QC Fintech Class 9 is getting ready for its demo day which coincides with the Southeast Fintech Venture Conference on November 14.  In preparation, we had the opportunity to talk with three different founders companies who are part of Class 9:

iTrust – (www.itrustinc.com) –  Trevor Horwitz

Mimble (www.mimble.co) – Chad Huber

AMUS (www.askmyunclesam.com) – Busayo Ogunsanya

After getting to know each of the companies and their founders on the podcast, we dive into the topic of what allows them to come back to Charlotte in 5 years and celebrate their success as entrepreneurs.  After all, every startup city is littered with great ideas which never gained traction, found investors or made it through the difficult path of success.

We also dive into the discussion of investors.  What’s it like to talk with investors as young companies and how soon is too soon to start the discussion.

One interesting topic we discuss is what success means for each founder. Is an IPO the only way to go for these founders or is there something before?

Local notes and thoughts:

  • Thank you to Dan Roselli and his team at Packard Place for our first sponsorship. They have hosted more than 2 dozen of our interviews over the last couple of months and have offered one of their used Yeti’s for us to use with guests when we go offsite. They are a great community supporter for all things startup in Charlotte.
  • NC IDEA recently issued two $100,000 grants to Charlotte entities – StartCharlotte (led by Juan Garzon) and Innovate Charlotte (with Keith Luedeman currently serving as interim leader of the organization). It should be very exciting for the Charlotte Startup community that both of these local organizations have some fresh capital to continue serving the ecosystem?
  • Go support high school area entrepreneurs at the Techstars Startup Weekend Charlotte Youth. It starts on Friday November 2 with the demo day on Sunday afternoon at Johnson C. Smith University (Stem Hall).  Buy Demo tickets here – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/techstars-startup-weekend-charlotte-youth-november-2018-tickets-50613935644
  • Don’t forget to register for the Southeast Fintech Venture Conference on November 14 (click here). If you don’t have the time, or the money, to come to the full day event please come support the QC Fintech Class 9 companies at the end of the day.  It’s FREE and starts at 5pm (click here).
  • Collective Hustle is an investor and startup coalition looking to improve the Queen City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. They meet monthly and their next event is coming up on November 7 – you can register by clicking here.  It’s a great panel discussion with the topic of “How to land a meeting with an investor.”

 

 

William Bissett is an Investment Advisor Representative with Secrest Blakey & Associates, a Registered Investment Adviser.  Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Secrest Blakey & Associates. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener. 

Secrest Blakey & Associates 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 the Securities Act, and a Qualified Purchaser as defined in Section 2(a)(51)(A) under the Company Act 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.

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