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April 24, 2025
Building Zenwork: A Founder’s Journey
Sanjeev Singh, founder and CEO of Zenwork, shares the entrepreneurial journey that led to a nine-figure private equity minority investment, and the challenges, pivotal moments and strategies that fueled Zenwork’s growth....
By Dealmakers Staff
January 5, 2024
NVNG's Carrie Thome On Becoming The Investee
Carrie Thome left the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, where, as the Chief Investment Officer, she oversaw a $3 billion investment portfolio, to co-found NVNG Investment Advisors....
By Adam Burroughs
September 8, 2023
COVID Turbulence Drew Project Admission's Focus Inward
Stephen Glicken is working to disrupt ticket sales as we know it with his company, Project Admission. It's a unique model that managed to survive the collapse of live events during COVID and continue...
By Adam Burroughs
May 19, 2023
Biju Kulathakal On Launching Halo, Fundraising
Halo Investing is a platform for structured notes or, as the company's Co-Founder and CEO Biju Kulathakal puts it, defined outcome investing. "It's a financial product that's a $3 trillion market...
By Adam Burroughs
May 12, 2023
Porter Road's Path To Changing The World
"Originally, when (co-founder) Chris (Carter) and I went out, we had $50 suits that we got at Goodwill and we had a crazy idea, which was opening a high-end butcher shop in East Nashville. At the time, and traditionally, East Nashville wasn't a very wealthy neighborhood. It was a very working class, rougher area. Most banks and financing people didn't see the opportunity that was going to happen." - Porter Road Co-Founder James Peisker on why banks hesitated to fund the company and how capital and ideas from VC and PE led to its remarkable growth. ...
By Adam Burroughs
May 12, 2023
Demystifying Alternative Capital Sources
It's very hard to get into a PE fund, says Datassential Inc. CEO Jim Emling. In order to do the kind of work he does within private equity, typically a person would have to have sold to their business...
By Adam Burroughs
May 5, 2023
Facing Economic Headwinds, Deal Math Changes
Several area dealmakers chimed in on how they see the current market; how buyers, sellers and entrepreneurs are faring; and their expectations for how the remainder of the deal year plays out. Check out what they have to say....
By Adam Burroughs
April 21, 2023
Finding Opportunity In Disruption
Defiant Capital Group Founder Jonathan Dane on launching the firm, his perspective on how the investor mindset has changed over the years since, and offers tips on post-business investment life....
By Adam Burroughs
April 14, 2023
A challenging decision to pivot pays off for Jifiti
Jifiti Co-founder and CEO Yaacov Martin on the pivot from the company’s original business concept and how it has grown since. ...
By Adam Burroughs
April 14, 2023
Identifying Gaps In Charlotte’s Startup Scene
Innovate Charlotte Managing Director Juan Garzón on his perspective on the Charlotte startup scene — its strengths, its gaps, and the progress it's made ... and still needs to make....
By Adam Burroughs
January 27, 2023
Serial Entrepreneur Gabriela Isturiz Turns Investor with The Fund XX
Serial entrepreneur and early-stage investor Gabriela Isturiz, who founded two high-growth technology companies that she sold to Fortune 500 companies, recently co-founded The Fund XX, which makes...
By Adam Burroughs
November 11, 2022
Young People See Startups As A Way To Make An Impact
Ohio Innovation Fund Principal Faith Voinovich on changes she's seen in early-stage investing and shares her view of the broader startup picture....
By Adam Burroughs
November 4, 2022
Pitch perfect: The need for newbie entrepreneurs to improve their talk track
Project Olympus' Kit Needham on the areas where fist-time entrepreneurs stumble when seeking their earliest funding rounds....
By Adam Burroughs
October 14, 2022
Michael Sirpilla On Society Brands’ $204M Raise
Society Brands CEO Michael Sirpilla spoke on Dealmaker TV's DealTalk program about the company’s $204M raise and its growth since its launch in 2020....
By Adam Burroughs
October 7, 2022
From funder to fundraiser
MOBILion's Dr. Melissa Sherman on growing the company and how she's adapted to the fundraising process....
By Adam Burroughs
September 15, 2022
CreativeCo Capital finds early success through data-driven outreach
CreativeCo Capital's Ashley Gautreaux on the progress her firm has been able to make in a short time and why. ...
By Adam Burroughs
September 15, 2022
ESG’s increasing impact on investment decisions
Black Brain Trust's Angel St. Jean on the rise of ESG, her company’s growth, and the challenges of fundraising. ...
By Adam Burroughs
August 26, 2022
Building a culture of support for startups
Wisconsin Startup Coalition Co-founders Matt Cordio and Peter Welch on the progress the organization has made since its launch in 2020, and how creating a network of support could lead to putting Wisconsin on investors' maps. ...
By Adam Burroughs
August 26, 2022
Pushing through the noes
Immaculate Cleaning Founder and President James Barnes on his entrepreneurial journey and the importance of pushing through the noes to get to the all-important yeses....
By Adam Burroughs
August 12, 2022
Engineered From Personal Need, Nollapelli Is Ready To Grow
Nollapelli founder Allison Howard talks with the Smart Business Dealmakers Podcast about how she created Nollapelli and prepared the company for early-stage investing. ...
By Dan Pender
August 11, 2022
Archetype Solutions Pursues A Unique Approach To Investing
Archetype Solutions Group CEO Chetan Bagga on launching Archetype Solutions and its unique approach to investing....
By Adam Burroughs
July 29, 2022
Dan German on lessons learned launching Orthobrain
Orthobrain's Dan German on launching Orthobrain, fundraising, and how the lessons he learned growing and selling German Orthodontics are informing his new venture....
By Adam Burroughs
July 22, 2022
Been there, built that
Rextar's Bill Fox on how his earlier experience forming, growing and exiting GoIndustry is informing how he's building and growing Rextar....
By Adam Burroughs
July 22, 2022
When Three Little Pigs Went To Market
Village Gourmet's David Kemp and Gemini Investors' James Goodman on buying Three Little Pigs, growing it into Village Gourmet and taking that company to market....
By Adam Burroughs
July 14, 2022
Ascender Lifts Early-Stage Entrepreneurs
Nadyli Nuñez, executive director, Ascender, has guided hundreds of early-stage entrepreneurs through her incubator, co-working programs, and numerous early-stage investments to position them for add-on capital as part of their growth journey from scale-up to the middle market. She has a detailed, hands-on approach to ensure the success of her clients. ...
By Dan Pender
July 6, 2022
Reasons to be excited, cautious, when launching a business with family
Geneoscopy's Andrew Barnell on launching Geneoscopy, structuring the business and working with family....
By Adam Burroughs
July 6, 2022
Family must earn their way into Archangel's CEO seat
Archangel Protective Services' Ken Thomas on how the company got its start, the importance of getting help along the way, succession planning and the ways he's helping others get their entrepreneurial start. ...
By Adam Burroughs
June 17, 2022
Founders helping founders
Ilana Diamond on launching 412 Ventures, its investment thesis, and how their collective experience as founders might give them an advantage....
By Adam Burroughs
June 2, 2022
It’s All About Partnerships and Pitch Decks for Rambus
Mykolas Rambus is a serial entrepreneur who founded and sold two previous companies, including Wealth-X, where he served as CEO until its 2016 sale for more than $20 million. Most recently, Mykolas raised early-stage rounds of capital in 2021 to build out Hush, a company that offers cybersecurity services. Though the capital raise process went well, Mykolas talks about how better pitch materials would have made for a smoother raise. ...
By Dan Pender
April 28, 2022
Capital alignment and speaking investors' languages
Amicus.io CEO and Co-Founder Cor Hoekstra, talks prior to the company's acquisition by TIFIN about attracting investors, differentiation, and what he sees as the future for the company. ...
By Adam Burroughs
March 24, 2022
When PE goes downstream
North Coast Ventures Managing Director Todd Federman on the deal year for early-stage companies, as well as the trends he's seeing on that end of the M&A spectrum. ...
By Adam Burroughs
March 11, 2022
Raising capital as a startup is about more than money
Rabbu CEO Emir Dukic talks about the process of raising capital and how he went about doing diligence on potential investors....
By Adam Burroughs
March 11, 2022
Even for the best entrepreneurs, raising capital is always harder than it looks
Bloomscape Founder and CEO Justin Mast spoke with Dickinson Wright's Zan Nicolli about his venture and the process of raising capital from investors....
By Adam Burroughs
February 11, 2022
City Shoppe's Ash Cintas on Investors as Coaches
Ash Cintas, founder and CEO of City Shoppe, talks about her experience launching the company, fundraising, and what she looks for in an investor....
By Adam Burroughs
February 11, 2022
When pitching nascent opportunities, explain it so grandma would understand
Play One Up CEO Brandon Pitts talks about the growing esports industry, building Play One Up and how he pitches investors who might not be familiar with the opportunity....
By Adam Burroughs
January 7, 2022
Three mistakes that signal you're unlikely to get funded
Serial entrepreneur Bob Norton talks about what investors really look for in a pitch, the team and the concept, as well as where most entrepreneurial ventures stumble and fail....
By Adam Burroughs
December 2, 2021
How Chris Molaro launched NeuroFlow
NeuroFlow co-founder Chris Molaro on changing the way mental health care is delivered, his most recent M&A deal, and the company’s future. ...
By Adam Burroughs
October 8, 2021
Shane Bigelow on launching CHAMPtitles
CHAMPtitles Shane Bigelow talks about the venture, its recent raise and progress in the market, as well as the challenges of being based in Ohio....
By Adam Burroughs
September 3, 2021
Will Zell sees exuberance in venture capital
Will Zell, founder of Zell Capital and Executive Chairman at Nikola Labs, offers his take on the view from the early stage....
By Adam Burroughs
August 27, 2021
Nat Clarkson on the impact of investor moves downstream
CFV Ventures Managing Partner Nat Clarkson on what he’s seeing at the seed stage, and how firms at his level may look to adjust their strategies if larger firms became a player in the mix....
By Adam Burroughs
August 13, 2021
Feuer Innovation Accelerator Fund Gives UH Leader Power To Promote Ideas From Within
A $2 million gift to University Hospitals by serial entrepreneur Michael Feuer and his wife Ellen aims to enhance the hospital’s ability to spur innovation by giving UH’s CEO the financial and decision-making latitude to back strong ideas. ...
By Adam Burroughs
July 29, 2021
Luke Cooper on how pluck and luck helped him sell Fixt to Assurant
Luke Cooper talks about Fixt’s sale to Assurant, strategies for fundraising as well as an initiative that’s underway to help connect African-American entrepreneurs with Fortune 500 companies....
By Adam Burroughs
July 29, 2021
How Wisr used pressure to distinguish serious investors
John Knific talks about fundraising and Wisr's deal with EAB. ...
By Adam Burroughs
July 9, 2021
Women and the unique challenges they face in their entrepreneurial pursuits
Linda Pringle Evans, CEO and Founder of Pringle Business Consulting, and the Director of Education at Empowering a Billion Women, discusses the state of female entrepreneurship in the U.S. ...
By Adam Burroughs
June 18, 2021
Pivoting during the pandemic saves the year for early-stage SaaS companies
Wendy Jarchow, chief investment officer at River SaaS talk about how early-stage companies fared during the pandemic, what she expects from that segment in 2021 and the factors that could influence their year....
By Adam Burroughs
June 18, 2021
To build your pipeline, write the checks
Marcus Whitney, founding partner, Jumpstart Health Investors on how technology helped him make some 80 investments in his first couple years at Jumpstart Foundry, and his newest fund, Jumpstart Nova....
By Adam Burroughs
June 11, 2021
Ryan Green continually adjusts his model to find success
Gridwise co-founder Ryan Green continues to evolve his business, using customer feedback and adjusting to the market to find success....
By Adam Burroughs
June 4, 2021
Dana Guthrie on the state of startups
Dana Guthrie, managing partner of Gateway Capital Partners, talks about how her firm got its start, how it addresses funding gaps in the market, and her sense of how the startup community is working through the challenges they’ve faced during the pandemic....
By Adam Burroughs
May 21, 2021
Louis Foreman on how IP strategy creates value
Enventys Partners CEO Louis Foreman CEO on where startups struggle, and how they find success....
By Adam Burroughs
April 30, 2021
Carrie Thome on the state of her state’s VC community
Carrie Thome, managing director at NVNG Investment Advisors, talks about the state of the venture world in Wisconsin....
By Adam Burroughs
