En Factor Podcast

Grupa: A Marketplace to match FAANG Engineers with Startup Founders

Samuel is the Co-Founder and CEO of Grupa, a Berkeley SkyDeck backed startup- which is a marketplace to match venture-backed startups with FAANG engineers for cash and equity.

Samuel co-founded Grupa in December 2019, and we are excited to learn more about the company. 

Grupa.io makes it easier for high-growth tech startups to work with product engineering teams from the FAANG companies for equity + cash to supercharge and accelerate their product engineering.

 

Key Words - Startup, engineering, venture capital  

Holiday Special with Little St. Nick Foundation!

Ray is a University of Tampa Alumni and a member of the Incubator Program here at the Lowth Center. Ray is the CEO and founder of the Little St. Nick Foundation, a non-profit organization that inspires kids in communities to help other kids in need who are hospitalized. They help kids in need through entertainment, education and activities. Their mission is to ease the fear, anxiety and isolation of sick kids both in and out of hospitals. Ray and the Little St. Nick Foundation is currently working with hospitals in New York and Tampa, and their goal is to expand into all 50 states to develop and nurture a nationwide culture of volunteerism and service to others amongst kids of all ages.

 

Key Words - Non-profit, partnerships, mission 

Transforming Customer Data with RudderStack w/Soumyadeb Mitra

Soumyadeb is the founder and CEO of a successful Series A startup- RudderStack, which was founded in June 2019 and raised $26M in funding so far.

Before starting RudderStack, he was also a founder of a B2B ad-tech platform called MarianaIQ which got acquired by 8x8. Soumyadeb has a PhD in Computer science from the University of Illinois and resides in the Bay Area now.

 

Key Words - Raising capital, startup, entrepreneurial venture 

Reposting Our Conversation With Bill McGill- Turning Problems Into Opportunities

Reposting our conversation with Bill McGill. He is the founder and Executive Chairman of MarineMax, the nation’s largest recreational boat and yacht retailer. Bill is an award-winning boating industry leader with over 40 years of experience. He has led MarineMax into the Boating Industry’s Hall of Fame, after twice being awarded the number one dealer in the US. As a lifelong water skier and boater, he has a passion for the industry and is dedicated to helping his customers enjoy the boating lifestyle. In this episode, we talk about leadership, turning your passion into a business, and opportunity recognition. 

 

Key Words - Opportunity recognition, motivation, passion  

How to Excel in Marketing and Sales- w/Jonathan Lubic

Today's guest is Jonathan Lubic. Jonathan and his co-founder Alex Onaindia, created Distinction Agency, a full-service firm that specializes in athlete and influencer marketing. They represent the finest content creators in entertainment, food, lifestyle, sports and travel. Distinction Agency excels in strategic partnerships with various brands around the world. With the support of holistic PR strategies and social media marketing, they develop and execute creative influencer marketing strategies to amplify their client's brand stories and reach millions of people worldwide. In today's episode, Jonathan and I cover a wide range of topics including his guidelines for successful business development and personal selling, what his firm looks for when hiring and partnering, and how he and his co-founder Alex have built a lean organization that is open to all the new opportunities emerging in technology. 

Key Words - Marketing, content creation, partnership, technology 

Reposting Our Conversation with Jeff Madoff- Making a Living with Your Ideas

Today we are reposting our conversation with Jeff Madoff. Jeff is a film producer, director, playwriter and entrepreneur. He is the founder of New York City-based video production company, Madoff Productions, and author of Creative Careers: Making a Living With Your Ideas. Jeff has edited and directed award winning commercials, documentaries and web content around the world for clients such as Ralph Lauren, Tiffany, Radio City, The American Academy of Dramatic Arts and Harvard University.

 

Key Words - Production industry, career development, startup venture 

Turning Credit Unions into FinTech Companies- w/Nicholas Hinrichsen

Today's guest is Nicholas Hinrichsen, this is Nicholas' second time on the show and I am very excited to talk about what he and his company has achieved since we last spoke. Nicholas went to Stanford Business School in 2011 and started a digital automotive retail company after graduating in 2013. Nicholas and his co-founder Chris Coleman went through the startup accelerator YCombinator and raised a total of $10M in Venture Funding before they sold the business to Carvana in 2017. Nicholas left Carvana to start his new company, Clutch. Since we've talked, Clutch has grown to have 21 employers and has raised $16 million in venture funding. Nicholas and his team have grown to have an annual run-rate of $500M in refinance applications. In today's episode, we talk about how to scale a company, when to pivot, and Nicholas's company, Clutch. 

Key Words - Funding, startup, company scaling, accelerator  

From Entrepreneurship to Finding her Purpose, Breast Cancer Survivor Shares Her Story- w/Denise Durgin

Today's guest is Denise Durgin. Denise is a Patient Experience Performance Advisor at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus in Fairfax Virginia. Before her work in patient experience, Denise worked for 25+ years at Marriott International and The Ritz-Carlton in sales and marketing leadership roles. After leaving Host, Denise became a certified executive coach credentialed with the International Coach Federation. She launched her own executive coaching business and worked one on one with Fortune 100 leaders. Three months after she launched her business, she was unexpectedly diagnosed with Stage IIB breast cancer. After surgery Denise had 28 treatments of proton radiation at The Maryland Proton Treatment Center.  She had a hard time getting her insurance to approve her case, when she eventually did, she knew she wanted to give back. She has published a book, Prescription for Proton Radiation that is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. In this episode, Denise speaks about how to be a great leader, elevating the patient experience in health care, and her inspiring story of hard work, strength, and resilience. 

Creating a Transformational Online Tutoring Business- w/Samyr Qureshi

Today’s guest is Samyr Qureshi, the Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Knack, the leading peer tutoring platform for colleges and universities. Samyr has been featured on Inc.com as a Top 30 Entrepreneur to Watch, was recently inducted to the 2020 Class of Forbes 30 Under 30 - Education, named Emerging Tech Leader of the Year by Tampa Bay Tech, and featured in Tampa Bay Magazine’s Top 10 Under 40 for 2021. Knack is now used in 25 college campuses and is continuing to expand across the country.

From Small Business to Industry Leader- w/Donna Salyers

To receive 10% off any purchase from Fabulous Furs, visit https://fabulousfurs.com and enter the code 'FAB1021' at checkout. 

Donna is the owner of Donna Salyers Fabulous-Furs, a luxury faux-fur brand. Donna harnessed her passion for cruelty-free fashion and creative excellence to grow her brand from creating a faux-fur coat in her basement to an internationally renowned, successful brand. Her company now has customers in 46 countries and is sold in over 1,000 high-end retail doors. Her furs can be found in Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Gorsuch and other luxury boutiques and hotels throughout the country. Fabulous-Furs have appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Today Show, Miss USA/Universe, The View, CSI Las Vegas, Gossip Girl and many other TV shows. Donna has been profiled in People Magazine and twice in the Wall Street Journal and honored for community service by countless organizations. Donna and Fabulous-Furs continue to be leaders in the faux fur industry and in January, Cincy Chic named Donna Woman of the Year.