Speaking of Startups

Today we welcome Alex Smereczniak and Dan D'Aquisto to the podcast. Alex and Dan are the cofounders of 2U Laundry, a laundry subscription service and laundromat franchising company. Alex and Dan became friends in 6th grade while growing up in Minnesota. Fast forward to today and 2U Laundry recently closed a $20M Series B round to scale their 2U subscription service and LaundroLab franchising model nationwide. We cover several topics with Alex and Dan, including… Pivoting before and during COVID-19 How they remain friends while holding one another accountable Lessons learned from raising and deploying 4 rounds of capital The benefits of great board members Incorporating the good, bad, & ugly into board updates …as well as what’s next for 2U Laundry in 2023, and beyond. Please enjoy this conversation with Alex Smereczniak and Dan D'Aquisto.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.    Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.   Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

Today we welcome Sagar Shukla to the podcast. Sagar is a cofounder of Foresight, a B2B software company that helps sales and client success teams reduce churn and expand client relationships. Sagar started his career at Red Ventures and cut his startup teeth as one of DealCloud’s earliest employees. Today, Sagar and his cofounder Nigel are using Foresight’s seed round to help companies (including their former employer DealCloud) create customer-led growth infrastructure. We cover several topics with Sagar, including… Why studying abroad in Bolivia prompted an entrepreneurial epiphany How working at a large company is like the ‘Snap to Grid’ feature The client question that led to founding Foresight The product-building stage vs. the company-building stage for founders What it’s like returning to a more mature CLT startup ecosystem …as well as what’s next for Foresight in 2023, and beyond. Please enjoy this conversation with Sagar Shukla.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.    Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.   Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

Today we welcome Lauren Marturano to the podcast. Lauren is the founder and CEO of Zinnia, a software company that helps businesses plan in-person events such as offsites, client dinners, and more. Lauren began her career at Microsoft as an Enterprise Account Executive before joining Salesforce and eventually leaving corporate life to pursue entrepreneurship. Now, Lauren is getting ready to close a seed round that will help grow Zinnia’s team and product. We cover several topics with Lauren, including why… Taking a 90% pay cut to pursue entrepreneurship was worth it. Being an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Atlanta Ventures helped Lauren launch Zinnia. Zinnia became a travel agency. Hypothesis-driven development helps keep product & sales aligned. Enterprise sales budgets are so resilient in economic downturns.  …as well as what’s next for Zinnia in 2023, and more. Please enjoy this conversation with Lauren Marturano.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.    Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.   Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

Today we welcome Ernest Eich to the podcast. Ernest is the founder and CEO of Shandoka, an electric motorcycle company. Ernest began developing his electric motorcycle concept in 2012, performing custom carpentry during the day to bootstrap research, development, and early tinkering. Today, having received a utility patent in late 2022, Shandoka is successfully into a $12M fundraise and is opening a manufacturing facility in South Carolina. We cover several steps along Shandoka’s journey with Ernest, including… Meeting dozens of famous inventors during his time in Colorado The pros and cons of living in an ecosystem not known for CleanTech Why CleanTechs play a major role in advancing developing countries’ public health Unique challenges (and opportunities) presented by running a global hardware company Playing into the tailwinds of global interest in reducing carbon emissions …as well as what’s next for Shandoka in 2023, and more. Please enjoy this conversation with Ernest Eich.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.    Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.   Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

Charlotte Angel Connection Episode 143: Trey Phills Today we welcome Trey Phills to the podcast. Trey is the co-founder and CMO of Gymble, a software company helping athletic facilities, personal trainers, and athletic trainers better manage their businesses and client bookings. After graduating from Yale in 2019, Trey played in the NBA G League and launched his TikTok (@tphills), quickly growing to over 800K followers and becoming a TikTok Partner. During 2019 and 2020, Trey and his cofounders (Devon Oakley and Akim Mitchell) began working on the idea that became Gymble. Today, Gymble is participating in Techstars’ Anywhere Accelerator as a member of the 2023 Winter Class. We cover a lot in our wide-ranging conversation, like … Parallels between professional/collegiate athletics and building a company How being transparent about getting cut helped Trey grow a sizeable TikTok following Techstars’ process for helping founders do more, faster with systems Maintaining and growing a professional network by sharing social media expertise The importance of finding true believers instead of converting skeptics in both fundraising and sales …as well as Gymble’s plans for 2023, and more. Please enjoy this conversation with Trey Phills.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

Today we welcome Natalie Waggett to the podcast. Natalie is the co-founder and CEO of Ohanafy, a software company that provides end-to-end craft beverage management software for breweries. After starting out at Bank of America and joining nCino as an early employee, Natalie took a short break from the corporate world. During this break, the inspiration behind Ohanafy came after reading her friend Inez’s book Life After Windows. Natalie reached out to Inez and, while catching up, learned the challenges associated with running a brewery. Shortly thereafter, Natalie (and her co-founders Ian Padrick, Chris Dowling, Davis Bryson, and Matt Keeter) launched Ohanafy to help breweries manage their businesses and build community. We cover several topics in this episode, including how Natalie… Learned to think big as one of nCino’s earliest employees Transitioned from a banker mentality to a founder mentality Thinks about various trends such as Gen Z’s decreased alcohol consumption Created internal systems that spawned multiple new product offerings …as well as why Natalie supports grassroots goal-setting over top-down planning. Please enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Natalie Waggett.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.    Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.   Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

Today we welcome Tyler Traudt to the podcast. Tyler is the founder and CEO of DebtBook, a software company that provides debt and lease management software to government, higher education, and healthcare finance teams. After a two-year stint in Citigroup’s public finance investment banking team, Tyler spent several years consulting for public finance teams before connecting with his cofounder, Erik Pelletier. They started DebtBook in 2019 and recently closed a $7.5M Series A round. We cover many topics in this episode, including how Tyler… Signed DebtBook’s first 15 clients pre-product Thinks about fundraising (and why they’ve raised 4 seed rounds) Shaped DebtBook’s culture as it scaled from 0 to 85 FTEs Learned to onboard new employees more quickly Shares DebtBook’s 10-Year Vision regularly with new hires and at All-Hands meetings …as well as a few lessons Tyler learned from reading The Great CEO Within by Matt Mochary. Please enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Tyler Traudt.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.    Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

Today we welcome Dr. Margaret Kocherga to the podcast. Margaret is the founder and CEO of Margik, a hardware tech company looking to make organic-based lighting mainstream. A self-described ‘accidental entrepreneur’, Margaret started Margik while earning her PhD in Nanoscale Science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. After founding the company, Margaret was awarded a NC IDEA grant, completed the Department of Energy’s Chain Reaction Innovation program, and even appeared on Amazon Prime’s Unicorn Hunters television series. We cover many topics in this episode, including how Margaret… Immigrated from Kyiv, Ukraine to Charlotte, NC at the age of 15 Recovered from an ACL tear that prematurely ended her ballet career Discovered her passion for science out of necessity Navigated different funding sources and grants to finance Margik Knocked on doors in Silicon Valley to land Margik’s first commercial pilot …as well as how Charlotte can stop losing hardware tech startups to places like Silicon Valley, and more! Please enjoy this conversation with Margaret Kocherga.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.    Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.   Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

Today we welcome Matt Beck to the podcast. Matt is the co-founder and CEO of Hoppy Planet, a food sustainability company fortifying everyday snacks with the nutrients and vitamins your body needs. While working for Google in Chicago, Matt launched the company along with his co-founder and wife, Allie. During the pandemic, they relocated to Charlotte and scaled the business to new heights by taking on additional funding, growing the product lines, and expanding Hoppy Planet’s retail footprint. We cover several steps along Hoppy Planet’s journey with Matt, like… Why chocolate chip cookies are the perfect food to make with cricket protein Experimenting with 45+ different recipes to crack the code on cricket cookies Maturing the company operationally by moving from Chicago to Charlotte Scaling recipes and ingredients from kitchen quantities to an industrial operation How paranoia helped 5x Hoppy Planet’s SKUs in 4 months …as well as Matt’s goals for the next 12-18 months for Hoppy Planet, and more. Please enjoy this conversation with Matt Beck.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.    Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.   Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

Today we welcome Andrew Ashur to the podcast. Andrew is the founder and CEO of Lucid Drone Technologies, a YCombinator-backed company building industrial drones for labor-intensive tasks. While studying Economics and Spanish at Davidson College, Andrew learned mechanical, electrical, and software engineering to create Lucid Drones’ first prototype. Fast forward to today and Lucid Drones is scaling rapidly to alleviate labor shortages in the service economy. We cover a wide variety of topics in this episode, like how (and why) Andrew… Increased the company’s “surface area of luck” by cleaning Mercedes Benz Stadium Flew an early-stage drone into a tree minutes before an investor demo Powered through a chemical burn to clean a parking garage in the early days Found his first investor in Chicago and raised funds to fly there to pitch Lucid Drones Fundraises continually with a relationship- and traction-driven process …as well as the role NASCAR played in Andrew’s decision to headquarter Lucid Drones in Charlotte, and more! Please enjoy this conversation with Andrew Ashur.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.    Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.   Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.