Keith Luedeman is the Executive Director for Innovate Charlotte and a name you’ve heard a lot of over the last 12 months (if not before as he also was the founder of GoodMortgage.com).

When Keith and I sat down to this interview I told him I had a very simple concept for it. In our interview last spring, he indicated he wanted to take a year to get his feet wet before he committed to making investments or being overly active.  I wanted to cover what the past year has been like now that he has had his chance to get acclimated and also get a sense of where things are heading.

The first part of this podcast focuses a lot on Innovate Charlotte and where it is today and turns to look toward the future.  The MIT Mentoring program was launched under Walt Frye and it is having great success.  They are working to match entrepreneurs with mentors to help launch startups.  As we hear, Innovate Charlotte is actively looking for mentors and founders and Keith does an excellent job talking about what they are looking for in both groups of people.

The second part of the podcast talk about the future of Charlotte and the future of where Keith where will be.  In this we discuss the BB&T and SunTrust merger, the announcement of a potential medical school and other aspects of where the startup and innovation hubs in Charlotte are going to be.

Given Keith’s background as a founder and current role with Innovate Charlotte, he’s got great insight into the future of Charlotte and how it has to merge with old Charlotte.  We weave some of this discussion into a really good podcast exploring Charlotte, startups, and life here in this great city.

Local Notes and Thoughts 

MapAnything sold this week to Salesforce.  Terms of the deal have not been disclosed yet, but Salesforce Ventures was a lead investor in MapAnything’s Series C round last fall where they raised $42.5 million.  Congrats to all the founders and employees over at MapAnything and for continuing to advance the Charlotte startup ecosystem.

QC Fintech has Class 10 in the building already.   The Demo Day for Class 10 is set for Tuesday June 11 and culminates in an full day event.  You can register for the full day conference – known as Fintech Generations here (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fintech-generations-tickets-55658964461).  The Demo Day for the Class 10 Cohort follows and is free.  You can register for that event also here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/queen-city-fintech-class-10-demo-day-tickets-58991659642.  Come out and support our local accelerator program and show them the southern hospitality Charlotte is known for. If nothing else, come out to see AvidXchange’s building and growing campus – it’s beautiful too.

 

William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener. 

Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance. 

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