The Friday Nooner: Recent Episodes
GrepBeat
The Friday Nooner covers the week in tech in the Triangle and beyond—when it’s not diving down random rabbit holes—in a fast-paced half-hour-and-change.
This program is produced by GrepBeat and hosted by GrepBeat Managing Editor Pete McEntegart and Godfather Joe Colopy.
In addition to this podcast, The Friday Nooner can also be viewed live each Friday at Noon (ET) on LinkedIn, Facebook or YouTube, or watched afterward on those same platforms.
Make sure to subscribe to our twice-a-week newsletter to keep up to date with all things Triangle tech!
GrepBeat welcomed DeShawn Brown, the Founder and CEO of Raleigh-based Coworks, as the final Friday Nooner guest before heading on a well-deserved (says us) summer hiatus.
DeShawn recounted some “glory days” as an undergrad at NC State as it spun up its entrepreneurship program, and later spun things forward by explaining how the ongoing shift toward hybrid work environments presents a major opportunity for Coworks’ software platform for managing shared work spaces.
Thanks again to our sponsor Hutchison law firm. The Friday Nooner will return on Friday, Sept. 1. See you then!
Our guest on Friday is local serial entrepreneur 🐧 Scot Wingo, who created ChannelAdvisor, Stingray Software and AuctionRover.com. He currently runs Spiffy, an on-demand car-care startup where trained technicians come to you. It is available in close to 50 markets. He also runs the Triangle Tweener Fund, which focuses on early-stage tech startups in the Triangle area.
Built Story Co-Founder Brian and Alexina Alonso chatted live with GrepBeat this Friday.
The husband-and-wife duo launched Durham startup Built Story, which operates as a marketplace for self-guided tours. Earlier this year, the company was one of 50 Latino-founded startups selected by Google for the company's Google For Startups Latino Founders Fund.
Givefinity Co-Founder Amy Gardinier joins us for this week's Friday Nooner.
Holly Spring startup Givefinity offers a volunteer tracking mobile app. The app makes it easy for anyone to give back, gain experience, and be the change in their community. Prior to launching Givefinity alongside her husband, Amy worked as a special event coordinator for JDRF International.
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On this week's Friday Nooner, Jamie Jones, who is the director of Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship, joins the GrepBeat crew.
Duke I&E serves students across Duke, connecting them to courses, co-curricular programs, mentoring, resources, community, and intellectual leadership. Additionally, Jamies teaches at Duke's Fuqua School of Business, and she co-founded Impact Engine, an investment firm that specializes in growing companies that help improve education, health, economic empowerment, and the environment.
David Gardner chatted LIVE with the GrepBeat crew.
With over 35 years of experience creating and building software technology companies, David has become one of the Triangle's most active angel investors. He is a serial entrepreneur, writer, advisor, and early-stage fund manager. His work includes coaching and mentoring startup founders, plus managing a free accelerator with the Town of Cary. David also founded and runs Cofounders Capital, a successful early-stage seed fund for startups.
Raleigh Founded Director Lauren Romer is chatting LIVE with GrepBeat this Friday!
Raleigh Founded is a missioned-power co-working space and office suites designed to empower, foster and cultivate companies that produce long-term growth and positive social impact. Members have access to all four of their locations: Gateway, Warehouse, Centennial, and Capital Club. Lauren is also a licensed real estate agent, and she previously worked for IXL Learning as a teacher membership specialist.
Stashpad Co-Founder and CEO Cara Borenstein is chatting LIVE with GrepBeat this Friday!
Durham-based Stashpad is the developer's notepad, aiming to be the fastest note taking experience ever. With it, users can save their snippets, thoughts, and notes, which are instantly searchable and automatically organized. Prior to launching Stashpad, Cara was a software engineer at Twilio Inc.
Executive Director of RIoT Tom Snyder chatted with GrepBeat. RIoT is a non-profit driving the Internet of Things economy by bringing together entrepreneurs, established companies, universities, government officials, non-profits and IoT enthusiasts. Tom is also an advisor at OpiAID, as well as an Adjunct Lecturer at North Carolina State University.
Executive Director of the American Underground Tim Scales is chatting with GrepBeat this Friday!
The American Underground is a startup hub and community of entrepreneurs, providing content, connection, and a healthy workspace. Tim was previously AU's Director of Growth. He also worked for the Caktus Group.
Haley Huie, the Director of NC State Entrepreneurship Clinic, talked with GrepBeat on this week's Friday Nooner.
Haley has been working with the NC State entrepreneurial team for the past seven years. She also teaches courses designed to promote entrepreneurial thinking and heads up the K-12 summer program. Prior to her current position, she was the Director of Experiential Learning at NC State Entrepreneurship. She led the Albright Entrepreneurs Village and the Garage team, supporting student entrepreneurs through the learning community. She also has more than ten years of experience working in higher education, including student programming, instruction, retention, and business consulting
Getting back to it! Wild Earth CEO Ryan Bethencourt is speaking with GrepBeat this Friday. As seen on ABC's "Shark Tank," biotech startup Wild Earth is developing clean, high-protein pet foods that are healthy and environmentally friendly. In 2022, the company plans to launch new plant-based cat and dog food. Its fungi-based products require fewer resources than farm animals to deliver the same nutritional value. Last year, the company raised $23 million in funding and opened a second headquarters in Durham, NC.
Allstacks Co-Founder & CEO Hersh Tapadia is chatting LIVE with the folks of GrepBeat.
Based in Raleigh, Allstacks is a predictive analytics platform for software organizations. The company is an NC IDEA award recipient and was a part of Techstars Austin 2018. Before Allstacks, Hersh co-founded CertiRx Corporation, which develops and commercializes platform technology for authenticating and verifying high-value products and documents.
Founder & CEO of Green Places Alex Lassiter is chatting LIVE with the folks of GrepBeat, plus tech reporter Chantal Allam, this Friday.
Raleigh startup Green Places makes sustainability something every business can achieve by simplifying impact and providing easy tools and solutions from climate experts. Launched in 2021, the startup can calculate a company’s carbon footprint in less than 60 seconds and invests in carbon-negative projects on behalf of the company to offset its carbon emissions.
Prior to Green Places, Alex previously co-founded the Atlanta hospitality-industry software startup Gather Technologies, which was acquired in 2017.
Cloud Giants CEO & Founder Kelly Pfrommer is chatting LIVE with the folks of GrepBeat, plus tech reporter Chantal Allam.
Based in Cary, Cloud Giants is a Salesforce Consulting Partner that helps organizations maximize their investment in the world’s #1 CRM platform. Kelly built a team of problem solvers who guide organizations through the most complex business challenges their own teams are facing. Before Cloud Giants, Kelly worked at Red Hat and Intervolve.
Todd Olson, Pendo CEO and Co-founder, is chatting LIVE with the folks of Grepbeat this Friday!
Pendo is a product analytics platform that helps software companies develop products that resonate with customers. Some of the world's leading software companies and digital enterprises—such as Verizon, OpenTable, and LabCorp—use the platform. Before Pendo, Todd worked at Rally Software Development, which he led through its public offering. He also co-founded 6th Sense Software, which was later acquired.
BlueRecruit CEO Rich Camacho is chatting live with the folks of GrepBeat, plus tech reporter Chantal Allam.
The BlueRecruit platform is the future of skilled trade talent. Job seekers create profiles that highlight their experience, certifications, and licenses. Employers can then execute targeted searches for their individual talent needs. Prior to launching Blue Recruit, Rich worked at Alliance Careers and served in the US Army.
K4 Connect Co-founder & CEO Scott Moody is chatting live with the folks of GrepBeat, plus Triangle entrepreneur (among other things) Sarah Glova.
Raleigh's K4Connect is a mission-centered company that integrates the latest advances in technology to serve and empower older adults and those living with disabilities. The company has raised over $25M in venture capital including investors like Intel Capital and Sierra Ventures. Prior, Scott was the co-founder and former CEO of AuthenTec, a leading provider of fingerprint sensors and security solutions. It was acquired by Apple in 2012.
Pete, Joe and GrepBeat Report Suzanne Blake talks Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s ever evolving Twitter takeover before welcoming featured guest Matt Williamson.
Matt recently launched Plum CoOwnership, a platform to make vacation homeownership more accessible to the average American family. However, he is no stranger to the Triangle tech scene. Matt was an early employee at Durham-based Bronto Software, then the Co-Founder and CEO of predictive marketing startup Windsor Circle, which was acquired by Output Services Group in 2018.
Pete, Joe and Chantal discussed recent developments on the Triangle tech scene before welcoming featured guest Written Word Media CEO and Founder Ricci Wolman.
Pete, Joe and Jackie talk about how the Triangle benefits from the global shift to remote work before welcoming featured guest Alexa Rose Carlin, the founder and CEO of Women Empower X.
Pete, Joe, and Chantal talk CNN+ shutdown and Pete's parody Twitter account before welcoming featured guest Chris Heivly. You may know him best for co-founding MapQuest, his current venture Build The Fort, or of course, one of the organizers for Raleigh-Durham Startup Week.
Pete, Joe and Chantal talk Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s public offer to buy Twitter for about $43 billion before welcoming featured guest Bill Spruill, CEO of Raleigh fintech Global Data Consortium.
Pete, Joe and Chantal talk about CED’s 2022 Venture Connect, the big-money exit by Raleigh’s Global Data Consortium, and the first Black woman to be confirmed on the Supreme Court (Ketanji Brown Jackson, who went to Chantal’s high school in Miami). They welcome featured guest Scot Wingo, founder of RTP-based Spiffy, an on-demand, mobile car care service for individuals and car fleets nationwide.
Pete, Jackie and Innovate Raleigh's Clark Rinehart talk the potential formation of Amazon's first US worker union before welcoming featured guest Sharat Nagaraj, CEO of celito.
Pete, Joe and Jackie talk about the rising home and rental prices in the Triangle area before welcoming featured guest Leigh-Kathryn Bonner, founder & CEO of Durham's Durham's Bee Downtown.
Pete, Joe and Chantal talk UNC professor and serial entrepreneur Jim Kitchen being on board Jeff Bezos’ upcoming Blue Origin space launch before welcoming Alex Krawchick, founder and CEO of Klearly.
Pete, Jackie and Chantal talk about Elon Musk’s new daughter and the U.S dollar possibly going digital via a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) before welcoming Meghan Corroon, co-founder and CEO of Clerdata.
Pete, Joe and Chantal talk big tech companies reopening their offices, Lovesac bean bags, and hybrid work models before welcoming featured guest Sue Mecham, CEO of NALA Membranes.
Pete, Joe and Chantal talk Google cutting wages for new employees in the Triangle area and the impact on local tech companies from Russia invading Ukraine, before welcoming featured guest Hunter Young, head of capital at CED.
Launched in 1984, CED is a North Carolina non-profit organization that focuses on connecting regional entrepreneurs with resources to launch a successful business.
Pete, Joe and guest co-host Chantal Allam talk about when—or whether—most employees will return to a physical office before welcoming Paul Clark, co-founder & managing director of VentureSouth. VentureSouth is a network of angel groups in the Carolinas that invests in startups throughout the Southeast.
Pete, Joe and guest co-host Chantal Allam talk about tech-related ads for Sunday’s Crypto Bowl—oops, we mean the Super Bowl—before welcoming featured guest Anil Chawla, founder and former CEO of ArchiveSocial.
Pete, Joe and guest co-host Chantal Allam talk the debate surrounding a four-day workweek before welcoming David Cummings, an Atlanta-based tech entrepreneur who has founded 10 companies, including Pardot and SalesLoft. He is the CEO and founder of investment company Atlanta Ventures, as well as the founder of Atlanta Tech Village, the fourth largest tech entrepreneurship center in the United States.
Pete, Joe and guest co-host Chantal Allam talk about the big issues at the top: whether sending a Calendly link is rude and the grittiness of startups before welcoming Billy Marshall, president and CEO of ServiceTrade.
Pete, Joe and guest co-host Chantal Allam talk Durham startup Wrangle's recent closed funding round of $2M and what The Office characters they would be before welcoming Krista Covey, president of RTP incubator First Flight Venture Center.
Pete, Joe and guest co-host Brooks Malone talk North Carolina Secretary of State numbers that show that new business starts in North Carolina before welcoming Krista Covey, president of First Flight Venture Center. Sadly, she was not able to make it on until the very end, but no worries, she'll be back next week.
Joe and Pete share "gifts" they'd like to give the Triangle tech startup ecosystem as we head into 2022 before cueing up GrepBeat's exclusive short films: It’s a Wonderful GrepBeat and ‘Twas The Night Before GrepMas.
Pete, Joe and guest co-host Chantal Allam talks about today’s Triangle Business Journal stories on Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney before welcoming guest Kelly Rowell, president and CEO of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development.
Pete, Joe and guest co-host Vickie Gibbs talk the impact of Google and Apple coming to the Triangle on the startup community before welcoming Kurt Merriweather, head of product and partnerships at The Diversity Movement. The Raleigh-based company helps organizations advance their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts.
Pete, Joe and guest co-host Chantal Allam talk pop culture and the DogPhone, a device that lets you video chat with your dog—sort of—before welcoming guest Leigh Day, Chief Marketing Officer at Red Hat.
Pete, Joe and guest co-host Lauren Ohnesorge talk Pendo's recent $110M secondary investment before welcoming guest Fred Stutzman, founder and CEO of app and website blocker Freedom.
Pete, Joe and guest co-host Lauren Ohnesorge talk local startup game-changers and the importance of safely sharing data before welcoming guest Ashwin Machanavajjhala, president and chief scientist of Tumult Labs.
Pete, Joe and guest co-host Chantal Allam talk Facebook rebranding to "Meta" and the future of gaming before welcoming guest Eva Doss, president and CEO of venture development organization The Launch Place.
Pete and guest co-host Chantal Allam fend off Joe’s pop-in from Florida before welcoming guest Rachael Classi, the CEO of Durham-based subscription toy rental startup Tiny Earth Toys.
Pete, Joe and guest co-host Chantal Allam talk happy hours, royalty deals and podcasting during pandemics before welcoming guest Sonja Ebron, the CEO of Durham’s Courtroom5.
Taking a page out of "The View," Pete and Joe welcome both a guest co-host (Chantal Allam) and a guest (Melissa Phillippi).
This episode was recorded live on Friday, Oct. 8, 2021.
Pete is away at Notre Dame for his annual college football trip with his buddies, but the show must go on! Joe holds down the fort alongside guest co-host Jason Caplain (Bull City Venture Partners) and guest Michael Jones (Spoonflower), while Pete even checks in from a bench on ND's campus.
This episode was recorded live on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021.