Adventure Capital by Wefunder: Recent Episodes
Wefunder
Welcome to Adventure Capital, where we not only discuss the adventures with founders who have raised capital on Wefunder but also the different resource providers and mentors helping founders along the way.
In this episode, we interview Niles Lichtenstein (linkedin.com/in/nileslichtenstein), founder and CEO of Nestment — a San Francisco-based startup helping first-time homebuyers hack the outdated housing system. A three-time startup founder, Niles saw the massive, growing problem of declining home-ownership in America, and determined to do something about it. And being committed to expanding economic opportunity for more citizens, it made perfect sense for Nestment to invite their community to invest in a community round. To check out their Wefunder page, visit wefunder.com/nestment.
In this episode, we interview Maria Springer, founder of Capital Department (www.capitaldept.com). Capital Department is an agency that helps founders raise capital — both through conventional funding rounds (VCs, Angels, etc.), and community rounds (Reg CF). Maria and her team have helped founders raise hundreds of millions of dollars, and they are outstanding at what they do. In this interview, we explore how to identify, pitch and close investors.
Today we have Jose Renteria, CEO & founder of Grohak, a startup that helps founders with fundraising and marketing tactics such as page building, running ads and managing investor relations. This chat will discuss investor webinars as a fundraising strategy for running a community round. https://grohak.co/
Hosted by Jonny Price
Produced by Amalia Stern
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company”
Today we have Maggie Zheng, Head of Fundraising for Wefunder Studio, which is Wefunder’s internal agency for helping founders fundraise.
Hosted by Jonny Price
Produced by Amalia Stern
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company”
Today we have Justin Renfro, who leads revenue based financing at Wefunder as well as being the founder of Chill Charters, a boat charter company in San Diego. Justin and Jonny worked together on the US team at Kiva.org, before joining forces again at Wefunder a few years back. They discuss the pros and cons, and ins and outs, of revenue based financing as a potential investment structure for a community round.
In this interview, we chat with Mac Reddin, founder & CEO of Commsor, a platform helping organizations to become community-led. https://www.commsor.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price
Produced by Amalia Stern
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company”
In this interview, we chat with Daniel Faloppa, founder & CEO of Equidam, a platform which produces data driven valuations for startups to understand how much their companies are worth. https://www.equidam.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price
Produced by Amalia Stern
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company”
Valuation Evaluation with David Faloppa
In this interview, we chat with David Faloppa, founder & CEO of Equidam, a platform which produces data-driven valuations for startups to understand how much their companies are worth.
Hosted by Jonny Price
Produced by Amalia Stern
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company”
In this interview, we chat with Kevin Fulmer, founder and CEO of Crowdscale, a media entity that covers the equity crowdfunding industry, in an effort to keep people up to date, and to help educate people to prevent poor investment choices. https://www.gocrowdscale.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price
Produced by Amalia Stern
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company"
In this interview, we chat with James Wagoner, CEO of Joule Case, a powerful battery system which offers a portable and eco-friendly energy solution that is scalable to power any need. https://joulecase.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price
Produced by Amalia Stern
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company"
In this interview, we chat with Will McGuire, founder of Incolo, a community owned accelerator on a mission to make the rewards of capitalism accessible to all. Their goal is to help 1000 founders fund & scale through the crowd by 2030. https://incolo.io/
Hosted by Jonny Price
Produced by Amalia Stern
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company"
In this interview, we chat with James Wagoner, CEO of Joule Case, a powerful battery system which offers a portable and eco-friendly energy solution that is scalable to power any need. https://joulecase.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price
Produced by Amalia Stern
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company"
Today we have Katie Powers and Asbjorn Holmlund of the Wefunder team, who are kicking off Wefunder’s EU launch in February 2023. This is a huge milestone for Wefunder who is one of the first platforms to operate on a pan-European basis and is THE first platform to bridge the US and European ecosystems.
Hosted by Jonny Price
Produced by Amalia Stern
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company"
Today we have Robert Harary, founding partner at DECKO, which helps startups create world-class pitch decks that resonate with investors by connecting founders directly with active VCs and expert designers. https://www.getdecko.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price
Produced by Amalia Stern
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company"
Today we have Peter Harris, partner at the University Growth Fund, the largest student-run fund in the country. The VC provides growth capital to entrepreneurs scaling their businesses, and gives students an educational opportunity that sets them apart from their peers and prepares them to perform at the highest levels. https://www.ugrowthfund.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price
Produced by Amalia Stern
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company"
Today we have Tim Lipton, managing partner of Momentum Finance - a fractional CFO firm that works with VC backed companies to help them manage all the backoffice and projections correctly.
Hosted by Jonny Price
Produced by Amalia Stern
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company"
In this interview, we chat with David Shaner, founder & CEO of Offline, a technology platform that gives people daily curated events and experiences in their city, helping them to get offline, go outside and fall in love with their city and their lives. This local concierge service is currently available in Nashville, Durham, Charlotte, Tampa and Raleigh. https://www.letsgetoffline.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price
Produced by Amalia Stern
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company"
In this interview, we chat with Anna Gudmundson, the founder and CEO of Sensate -- a relaxation device that uses low-frequency infrasound waves to activate your body's own healing system by calming it down, relieving both mental health issues as well physical conditions. https://buy.getsensate.com/hero-story/
Hosted by Jonny Price
Produced by Amalia Stern
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company"
In this interview, we chat with Joe Milam, the founder and CEO of AngelSpan - a company which improves investor relations for early-stage startups, enabling easier financing, higher valuations, and empowerment of all stakeholders to actively participate in each venture's success.
https://angelspan.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price
Produced by Amalia Stern
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company"
In this interview, we chat with Anna Gudmundson, the founder and CEO of Sensate -- a relaxation device that uses low-frequency infrasound waves to activate your body's own healing system by calming it down, relieving both mental health issues as well physical conditions. https://buy.getsensate.com/hero-story/
Hosted by Jonny Price
Produced by Amalia Stern
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company"
In this interview, we chat with Tony Gapastione and Edward Portillo of the 33 Days film. A cinematic experience based on the true story of a man bringing hope to San Francisco's homeless community.
https://www.33daysfilm.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company. "
In this interview, we chat with Weston Baker, the founder and CEO of Morphic -- a platform that lets you build a website with the polish and perfection of a creative agency but for a fraction of the price.
https://getmorphic.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company. "
In this interview, we chat with Gale Wilkinson and Justin Gordon of Vitalize VC, a seed-stage venture fund and angel community investing in The Work Revolution. So that's people-first, data-driven, category-defining businesses in the future of work.
https://vitalize.vc/
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company. "
In this interview, we chat with Bryce Butler the founder of Access Ventures, a catalyst for building a more inclusive and creative economy by changing the way the world invests.
https://accessventures.org/
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company. "
In this interview, we chat with Michael Martocci, the founder, and CEO of SwagUp, an integrated platform to Create, Automate, and Distribute high-quality swag anywhere!
https://www.swagup.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company. "
Today we chat with my main man and leader of the Venture Squad Adie Akuffo-Afful and he’ll be breaking down his vision and process. This is the guy we can all learn a thing or two from.
https://venturepartnersquad.substack.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company. "
Today we chat with Jason Garcia and Shelley Golan of Mercury and discuss their New Venture Debt offer which you can use to enhance your VC round by getting minimally-dilutive capital, to extend your runway, and hit milestones to reach a higher valuation at your next fundraise.
https://mercury.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company. "
Today we chat with Chris Lustrino, Founder and CEO of Kingscrowd — the Bloomberg of the private markets. Chris' vision is to educate and empower people about investing in private companies and to use the power of data to aid their decision-making process.
https://kingscrowd.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company. "
Today we chat with Peter Swan, the CEO of Gust. Gust helps early-stage startups with a bunch of the knottier questions that they encounter along their journey -- from incorporating correctly upfront, to that awkward conversation on the co-founder equity split, to ensuring the right team composition.
https://gust.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company. "
Today we chat with Maria Springer, the founder of Capital Dept — which provides end-to-end fundraising support for CEOs. Over the last year, Maria and her team have helped a growing number of Wefunder founders raise multiple millions in Community Rounds.
https://www.capitaldept.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company. "
Today we chat with Max Mona, Co-founder of ESG Impact, a startup building a business credit score for ESG -- Environmental, Social, and Governance. More and more investors are evaluating ESG criteria in their investment decisions, but there are a lot of challenges with how ESG assessment is conducted today. ESG Impact is addressing those challenges, and in a few short months, they are off to a great start.
https://esgi.io/
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company. "
Today we chat with Nathan Beckord, the founder and CEO of Foundersuite the platform that brings structure, speed, and efficiency to fundraising and investor relations.
https://foundersuite.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company. "
Today we chat with William and Vineet, the founders of Paraclete, which aims to provide "Soul Care" for companies' employees. What the heck is soul care, I hear you ask?! Well, listen on to find out!
https://www.joinparaclete.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company. "
Today we chat with Greg Miaskiewicz, the founder & CEO of Capbase, which helps founders avoid mistakes in incorporating, and early-stage recruiting, cap table management, and much more.
https://capbase.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company. "
Today we chat with Kelsey Moreira, fearless founder, and Chief Doughp Dealer at Doughp — the Shark Tank gracing, scrumptiously delightful, and rapidly exploding edible cookie dough startup. This is the first time we've ever had a founder back on the podcast. Plus, she repaid her revenue share loan to her 133 Wefunder investors which was also the first.
https://www.doughp.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
"Wefunder does not endorse, recommend, or advise investing in any company. "
Today is a very special conversation, we have the marketing guru himself, the hardest working man in fundraising, Justin Renfro!
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Rasa makes super-functional coffee alternatives that energize from herbs, not caffeine! Human better, one cup (of adaptogenic coffee alternative) at a time.
https://wearerasa.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
TIG builds nimble, capital-efficient, resilient brands.
“Tardigrades, Not Unicorns”
https://www.tigbrands.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Plan, track and manage any type of work with project management that flexes to your team's needs with Click Up.
https://clickup.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Strong customer relationships are more important than ever. That's why Intercom is here! Let's learn more.
https://www.intercom.com/early-stage
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Based in the Silicon Beach hub of Los Angeles, California, Digital Niche Agency (DNA) has worked with over 500 brands on data-driven marketing campaigns to effectively acquire users, customers, and investors.
https://www.digitalnicheagency.com/
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Atom Limbs is making the world's first artificial human arm. They're giving 50M+ limb-different people their limbs back, and revolutionizing the $800B+ physical disability industry.
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Waseem Daher is the founder and CEO of Pilot, which offers bookkeeping, tax, and CFO services for growing businesses.
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Today is a very special conversation, we have the marketing guru himself, the hardest working man in fundraising, Justin Renfro!
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Vampr is the #1 Professional Network for Musicians and Creatives in the World.
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Chisos is a unique source of alternative financing for overlooked and underrepresented entrepreneurs.
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
MicroAcquire is the world’s number one startup acquisition marketplace.
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Harness is a community management tool designed specifically for innovation & entrepreneurship community needs. You control the branding to make it look and feel like your in-house solution.
Hosted by Jonny Price
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Vin Social is a virtual events production company and eCommerce platform with national alcohol beverage fulfillment specializing in craft wine & spirits experiences for companies.
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
On TikTok, short-form videos are exciting, spontaneous, and genuine. Whether you’re a sports fanatic, a pet enthusiast, or just looking for a laugh, there’s something for everyone on TikTok. Let's get to know them a little more.
Hosted by Jonny Price
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
LEAH Labs is the first company utilizing gene editing to engineer living therapies for dogs. Using our proprietary technology, we give living cells the genetic information to seek out and destroy cancer.
Hosted by Jonny Price
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Stop guessing and impress investors with data-driven numbers thanks to Forecastr.
Hosted by Jonny Price
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Moxey is a network that helps small businesses support other small businesses while growing their revenues. Using their proprietary FinTech platform and a modern twist on the barter system, they provide business owners with access to much-needed credit and a new community of incentivized customers.
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Today we have Patty Rodriguez & Ariana Stein of Lil’ Libros The #1 family-trusted bilingual children's media publisher built by the community. So much representation.
Before we get on with the podcast, we’re required to let everyone know that anything we say here should not be interpreted as investment advice, recommendations, or soliciting investments in any company. All companies raising on Wefunder are given an equal opportunity to participate in the podcast based on the progress of their campaign.
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Today we have Sam Monac of Token Metrics a platform that helps users build profitable crypto portfolios driven by the power of AI. Quite the tool.
Before we get on with the podcast, we’re required to let everyone know that anything we say here should not be interpreted as investment advice, recommendations, or soliciting investments in any company. All companies raising on Wefunder are given an equal opportunity to participate in the podcast based on the progress of their campaign.
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Insulation materials like fiberglass and spray foam are toxic and bad for the environment. That's why Hempitecture decided to change the game with its new HempWool. The new age of insulation is upon us.
Before we get on with the podcast, we’re required to let everyone know that anything we say here should not be interpreted as investment advice, recommendations, or soliciting investments in any company. All companies raising on Wefunder are given an equal opportunity to participate in the podcast based on the progress of their campaign.
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Today we talk with Kimberly Lewis whose company CurlMix was too big for a Shark Tank. That's a bad joke, but this is a great conversation about an amazing Beauty brand for the people. Get your notebooks ready for the ultimate case study on Faith and Drive.
Before we get on with the podcast, we’re required to let everyone know that anything we say here should not be interpreted as investment advice, recommendations, or soliciting investments in any company. All companies raising on Wefunder are given an equal opportunity to participate in the podcast based on the progress of their campaign.
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Tiana Laurence is a great investor because she was a founder as well. Understanding both sides thanks to past experience has granted her a perspective that is really beneficial for today's founder. Let's learn more about her past and present.
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Kate & Bryan Flynn wanted to not only create an online food store that was health-focused for its customers, but also for the environment. Biodegradable packaging and food that's perfect for us all sounds like a recipe for success.
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Classic and Sarah are the newest Storytellers at Wefunder. Listen in as they share their backgrounds, tips and tricks, and their overall philosophies when it comes to good storytelling.
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Our conversations don't get more in-depth than this. Today we have the pleasure of speaking with Greg Belote, Wefunders cofounder. He goes from early startup mishaps to what it's like hiring an engineer today. What a wealth of knowledge and perspective.
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Today we have Elizabeth L. Carter, Esquire, LLC, a boutique law firm that assists small businesses, cooperatives, and nonprofits with the legal compliance of raising capital from both accredited and non-accredited investors.
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Today we have Dustin Byington, CEO of TWO12, which is a cap table management solution for crowdfunding companies and early-stage startups. He offers up multiple pearls of wisdom on startup fundraising - any founder thinking about raising a round should have a listen.
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Today we have Adam Weiler, Ceo of Sunken Stone, a Turn-key solution using custom software to help brands sell more on Amazon.
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Today we have Lloyd Armbrust, Ceo of Armbrust American, who is bringing Manufacturing back to America: Starting with Surgical & N95 Masks to Fight COVID.
Hosted by Jonny Price & Katie Powers
Produced by William (Classic) Thomas
Dan Kurzrock is the CEO of ReGrained. Just like the name "ReGrained" suggests, they turn beer waste into food. Their motto? Eat Beer!
Welcome back to the Adventure Capital podcast! We’re here today with Keith Harrington, the co-founder and managing director at Novel Growth Partners. They provide capital for early-stage software startups with potential, which is exactly the kind of spirit we love here at Wefunder. Enjoy the episode, and let's get to meet Keith!
Meet Renji Bijoy! He’s the founder and CEO of virtual reality technology company Immersed. Immersed raised more than $1,000,000 with their Wefunder campaign and almost $4,000,000 more broadly to date. Renji also made the Forbes 30 under 30 list for 2021. Buckle in, and enjoy the episode!
Krishan Arora is the Founder & CEO of The Arora Project, a digital marketing agency that, among other things, helps companies raise capital through equity crowdfunding. Over the last few years, Krishan and his team have helped raise over $50M in capital for their clients. In this interview, he discusses some marketing best practices, and gives some great advice on how founders can maximize their success on a Wefunder crowdfunding campaign.
Say Hello to Fares Ksebati! He's the Syrian-American founder of the performance and health app called My Swim Pro, which has over 1 million members in 180+ countries, and a business with a 7-figure revenue operated 100% remotely. A swimmer and entrepreneur, Ksebati made the Forbes 30 Under 30 List for 2020 in Consumer Technology. Enjoy!
Maxeme Tuchman is the CEO and co-founder of Caribu, a modern approach to family video calls that keeps little ones entertained. Max is also the first Latinx CEO to raise a million dollars through Reg CF. Listen on to learn about Caribu's journey and how Max raised millions in her pajamas with Wefunder.
Christine Outram is the CEO of Everydae, "the world's smartest online tutor." During their Wefunder campaign, Everydae raised more than $1.2 million dollars from 1,605 investors. In this episode, Christine talks about the lessons she learned along the road to success. You'll hear about her reflections on the benefits of crowdfunding and a video guaranteed to make you cry. Happy listening!
Chai Mishra is the founder of Move, a revolutionary new supermarket. After going through Y Combinator in 2017, Move launched a Wefunder campaign, raising $580K from 609 investors. In this episode, Chai outlines his vision to build a more equitable and ethical retailer, and shares how his Wefunder investors have become his most valuable customers. Starting with Indian political history, and ending with their mutual love of Scott Galloway, listen in.
Having raised almost $10 million from over 29,000 on Wefunder, Legion M is the most successful company in our history. In this episode we interview Jeff Annison and Paul Scanland, Legion M's co-founders, whose vision to democratize Hollywood, and recruit an army of one million investor/fans, is not just their capital raising strategy...but their entire business model
Sara Hanks started Crowdcheck to help early stage companies raise capital through investment crowdfunding. Sara is one of the leading legal experts on the JOBS Act and crowdfunding regulations, and in this episode she provides a legal 101 on equity crowdfunding.
In early 2017, frustrated by her own challenges in raising money on Sandhill Road, Astrid Scholz partnered with Jennifer Brandel and Mara Zepeda to author "Zebras Fix What Unicorns Break" -- an article that challenged the VC-dominated paradigm of startup capital, and championed the cultivation of zebras over unicorns. In this episode, Astrid shares her perspectives on the need for alternative models by which startups can raise capital, and explains what she means by a zebra.
Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe have accomplished indie cinema greatness by winning Grand Jury Prizes at SUNDANCE and SXSW, but they aren't done yet. The Beta Test is about a Hollywood agent's comedic fall from grace, and the innovative film concept is, in itself, just as exciting. Listen in to find out how Jim and PJ so quickly surpassed their fundraise target and are changing the narrative in film.
Premal Shah, the co-founder of Kiva, features on our first-ever live podcast! With Kiva, Premal has raised over $1 billion in crowdfunded loans that change lives. The work he's done refined crowdfunding and has shown what crowdfunding can do to shape a better tomorrow. Listen in as Premal talks about trust in microfinance, the intricacies in business practices for nonprofits, and what he's working on next.
Josh Morton turned a hobby of making liqueur for his friends into one of the most recognized craft spirit brands in the world. Instead of talking about how unique and amazing his product is, Josh insists that the company's story boils down to three words: "just taste it!". Listen in as we find out how Josh raised $300,000 from 550 investors.
Erik Franks is the founder and CEO of Tesseract, a company building non-toxic, low-cost, and high-performance thrusters for small satellites. He's a startup veteran and space enthusiast, but perhaps most impressive is his journey into aerospace. After selling his first company, Erik spent two and a half years building, test flying, and selling an airplane.
Frustrated with the black-and-white algorithms of the leading social media platforms, Bill Ottman co-founded Minds, a decentralized, open-source, social network. The speed in which Bill raised $1M on Wefunder (19 days) is a testament to the outstanding community he's built. Listen in as Bill discusses the current state of social networking, and where he hopes Minds will take it.
For his 8th birthday, Brian Belley could've asked for anything from comic books to video games. But instead, he asked for U.S. Savings Bonds. Yep... He's maintained that same geeky passion for investing ever since and shares our vision of making investing in startups accessible to all. Listen in as he talks about Crowdwise - the company he's created to help investors get started in equity crowdfunding.
Kelsey Witherow is the founder and fearless leader of DOUGHP. After overcoming challenges of alcohol addiction, Kelsey rediscovered her love of baking and making people smile. Through her ingenious marketing skills, extreme bootstrapping, delectable recipes, and genuine kindness she's making the world a little sweeter, one batch of cookie dough at a time.
The challenges faced by women of color in accessing capital (whether VC or bank loans) are painfully well-documented. But as the CEO of Black Momma, Vanessa Braxton is undaunted by them. With her latest venture, Black Momma Tea & Cafe, she wanted to give her community a chance to invest in the company, and financially benefit from her success. In this episode, she spills the tea on why.
Tim Kelly is an experienced entrepreneur and proud Tennessee native. In 2009, Tim co-founded Chattanooga FC with a team of other soccer-loving Chattanoogans. When their Wefunder campaign went live, our "Investments" Slack channel blew up, as droves of fans invested $125 to become a shareholder in the team. The story of Chattanooga FC is what equity crowdfunding is all about.
Klaus Moeller is a serial entrepreneur, originally from Germany, now living in LA. He's raised money from institutional investors throughout his career, but in 2017 he decided to take equity crowdfunding for a spin. The words "raising capital" and "fun" rarely go together, but Klaus has enjoyed experiencing how they can.