Startup Stories

Lisa is the Founder at CRO at Verdethos, which is a cutting-edge supply chain management platform that is revolutionizing the way businesses approach sustainability and transparency in their supply chains. Their platform empowers sustainable sourcing, supply chain automation, and connects end customers with the stories behind their products' journeys. In a world where supply chains are traditionally manual and segmented, Verdethos leverages new technologies to provide a seamless exchange of pertinent ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) data and trade information from end to end. LinkedIn

In 2007, Drew Leahy founded his first technology company called Mybandstock. This forever changed his life and perspective on leading product teams, marketing strategy, and business development. They ran for over 3 years, raised 120k from angel investors, signed platinum artist clients and managers, and landed in Silicon Beach (Los Angeles). In 2014, he cofounded and ran SnapSuits.com to over $2M in revenue and an 800% return on advertising.In 2017, he joined Hawke Ventures and launched an incredible strategic venture firm.He decided to move to New Zealand to raise his family in 2023, which is when he joined Hillfarrance Venture Capital.

Greg White is a former Engineer, who since 2018 has been fully immersed in technical recruiting, focused on delivering the best technical talent in America. Greg prides himself in creative solutions to challenging recruiting problems and staying on the absolute cutting edge of technology. As part of this process, Greg currently performs comprehensive 30-60 minute technical screenings of candidates on behalf of HR and Engineering teams, using his experience and education to intensively screen candidates for technical fundamentals. Greg formerly founded a Staffing Agency called Peritus Global Services.

Ted Ramert is the Founder of Burst. Burst unlocks the power of App Clips, and provides an all-in-one service for creating apps that open instantly. Companies using Burst get access to cutting-edge technology, such as iOS app clips, push notifications, full-screen videos, commerce, and native forms.

Justin Rytych is the Owner and Head of Operations at The Hail Group, based in Colorado Springs, CO. The Hail Group is changing the body shop experience by providing exceptional customer service, consistent communication, and state of the art technology. They fix hail damaged cars, and do it well. They're in areas affected from hail storms, and have some of the best PDR technicians in the world with state of the art technology to provide great customer service.

Chris Hanson is a Business Owner and Entrepreneur based in the Chicagoland Area. Chris discusses his business focusing on lowering the risk for CTE within playgrounds, what went right, what went wrong, and what he has learned along the way

Neil Schuster is a Co-Founder and Merch Czar/Head of Business Operations at No Laying Up. No Laying Up is a company built around the goal of entertaining, informing and connecting a community of avid golfers around the world. In this episode, Neil discusses how NLU came to be, working on it as a side-gig and knowing when to go full time, as well as the growth of business, marketing, and customer base. No Laying Up

Jimmy Semrick is based in Chicago, IL and is the CEO & Co-Founder of Brella. Brella is a concentrated cocktail mix that has zero calories, zero sugar, and packs 15 cocktails into the palm of your hand! Jimmy discusses his start in sales within the Food & Beverage industry, and the insight he has gained both from bootstrapping and working for major grocery chains. User promo code START10 for 10% off your order at www.brelladrops.com Brella Instagram

Michael Leszczynski is a Co-Founder and Bassist for The Socially Acceptable Band (TSAB), based in Chicago, Illinois. Michael discusses his band's passion for music, how they got their start at a Battle of the Bands contest in college, and the transition from being a Cover Band to playing original songs. Over the past ten years, TSAB has grown quite a bit, and plays bar shows, weddings, and various other events. Check out their Spotify page for Original music!

Kabir Shukla is an executive-level product visionary with a proven track-record of building and scaling innovative software products across industries, totaling 25 iOS, Android, and web apps. He has an extensive background creating customer-centric and revenue-driven product visions, strategies, and roadmaps. To find out more about Kabir, head to Jiri Consulting!