Innovation City

"Venture capital and funding is definitely a game of relationships." — Austin Woods Today’s guest is Austin Woods, Analyst at Lewis and Clark Ventures. Early into his career, Austin knew he wanted to leave behind academia to pursue a less conventional life as a venture analyst. He made the segue with a desire to build business models that would help improve educational and social outcomes. The possibilities for better economic approaches in different social systems is what inspires his work. In this episode, Tyler and Leigh-Ann sit down with Austin to explore his approach to "getting the boots on the ground" when it comes to solving problems, finding more interesting ways to meet the needs of ventures, producing quality publications, and much more!

"Come with an idea! Come with a collaborative spirit! Come with a bias for action!" - Yvena Atkins  Today’s guest is Yvena Atkins, Strategy Manager for Accenture. Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services in strategy and consulting, interactive, technology and operations. Yvena is the kind of thinker that can and will break barriers. She understands how to make connections to solve hard problems and drive innovation. She works toward meaningful solutions with insight, empathy, and a purpose grounded in personal and professional experience. In this episode, Tyler and Leigh-Ann lean in and listen to Yvena talk about what it really takes to infuse innovation to help companies and communities grow, how intelligent technologies are going to change the way we live and work, the challenges of making a collective impact, and much more!

"If you are curious about things, you are going to learn more, dig more, and figure out ways to make things better" - Tricia Zimmer Ferguson Today’s guest is Tricia Zimmer Ferguson, owner of Kaldi's Coffee Roasting Company. Coming from a third generation entrepreneurial family, Tricia says running a business is in her DNA. Ferguson says she didn't expect to land herself in the coffee business, but rather stumbled happily upon it. For her, coffee is an experience that brings people together and that is what fuels her passion. In this episode, Tyler and Leigh-Ann sit down with Tricia to get the grind on her drive to create the perfect cup of coffee, her passion for making an impact, how she makes and sustains global connections, and much more!

"I feel most alive when I'm solving problems." - David Lekach   Today’s guest is serial entrepreneur, David Lekach. Lekach inherited the entrepreneurial spirit from his father who is the founder of the well known fragrance company Perfumania. Lekach lives to solve problems and create businesses admitting he has few interests outside the world of start-ups. In this episode, Tyler and Leigh-Ann have a lively talk with David about how Dream Water was conceived, the importance of making connections and being resourceful, how product placement is everything, why experience is the best teacher, and much more! 

"My purpose is to be a better person every day that I wake up."  - Kenneth "ToJo Bigg Dawg" Gibson   Today’s guest is Kenneth "ToJo Bigg Dawg" Gibson, CEO of Bigg Dawg Entertainment. Gibson is from St. Louis and his hometown connections helped him see the opportunities needed to start his business. He built his business plans while serving an 8 year incarceration. He says he used his time in prison as "training for manhood" skipping card games and hang outs to spend time in the library, taking cues from mentors and learning about accountability and spirituality. In this episode, Tyler and Leigh-Ann invite the "Bigg Dawg" to take the stage on entrepreneurship, lessons learned from the school of life, finding purpose and much more!

"What matters is how we can help each other." - Alexandra Fuente    Today’s guest is Alexandra Fuente, Founder and CEO at Woxer. Woxer is an apparel company that designs boxer briefs for women. The company is still in its infancy and has already enjoyed rapid growth and expansion. Fuente is driven to make a superior product that is sensible and sustainable. She aspires to become a venture capitalist and support other women who want to build businesses. While she has always dreamed of being a CEO her greater motivation is what she can give back to the world. In this episode, Tyler and Leigh-Ann sit down with Alexandra to investigate the seams of her startup, her experiences as a minority business owner, the importance of taking the right risks, hiring the right people, going with your gut and much more!

“Digital inclusion and access to devices or wireless, at this point, is a necessity." - Giovanni Castro Today’s guest is Giovanni Castro, State and Local Government Manager at Verizon. Verizon is working to improve digital inclusion in Miami and South Florida by working in collaboration with local government and nonprofits to provide improved wireless accessibility. As a Cuban American, Giovanni has experienced first hand the impact that inequality has on lives and communities. He knows how difficult it is to make progress without needed resources. His understanding of the “pulse” of the communities he serves puts him in a unique position to make an impact and gives him a real shot at closing the digital divide. In this episode, Tyler and Leigh-Ann sit down with Giovanni to explore his multifaceted career, the passions that drive him to make a difference, the realities of inequality, how the 5G revolution is making things better, bigger, and faster, and much more!

"We are not here to see through people, we are here to see people through." - Uhriel Bedoya Today’s guest is Uhriel Bedoya, Florida General Manager at Lime. Lime is a micro-mobility company that is changing how we move in cities. With over a million rides, Lime is one of the first and leading scooter start-ups. In this episode, Tyler and Leigh-Ann sit down with Bedoya to get the juice on how micro-mobility is improving communities, why designing and building products that break barriers create smarter cities, how the start-up is tackling the competition, and much more!

Today’s guest is Rebecca Danta, Managing Director at Miami Angels. Miami Angels is the largest and most active angel network in Florida, which funds Seed and Series A technology companies with early traction across various sectors. At Miami Angels, Rebecca has helped deploy over $4.5 million into 18 deals while building a sustainable, independent business model for the organization. Rebecca is a Miami native and passionate about investing into markets and teams that are often overlooked in traditional venture capital. She serves on the board of the Florida Venture Forum, Refresh Miami, and is a Class XI member of Miami Fellows. In this episode, Rebecca sits down to discuss being a minority investor,  the ways she is providing opportunities for women and people of color through investments, what she looks for in a company before investing, and much more!

“Procedures change, principles don’t.” - Jayson Wells Today’s guest is Jayson Wells, Experience Teller, Author, and Enhancement Coach. Jayson is a former professional basketball player who now travels around the country developing extraordinary winners so they can go inspire and motivate the world.  He is the author of “The Things We Know, But Do Not Do”, a book to help educate parents, athletes and coaches about what’s most important during your journey through sports. In this episode, Jayson sits down with the Innovation City team to discuss his “why,” how his years of playing basketball have shaped who he is, his key to being an effective storyteller, and much more!

A good team member is not going to join an idea that doesn’t have traction. A good idea solves everything. - Jimmy Hendricks Today’s guest is Jimmy Hendricks, General Manager of Lee Labs and Founder of Agency Maestro. Lee Labs is the technology venture group of Lee Enterprises. Lee Enterprises is a leading provider of local news, information and advertising in 50 markets across 21 states. His newest venture, Agency Maestro, is a SAAS platform designed to help any type of agency to manage their clients, track client work, store documents, and assets, create invoices, and bill their clients. Jimmy sits down with the Innovation City team to discuss his entrepreneurial background and journey, St. Louis’ busy and growing entrepreneurial ecosystem, the importance of raising capital after you’ve proven traction, his 2 biggest takeaways from his career thus far, and much more.

“Inclusion allows people to not only be at the table, but to play a role and feel like they are a part of the ecosystem.” - Leigh-Ann Buchanan   Welcome to Season 3 of Innovation City, a podcast featuring innovators, creators, and disruptors to discover how business is changing in the modern world.   Today’s guest is Leigh-Ann Buchanan, Executive Director of Venture Café Miami. Leigh-Ann is the founding Executive Director of Venture Café Miami. Under her leadership, VCM’s innovation programming has attracted over 45,000 innovators, resulting in content partnerships with 1000+ organizations and 1500+ free educational sessions. She is also the founder of the Nyah Project, an author, facilitator and frequent speaker on strategies for inclusive innovation ecosystems, entrepreneurship-led economic development, experiential leadership development and impact models and social justice innovation. We are so excited to have Leigh-Ann joining us not only for this first episode of season 3, but to be joining Tyler as a c

Today’s episode is the last of several highlight shows where we took a look back at our top 20 favorite interviews and conversations of all time. Our last featured guest of this series is Anastasia Mikhalochkina, Founder at Lean Orb. Anastasia is an advocate for sustainability in South Florida. Lean Orb offers food service packaging made from plant-based materials, with a goal of ultimately replacing plastic and styrofoam with greener, more sustainable options.

Today’s episode is the fourteenth of several highlight shows where we are taking a look back at our top 20 favorite interviews and conversations of all time. Today’s featured guest is Ashkan Karbasfrooshan, CEO at WatchMojo. WatchMojo is one of the largest YouTube channels in the world when measured by all-time views (13 Billion) and subscribers (22 Million). Ashkan has a track record of launching, building and scaling content companies with advertising supported models. 

Today’s episode is the thirteenth of several highlight shows where we are taking a look back at our top 20 favorite interviews and conversations of all time. Today’s featured guest is Samuel Achilefu, PhD, the Director of the Optical Radiology Laboratory at the Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Achilefu is a professor of Radiology, Biomedical Engineering, and Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics. He performs groundbreaking research in the field of cancer research, including the invention of cancer goggles, which were developed to help surgeons see and remove cancer in patients.

Today’s episode is the twelfth of several highlight shows where we are taking a look back at our top 20 favorite interviews and conversations of all time. Today’s featured guests are Freddy Sidi, President and CEO of Chargello and Janisse Rosario-Schoepp, M.P.H., Ph.D., the Vice President of Operations and Strategy at Health Foundation of South Florida. Freddy is a serial entrepreneur whose first company (started when he was just 20 years old) quickly became one of the largest CLECs in the entire United States. Janisse plays a critical role in the Health Foundation’s work to improve the health and economic well-being of communities in South Florida. Tune in as both featured guests discuss common challenges around entrepreneurship, business scaling, community engagement, and more! 

Today’s episode is the eleventh of several highlight shows where we are taking a look back at our top 20 favorite interviews and conversations of all time. Today’s featured guests are Ben Mizes, CEO and Co-Founder of Clever Real Estate and Miriam Dorsett, Connection Doctor at Chibur. Ben is a serial entrepreneur with experience in business development for institutional homebuyers, working with startups, and raising venture capital raising investments. Miriam is a full-time artist, entrepreneur, and community activator focused on building community, creating connections, exploring how technology can support artists, and highlighting sustainability. Tune in as both guests discuss common themes around the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, growing strong businesses, community engagement, and more! 

Today’s episode is the tenth of several highlight shows where we are taking a look back at our top 20 favorite interviews and conversations of all time. Today’s featured guest is Felecia Hatcher, Author & Co-Founder of Code Fever. Felecia is on a mission to rid communities across the globe of innovation deserts by working with community leaders and government officials to create inclusive and diverse tech/startup ecosystems. She is also a White House Award winning entrepreneur, bestselling author, and globally sought-after speaker.

Today’s episode is the ninth of several highlight shows where we are taking a look back at our top 20 favorite interviews and conversations of all time. Today’s featured guest is Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, Founder & CEO of Radical Partners. Radical Partners is an accelerator for social-impact ventures based in Miami, FL.

Today’s episode is the eight of several highlight shows where we are taking a look back at our top 20 favorite interviews and conversations of all time. Today’s featured guest is Greg Hewitt, CEO at DHL Express (U.S.). Greg has over 25 years of experience in the corporate world and has been with DHL for 18 years. DHL is a leading international postal and logistics company with over 10,000 employees in the US.