Today on Fast Frontiers host Tim Schigel speaks with James Norman, a general partner at Black Operator Ventures, a venture fund that specifically empowers the entrepreneurship of people of color. James takes listeners on a deep dive of his growth and trajectory from Hollywood to venture capital, lessons learned in leadership, and how important networking and nurturing relationships are to customer acquisition.

Key Takeaways:

• [00:09 - 00:58] Intro to James Norman and his venture projects
• [01:00 - 02:57] James' early life in Michigan and entrepreneurship inklings as a child
• [02:58 - 04:25] Building speaker systems for car audio
• [04:25 - 05:18] Transitioning from speaker systems to whole cars
• [05:18 - 07:58] Lessons learned doing private planning at Mitsubishi in LA
• [08:03 - 10:12] James' first tech company, Ubi, and lessons in leading
• [10:12 - 11:42] Growing his network and how NewME helped make connections
• [11:44 - 12:52] Heavy on product, heavy on execution
• [12:52 - 13:58] The stories we tell
• [14:04 - 15:42] How James realized his strength in building video platforms
• [15:44 - 18:09] Why diverse development teams are necessary, and navigating abrasive cultures as a person of color
• [18:10 - 20:55] The path to capital and realizations about next steps
• [20:55 - 23:12] Acquiring data and monetizing it with GroupFix and Pilotly
• [23:12 - 24:32] Working with Joe to build GroupFix and Pilotly
• [24:32 - 26:36] How Black Ops Ventures came about
• [26:36 - 28:13] Communicating better, and learning from icons like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk
• [28:14 - 28:57] Bias from investors and developing empathy
• [28:58 - 30:23] A golden opportunity to build a better resource for black founders
• [30:24 - 32:01] The Four Challenges for Venture Capital to Invest in Black Founders
• [32:01 - 34:01] Starting right now, and getting involved
• [34:04 - 35:06] Builders and leaders
• [35:06 - 36:42] Building relationships and holding yourself accountable to your identity as a leader
• [36:44 - 38:57] Customer acquisition and nurturing the relationship, and confidence in outcomes

On today's show, Tim Kight, CEO of Focus 3, stops by Fast Frontiers to talk to host Tim Schigel about growth mindsets, characteristics of people with fortitude, and all about his framework, E+R=O.

Key takeaways:

• [01:51 - 04:23] Mistakes are feedback, and a sign of innovating
• [04:28 - 06:23] Silicon Valley and failing fast, an opportunity to try again with greater insight
• [06:23 - 08:19] Defining leadership, understanding cause and effect, and coaching for success
• [08:53 - 13:50] The role of deep practice and Tim's E + R = O framework
• [13:51 - 16:20] Developing clarity and seeing better by asking 5 questions
• [16:41 - 18:08] Blame, Complain, Defend
• [18:10 - 21:47] Growth mindsets and commitment
• [21:50 - 23:14] Characteristics of the compelled
• [23:16 - 25:42] Teaching E + R = O to employees and producing better outcomes
• [25:45 - 26:16] ERO is not just about work
• [26:18 - 30:58] Understanding how finding the compelled and those with a similar ERO mindset relates to HR and recruiting
• [31:03 - 34:00] Recognizing the journey you're on and navigating uncharted territories

Bernadette Butler of Storytap sits down with Fast Frontiers host Tim Schigel to discuss the power of storytelling and connection. Bernadette is the CEO and Co-Founder of Storytap, and in this conversation discusses her path to creating the company, it's goals working with clients to help them gather stories from customers, and what her experience of bootstrapping the company has been like.

Key takeaways:

• [00:56 - 05:49] Benadette's background
• [05:50 - 07:09] The origin of StoryTap
• [07:11 - 09:04] Where Bernadette met her co-founder Sean Braacx
• [09:08 - 11:56] What StoryTap is, and the trends it is capturing
• [11:56 - 13:51] Text, video, and influencers impact on brands
• [13:53 - 15:48] Ownership of the brand and assets, repurposing content to amplify message
• [15:52 - 18:17] A renewed emphasis on text, and navigating fake BS
• [18:19 - 19:35] Exemplifying work through your own content and clients
• [19:36 - 20:37] Discussing working with KY and Durex, sex education
• [20:40 - 21:30] Stories and connection
• [21:32 - 22:21] Text reviews and getting what you get
• [22:24 - 23:09] Some of Bernadette's customers
• [23:12 - 23:53] An incredible melting pot society
• [24:02 - 25:00] What it is like running a startup in Vancouver
• [25:01 - 26:28] What is next for StoryTap
• [26:44 - 27:26] Next week's episode with Joseph Hanna

Today on Fast Frontiers, Upal Basu of ngp capital stops by to talk to host Tim Schigel about what Upal has learned as an investor, and about current events in SaaS, software, and edge computing. Upal is the a general partner at ngp capital, and in this role manages more than a billion and a half dollars in assets. He'll also talk today about lessons learned throughout his career as an investor.

Key Takeaways

• [01:34 - 03:36] About NGP Capital
• [03:36 - 05:06] Upal's background
• [05:24 - 07:20] What Upal brings to investing that he learned as an operator
• [07:28 - 11:37] Investments NGP looks for
• [11:38 - 15:52] SaaS and Edge Computing
• [15:52 - 19:40] AI Transformation and improving human performance
• [20:00 - 23:58] Trends in innovation outside Silicon Valley
• [24:07 - 27:49] Best advice for entrepreneurs and investors on how to navigate the coming year
• [27:50 - 29:44] Have market conditions changed Upal's investing pace in any way?

Dave Mawhinney joins host Tim Schigel to talk about a history of entrepreneurship and what the transition was like entering into academia at Carnegie Mellon. Dave is the Executive Director of the The Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, and in his role he connects with brilliant minds about developing their innovative and creative solutions. In today's conversation, Dave and Tim offer advice to aspiring entrepreneurs, and discuss the technology output and scene around Carnegie Mellon.

Key Takeaways:

• [00:14 - 01:26] About Dave Mawhinney
• [01:54 - 04:28] A serial entrepreneur walks into academia
• [04:30 - 06:41] How Dave's background as an entrepreneur enables him to communicate to entrepreneurs coming out of academia
• [06:55 - 10:49] The Swartz Center, Jim Swartz, and his support
• [10:49 - 18:22] Carnegie Mellon and what separates it from other technology-centric institutions
• [18:23 - 20:44] Carnegie Mellon's ranking as a top destination for tech talent, it's student population
• [20:45 - 24:36] The Carnegie Mellon startup scene and it's successes
• [24:37 - 28:05] Comparing the startup scene between last decade, today, and ten years into the future
• [28:06 - 29:38] How people can become more involved with activities and events at CMU tech scene
• [29:41 - 30:48] Network, network, network

On today's episode of Fast Frontiers, host Tim Schigel sits down to speak with Mike Kadin, the CEO of RedCircle. The two discuss strategies for managing high-growth companies, lessons learned in hiring and how Mike met his co-founder Jeremy Lermitte.

Key Takeaways:

• [01:55] Meet Mike Kadin of RedCircle
• [05:56] Experiences unique to RedCircle's growth and lessons in high-growth
• [09:55] How far out was RedCircle planning their growth strategy
• [11:10] Hiring takeaways and lessons
• [16:38] When and how Mike and Jeremy met
• [18:56] Mike and Jeremy finding common ground and learning from past workplaces
• [23:01] Be Real and Be Respectful
• [25:31] Continuously learning and different stages of growth
• [29:02] What's attracted Mike to podcasting
• [32:25] The integration of technology in cars and the listening experience
• [33:15] How Mike is helping podcasters, and how the medium has changed
• [37:02] What Mike wants podcasters to know about RedCircle
• [38:28] What the future of podcasts looks like according to Mike

Welcome back to Fast Frontiers! In the Season 6 premiere, Gokul Rajaram talks with host Tim Schigel about working as an investor and "company helper." Gokul does a deep dive into his SPADE decision-making framework, about creating compelling products that solve real-world issues, and the rise in product analytics as a function of business.

Key Takeaways:

• [01:20] Introduction to Gokul
• [02:33] Being exposed to high-caliber people
• [03:47] Keep learning and stay humble
• [04:54] Investing and having fun building businesses, making connections
• [07:44] Cold-calling and indulging curiosity as a great "party trick"
• [09:15] The SPADE decision-making framework
• [11:07] Transparency in business operations and decision-making
• [12:58] Diving into SPADE
• [16:18] This framework should not be used for day-to-day reversible decisions
• [19:15] How Gokul sees organizations do a good job of staying focused on the problem and not the product
• [23:05] Evaluating the company mission and making a compelling product that solves problems
• [26:41] The rise of product analytics as a function
• [29:05] Feature launch is not a goal, feature launch is not an outcome. It is an experiment
• [29:47] Technologies Gokul is interested in investing in
• [29:47] Words of wisdom on solving problems and setting goals

Rediscover the best podcast around for learning about Refinery Ventures' portfolio of companies and the work those organizations are doing. Host and Managing Partner at Refinery Ventures, Tim Knight, speaks with CEOs, founders, and experts about startups, technology, the future, and more.