Written by Ryan Frederick of AWH Founders do not have an obligation to help build their local startup ecosystem. In fact, I would argue that the founders and startups that have the most impact on their local startup ecosystem spend
Written by Ryan Frederick of AWH Creating anything is hard. Creating something that is commercially successful is ridiculously hard. Starting a company is irrational. I write about this in my book The Founder’s Manual. It is irrational because most products
An effective pitch deck is an important tool for founders looking to raise investment for their startup. The challenge many founders face is that they aren’t great storytellers and they don’t know what to focus on in their pitch decks, so the lead often gets buried.
Besides burying the lead, you must also avoid your pitch deck becoming stagnant. It’s not uncommon to see pitch decks that are completely outdated compared to what the founder is publishing on their website or presenting to the world.
Today, Rev1 Ventures, the startup studio that combines capital and strategic services to help startups scale and corporates innovate, is launching Future Value Fund I (FVF), a new $10MM for-profit investment fund focused on building the Central Ohio startup ecosystem. The Fund is the company’s most significant pre-seed fund to date and the largest pre-seed stage fund in Columbus history. The Ohio State University joins Rev1 to invest in the Fund, with the Ohio Third Frontier Pre-Seed/Seed Plus Fund Capitalization Program providing a $5 million loan to bring the total fund capitalization to $10 million.
by Ryan Frederick of AWH
Now that we have a startup industry and successful founders are business icons and cultural celebrities, being a founder is of interest to more people. The problem is the best and most successful founders never intended to do so.
I’ve had the opportunity to meet and speak with thousands of founders through our work building digital products and solving data problems at AWH, my involvement with Startup Grind, angel investing, and speaking about creating products and companies. The one constant is that the best founders, and the ones who have the best chance of their companies succeeding, never intended to become a founder and to start a company.
by Ryan Frederick of AWH
Professional jealousy is powerful. We want the title, money, power and perceived respect that go along with those things. People climb ladders and play corporate politics to advance ahead of others. Some companies foster a super competitive environment that endorses, tacitly or not, team members vying for coveted positions and recognition. Does it work and is it good for the company and the team members? I don’t think it is, but many company leaders do.
Sponsored Post by Ryan Frederick of AWH
Investors can be elusive and misunderstood by many Founders. There is a great mystery behind how some founders and startups manage to get access to investors and funding from them while others don’t. For many Founders and startups, working the normal process, if there even is one, doesn’t get them access and awareness with investors, let alone the funding they are seeking. The truth is, investors are just like everyone else and they don’t want to miss out on a good thing. The more Founders can create the fear of missing out (FOMO) with investors the more likely they are to get funding for their company.
Columbus, Ohio — Leadership of Columbus-based Urban Accelerator X today released the schedule for their virtual event, Ohio Small Business Day, set for this Thursday, November 19th, 8:30AM-4:30 PM. The statewide virtual event brings together business leaders from around Ohio, offering a day of education and entertainment for urban businesses, especially women and minority business owners. The day is free to attend; donations will be accepted throughout the day to support programs primarily targeting women and minority businesses.
Founders who get too caught up in too much heads-down or heads-up work reduce the chances of their product and company being successful. Founders, probably even more than anyone else, need to find the balance between heads-down and heads-up work as everything for a new product and company is a balance between the now and the future. Too much focus on either tips the scale too far to one side which inhibits a startups ability to gain short-term traction toward long-term viability.
On this episode, Elio interviews Max Brickman, Managing Director at Heartland Ventures. Heartland Ventures is a value-add venture investor that connects high-growth startups with new customers in the Midwest. Max’s entrepreneurial endeavors began at a very young age with him starting his first company at 14 years old. From landscaping to real estate to education, Max has garnered a wealth of knowledge that has guided him in his journey into venture capital. He delves into why he initially decided to pursue venture capital and also details why Heartland Ventures chose to focus on the coast, although not limited to the coast, as well as how and why it raises funds the way it does. Max’s story is quite impressive thus far, and this is only the beginning.
Husband, father, and entrepreneur. Chief Coffee Officer @ Entrepreneur’s Brew. Panel moderator. Community Builder and Strategic Director @ National Church Residences.
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