614Startups

On this episode, Elio interviews Dan Snyder, Co-Founder and CEO of Lower. Lower is a Columbus, Ohio-based startup that uses technology to make the process of saving for, financing, insuring, and buying or selling your home simple, fast, and enjoyable. Dan shares his insights into what it takes to build a great product, the value of a team, bootstrapping to profitability, and building a brand you a...

On this episode, Elio interviews Ray Bajaj, CTO of Cardinal Health and Leader of Fuse, Cardinal Health's innovation engine and product development center. Fuse is on a mission to reimagine healthcare delivery by harnessing the power of cutting-edge technology, human-centered design, and clinical expertise to create compelling customer experiences and improve patient outcomes.  Ray shares his...

Building an enterprise solution is one thing. Selling to enterprises and getting them to buy is another. The rubber really meets the road when the proverbial question comes up, do you integrate with our existing suite of software solutions? Ryan Lunka and his team at Blended Edge are helping software teams deliver product integrations faster, easier, and more cost-effectively while address the sec...

With the post-pandemic reopening ramping up, Kevin Lloyd, Co-Founder and CEO of MYLE and his team want to Make Your Life Entertaining. The restaurant, entertainment, and tourism industries were hit hard in 2020, which had the benefit of giving MYLE an opportunity to pivot and position themselves for growth in 2021 and beyond. The app helps users find fun and memorable entertainment options while h...

The global professional hair care market is projected to grow to over $26 billion by 2026. The black hair care market specifically is valued at over $2 billion. Maurice Womack, Founder of HairDrop is helping barbers, beauticians, and stylists get the hair, beauty, and styling products they need in one hour or less. No need to leave the shop or wait a whole day to get what you need, HairDrop is lik...

Brands have always striven to be part of their customers' lives. Think Tide, Dawn, Nike, and all the other brands that help us make it through our day. Ron and the team at Huumanize help brands tell their stories in ways that resonate with their customers and drive early adoption and lifetime customer value. Over the next decade, brands will not only have to compete to be part of our lives, they w...

Why does health insurance cost what it costs? Why does the cost go up every year? And with the ever rising cost of health care why do health outcomes for Americans still lag behind the rest of the world? On this episode, Elio interviews Ross Klosterman, Co-Founder of UnifiHealth, a health insurance company working to transform the experience of the 160 million Americans who receive their insurance...

People today are busier than ever. Companies are scrambling to find ways to bring their services to us instead of us going to them. The list is long. From dinner to groceries, everything is at our fingertips. Vohnt, a Columbus, Ohio-based, automotive care company is bringing automotive maintenance and detailing to you. Well not exactly. It feels that way since Vohnt picks up your vehicle, performs...

On this episode, Elio interviews Natalie Moretz, Vice President of Bernstein Private Wealth Management. Natalie discusses why planning and management matters for non-profits especially small-to-medium sized non-profits without a full-time financial manager. Natalie also delves into the world of planning and private wealth management for founders who are building successful businesses with an exit...

On this episode, Elio interviews Lauren Parker, President & CEO of FrazierHeiby. FrazierHeiby is an award-winning PR and marketing communications agency with staff in Columbus and New York City. Lauren shares her insights into why startups need to think about marketing, communications, and PR as three very distinct disciplines that need to work together to solve business challenges. From align...

On this episode, Elio interviews Paul Reeder, Executive Director of the Center for Innovation Strategies at The Ohio State University. Center for Innovation Strategies (CIS) is an academic center housed at the Fisher College of Business. CIS collaborates across campus and in the community as a facilitator and connector to promote innovation at Ohio State and beyond. CIS programs are designed to he...

On this episode, Elio interviews Doug McCullough, Co-Founder of Color Coded Labs, Co-Founder of Black Tech Columbus, and CIO of the City of Dublin, Ohio. Color Coded Labs finds, trains, and sets people of color up at companies ready to innovate at a greater scale. Doug shares his passion for jazz, how musical composition translates to coding, and why Color Coded Labs is what we need to close the w...

On this episode, Elio interviews Brad Hoewler, Founder and CEO of Pay Theory. Pay Theory is a FinTech company focused on how schools and other future building service providers interact with families around money. As school payments move to specialized EdTech SaaS platforms, Pay Theory helps families with challenges with the American banking system make school payments, a problem that affects abou...

On this episode, Elio interviews Lacey Picazo, Founder & Principal of ZoCo Design. ZoCo Design is a user experience and brand strategy agency located in Grandview, Ohio that intensely focused on informed and effective creative solutions. Lacey shares how she went from freelancer to business owner, the design philosophy behind ZoCo and why design is more than just a pretty product or website. D...

On this episode, Elio interviews Matt Orr, Director at Stonehenge Capital. Stonehenge Capital is a thought leader in investment capital, producing strong returns for investors and impactful social returns for communities. Stonehenge provides tax credit, growth capital, and community development financing to businesses at various stages of maturity especially those with a special focus on low-incom...

On this episode, Elio interviews Whitney Poma of Momful. Momful is an e-commerce brand that offers high-quality, effective, and convenient nutrition designed specifically for your unique needs as a breastfeeding & postpartum mom. Whitney, like many new moms, struggled with breastfeeding and was told by her pediatrician that her newborn was failing to thrive. In her quest to improve her child's...

Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, Kelli got her start as a business owner running an experiential marketing agency in the entertainment industry. In 2013, Kelli was introduced to the startup accelerator business model and launched Be Nimble Foundation in 2016. Be Nimble is a 501(c)(3) social enterprise with the goal of advancing diversity initiatives to create fully inclusive tech ecosyste...

On this episode, Elio interviews Sam Baddoo, Founder of Fleri. Fleri helps immigrants protect the people who matter most back home with health insurance. Every year immigrants in the Diaspora send billions of dollars to Africa oftentimes to pay for healthcare. Without direct insight into how the funds are being spent and whether adequate treatment is being provided, immigrants are left to worry ab...

Student loans got you down? Well, you're not alone. According to the Federal Reserve, collectively U.S. student loan borrowers owe a total of 1.7 trillion in student loan debt. On today's episode, I talk to Naveed Iqbal of Dolr, and they have three ways for you to go from a student loan nightmare to zero debt. Enjoy.

Nationwide is expanding its investment fund that targets high-growth startups building products, services, and technology that can benefit Nationwide customers. Nationwide’s original $100 million fund drew interest from startups looking to partner with Nationwide not only for capital but access to customers, expertise, and its Fortune 100 brand recognition. Nationwide is looking to invest in compa...

Matthew Benson and the team at eFuse are not slowing down. After adding over 500,000 new users in 2020, eFuse raised $6 million in a round led by the Ohio Innovation Fund. The round also attracted investments from professional athletes Odell Beckham Jr., Ezekiel Elliot and Seth Curry. eFuse describes itself as the “LinkedIn for gamers” connecting professional esports players and gamers with job op...

Cincinnati-based startup Resquared is joining the Winter 2021 batch of the venerable Silicon Valley seed money startup accelerator Y Combinator. With a list of unicorns like Stripe, Cruise Automation, DoorDash, Airbnb, and Twitch, Y Combinator’s program has a proven track record of identifying, funding and helping to scale high-growth startups. Resquared provides software that helps commercial rea...

On this episode, Elio interviews Amelia Gandara of Nationwide Ventures. Amelia is a Principal at Nationwide Ventures. She has a dual role, spending time managing the fund’s operations and investing alongside the team. She focuses on Nationwide’s early-stage investments with a passion for insurtechs. Amelia has additional experience in investing, operations, strategy and partnerships with stints at...

On this episode, Elio interviews Liz Todia, Senior Associate at Mutual Capital Partners, a Cleveland-based venture capital fund that invests in software and medical device companies. Liz manages all deal flow and due diligence for the fund, as well as supporting portfolio companies and overseeing LP relations. She has been on the team since graduating from the University of Dayton where she receiv...

On this episode, Elio interviews Densil Poretous, CEO of Pride Fund 1. Pride Fund 1 invests in early-stage and growth companies led by LGBTQ+ people, as well as companies which uplift that community. Very early in his life, Densil discovered his love for making connections. Starting by working in the admissions office of his alma mater, Kenyon College, he then transitioned to the Bay Area where he...