No matter how you approach it, networking is always inevitable, particularly for entrepreneurs. And the number one issue when it comes to a lot of networking events is that they don’t deliver the results they always promise. But attendees aren’t the only ones who suffer from poorly coordinated and awkward networking events. Event hosts and sponsors lose out on the opportunities to collect valuable data about their attendees that can be used to determine audience demographics and adjust marketing...
May 07, 2020•17 min
There is not a successful company in the world that hasn’t faced its share of hard times. Whether it be a mass withdrawal of leadership, a shift in the company’s goals and objectives, or even a lack of resources and funding, there will be times when employees will find themselves extremely overwhelmed, confused, and on edge, especially right now. According to a recent study completed by Gallup, most disengaged employees can cost companies up to astonishing $550 billion a year in loss of producti...
May 05, 2020•50 min
The emergence of the novel coronavirus has led many tech leaders into a massive struggle on the ways to solve and respond to the pandemic crisis. Tech companies are now having to step up to the plate and help play a part in the coronavirus pandemic response, tapping into their wide-ranging resources to help experts get a handle on the spread of the virus and to fill in gaps in the government’s response. But it’s not clear yet how — or to what extent — those efforts could help bring the crisis un...
Apr 30, 2020•17 min
All signs are pointing to the same thing: there is an economic downturn on the horizon. If you’ve just recently started or have been running your company for a while, you probably know that there are always ups and downs when it comes to owning or starting a business. Market conditions can change, outside events like the global pandemic can affect demand, and sometimes, growth can stall simply due to cyclical reasons. As a leader, you have to prepare for such inevitable downturns. Even as you ga...
Apr 28, 2020•51 min
When confronted with a crisis like COVID-19, that has brought global uncertainty and record-high market volatility. Tech leaders are now forced to change the way their companies operate almost entirely overnight. This has had enormous ramifications for how companies are working. Leaders are now expected to be able to support and communicate with their teams with full transparency. But there is a silver lining, and that silver lining is that uncertainty can create opportunity–especially for compa...
Apr 21, 2020•38 min
While most people don’t ever want to experience a crisis situation like we are all involved in now, it’s always important to be prepared. Being able to effectively communicate during a crisis has now become a necessary and essential skill that every person needs to understand, especially when sharing empathy—for each other, for the community, and for customers. As you consider the best way to communicate with customers and as we collectively navigate the coronavirus crisis, consider the best way...
Apr 14, 2020•43 min
As an entrepreneur, creating new paths and making mistakes are part of the expected journey and adventure that we can face. Taking risks, especially those that don't pay off when launching when trying to launch a tech product, can become a very rocky adventure for a startup. These rocky experiences can lead to problems, business mistakes, or even the common technical issues that surround the product you're trying to produce. And this all ends up as a waste of the entrepreneur's most valuable res...
Apr 07, 2020•42 min
Have you been watching the economic roller coaster and wondering how it’ll affect your wallet? The fallout from coronavirus has been substantial, and economic cracks are beginning to emerge. Small business owners are beginning to share supply chain problems and a loss of sales. The travel industry is falling apart, and consumer spending has drastically decreased as consumers pull back from their usual daily purchases and routines. This has cause for alarm as many start to question their financia...
Mar 31, 2020•57 min
“Pivoting” might seem like a dirty word in business, but Jenny Blake has learned to embrace it. Not only that, but she’s built her career around it, becoming a business strategist, keynote speaker, and author who teaches others the positive value of pivoting. Blake is the author of Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One, and the creator of the Pivot Method, which distills all the wisdom she’s gained throughout her career to teach you how to change your business direction without fall...
Mar 24, 2020•57 min
Here at Powderkeg, we believe the rising remote work movement goes hand-in-hand with our mission to connect the amazing tech communities growing and thriving across the country. In a previous episode of the Igniting Startups podcast, the CEO and COO of Indianapolis-based Formstack shared how they built an exceptional remote culture spanning seven countries. Today, serial entrepreneur Liam Martin joins us to share some remote work secrets of his own. Liam is no stranger to managing a remote team....
Mar 17, 2020•1 hr 4 min
Podcasts are becoming more popular than ever. Just last year, Edison Research completed a study showing that 51% of Americans over the age of 12 have listened to some sort of podcast just in the year 2019. As a fan, it appears that while the demand for podcasts is increasing, the supply of shows available is growing at an extreme pace. To turn into competition in this deeply saturated market, current podcasts have had to be able to market themselves well but are struggling to find efficient tool...
Mar 10, 2020•14 min
There is no doubt about it: the tasks that happen in data science can be complicated and unpredictable. The way we do business, sell, promote, strategize, and grow in today’s world ultimately has become data-driven. That’s why you need to have a good team that can keep up with the data. Now most organizations, from small start-ups to large-scale companies, are using the help of data scientists and data-minded folks to tap into the many opportunities that data possesses. And some companies are on...
Mar 03, 2020•21 min
The world data science, analytics, and machine learning are rising up at an incredible pace, and companies are now searching for experienced data scientists and those who have a great fascination with data to sift through this growing goldmine of data and information to help them make and drive swift business decisions. Just recently, in a study conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, they estimated that an incredible 11.5 million jobs will be available in the field of data science by the y...
Feb 25, 2020•26 min
Hey there, Powderkeg fans! Nick here from the Powderkeg team. This is episode #124 of Powderkeg: Igniting Startups, the show for entrepreneurs, leaders, and innovators building remarkable tech companies in areas outside of Silicon Valley. Today we’re revisiting an interview where Matt spoke with entrepreneur Rodney Williams, Co-Founder, and CCO of LISNR, one of the most disruptive companies in the IoT space and the world of mobile connectivity. Rodney is a passionate entrepreneur with years of e...
Feb 18, 2020•46 min
Most, if not all, customers want better ways of solving their problems, whether it be with a service, an experience, or even a product. Being able to identify the real problem our customers experience every day can be the natural part of figuring out how to build a great product. The challenging part is being able to answer that problem or need with the right solution. When creating a great product, as entrepreneurs, we have to take a look at what our customer needs and what their problems are. ...
Feb 11, 2020•16 min
For most entrepreneurs, the word “traction” gets thrown around quite a bit, and it tends to be broadly defined for those in the startup scene who are looking for their first round of funding. But most startups have very little room or time to understand it before they hit a rock and hard place as the clock begins ticking as startup teams scramble to gain enough traction to obtain the next critical round of funding to survive. So why is this traction so essential and challenging to achieve? And h...
Feb 04, 2020•27 min
FinTech is well on its way to becoming one of tech’s hottest emerging technologies. From mobile payments to cryptocurrency, fintech startups are on fire. Investing in FinTech startups has been growing rapidly. Support for Fintech around the world has grown to a staggering $100 billion, fuelled by massive rounds of funding. With the expectation that FinTech companies are going to significantly continue to grow. But how is the world being affected by this growing investment in FinTech? And what wi...
Jan 28, 2020•20 min
As investors, we have a major role in building and creating opportunities for underrepresented geniuses — founders whose ideas and innovations are knowledgeable and led by their diverse backgrounds and experiences. It’s really surprising to know that the major difference between minority and majority startup founders is bleak. It's so bleak that less than 10% of all venture capital deals go to women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ founders. So how can we change the way VC’s think? And how can we be...
Jan 21, 2020•53 min
We’ve all heard about how the city of Oakland is becoming a rising counterpart to Silicon Valley. It’s becoming a rising and dynamic hub of innovation and creativity that is full of visionary innovators. But how is Oakland utilizing this amazing talent of creative, productive, and tech-savvy residents? And how is the entertainment industry in California collaborating with rising tech companies in entertainment tech? On today’s episode, we’ll be speaking with James Norman. James is a serial entre...
Jan 14, 2020•26 min
We all know that technology is influencing the future. From easier ways to communicate to money-saving software – technology is surrounding every part of our everyday lives, including education. Just recently here in Indianapolis, edTech startup Mimir was acquired by Silicon Valley based HackerRank— a developer skills platform that helps businesses evaluate software developers based on skill. No doubt, “ed tech” is starting to make big moves to create major headlines. That’s why on today’s episo...
Jan 07, 2020•21 min
Denver and Fort Collins for a longtime have been popular destinations for people across the country who are in search of beautiful scenery, fresh air, great food and healthy living. And over the past decade, the area has also become an amazing spot for entrepreneurs looking to build and launch their next great idea or even to find their next big investment. All I can say is… the Colorado tech scene is growing rapidly and it’s not looking to slow down anytime soon! On today’s episode, we’ll be sp...
Dec 31, 2019•13 min
In a market that’s more crowded than ever, today’s brands want to be louder and achieve more if they’re wanting to capture the attention of their target market. The phrase “Disruptive Branding” has started to make an insurgence and has started to lead the way as many companies are searching for new innovations and for new ways of reaching out to their specific audiences. But how can we build a disruptive brand? And what is innovation’s role in building disruption? On today’s episode, we’ll be sp...
Dec 17, 2019•59 min
Today we’re revisiting an interview where Matt spoke with two entrepreneurs from Nashville, Tennessee. Sashank Purighalla is the CEO of BOS Framework, a product framework that helps developers get an MVP to market quickly. Andrew Goldner is an entrepreneur, venture capitalist and founder of GrowthX, an investment firm that helps organizations commercialize innovation through capital, talent and know-how. Both Sashank and Andrew have a lot to say about building an awesome minimum viable product (...
Dec 10, 2019•56 min
Today we’re revisiting an old episode where Matt spoke with two amazing guests. The first being David Hall, a partner at the Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, a role that has taken him around the country to meet some of the most innovative startups in America’s burgeoning tech hubs. Joining David is Mike Preuss, the founder of stakeholder-reporting software Visible, which helps more than 2,000 companies on six continents track and share key business metrics with investors and other business partners. ...
Dec 03, 2019•53 min
Today’s episode is a recording of a live fireside chat we had this past week in Indianapolis where we discussed the topic of “Trends in Digital Health”. Joining me on this special podcast episode are two absolutely amazing guests who have been in the Indy tech scene for a number of years and have entrepreneurial experience with a focus in the healthcare tech space. First up is David DeRam. David has been founding successful companies for almost 30 years across multiple sectors, including startup...
Nov 26, 2019•53 min
Maintaining the best talent was simple when there were few companies hiring and employees felt stuck in their jobs. But today, it seems that holding the cream of the talent crop is a struggle for some companies. Especially with so many tech startups and big companies networking and recruiting the best available talent in the job market. Just recently in 2017, (CBRE) ranked the Raleigh-Durham area as one of the top tech talent markets in the country along with Forbes stating that tech jobs in jus...
Nov 19, 2019•22 min
Raising money from investors is never simple. Particularly for entrepreneurs who are new to the game and lack the relevant experience. A major reason why startups fail is that they lack the funds they need in order to function and develop. But lately, in Raleigh, North Carolina, there has been a drastic rise in the investments of startups. In a recent study completed by the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, there were ninety-four tech startups in the state have received more th...
Nov 12, 2019•20 min
As an entrepreneur, you’re searching for investors that are a good fit for your business, and investors are searching for essentially the same thing in reverse: Investors invest in people. Not just an idea, the magnitude of the industry, or the product. Investors gamble on your team's ability to perform on the idea presented. So how do you prove to potential investors that you’re able to lead and build the right team for the job? And how do you prove that your idea is going to pay off in the end...
Nov 05, 2019•51 min
Recently there has been a brand wave of up-and-coming, mid-sized cities that have been building and developing tech economies of their own, as they compete to bring new jobs, more residents, and an innovative energy to the local area. One of those areas that are predominantly focused on this rise in tech is the Raleigh-Durham area. Just recently, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina did a study that showed a 13% growth from 2013-2017, simply put, North Carolina’s technology ind...
Oct 29, 2019•15 min
Company culture can be the lifeblood of your company, it can inspire and fuel the great talent that is your team. But you have to be able to maintain that level of inspiration to keep your team engaged. Just recently, a 142-country Gallup report showed that 63% of employees are not engaged in their work and another 24% are actively disengaged, leaving a mere 13% of workers who are engaged at work. Simply put, 900 million employees are not engaged and 340 million are actively disengaged across th...
Oct 22, 2019•46 min
