Middle Tech

On this week's episode, we sat down with technology startup lawyer Brandon Johnson of The Johnson Law Group to discuss the services that an attorney can offer to a startup in its early stages. Whether you're the founder or an early employee, it's important to have an understanding of the legal side of startups to help you make informed decisions as the business progresses. Visit The Johnson Law Gr...

On this week's episode, we sat down with David Cottingham and David Bertram, CBO and CRO of Wrigley Media Group . As we've been exploring companies that help businesses develop branding and design, we wanted to focus an episode on the importance of high quality digital media. Wrigley Media Group is a digital media company that covers a variety of production verticals, from aerial to animation, and...

On this week's episode, we sat down with Co-Founder of the Silver Fern Group , Adam VanWingerden. Adam and his Co-Founders (Stephen VanWingerden & Kevin Short) are helping growers simplify their horticulture businesses through introducing new software and hardware aimed at improving the way their data is mined and managed. The Silver Fern Group is in a unique position to solve this problem as...

On this week's episode, we sat down with Brad Flowers, one of the Founding Partners at Bullhorn Creative . We discussed how Bullhorn Creative got started, the importance & process of branding, and the release of his new book - The Naming Book . Throughout our conversation, we were able to take a deep dive into what it means to develop a good brand through the use of language and design, while...

On this week's episode, we revisit an old favorite episode of ours from season 2. We sat down with Joe Barnard of BPS.space to discuss how his company that started as a project to get a job at SpaceX turned into a full-fledged business building small-scale reusable rockets. After SpaceX's successful launch of Americans into space, we felt that this episode is an important one to revisit. Visit BPS...

On this week's episode, we sat down with David Mann & Ron Watson of Dundee Ventures to discuss the work that their doing in Middle America, or the "Mighty Middle" as they call it. We dive into how Dundee Ventures makes the decision to invest, why they believe Middle America can and will continue to produce successful companies, and how David & Ron got into venture capital.  Visit Dund...

On this week's episode, we are joined by Ben Schecter, Founder of Feed the Front Line . Feed the Front Line collects donations, uses the money to buy meals from local restaurants that have been affected by the pandemic, and then donates those meals to front line medical workers so that they can have a healthy meal while battling Coronavirus. After starting Feed the Front Line in Houston, word spre...

On this week's episode, we are joined by the Founder of Stellar Plants , Joe Cox. Stellar Plants is an indoor vertical farming company that is using sustainable hydroponics to produce high quality leafy greens for local restaurants and groceries. However, Joe's vision for Stellar Plants and the AgTech industry extends far beyond just producing basil and the like. We dive into the current state of...

On this week's episode, we take a closer look into how Coronavirus is affecting the world of finance, specifically Venture Capital. During our conversation with Dan Beldy, we discuss how VC has had to adapt during the pandemic and what could change going forward. We also sat down with Shane Hadden, Founder of Seats Capital, to examine how a new method of investing could become more common after co...

On this week's episode, we sat down with the Founder of one of Kentucky's most successful companies - Appriss CEO, Mike Davis. Because of the work that Appriss does, 95% of all criminals in the US are tracked to ensure that the proper people can be notified upon their release and they are responsible for reducing the number of meth labs by 87%. Through the use of big data, Appriss is using knowled...

On this week's episode, we sat down with the Executive Design Partner of Innovatemap , Christian Beck. Innovatemap is an Indianapolis-based design firm that helps companies of all sizes design & build digital products and services. In this episode, we focus heavily on the importance of good design. Christian walks us through what early stage companies should be doing in regards to design, and...

On this week's episode, we are joined by Raffi Kayat of Borderless. Borderless exists to create a better way for companies and individuals to handle international payments without incurring large fees in the process. Recently, Raffi and his team relocated their company from New York to Louisville, Kentucky and we get to hear a unique perspective from a founder that has experienced building a compa...

On this week's episode, we're joined by the Co-founders of Land Betterment, Kirk Taylor & Mark Jensen. As the name suggests, Land Betterment exists to give old coal mining land a new purpose. From a farm-to-bottle distillery, to a rubber recycling plant, their projects not only aim to give the land a new purpose, but the organization also exists to benefit the communities & environment in...

On this episode of The Middle Tech Podcast, we get an update on Truman's newest releases from Co-founder, Alex Reed. Alex first came on Middle Tech in season 1, episode 52 to discuss how Truman's was changing how we think of cleaning products through the use of concentrates & fun branding. Truman's is now releasing laundry & dishwasher detergent in addition to their 4 surface cleaner produ...

This week’s episode is all about how companies can build practical cultures of innovation. As technology advances and companies mature, it's essential that all businesses - especially large corporations - not only be accepting of innovation, but actively encourage it and seek it out. Venture Labs , an Awesome Inc program, was created to help companies equip themselves with the right processes to m...

As we continue to adapt to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, we decided to take a deep dive into two of the hardest hit industries - education & restaurants. We sat down with Tom Martin of EKU and Bryce Anderson of Vinaigrette to get a perspective on how this pandemic is affecting their respective fields and what this means going forward.  Visit us at middletechpod.com YouTube: www.youtube.c...

This week, we are revisiting a great conversation we had in season 1 with Dan Beldy, Founding Partner at Airwing Ventures. Dan discusses his experience in the Navy, venture capital, Disney's Steamboat Ventures, investing Fooji, and his journey to working in venture capital. Originally published on 10/29/18. Visit us at middletechpod.com YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC5CsRH8pKpWqMuj9Hpika0Q Twi...

For a lot of different professions, continued education is essential to ensuring that you are operating with most up to date information regarding your field. For nurses, this continued education is not only essential, but could make the difference between a patient living or dying. As a nurse himself, Shane Slone noticed a problem with continued education in nursing. Shane saw that nurses viewed...

This week, we sit down with Terry Samuel, President of the Kentucky Science & Technology Council, to talk about the role the organization plays in the state of Kentucky, and how that role has evolved over time. Although KSTC has changed with the times, their mission has remained constant - to act as a resource for businesses and entrepreneurs in Kentucky that are pursuing advances in science a...

John Willmoth is the Managing Partner at Poplar Ventures where he invests in many of Kentucky's most successful software companies. Before getting into the venture capital space, John helped grow the communications giant, Nextel, from just a few million dollars in revenue to $15 Billion. On this episode, we will discuss the Nextel story, the ZirMed story, what it means to be a venture capitalist,...

As remote work becomes more prominent for companies and their employees, one of the big concerns is how can culture be created and maintained among a team that never physically meets. Charley Miller saw this problem manifest as he worked on a startup with a remote team and knew that it was a problem worth solving. His company, Unitonomy , ensures that remote workers have a more frictionless commun...

In season 2, we got to sit down with Jonathan Webb to discuss the vision and mission of AppHarvest. In this episode, we sat down with Amy Samples, AppHarvest's Director of Culture, to take a deeper dive into how AppHarvest is creating a movement in Appalachia through partnerships and the story they're telling.   Visit us at middletechpod.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/middletechpod Instagram: w...

5Ks and other exercise-based fundraisers are great for giving people incentive to get in shape, while also raising money for good causes. However, 5Ks are time-bound and location-bound. This is where Moolathon comes in with their platform that gives people the opportunity to participate in these fundraisers, anytime & anywhere. Visit us at middletechpod.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/middletechp...

Andy Eastes has been a successful entrepreneur his entire life. From mowing lawns, to flipping items on ebay, Andy has managed to take simple ideas and make them into successful businesses. So it comes as no surprise that he took inventory management and created a software that make keeping track of your inventory a breeze. Listen in to hear the lessons that Andy learned along the way and how he's...

After the crazy bitcoin bull run in 2017, it's likely that you've at least heard the terms "bitcoin" and "cryptocurrency". But now that the hype has died down, where does bitcoin go from here? Lexington Bitcoin Consulting is working to make sure that the state known for basketball, bourbon, and horse racing is not left behind when it comes to the cryptocurrency space. Visit us at middletechpod.com...