Startup Stories

Lisa is the Founder at CRO at Verdethos, which is a cutting-edge supply chain management platform that is revolutionizing the way businesses approach sustainability and transparency in their supply chains. Their platform empowers sustainable sourcing, supply chain automation, and connects end customers with the stories behind their products' journeys. In a world where supply chains are traditionally manual and segmented, Verdethos leverages new technologies to provide a seamless exchange of pertinent ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) data and trade information from end to end. LinkedIn

In 2007, Drew Leahy founded his first technology company called Mybandstock. This forever changed his life and perspective on leading product teams, marketing strategy, and business development. They ran for over 3 years, raised 120k from angel investors, signed platinum artist clients and managers, and landed in Silicon Beach (Los Angeles). In 2014, he cofounded and ran SnapSuits.com to over $2M in revenue and an 800% return on advertising. In 2017, he joined Hawke Ventures and launched an incredible strategic venture firm. He decided to move to New Zealand to raise his family in 2023, which is when he joined Hillfarrance Venture Capital.

Greg White is a former Engineer, who since 2018 has been fully immersed in technical recruiting, focused on delivering the best technical talent in America. Greg prides himself in creative solutions to challenging recruiting problems and staying on the absolute cutting edge of technology. As part of this process, Greg currently performs comprehensive 30-60 minute technical screenings of candidates on behalf of HR and Engineering teams, using his experience and education to intensively screen candidates for technical fundamentals. Greg formerly founded a Staffing Agency called Peritus Global Services.

Ted Ramert is the Founder of Burst. Burst unlocks the power of App Clips, and provides an all-in-one service for creating apps that open instantly. Companies using Burst get access to cutting-edge technology, such as iOS app clips, push notifications, full-screen videos, commerce, and native forms.

Justin Rytych is the Owner and Head of Operations at The Hail Group, based in Colorado Springs, CO. The Hail Group is changing the body shop experience by providing exceptional customer service, consistent communication, and state of the art technology. They fix hail damaged cars, and do it well. They're in areas affected from hail storms, and have some of the best PDR technicians in the world with state of the art technology to provide great customer service.

Chris Hanson is a Business Owner and Entrepreneur based in the Chicagoland Area. Chris discusses his business focusing on lowering the risk for CTE within playgrounds, what went right, what went wrong, and what he has learned along the way

Neil Schuster is a Co-Founder and Merch Czar/Head of Business Operations at No Laying Up. No Laying Up is a company built around the goal of entertaining, informing and connecting a community of avid golfers around the world. In this episode, Neil discusses how NLU came to be, working on it as a side-gig and knowing when to go full time, as well as the growth of business, marketing, and customer base. No Laying Up

Jimmy Semrick is based in Chicago, IL and is the CEO & Co-Founder of Brella. Brella is a concentrated cocktail mix that has zero calories, zero sugar, and packs 15 cocktails into the palm of your hand! Jimmy discusses his start in sales within the Food & Beverage industry, and the insight he has gained both from bootstrapping and working for major grocery chains. User promo code START10 for 10% off your order at www.brelladrops.com Brella Instagram

Michael Leszczynski is a Co-Founder and Bassist for The Socially Acceptable Band (TSAB), based in Chicago, Illinois. Michael discusses his band's passion for music, how they got their start at a Battle of the Bands contest in college, and the transition from being a Cover Band to playing original songs. Over the past ten years, TSAB has grown quite a bit, and plays bar shows, weddings, and various other events. Check out their Spotify page for Original music!

Kabir Shukla is an executive-level product visionary with a proven track-record of building and scaling innovative software products across industries, totaling 25 iOS, Android, and web apps. He has an extensive background creating customer-centric and revenue-driven product visions, strategies, and roadmaps. To find out more about Kabir, head to Jiri Consulting!

Dylan Barbour is the Co-founder of Vizer, and Early Stage startup investor, based in San Diego, CA. Vizer’s mission is to democratize wellness. They believe in leveling the playing field by providing access to a healthy life for all. In short, they're building technologies to increase the utilization of health-forward products, services, and behaviors. Dylan discusses his journey into the tech world, founding a company, and his time on Bachelor in Paradise.

John Hayes is an experienced finance professional with a passion for launching and scaling early-stage startups and investing in new industry-disrupting ventures. Based in Chicago, IL, John is VP, Finance at Blackbird Foods, and also spends a great deal of his time Angel Investing at VITALIZE Venture Capital. In this episode, John covers how he become involved in the startup world, not only as an Advisor and Investor, but in-house as well!

Joshua Foster is the Founder & CEO of JAF Creative Solutions. JAF is an MBE certified, community-impact focused strategic partnership and engagement consulting firm that provides AEC industry professionals across the U.S. an efficient process of authentic engagement outcomes and tangible community impact returns. This impact extends beyond the design and development world through intentional grassroots communication strategies and active implementation.

Chris and Will Salvi, are two brothers based in Chicago, IL, and are the Founders and Executive Producers at Salvi Media. Salvi Media creates branded content for industries ranging from beauty products and the finance sector to professional sports and educational institutions. They specialize in video production, live streaming, and photography, while also offering our specialized knowledge as trusted advisors. The CEO Series

Oz Rashid is CEO of MSH Talent and Aeon Hire. Oz began his career in IT and made a transition into Recruiting early in his career. He quickly realized that the whole industry was broken, and made it his mission to revolutionize it from the inside. Oz speaks about leadership and management, as well as the lack of training that is involved with interview processes.

Ally Nielsen is the Founder of Athlete Relations, which is a lifestyle management company servicing professional athletes. Ally discusses her experience working in agencies and love for sports, along with the prep work for getting her own business off the ground. She tells her experience of being a Woman in the Sports world, hiring additional resources, and being a trusted resource to her clients.

Chris “CD” Dolezalek, is currently the Executive Vice President of Research & Development at Hum Capital. CD has been in the startup world for 40 years, and his seen his fair share of ups and downs. CD is a wealth of knowledge, and in this episode he discusses his experiences and philosophies about management and being a Talent Whisperer.

Gaurav is an Engineer turned Marketer with over 30 years of experience in business. He is the Chief Marketing Officer at ⁠HyperTrack⁠, an API platform for logistics tech builders developing solutions for last-mile fulfillment. Gaurav discusses how he got into startups, selling a company to IBM, and then getting back into startups. Not to mention the shocking weather difference between California and Ohio, after emigrating from India.

Ralph DeBernardo is currently Head of Investor Relations at Sapphire Ventures. With a successful career in finance, Ralph discusses his navigation through life, entering the financial sector in 2009 and transitioning to working with startups, from an investor perspective.

Stu Smith is an Investor and Entrepreneur who discusses his career around startups and getting started investing. Stu and his brother Austin started Coughdrop Capital in 2015, investing small checks ($25k-$50k) into rounds of Seed and Pre-seed funded companies. Regardless of sector, industry, or stage, Coughdrop likes to fund smart founders with ambitious plans. Notable companies that Coughdrop has invested in are: Lattice, Superhuman, and Nira.