DC Entrepreneur

Jake Kramer, Managing Partner of FedTech is guest on this season's final episode of DC Entrepreneur. FedTech is a venture builder that thrives at the intersection of US entrepreneurship, breakthrough technologies, and mission-driven organizations. Since 2015, they've been driving forward deep tech ventures across the DoD, NASA, DoE, universities, and federal labs. Through their startup studios, accelerators, internal innovation and corporate venture programs, FedTech works with individuals, companies, and government agencies to stay at the bleeding edge of innovation.Kramer is concurrently a venture partner at NextGen Venture Partners and Thundermark Capital, formerly working at Goldman Sachs and as a U.S. Army Officer. NextGen Venture Partners is a network-driven venture firm that brings together hundreds of part-time venture capitalists to invest in their portfolio of entrepreneurs.  Thundermark Capital is a New York and San Francisco based Venture Capital firm investing in Deep Tech, specifically early-stage rounds of startups innovating in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Robotics and other Deep Tech areas. Support the show

Jay Newton-Small, CEO and Founder of MemoryWell, a digital storytelling platform for seniors, speaks to George on this episode of DC Entrepreneur. You'll hear how Newton-Small got the idea for the start-up when filling out paperwork to get her father into assisted care after he was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease. As a TIME Magazine correspondent, journalist, and author of Broad Influence, she wrote his story down to help her father's caregivers understand his past better.  In this conversation, Jay talks about how MemoryWell worked with Brookdale Senior Living for their pilot program, how she bootstrapped the idea through Kickstarter and by winning pitch competitions before focusing on fundraising, and how her involvement through accelerators such as TechStars and the Halcyon Incubator helped her learn to build a business. Support the show

George speaks with friend of the podcast Dr. Joseph Cardillo, PhD, about his new book "12 Rules of Attention: How to Avoid Screw-Ups, Free Up Headspace, Do More and Be More At Work."  Dr. Joe is an inspirational speaker and nationally best-selling author of multiple books in the fields of health, mind-body-spirit, and psychology. In this conversation Dr. Joe talks about how entrepreneurs can get off of autopilot and refocus their attention throughout their daily lives and in their work.  You'll learn about the three "Mindwares" and what are the differences with attention, mindfulness, and awareness. Dr. Joe also talks about how using a "power word" can focus your attention,  how to talk to your brain by using a "self-scan," and how studying martial arts inspired him to learn more about attention. Plus he has some fantastic tips on how to deal with the stress nearly all of us are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Support the show

On this episode George speaks with Colin Moffett and Joel Daly co-founders of Artemis Ward. Colin and Joel met at Mindshare Interactive, one of the old guard of digital agencies, in 2005. They made the move to one of the world’s most prestigious agencies in 2008, building a large team and servicing top clients. Despite this success, Colin and Joel often talked about what life would be like if they could produce the same (if not better) work of a big agency without all the red tape. In 2015, they decided it was time: Colin and Joel made the leap to start Artemis Ward. Colin is a highly experienced strategist and former Georgetown professor. He believes smart and agile agencies are needed more than ever to help brands and organizations navigate a complex world. Joel is insight-driven, loves design and UX, and is the host of CreativeMornings/DC.Support the show

Robert L. Longyear III, author of "Innovating for Wellness," is guest on this episode of DC Entrepreneur. Innovating for Wellness examines crucial innovations at the intersection of digital health technology and value-based payment. Robert speaks with George for an in-depth conversation about health care policy, innovation, and how that relates to health-tech & mHealth. Their chat delves into how this relates to patient-generated clinical data, human care teams, and telehealth as part of the patient journey.***Avenue—a Wanderly company—is a digital health company with a mission to provide highly modular and scalable care management programs with technology and clinical staff whose model supports turn-key remote-patient monitoring, chronic disease management, and post-acute services. Their belief is that driving patient-based innovations is the best path forward toward building a health system that promotes and proactively assists patients in their pursuits of health and wellness in light of the chronic disease epidemic facing the U.S.Support the show

George speaks to Erik Rind the CEO of Imagine BC on this episode. ImagineBC aims to be for blockchain technology what “You’ve got mail” was for the Internet. It's a membership based platform that helps its community earn money for sharing their data. Inspired by a talk that Jaron Lanier gave, Erik started the company to correct the privacy and ethical issues that big tech companies pose to their users. In this conversation Erik shares his vision for how people can begin to be compensated for sharing their data. Support the show

On this episode, George speaks with Dawn Myers, founder of THE MOST and of The Vinetta Project. THE MOST is a beauty-tech company looking to disrupt an $87 Billion dollar Industry featuring natural hair products for women of color, to help address the invisible pain points in textured hair styling. Dawn lives to inspire entrepreneurs to walk in their purpose and build out their visions through her legal background and work as an entrepreneur. Dawn is a start-up ecosystem architect, having launched and managed educational programming for entrepreneurs throughout the Washington metropolitan area. As Ambassador to Black Girl Ventures and Director at The Vinetta Project, Dawn develops seminars, bootcamps, and accelerator programming for up and coming founders of color. The Vinetta Project is a capital platform and deal flow pipeline that supports high growth female tech founders. It helps source high potential female founders with proven business models, offering them unprecedented access to proprietary events, resources, exclusive networks and capital from vetted investors. Vinetta has one of the largest databases of Seed to Series A female founders in North America, and has helped women access over $180 million in early stage investment.Support the show

Chad Frey is guest on this episode in a policy discussion about the advancement of the hemp industry as a whole. As a board member of four industry associations, Chad is an expert on the legal initiatives, industry policy and federal compliance regarding hemp and cannabis regulations. As the executive director for the Nebraska Hemp Industries Association—one of the nation’s leading hemp advocacy organizations—Chad works closely with legislators to help create new infrastructure for a new commodity with the purpose of guiding the industry in the right direction. Even though we are living in a very progressive cultural climate, Chad claims that the biggest obstacle the industry faces is lack of education and the stigma associated with the hemp and legal cannabis industries which fuel his mission.Support the show

Dave Forbes is the food entrepreneur and owner of Disturbingly Delicious Foods. His sauce creations are healthier than most of the stuff in the grocery store that also taste great. Dave's first creation was a kale-based substitute for ketchup when Forbes was throwing a high school graduation party for his son. After obtaining a patent on this product, he began selling "Kalechup" at the Falls Church Farmers market. He's since gone on to create over 70 different sauces which he sells in a retail storefront and kitchen including "Mayonot," "Faux Queso," and "Yumchup." Dave's background as a software design guru has helped inform how he goes about creating his unique food creations, many of which are great for vegans, people on low-sodium diets, or those doing the Whole 30 or Keto diet. Support the show

George speaks with Jonathan Wasserstrum the CEO of SquareFoot. SquareFoot is a tech-driven commercial real estate company that helps companies find their next office space by providing transparent access to inventory, brokerage services, and a flexible spaces. The New York City-based start-up, which was created in 2011, raised $16 million in 2019 in a Series B financing round having raised $29 million total since its founding. SquareFoot’s platform features over 300,000 office listings, with 5,000 new listings posted monthly. The company has executed over 1,300 leases to date. Sponsor: Start your podcast with Buzzsprout!Support the show

Jake Sandler, CEO and Founder of ChangeRoots is guest on this episode of DC Entrepreneur. ChangeRoots is an app designed to help build a post-partisan political system in the United States. The app provides easy access to information about politicians, insights into their behavior, and allows users to easily provide positive or negative feedback through their campaign contributions. The platform also clearly identifies which politicians’ behaviors are partisan or post-partisan. Their mission is to help root out toxic partisanship by using micro-donations to reward leaders with integrity and fire self-interested partisans, equip the public to influence politicians to prioritize wellbeing over political loyalty. **UPDATE @ 1:30 pm on 6/26/2020: ChangeRoots will be shutting down. In an email statement from Jake: "We are returning investors 100% of the money they've put into this latest round and dissolving ChangeRoots on July 3rd. It's been a beautiful journey. We are deeply grateful for all those who believed in us and supported us." Support the show

Jessica Carson is guest on this episode of DC Entrepreneur where she talks about the complex wiring of start-up founders. Jessica is the Expert in Residence on Entrepreneur Mental Health and Wellbeing at Georgetown University, and is the author of “Wired This Way.” She’s also a former Director at NextGen Venture Partners. In this illuminating conversation, which happened back in April, she delves into her new book "Wired this Way" where she talks about the archetypes of creators and the unique mental health issues they face, such as burnout, substance abuse, and stress. "Wired This Way" is "a user’s manual for self-understanding, self-acceptance, and self-care as an entrepreneurial spirit." Support the show

George speaks with musician and entrepreneur Denton A. Malcolm, Chairman of D.A.M Companies, LLC known as Rude Kid-da-ReggaeRap Inventor, who has been implementing the new genre ReggaeRap™ over the last fourteen years as part of the Rude Kid Entertainment Label Group. He is currently promoting his new hit single "How We Roll" in rotation in the major US markets, UK, Canada, Costa Rica and the Caribbean. We talk about his work in the fashion, print, and media industries with his other ventures, Vibez Universal Productions, Vibez Universal, LLC, Bomb.com Magazine, and Celebrity Style Catering.Support the show

George speaks to his friend Mikey Heard, an entrepreneur he met over a decade ago. When working as a web developer he created the social group Meetin.org which he grew from a Washington, DC based events group to a volunteer-run international organization planning real life events in cities worldwide. After working on that idea he worked on Tap Drive, a read only HD with Willie Blount (Episode 4) which his team was able to raise money for, but wasn't able to successfully launch. He talks about growing up poor on a farm commune in California and the drastic change he experienced moving to San Francisco. Mikey now focuses full time on his real estate portfolio thinking of his next new project.Thinking of creating a podcast? Buzzsprout is the easiest way to start your show!Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

How I Made the Leap to Starting My Own Business is part of The DC Entrepreneur Live Show which happened on Thursday, May 30 at 7 pm. On the show you'll hear from three different entrepreneurs in a panel discussion: Chad Hall, the founder and CEO of remodelmate, a marketplace for buying, selling, and managing home renovations online. Chad also worked in sales and growth at online daily deals company LivingSocial. Monica Kang, founder & CEO of InnovatorsBox® where she helps companies and leaders transform their organizations through the power of creativity. She's also the author of Rethink Creativity: How to Innovate, Inspire, and Thrive at Work. Andrew Dana, co-owner of DC's highly successful, Timber Pizza Co and buzzed about new sister restaurant, Call Your Mother (a Jew-ish deli.) From the "Boca Raton-meets-Brooklyn" interior at the deli to serving up delicious pies from their mobile wood-fired pizza truck, this native Washingtonian is bringing something new to the DC food scene. Special thanks to Alex Vidales @dcpodfest and Spaces co-working for helping produce the show. https://dcentrepreneur.brownpapertickets.comSupport the show

On this episode of DC Entrepreneur​, George speaks to Francesco Amodeo the owner and president of Don Ciccio & Figli​ on location at his distillery in Ivy City. The establishment, which features both a production facility and tasting bar, is bringing amari-based craft cocktails to DC based on recipes from Amodeo's family from the Amalfi Coast of Italy. Amaro drinks are bitter herbal liquers commonly consumed as digestifs.From Don Ciccio's website: Francesco ‘Ciccio’ Amodeo began his journey in the hospitality industry as a young boy growing up in the small town of Furore, Italy, a quaint, tight-knit hamlet of just over 800 residents. With an extended family supplying the town with its most celebrated chefs, winemakers, and artisanal liqueur makers, Amodeo became an epicure at a young age, and began his life-long love affair with hospitality. Deciding to follow in his family’s footsteps, Amodeo got his first job at the age of 14, working under the mentorship of Marisa Cuomo, one of Italy’s most respected winemakers. He continued his apprenticeship at his uncle's restaurant in Positano. Uncle Amodeo soon pulled young Francesco behind the cocktail bar, and in that moment, an Amalfi Coast alchemist was born. He had found his true calling in hospitality, and Francesco continued his tutelage at the town’s only resort. At Furore Inn Resort young Amodeo came of age, and received many specialized certifications of his expertise. In 2004, he became a Master of Food and Beverage Management, but not before his certification as a Master Sommelier for the A.I.S. of Napoli, Italy. He is a Master Barman through the A.I.B.E.S. of Salerno too. In the spirit of adventure, Francesco travelled to Washington D.C. in 2005. Seeing its potential as an epicurean capital, he decided to return in February 2006 to make D.C. his home. Francesco became prominent in the evolving hospitality scene, lending his expertise to notable establishments including Butterfield 9, Hook, Café Milano, and Bibiana Osteria Enoteca. But there was something else stirring in his blood. Francesco began to research and experiment with handcrafted liqueurs in his free time. With over a century of family history in the business, at the age of 29, Francesco started Don Ciccio & Figli. His vision: to bring the signature flavors of his hometown back to life, and share the artisanal ‘Rosoli’ with the world.Support the show

George speaks with Steve Salis a DC-Based, serial entrepreneur and executive, who has founded an impressive portfolio of brands under his company Salis Holdings. He’s the owner of Kramerbooks and Afterwords cafe—the iconic 44 year old bookstore in Dupont Circle—the owner of Ted’s Bulletin; the founder of Federalist Pig American BBQ restaurant; a co-founder of real estate venture Prefab Partners: and former CEO of &pizza. In Ballston, Virginia he’s recently opened Sidekick Bakery. Steve has invested in these concepts because he believes in the strength of their collective brands, saying "anytime you're buying a company, it's like you're buying someone's art."Steve talks about his path to becoming a business owner and his motto and advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is to "get comfortable being uncomfortable."Support the show

In this episode George speaks with Chris Brauckmuller, Chief Product Officer and Creative Director of Fundrise. Chris is involved in all investor-facing aspects of the business, from new product development to the visual presentation of the platform. Prior to joining the Fundrise team, Chris ran his own independent interactive design studio for three years and spent two years as an interactive designer at a large digital agency, where he took design leadership on accounts for the Fortune 500, including Microsoft and BAE Systems.Fundrise allows individuals to diversify their portfolios into private market real estate investments. Fundrise launched their first online opportunity seven years ago after working with the SEC through multiple filings and audits. The concept was largely made possible due to the JOBS Act of 2012. As a result, Fundrise has invested in nearly $2 billion worth of real estate across the country and has 500,000 members.Support the show

Today's guest is Mimi Millard, the CEO and founder of De Lune. De Lune helps those experiencing period pain find relief through its safe and natural Pain Tonics, PMS Pills and chocolates. The origin of Mimi's products came from when she fainted due to complications from a popular painkiller she used to treat her debilitating period pain. From there, she began experimenting with the different organic herbs and natural ingredients to help with dysmenorrhea, while working out of DC's Union Kitchen. Mimi then built a team of researchers, physicians, and dietitians to create the products and help manage and eliminate some of the worst period symptoms—which the company calls "Solutions designed for bleeders by bleeders."Support the show

David McCourt is an Irish-American entrepreneur and founder of Granahan McCourt Capital. McCourt speaks about his new book "Total Rethink: Why Entrepreneurs Should Act Like Revolutionaries." McCourt is one of the world’s most successful, award-winning business people, widely recognized for using technology and innovation to improve the lives of underserved communities by deploying new revolutionary ways of thinking. Over the last thirty years he has founded or bought twenty companies in nine countries, becoming a leader in the technology, media and telecommunications industries. An Emmy award-winning producer, McCourt’s work has included prime-time documentaries that highlight the world’s most prominent problems. McCourt’s production of critically acclaimed children’s TV series Reading Rainbow became the most watched show in the classroom in the United States.Support the show