Built in Ohio

Pete Blackshaw is the CEO of Cintrifuse, a syndicated venture fund and startup catalyst organization dedicated to making Greater Cincinnati the #1 startup hub in the Midwest and a top innovation center in the nation. In this episode we talk with Pete about his work across the globe and the opportunity for Cincinnati and cities like it across the country. Pete joined Cintrifuse from Nestlé, S.A. in...

Rick Pollack is the founder and owner of MakerGear LLC. MakerGear engineers and manufactures desktop and benchtop 3d printers. In this episode we talk with Rick about the career pivot that led to MarkerGear and the importance of high tech manufacturing. Rick started MakerGear in his garage in Shaker Heights in 2009 and MakerGear moved to their current location in Beachwood in 2012. MakerGear was o...

Don Wright is the Founder and CEO of Clarigent Health. Clarigent Health uses artificial intelligence to detect biomarkers in speech that can detect potential mental health risks.  In this episode we talk with Don about his work in tackling the important issue of mental health, what the future of this space holds, and how technology plays a role. Prior to Clarigent Health, Don led Assurex Health wh...

Forlefac Fontem is the Co-Founder and Technical Lead at Bingo Insurance and a 4th year undergraduate student studying Computer Science at The Ohio State University.  In this episode, we talk with Forlefac about his passion for technology, co-founding a company while still in school, and creating opportunities for all.  While at Ohio State, Forlefac has completed two Software Engineering Internship...

Ann Marie Fisher is the Director of Strategic Alliances for Jitterbit. In this episode, we talk with Ann Marie about working remotely for Silicon Valley based companies and selling to Midwest and Canadian businesses, nonprofits and governments. Jitterbit is the API transformation company that accelerates innovation by combining the power of APIs and integration. Prior to her role as Director of St...

Faris El-Khider, MD, says he is 60% doctor, 40% data nerd. In addition to being a Cleveland Clinic trained gastroenterologist, Faris is also Co-Founder and Chief Clinical Officer of Hyr Medical. Hyr Medical is building a web-based marketplace to tackle a major healthcare problem: By 2025, the United States will have a shortage of over 100,000 Physicians and 1,000,000 Nurses. Faris has been in heal...

Mike J. Walker is an accomplished architect with a vast amount of experience as a leader, innovator and technology expert. Currently, Mike is Senior Director, Applied Innovation and Digital Transformation at Microsoft and previously has worked at leading technology companies such as Gartner, Hewlett-Packer, and Dell. And his career has taken him across Ohio, Seattle and Austin. In this episode we...

Ann Toews is an Operations Manager at Upstart, the leading AI lending platform partnering with banks to expand access to affordable credit. Based in Columbus, Ann graduated from Stanford University before beginning her career as an officer in the U.S. Army. After her Army service concluded, Ann received her Master's Degree from Princeton University and then joined the U.S. Department of Housi...

Jason Gintert is the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of WAN Dynamics, a technology company founded to help organizations find their way in the nascent "NetDevOps" technology space. In this episode, we talk with Jason about how he got his start in technology (when he was seven years old), the path to founding his own company and how he's building a statewide network of networ...

Matt Buder Shapiro is a co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of venture-backed startup MedPilot Inc. He is responsible for developing MedPilot's brand and patient engagement strategy. MedPilot has helped over 1 million patients better understand and resolve their medical expenses. In 2019, Matt and his company made headlines when they moved the business from New York City to Cleveland. In t...

Jeff Leo Herrmann is the CEO of The Youngstown Publishing Company and also the President of Madison, Michigan and Market. The YPC publishes The Business Journal, Brain Gain, and After Hours Youngstown. MMM is a boutique advisory firm. In this episode, we talk with Jeff about a career in digital media and marketing technology that took him around the globe, why he decided to return home to Ohio, an...

Grant Schneider is the Head of Upstart Columbus and a Data Scientist. With a PhD in Statistics, Grant leads the HQ2 for Upstart, a technology company based in Silicon Valley which is the leading AI lending platform partnering with banks to expand access to affordable credit. In this episode, we talk with Grant about bringing Silicon Valley to Columbus, his path from PhD to startups, and improving...

Tonjia Coverdale, Ph. D. is an executive, professional, and scholar who has cultivated her unique perspective of technology through the combination of academic theories, applied research, industry practices, entrepreneurial insight, and strategic focus. Currently, Tonjia is Associate Vice President for Workforce & Legal Technology at Nationwide. In this episode, we talk with Tonjia about fearl...

Sam Change is the co-founder at Midstory, Toledo's Media Thinkhub. A nonprofit that examines, researches and reports on the issues of brain drain, community, and the historical intersections between environment, industry, and technology. In this episode, we spoke with Sam about why he returned to Toledo after attending Princeton and beginning his career on the East Coast, what exactly is a th...

Calvin Cooper is the co-founder and CEO of Rhove, a Columbus-based fintech company founded on the belief that everyone has the right to invest in their home. In this episode we talk to Calvin about bringing innovation to the challenges of home ownership, why this was an idea he and his co-founders just had to pursue and what the future of ownership looks like. Prior to founding Rhove, Calvin was a...

Jay Clouse and Eric Knight Hornung are the co-hosts of Upside, a podcast about startup investing outside of Silicon Valley. They are also the Producers of Test City, USA, a feature film on the technology and startup ecosystem that is Columbus, Ohio. In this episode we talk with Jay and Eric about their journey during the filming of Test City, USA, what they learned about the innovation ecosystem i...

Jerry Valentine is the Founder and CEO of Renter Mentor, a for-profit social enterprise IT and consultant services company that helps connect people to affordable housing. The idea of Renter Mentor was first pitched at Give Back Hack Columbus, a weekend hack-a-thon for social good, in April of 2019, where the team won the competition and received seed money for the idea. Jerry and the team then to...

Andrew Wolfe is the CEO of Skiplist, a software company that accelerates development and drives value for organizations of all sizes. In this episode we talk to Andrew about his decision to build his company remotely, why that decision is paying off now, and how other leaders can make the successful shift. As a leader and executive dedicated to building world-class teams and solutions to the world...

Ben Blanquera is the Vice President of Client Success and Experience at the Columbus Callboratory and the Founder of TechLife Columbus. In this episode, we talk to Ben about how the strong Columbus tech community was born, the journey to today and his background as a community leader. We also learn more about his work at the Columbus Collaboratroy, which is a unique and innovative advanced technol...

Doug Weintraub is the Chief Executive Officer of Bounce Innovation Hub, an accomplished technology executive, and active investor and advisor to startups. In this episode, we speak with Doug on how Akron came together to build Bounce, his entrepreneurial story and his work today as a tech investor. Bounce is Akron’s “front door” for collaborative innovation and seeks to engage, educate and grow Ak...

Rehgan Avon is the Founder and President of Women in Analytics and Principal Consultant at Rehgan Consulting where she helps businesses grow through analytics and technology. In this episode with Rehgan, we talk about how she launched a global community through Women in Analytics, elevating diverse voices and launching her new business. Rehgan has spent her career executing on the fundamentals of...

Justin Bibb is Vice President of Corporate Strategy for KeyCorp and a community leader in his hometown of Cleveland. In this episode, we talk with Justin about Cleveland's comeback, his work with smart cities across America and how to build opportunity for everyone. Prior to joining Key, Justin was a Senior Consultant at Gallup and was responsible for building and growing the firm’s Global Ci...

Kaleb Dumont is the Founder and CEO of Integrity Power Search, a boutique retained search firm for high growth startups & technology companies across North America. In this episode, we talk with Kaleb about building great teams, doing it remotely and what top talent looks for when deciding on opportunities.  Since 2012, Kaleb and his team at IPS have successfully executed 800+ searches and the...

Scott J. Allen, Ph. D., is the Standard Products—Dr. James S. Reid Chair in Management at John Carroll University.  In this episode, we talk with Scott about the Future of Work, the convergence of emerging technologies and how companies big and small go about innovating. Scott is an associate professor and teaches courses in leadership, management skills, and executive communication. In 2008, he w...

Tim is a serial entrepreneur and investor with roots in the Midwest, experience in Silicon Valley, and connections around the world. He currently serves as the Managing Partner at Refinery Ventures in Cincinnati. In this episode we talk about building innovation ecosystems, scaling companies and his path to founding Refinery Ventures.  Tim created ShareThis, a social media pioneer that nearly a bi...