphasis on minority small business development. Most recently she worked with organizations like Jumpst...

Elio interviews Jay Clouse, serial entrepreneur, Founder and or Co-Founder of upside.fm, Freelancing School, and Unreal Collective. In addition, he is a course creator on LinkedIn Learning and the producer of the groundbreaking feature-length film Test City, USA. With so many topics and businesses to cover this episode is a roller coaster ride peppered with humor, real-world experience, and love f...

On this episode, Elio interviews Ilya Bodner, Founder of Bold Penguin. Bold Penguin is a Columbus, Ohio insurtech startup that helps businesses, insurance agents and insurance carriers streamline the commercial insurance buying experience by making it effortless to quote and bind insurance. Bold Penguin was acquired in February 2021 by American Family Insurance. Ilya discusses his immigrant roots,...

On this episode, Elio interviews Bianca Caban, Principal at Heartland Ventures. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Heartland Ventures is a Midwest-based venture capital firm connecting large Middle America companies with vital technology being developed on the coasts.   Bianca breaks down the role of the Principal, how she evaluates companies for potential investment, and why the Heartland...

Can't Stop Creatives with Joe Chekanoff, Chek Creative On this episode, Elio interviews Joe Chekanoff, Founder of Chek Creative. Chek Creative is a full-service web design agency that helps startups and small businesses maximize ROI on websites, eCommerce shops, mobile apps, and other digital platforms. Joe shares Chek Creative’s approach to curating digital identities that translate into strategi...

On this episode, Elio interviews Dr. Tim Miller, Co-founder, President & CEO of Forge Biologics. Forge Biologics is a gene therapy development engine, enabling access to life-changing discoveries by bringing them from concept to reality. They partner with innovators in the gene therapy community: scientists, physicians, biotech and pharma companies, and patient groups. Forge Biologics will dev...

On this episode, Elio interviews Nathan Heerdt, Co-Founder & CEO of Healthy Roster. Healthy Roster helps safety, HR and financial leaders prevent & triage workplace injuries as well as ATs and Sports Medicine Directors improve communication and injury documentation for teams. Healthy Roster is the only sports medicine injury documentation tool that allows athletic trainers to build deeper...

On this episode, Elio interviews Noah Weisblat, Chief Operating Officer at Klout Machine. A single rule change allowed college athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL), thereby creating a new industry. Klout Machine has created a marketplace that uses a common currency to value NIL. This currency is called the Klout Score and it ranges from 0-100. This score explains how perfor...

On this episode, Elio interviews Luke Buchanan,Co-Founder & CEO of Redi. Health. Redi.health believes every patient has the ability to overcome today’s healthcare barriers if they are given the right tools. Redi.health empower patients to thrive in all aspects of their health journey but focus on three primary barriers: Adherence, Access, and Understanding. Luke shares his journey from philoso...

On this episode, Elio interviews Ed Porter, Chief Revenue Officer of Blue Chip CRO and Co-Founder of HCRpath. Blue Chip CRO helps founders and executives align their revenue organization to accelerate growth through your buyer’s journey. By aligning marketing activities with sales, Ed helps his clients remove the silos in their company and increase collaboration toward achieving revenue targets. E...

On this episode, Elio interviews Monique Dorsainvil, Public Policy Director at Facebook. Facebook is a household name with 3.5 billion users worldwide. As the issue of race and its corresponding inequities continue to challenge corporations to respond, Facebook has launched several programs aimed at supporting and training small business owners with one initiative specifically targeting black-owne...

On this special mini-episode, Elio interviews Jason Cook, Director, Sales Engineering for Rubrik. Based in Palo Alto, California, Rubrik is the market leader in cloud data management, helping companies protect their data and applications from ransomware, natural disasters, and operational failures. Jason gives Elio a crash course in cybersecurity and ransomware and why Rubrik’s approach gives them...

On this episode, Elio interviews Brent Johnson, CEO and Co-Founder of Clarus R + D. Did you know that the federal Research and Development Tax Credit is worth up to 15% of qualified research expenditures? Clarus’ tax credit software is used by CPAs to help streamline R&D studies, ensure compliance, and create meaningful value for clients. Clarus has helped hundreds of companies maximize their...

On this episode, Elio interviews Jay Harkrider, Managing Partner at Foxen. Foxen provides innovative insurance solutions and financial services to property owners, property managers, and residents. Foxen was launched to solve the problem of rental insurance compliance by automating the policy verification process. Many multi-family apartment complexes and rental properties require tenants to carry...

On this episode, Elio interviews Steve Flaherty, CEO of necoTECH. necoTECH helps governments, citizens, and corporations divert their plastic waste from landfills and waterways into beneficial reusable products. Only about 9% of the materials that go into the recycle bin actually get recycled. Steve and the team at necoTECH are changing that by using their collection of technologies to transform r...