Ep 14 – 2021 Review

In our final episode of 2021, we look back at our first year of The Founders’ Fable. We’ll discuss what we’ve learned, and what our guests have shared with us.

Specifically, we’ll discuss: the past year with Slingshot Ventures, take your time, failing fast, the importance of feedback and vulnerability in research, separating yourself from your business, being self aware in building partnership, exposure to new ideas and ways of thinking, believe in yourself and find your way, the human experience, writing your own story, and find what success means to you.

Ep 13 – Jessica Thurmond & Monica Schmiede

On episode 13, we’re talking with Jessica Thurmond & Monica Schmiede at Athelo, which is a startup focusing on empowering cancer patients with their data.

Topics we discuss include letting yourself get out of your box, avoid ‘it’s always been done this way,’ the foreign language of business, pivoting with your end goal in mind, what is Athelo and who’s it for, the call for positive change in healthcare, finding what’s important to your users (not you), ensuring scalability early, tackling imposter syndrome, believing in yourself, and how to be a storyteller.

Ep 12 – Sada Wane

This spooky October episode has us sitting down with Sada Wane: a multi-time founder who is currently working in the e-commerce logistics space. He’s currently the Founder and CEO of XpressRun, which is in the pre-launch stage and is expected to launch around November 15th.

This episode we’ll discuss: Transitioning to America, building your own journey, helping your community via a business, talk to your users about their problem, community driven development, you can’t build a perfect product, newest generation of entrepreneurship, representation matters, the future of XpressRun, the universal language of software, be as close to your user as possible, be willing to learn and change, and believe in yourself.

Ep 11 – Bob Doligale & Kevin Foley

On episode 11, we’re talking with our first ever duo! Bob Doligale and Kevin Foley started Splash Analytics in 2012 with former colleagues, and have been working together in some capacity over the last 30 years.

Topics we discuss include employee longevity, finding your cultural balance (especially during extreme growth), the importance of your 1st opportunity, services vs product startups, the desire in a market vs the lack of expertise, jumping form corporate to small business, building a company you want to work with, supporting your team not just as employees but as friends, and finding your complimentary business support group that can build you up.

Ep 10 – Chris Combs

Double digits! Chris Combs is our episode 10 guest. He’s a technology-based entrepreneur with a niche focus in document management and security. Chris has co-founded two startups, and his current company LinkSquares raised $40 million in their latest funding round.

Topics we discuss include the learning journey, problem validation, customer-centric business, Boston startups vs Louisville startups, competitiveness, advice distillation, managing investors, and the power of entrepreneurship.

Ep 9 – Carla Dearing

This Summer Spectacular, aka episode 9, features Carla Dearing. She’s a multi-time founder and investor with an expertise in fintech. Her passion for working with minority businesses has led her to help projects find capital and drive social impact.

Topics we discuss include Strategic Partnerships and how they affect capital, what is an institutional startup, women in the tech industry, understanding your strengths and weaknesses, separating yourself from your startup, how to find partners and cofounders, what it means to stay on after your startup is acquired, how to support marginalized founders, and the importance of collaboration.

Ep 8 – Paul Ford

This month we’re speaking with Paul Ford: an insurtech expert who has several startups under his belt.

We’ll discuss exposure to entrepreneurs, corporate burnout, learning and working for who you are, finding direction vs having a plan, Louisville’s authenticity, relinquishing control, life’s escalator, keeping your clarity, and writing your own story.

Ep 7 – Greg Langdon

We’re mixing it up a bit! This episode we sit down with Greg Langdon: an investor & startup advisor whose helped over 100 startups in the Louisville area.

We’ll talk about the current Louisville startup scene (and where we hope it’s going),  how exits can lead to a virtuous cycle, what has and hasn’t changed with startups over the years, what the ‘3 legs of a startups’ are, how to run towards problems, and the importance of marketing and sales.

Ep 6 – Charley Miller

Our April episode has us meeting with Charley Miller.  He’s a well experienced founder with several industries under his belt whose currently devising systems for organizations to cultivate their work culture and measure collaboration in new ways.

Topics we covered include finding your timing, the importance of culture, pivoting and failure, being a finder, control vs connecting, finding the right momentum, and never looking down.

Ep 5 – Lydia Henshaw

For our Women’s history month episode, we’re sitting down with Lydia Henshaw. She’s the founder and CEO of MoxieGirl – a startup whose on a mission to grow 10 million mentally strong, confident girls.

This episode, we discuss the corporate world vs startup environments, letting go and being human, being passionate, finding your level of preparedness, the importance of early data, being a woman in business, and building the right partnerships.

Ep 4 – Steve Huey

Our 4th episode has us talking with Steve Huey: a Kentucky entrepreneurial Hall of Fame Mentor of the Year whose an expert in integrating cutting-edge technologies into existing markets.

Topics we cover include adapting, research, and passion. Our biggest topic is investment dollars: who should and shouldn’t take money, and the implications of that decision. 

Ep 3 – Brandon Powers

In our third episode of The Founders’ Fable, David, Dan, and Savannah *virtually* sit down with Brandon Powers. We’ll talk about his founder’s journey, MVPs, constraints on startups, the importance of research, setting expectations, and prototyping products.  implications of that decision. 

Ep 2 – John Williamson

In our second episode of The Founders’ Fable, David, Dan, and Savannah conduct their first interview. We talked with John Williamson on his founder’s journey, touching on investments, partnerships, skillsets, and sales.

Ep 1 – Introduction

In the first episode of The Founders’ Fable, David, Dan, and Savannah talk about what Slingshot Ventures is, the Louisville startup scene, and how this podcast can help you!