Founder Shares

Raising startup capital is one of the hardest things a founder will do, and most people learn the hard way. In this episode, three founders who have collectively raised over $27 million share what actually works. Robin Cowie ( Skillmaker.ai ), Isaac Park ( Keebler Health ), and Lucy Shores Kosturko ( Social Cascade ) break down how to build a fundraising process, why the story you tell investors m...

Recorded live at the Angus Barn during Hutchison's 30th anniversary celebration, this special episode of Founder Shares brings together some of the Triangle's most respected founders, investors, and ecosystem builders to reflect on three decades of what it really means to build a community — not just a law firm. Guests include Andrea Cook of NC Idea, Karl Rectanus , CEO, Really Great Reading | Co-...

Host Trevor Schmidt chats with Taylor Casey , Founder and CEO of Kahmino , and Hutchison partner John Rudd , about how a 500-mile pilgrimage across Spain sparked a real estate tech company built to help people truly love where they live. Taylor shares her unconventional path — from accounting major to InsureTech product manager to solo founder — and how being "product person number one" at her fir...

Host Trevor Schmidt chats with five powerhouse voices — Abha Bowers , Head of Strategic Partnerships at CED; Anna Tharrington , Partner at Hutchison PLLC; Zakiya Alta Lee , Principal at Idea Fund Partners; Seema Nandi, Ph. D. At SelSym Biotech; and Elizabeth Kelly , Managing Director at Pappas Capital — about what it truly takes to close the gender gap in entrepreneurship and venture capital. Reco...

Host Trevor Schmidt chats with Rick Carlson , founder and CEO of NeuroTone AI , and Hutchison attorney Jasjit Grewal about the "creative process" of building a serial startup career. Rick shares his journey from the early days of email automation at SharpSpring to his "un-retirement" to lead a ghost business back to life. He explains how having a solution to a problem isn't enough to build a busin...

Host Trevor Schmidt chats with Amber Melanie Smith , founder of Change Kit, and Danny Rosin , co-founder of Brand Fuel and Band Together, about the unique challenges and "soul" required to lead in the nonprofit and social entrepreneurship space. Amber shares her journey from a cross-country volunteering road trip to founding Activate Good, while Danny discusses his "prankster" roots and his missio...

Host Trevor Schmidt chats with Hutchison law partner and former D1 athlete Anna Tharrington and Mike Halpert , CEO of Ver Coaching , about Mike's journey fueled by a sense of "calling" to develop an app that uses VR headsets for athlete vision training. Mike explains that the technology improves hand-eye coordination and performance by training the eye muscles to work better in sync with quick, me...

On this episode of the Founder Shares podcast, host Trevor Schmidt is joined by Chelsey Warren, Founder and Principal of Spark People Advisory, and employment lawyer Ashley Pittman (Hutchison PLLC), who tackle the critical "people" aspect of any growing company. Chelsey shares her strategic approach to hiring, retention, and knowing when to bring in HR expertise, while Ashley provides the essentia...

In this special edition of the Founder Shares podcast, we go on location to the 2025 Grepbeat Startups to Watch event. Host Trevor Schmidt speaks with judges and founders about what it takes to build a successful startup in North Carolina's vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem. Founders share how they've leveraged everything from social media and AI to a deep understanding of their communities to ach...

In this episode of the Founder Shares podcast, host Trevor Schmidt sits down with Ardis Kadiu , founder and CEO of Element451 . Ardis shares his journey from an engineer to a successful entrepreneur, recounting how he spun off a software company from his marketing agency to solve a core problem in student recruitment. He candidly discusses the early days of grinding in a small Dumbo, Brooklyn offi...

In this episode of the Founder Shares podcast, host Trevor Schmidt sits down with Runbin Dong, founder and CEO of Scale Social AI. Runbin shares his unique journey from corporate tech to small business owner, inspired by his mother's retirement and their handmade dumpling business. This experience led him to identify a critical gap in digital marketing, particularly the need for authenticity amids...

What if AI could turn supply chain disruptions into a competitive advantage? On this episode of Founder Shares , Chris Andrassy, co-founder and CEO of Astral Insights, shares how his company is using AI-powered business intelligence to help companies predict and resolve supply chain issues before they happen. With a vision to apply artificial general intelligence to the supply chain, Astral Insigh...

What does it take to guide a company from early investment to a major private equity transaction? In this special Founder Shares live episode, recorded at Raleigh-Durham Startup Week, Tim McLoughlin of CoFounders Capital and Joshua M. Hayes of Hutchison PLLC share the inside story behind the $175 million investment in Element451, a Raleigh-based higher education CRM platform. What challenges arise...

What if the key to success isn’t just hard work, but true happiness? On this episode of Founder Shares , Grace Ueng, founder and CEO of Savvy Growth, shares how happiness and business leadership go hand in hand. As a leadership coach, strategy consultant, and the creator of HappinessWorks™, Grace has helped countless entrepreneurs and executives unlock their potential, build resilient teams, and c...

What if the key to advancing brain health and neuroscience lies in harnessing neurodata in ways never thought possible? On today’s episode of Founder Shares , Robert S. Cooley Jr., founder and CEO of Nuream, discusses how his company is revolutionizing the way we capture and analyze brain activity. With cutting-edge smart-sensing materials, Nuream is creating new possibilities for early interventi...

How do you turn a passion for problem-solving into a thriving business that benefits millions? In this episode of Founder Shares, Brandon Kashani, founder and CEO of TRAKID, offers listeners a masterclass in resilience, adaptability, and strategic thinking. Brandon’s journey from a chemical engineering student to the leader of a tech company revolutionizing guest experiences is filled with invalua...

What if AI could transform your frustrating interactions with local government into seamless, efficient experiences? In this episode of Founder Shares , Chip Kennedy, founder and CEO of CivicReach, shares how his voice AI platform is revolutionizing government customer service by acting as a “well-trained intern” for local agencies. Chip discusses how CivicReach addresses common frustrations like...

Could the future of electric vehicle adoption hinge on our ability to accurately assess the health of EV batteries? On today’s episode of Founder Shares, Davide Giacobbe, CEO of ScoutIt, shares his journey from automotive engineer at Lamborghini to founder of a startup tackling one of the biggest challenges in the electric vehicle market—battery health transparency. Davide explains why accurate ba...

Have you ever wondered how scientific research can be translated into tangible products and services that benefit patients, clients, or customers? Or how an academic idea can transform into a successful healthcare business? In this episode, John Bamforth, executive director of UNC Chapel Hill's Eshelman Innovation, shares his work in developing therapeutics and digital health companies in North Ca...

What if the key to unlocking true autonomy and advancing artificial intelligence lies in the development of more efficient and intelligent visual sensors? On today's episode of Founder Shares, Charbel Rizk, the visionary founder and CEO of Oculi, discusses the need for a shift towards advanced visual sensors over traditional motion sensors, and shares their potential to revolutionize automation an...

How integral are networking and community-building to becoming a successful entrepreneur? Pablo Casilimas and Justis Mendez of OneSixOne Ventures join Founder Shares to discuss how they harnessed the power of these strategies to jumpstart their venture capital firm and connect founders and funders. Listen as they share some of the most useful insights they gained from hosting highly curated progra...

How can a founder transition from a successful entrepreneur, to empowering other entrepreneurs by becoming a key figure in building startup communities? Join host Trevor Schmidt as he talks to Chris Heivly, Co-Founder of MapQuest and The Startup Factory and author of the book “Build the Fort”, about the importance of self-awareness, curiosity, and customer understanding for startup success--and ho...

At the end of every Founder Shares episode, host Trevor Schmidt poses the question, “If there's one piece of advice that you would share with somebody who's thinking about starting a company or who's currently running their company, what would that advice be?”  In this "Best Of" episode of Founder Shares, that question is answered with a collection of insightful advice from various founders and pr...

Have you ever wondered about the myriad of ways your personal data can be utilized by artificial intelligence? What important legal considerations should you make when using AI professionally? On today's episode of Founder Shares, we talk to attorney Lucas Beal and dive deep into the legal implications of AI on data privacy, copyright, and patents. Can you legally copyright AI output for your busi...

Ever wondered how successful entrepreneurs navigate through challenges and achieve groundbreaking success? In our latest podcast episode, we dig into the remarkable journey of Scot Wingo . From founding companies like Stingray and ChannelAdvisor to revolutionizing traditional business models with Spiffy , Scot embodies the spirit of innovation. But what sets him apart? Join us as we uncover Scot's...