For decades common knowledge said that you didn’t start hardware based companies. Investors avoided them and the capital required for manufacturing and distribution left few other options.
Today we’re seeing more hardware startups and those who have hardware as part of their mix. Infomotion successfully introduced the 94Fifty into multiple retail channels and continues to take on new markets.
Starting or growing a business can be hard, lonely work. Entrepreneurs are remarkably talented and dedicated, but the odds against their success can seem overwhelming without a supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem to provide the resources and connections needed to thrive. Join members of the Columbus community and national experts on ecosystem development at Chase Basecamp to learn more about entrepreneurship support in Columbus and receive a resource to help you harness the power of Columbus’ ecosystem for your business.
Speakers:
Melissa Bean, Chairman of the Midwest Region for JPMorgan Chase
Maria Meyers, Founder, U.S. SourceLink
Ryan Schick, Columbus Small Business Concierge
Steve White, Founder of Clarivoy
Mike Morgan, CEO of Updox
Ariana D Ulloa-Olavarrieta, District Director for Ohio SBDC at Columbus State
Retail is a notoriously difficult environment and location focused plays even more so. On the heels of buy local campaigns, local manufacturing pride and the desire for natural ingredients, Whence sees an opportunity to connection local consumers and businesses together.
Web will discuss lessons learned, development challenges and field questions from attendees.
Since its launch in November 2012, Print Syndicate has been building a platform that powers ecommerce for multiple storefronts. They also have created process that enables products for the fast moving social trends and maximize purchases.
Print Syndicate continues to build their technology team and will discuss some of the challenges that small businesses face of attracting and retaining talent.
The promise of an agile and seamless operation across departments has organizations excited to embrace DevOps. Properly implemented, these practices can help companies scale from a startup to a mature business.
What is DevOps? The term has been thrown around as one of the technology trends that everyone is adopting. An introduction of the philosophies, tools and resources will be covered.
CoverMyMeds Parking: Metered parking is available in the immediate area. Visitor parking is available just inside the Mound St. garage at any of the orange visitor spots. Ticket validation is available at the reception desk on the 10th floor.
Software as a Service (SaaS) has flourished in recent years because of the many benefits it offers businesses such as, high adoption rates, automatic upgrades, seamless integration, and low upfront costs. A SaaS application can create a lasting revenue stream for a business, but building the application and managing a product roadmap takes focus and gumption.
Janine created Next Chapter, a focused SaaS product in the legal space. She will talk about her path from idea to launch and include tools and tips she learned while managing a product roadmap and a team of developers.
CoverMyMeds Parking: Metered parking is available in the immediate area. Visitor parking is available just inside the Mound St. garage at any of the orange visitor spots. Ticket validation is available at the reception desk on the 10th floor.
This small retail primer will educate participants in the art of differentiation, self promotion, and merchandising. The session includes an in-depth conversation with Steven H.O. Fireman, ECDI President, and Alicia Grantham, Director of Business and Food Incubation, providing perspective as lender, advocate, and business owner.
Startup Health notes that 2014 was a record year for digital health with $6.5B invested, a 125% increase from the total amount invested in 2013. Starting a health care startup is harder than you think however, join us for a panel discussion on starting a healthcare focused startup in Central Ohio.
For our fourth installment of the Main Event, we are opening up our efforts as part of Columbus Startup Week (May 4th - 8th) to be inclusive of those wanting to learn more and network with like minded people trying to make Central Ohio a great place to thrive for early entrepreneurship.
We are hosting this event in Dublin, OH at FUSE, Cardinal Health's own innovation center - a different space to think differently for Cardinal. Much like our entrepreneur eco-system, FUSE has to think and act differently and they needed their own environment to change the Healthcare world... and it's a pretty cool space to say the least that you have to see (you'll even get a tour)!
We'll have four startups presenting and several more in attendance. You'll also get to sample some local craft breweries finest beers (each unique as the startups presenting) and you'll get an update on some of our past presenters.
Agenda:
This is a Wearable Wednesdays Event. Please be sure to RSVP here.
Welcome to our first Wearable Wednesday! We're turning a leaf over as a group and broadening our topic from just development to the whole category of wearables. Join us this evening for a discussion on the future of connected clothing with a special presentation from Heidi Liou on the connected sports bra she's been working on to kick things off.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Agenda
6:30 - Hang time / Beer!
7:00 - Welcome / Announcements
7:05 - Liou's presentation
7:45-8:00 - Questions
8:30 - More hang time, then good night!
Your opportunity to get a first hand tour of the Front-of-House & Back-of-House (FoHBoH) of several shops in the Short North and speak with owners about what's working and not working for them. Trade stories, learn and network with experienced and first-time owners and entrepreneurs.
We’ll start the crawl at Laughlin’s Bakery at 10:15 am sharp to meet with the owner, Jonas Laughlin to talk about how he got his start in the business and how he was able to do so using Kickstarter.
Our next stop is to meet with Matt Paisley, the Executive Chef at The Pearl. Matt will share his passion for food and he’ll also give us a peek behind the scenes of The Pearl, a Cameron Mitchell concept.
Our final stop will be at Rigsby’s Kitchen to meet with Kent Rigsby. Kent is a culinary pioneer and the venerable Rigsby’s Kitchen is a Columbus institution. Kent will share his thoughts on what it takes to consistently maintain a top spot in a fast moving food scene.
The maker movement and availability of tools are enabling everyday people to build businesses around what make have began as a sketch on a napkin. The knowledge of what resources are available and the communities to tap into can turn a dream into a reality.
Moderate-growth businesses without funding is not a topic you hear buzz about in the news. Our current media is mostly focused around $1M+ investments and $1B+ exits. These are the subjects that are sensationalistic, exciting, and therefore capture attention. However, this is not a world where Brad Griffith or most entrepreneurs live. Moderate-growth businesses are sometimes referred to as a "lifestyle" business because they focus on providing income to support the owner's lifestyle rather than focusing on going public or becoming the next huge exit. What many don’t realize is that this approach can also be exciting and has many benefits. These businesses remain healthy while growing and at the same time can make a positive impact on their employees, communities, and industries. Moderate-growth businesses can provide incredible learning opportunities, a solid income, and unmatched flexibility for living life without being controlled by work. That's the story Brad Griffith will share with us about his company, Buckeye Interactive.
Brad started Buckeye Interactive during his last two months of employment at an Internet startup housed at TechColumbus (now Rev1 Ventures). Starting with contract work for a previous employer and teaming up on projects with a designer and an SEO firm in Indianapolis, Brad ramped up quickly over the first 4 months. For 3 years, the business grew revenue and employee count organically through referrals, and they operated debt-free with funding only from client revenue (the best kind of funding!!). With great support from his family, the City of New Albany, Rev1 Ventures, and other groups, Brad has found plenty of resources to maintain growth without selling equity, venture debt, or other diluting capital.
Whether you are considering starting a business or are currently fighting the good fight and need the support of a fellow business owner, come hear Brad’s story of a different way to grow a healthy business. Brad will share about the struggles of hiring for company cultural fit, challenging client relationships, and maintaining healthy credit to use when the going gets tough. He will discuss Angel and VC money and when it may be right for you.
Regardless of funding and company size, running a business has many challenges. We hope you make time to attend this valuable discussion. Bring your tough questions about bootstrapping, maintaining a focused vision through growth, and hiring successfully. Join us as we collaborate and share ideas and lessons learned with the goal of finding greater success together!
Join MORPC’s William Murdock for an in-depth discussion on Insight 2050 and how the future of Central Ohio is changing and presents potential opportunities to Entrepreneurs and start-ups wanting to take advantage of where to locate their businesses and produce new products and services to a changing demographic and urban landscape.
The price of admission gets you in the door, your choice of boxed lunch from FreshBox, and a chance to meet and mingle with other entrepreneurs trying to get their business idea to the next step too.
You MUST register on the SunDown RunDown website an PAY to complete registration.
Registratrants who do not complete registration and payment will not have access.
