Listen Now

Listen in with Jake and Eric as they get to know Chris Ridenour, co-founder and CTO at Lisnr. They'll talk about:Realizing that 'corporate life' may not be for youChris’ background at PG, Rockfish, and as a startup weekend poster childHopping on a startup bus, successfully forming a team around LisnrWalking away from your company to pursue your startupChris’ top tech tools = Google Apps, Python, Django, PyCharmCincinnati’s startup heroes, including Tim Metzner and Joshua JohnsonCollege degrees and startups - learning code outside of the classroomAngelHack CincinnatiThe future of technology

Join Eric and Tim as they talk to Alex Burkhart, founder of Tixers. Hear from Alex about:Tixers' birth at Cincinnati Startup Weekend 2012Startup weekend - “awesome” is an understatementGood, bad, and ugly: the aftermath of startup weekendTixers' graduation from UpTech in MarchBalancing a day job and a startupPreparing to “make the leap” and focusing on your startup full-timeRecruiting talent - finding and hiring the right peopleXavier University and their contributions toward TixersDoing things that don’t scale - airbnb modelBiggest surprise entrepreneurs face after quitting their jobs

Join Jake Hodesh and Eric Weissmann as they sit down to talk with Chris Bergman, founder of ChoreMonster. You'll hear about:How ChoreMonster got startedThe inspiration behind the monsters (currently illustrated by Paul)Hobbies lost when balancing a startup and a familyChoreMonster before and after The BranderyChris and his startup hero, Kevin RoseMentorship - business and personal growthFrom disappointing investor meetings to appearing on Squawk BoxChris' source of news (RSS, Twitter, podcasts)Building a startup teamHow the 'yes economy' affects business at ChoreMonster

Join Tim Metzner and Eric Weissmann as they interview Mark Suster about how he grew up being an entrepreneur - with a background at Anderson Consulting (Accenture), starting Koral (acquired by Salesforce.com), and now Upfront Ventures. Mark talks about some pivotal topics like:Early indications of an entrepreneur - t-shirt business, mobile keg parties, teaching computer classesGrunt jobs, and lessons learned from the restaurant businessHow different cultures view failure; protecting others when you failMonitoring your growth rateRelaunching of his YouTube channel This Week in Venture CapitalNot an aggressive VC - "Raise at the top end of normal"Uber, the one that got awayRecipe for startups (hiring your co-founders)How to sell your companyWant to hear more from Mark? Check out his blog.

Join Brad and special guest host, Jake Hodesh (GCVA), as they talk to Michael Bergman from Repp and Louis Goldner from StoreFlix. They'll talk about:Louis' background in business at the University of Cincinnati and PGMichael's background as an early entrepreneur, a law student, and at LPKBig differences between the corporate world and the startup communityWhere they get ideas and find motivationUtilizing and keeping in touch with your networkStartup heroes, including: 37signals, Square, and Elon MuskEducation and entrepreneurshipCompany culture, bonding, and how they get away from their workAdvice to new entrepreneurs

Join Eric and Brad as they talk to Dhani Jones about his story, Qey Capital, and the work he does with colleges and institutions to enhance their entrepreneurial communities. They'll also discuss:Promoting diversity and inclusiveness in businessDhani's childhood and backgroundBringing back the blue collar mentalityQey deals with all sides - startups, VCs, equity managersHow startups should deal with difficult questionsFounders vs. their ideas, founders vs. co-foundersGiving back - Dhani helped form the Creators Co-Op at University of MichiganFinding a mentorBalancing time between startups Qey has already invested in and looking for the next dealRelating athletes and entrepreneursReading/staying informed

Join Tim and Eric as they sit down to talk to Dov Rosenberg, Director at Allos Ventures, to talk 'insider baseball' about VCs and investing.Dov's background in software, business, and even manufacturingGetting into the venture capital industryHands-on venture capital: what that means at AllosWhat startups should/should not do when pitching to VCsHow Dov analyzes a startup model and the assumptions behind itWhat does a VC look for in an entrepreneur?Startup failures and missed opportunitiesHow Dov stays connected and informed about the industryNetworking outside of the MidwestSeries A crunch, seed and early stage investingBest piece of advice for early stage startupsThis episode is sponsored by Sendgrid, a world class email delivery system.

Join Brad and Eric as they talk to Uber. Hear from James Ondrey (General Manager - Ohio) and Brian Tan (Operations Manager - Ohio) discuss their expansion into Cincinnati, along with a few other topics:Providing multiple transportation services - not just Uber Black and UberX, but also providing on demand roses for Valentine’s Day or delivering Christmas Trees to your homeUber - "a cross between lifestyle and logistics"How Uber decides where to expand, and how long it takes to grow in a new cityIs there pushback from drivers in a new city?How Uber operates locally - like startups within a startupCreating buzz: pop-ups like ‘Ubercade’Challenges Uber faces entering new marketsUber and the future of technologySpecial cars on special occasions - from limousines to 'zombie buses'Cool features, including Uber fare split and sharing your ETAThis episode is sponsored by Sendgrid, a world class email delivery system.

Join Brad and Eric as they talk to Rod Robinson from ConnXus , the procurement platform for buyers and diverse suppliers. They'll discuss:Rod's background in business, procurement, and consultingKnowing the problem he wanted to solve within a familiar industryGetting started: getting the funds and someone to build his siteHow the Lean Startup process came naturallyRod's knowledge that someday he would run his own businessInvestor meetings becoming more of a conversation than a pitchHow ConnXus scaled to 13 people and manages clients including McDonald'sAdvice to those with ideas who want to start a companySeveral 'near-death' experiences that the company has overcomeFinding mentors, asking questionsHow Rod unwinds, and where his best ideas come fromThis episode is sponsored by Sendgrid, a world class email delivery system.

Brad Kirn (Differential) and Eric Weissmann (Cintrifuse) interview Guy Turner from Hyde Park Venture Partners (HPVP), an early stage venture capital fund based in Chicago, who recently co-led a $3M investment in Cincinnati-based Ahalogy. Guy talks about:His background as an engineer and consultantNo education in venture capital, but was interested in technologySaying no about 95% of the time as an investorWhy the Midwest is a great place to be an investorCincinnati's "high quality" startup ecosystemPressure on startups today to have a viable working modelWhy he worries about the Series B crunch for many Midwest startupsDos and don'ts for startups looking for fundingThoughts on the Lean Startup and the Minimum Viable Product

Join Gerard and Eric as they sit down to talk to John Hauer from 3DLT, the 3D printing template marketplace!The pivot from a B2C to B2B companyContent marketing strategyJohn’s experience in the startup world and involvement in 3DLTIncubators and collaboration between Cintrifuse and UpTechUpTech's Demo Day - celebration and opportunityIs Cincinnati a perfect home for 3DLT?Government incentives to startupsPitching, sales, and competition in 3D printingDealing with customers, investors, and partnersFuture of 3D printing - retail, manufacturing, households, 4D printingInnovation as an entrepreneurExperience at TechCrunch’s Disrupt

Join Tim and Eric as they sit down to talk with James Fisher from Road Trippers!James' storyFirst came to Cincinnati for The BranderyLoves Cincinnati and its people, stayed because of the growthAbout co-founding with his wife TatianaParenthood as an entrepreneurStartup business modelRetaining users - content marketing and SEOFocusing on showing growth; differentiate yourselfTips for entrepreneurs that aren't succeedingWhich is harder: raising money or building a team?

Join Ry and Eric as they sit down to talk toMichael Wohlschlaegerto talk about Ahalogy and how he got to where he is today.First company was a bustDealing with interested clients that don't have "enough gas for the engine"Figuring out when to kill your startup (or let it die a graceful death)Why the best ideas can start from taking a step backEntrepreneur vs. innovatorTo bootstrap or to raise money?Cincinnati startup support - The BranderyLearning how to be an entrepreneurMobile and app growth

Join Josh and Eric as they sit down to talk withTony Alexander from

Josh and Eric sit down to talk with Jeff Shepard from MedaCheck. We'll discuss:His transition from Xavier University to starting a businessOpportunity in the health/IT spaceWhy MedaCheck is tackling software AND hardwareFunding, investors, revenue, and getting customersHow to handle copycats with the mentality of an athleteJeff's biggest challenges and his advice to young entrepreneurs