Brian Matthews

Wondering about the Nebraska ecosystem resources. See the attached chart below…and more to come!

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Great article on page 74 about Josh Allen - one of OnCore's great shareholders and ambassadors!

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In 2013, Lori Torres felt an undeniable spark when she conceived the idea for Parcel Pending, a smart locker solution designed to tackle the package crisis in apartment buildings. Despite being the primary breadwinner in her family with a thriving real estate career, she took a monumental risk. She left her secure job, sold the family’s cherished home, and even persuaded her mother to risk her property for a loan. Within a year of these sacrifices, Lori had developed her first smart lockers. Her innovation soon caught on, with her lockers becoming a key solution for property management companies and residents. By the end of 2014, Lori’s commitment had not only secured her first major order but also attracted investors, setting the stage for tremendous growth. Within six years, Parcel Pending was sold for $100 million, turning her mother’s loan into a $1 million return and ensuring her family's future. Lori’s story highlights a key lesson for anyone seeking investors: truly committing to your vision can make a world of difference. By investing your own resources and security, you show investors just how dedicated you are to your idea. When you put everything on the line, it not only proves your commitment but also makes a strong case to potential backers. If you’re all in, it’s far easier to convince others to believe in your dream, and it could be the turning point in making it a reality. Are you prepared to go all in on your entrepreneurial dreams? Grab a copy of my book, “Thinking Bigger”, at the link below to read my personal experience chasing my dream and the advice I would share to anyone starting today. https://lnkd.in/dZpQYX6D #Entrepreneurship #WomenInBusiness #Startups #Investment #ThinkBigger

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ENTREPRENEUR WISDOM   The most reasonable plan is planning on your plan not going according to plan.   Venture With Vision   Steven James “SJ” Maranville, Ph.D. is chairman of Maranville Enterprises—a tiny titan catalyzing unicorn-bound ventures that it scouts, skills, and scales. A Strategic Advisor and Board Director, SJ is the Guide by the Entrepreneur’s Side. He uses his extensive expertise in business strategy to lead visionary entrepreneurs through the chaotic complexities of starting and scaling their high-growth ventures. These ventures are distinguished by the Intelligence Advantage. By partnering with Maranville Enterprises, entrepreneurs accelerate fledgling start-ups into gazelle scale-ups and escalate those gazelles into shake-up unicorn ventures that learn, adapt, and dominate.    Let's keep the conversation going! Share and discuss in the comments!  Let's spread the message! Share this with your network.   #Entrepreneur #Startups #StartupDevelopment #StartupVentures #BoardDevelopment

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I like what these guys are doing - building the "Tesla of boats" by merging silent electric motors with beautiful Scandinavian design. Here's their story. Can't wait to see these on the water here in the SF Bay! Thanks René Hansen #startups #raisingcapital #entrepreneurship #angelinvestors

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Thrilled to announce Next Frontier Capital's investment in Hoonify Technologies Inc. Andrew Clark, Victor Kuhns, and team bring decades of HPC experience from Sandia National Laboratories. Hoonify is NFC's first New Mexico investment! Hoonify’s innovation began by placing supercomputers at the edge – in offices, academic institutions, and homes – and liberating them from the traditional high hurdles of supercomputing. Providing immediate and personal access to this technology improves customer performance by up to 300%, achieving higher efficiencies with lower costs compared with alternative solutions. Currently, Hoonify serves U.S. Government and commercial companies in the aerospace and defense and biotech markets that demand accelerated results for their consequential modeling and simulation, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) workloads. With $3.75m in new funding, Hoonify provides clients supercomputing capabilities typically only available to a select few, will use the new funding to fuel additional growth for product enhancements and to position its software platform, TurbOS for entry into additional markets. TurbOS runs on any Intel CPUs or NVIDIA GPUs to enable faster computing performance through parallel computing - using the customer’s existing hardware or options including Hoonify’s all-in-one Cub Desktop Supercomputer. Let's go!

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These are a must read

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Energized after participating in the "AI Innovation Panel: Funding AI Powered Startups" at Columbus AI Week 2024 alongside brilliant minds in the AI and venture capital space. The discussion reinforced key insights on commercializing AI technologies that we've seen drive success in our portfolio companies at HauerX Holdings. 10 key commercialization insights for AI startups: 1. Laser focus on solving real business problems: Successful AI startups address specific, high-value pain points for enterprises. It's not just about having the most advanced AI, but delivering tangible, measurable value that's significantly better than incumbent solutions. 2. Proof of concept to proof of value: Move quickly from demonstrating technical capabilities to showing business impact. Quantify the ROI your solution provides to early adopters. As you build, focus on key metrics that demonstrate traction: number of customers, strategic logic in your GTM strategy, referenceability, revenue, and NRR. 3. Vertical or value chain-level AI vs. one-off GenAI LLM wrappers: Develop proprietary IP, a unique edge, or a differentiated, valuable solution that goes beyond simple AI implementations. 4. Clear go-to-market channel: Avoid selling into fragmented, undefined value chains. Establish a focused, efficient path to your target customers. 5. Execute extremely fast with compounded learning: Rapid iteration and learning from each customer experience is crucial in the fast-paced AI landscape. 6. Target a niche in a big, growing market: Find your specific place in an expansive, evolving sector. 7. Land and expand strategy: Start with a focused use case that delivers quick wins, then expand to adjacent problems within the organization. This builds trust and opens doors for wider adoption. Make sure your pricing and product strategy enables early trials but also flexes to enable and capture value from significant enterprise traction. 8. Co-innovation with customers: Engage closely with early customers to refine your product. Their feedback and use cases are invaluable for product development and future sales. 9. Clear, value-based messaging: Articulate your value proposition in terms of business outcomes, not technical features. Speak the language of your target buyers. 10. Navigate adoption challenges: Factors like AI awareness and readiness within enterprises, threat of lost jobs, lack of understanding, and stakeholder misalignment can decrease deal conversion. Control what you can by building a larger, strategic pipeline of opportunities and hack your way into trust and respect through strategies like channel partnerships. Grateful for the insights shared by my fellow panelists Sarah Lerner-Mantel and Tyler Mantel (Roll Tack Ventures), Navin Goyal MD (LOUD Capital), and our moderator Brett Renzenbrink. Congrats to the Enterprise Technology Association and Nexigen teams Summer Crenshaw, Zachary Huhn, and Jon Salisbury for another successful AI Week!

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With nearly 60% of the 2.34 million Baby Boomer small business owners lacking a succession plan, a potential leadership vacuum is emerging for the over 25 million people employed by these businesses. When succession planning is overlooked, the consequences extend beyond just a gap in leadership: 🔹 Loss of Knowledge: Owners often hold the most valuable institutional knowledge. Without a plan, this insight can be lost, leaving the next generation of leaders struggling to make informed decisions. 🔹 Decreased Business Value: Uncertainty and lack of continuity can deter potential buyers, making the business less attractive in the market. 🔹 Jeopardized Customer Relationships: Long-term relationships may falter without a clear successor to maintain those connections. 🔹 Employee Turnover: Without clear succession and transition plans, key talent may leave, leading to loss of expertise and operational stability. 🔹 Financial Instability: Costs associated with turnover, hiring interim managers, and lost revenue during transitions can disrupt financial stability. For small business owners, succession planning is more than just an exit strategy—it’s crucial for ensuring continuity, preserving business value, and supporting the employees, customers, and communities that rely on them. So, who can Baby Boomers turn to if they lack a succession plan? Is it time to start thinking about a successor, a potential buyer, or forming strategic partnerships? Let’s discuss how small business owners can safeguard their legacy and protect their workforce. #SmallBusiness #SuccessionPlanning #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #BusinessContinuity #Legacy #SmallBusinessOwners #coldborecapital #eta

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🎉 Three Cheers to Slava Yurkin, CCSSA’s project - TrueCall. 🏆🏆🏆 The startup pulled off a hat-trick at the June edition of soonami Venturethon, winning "On the Fast Track," "Best Live Demo," and "Best Code" tracks. This triple crown victory will unlock exciting prospects for the project - all the best to their journey! Here's more about Slava’s Journey: “I grew up in Kyiv, Ukraine, where my passion for technology and innovation led me to explore the world. My journey began with a deep interest in how emerging technologies can transform industries, eventually leading me to a career in business development focused on the tech sector.” - Slava Yurkin Slava Yurkin's guiding principle in business and life is clear: "Embrace change, and you'll discover new opportunities where others see obstacles." 💡 🚀 His future plans include enhancing TrueCall for B2C and B2B markets, expanding their audience and establishing TrueCall as a leader in trusted virtual communication. 🥇 Your Web3, AI, or Gaming project could be the next Venturethon’s winner (starts this October 7) - apply on our platform partner Foundance. All important links in the comment section 👇

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Instead of spreadsheets and plans, think customers, value, creativity, and business growth. Is it time to make a change? Check out The Value Creators Online Course at TheValueCreators.com #businessgrowth #innovation #customerdriven Per Bylund Mark Packard Davidrapp Rapp Bart Vanderhaegen Gordon Miller

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The practical application of AI to help manufacturers eliminate unplanned downtime is key to our current and future offering. We do not label ourselves as purely an AI company, as that is one component of our value delivery, but I can say we have a world class team of AI Engineers building incredible tech alongside a team of world class Condition Monitoring Engineers. I am bullish and excited to see how Central Ohio emerges as a global AI hub with Intel as an anchor. cc: Brian Graham, Seyed Mohammad Parvasi, Ph.D., Jaidev Krishnan, Matt Longhouse, Chris Berry

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In the cozy embrace of small towns, entrepreneurial dreams find fertile ground to flourish and expand. With minimal operating expenses, limited competition, and a tight-knit community ethos, small towns beckon to ambitious visionaries eager to establish their own ventures. This article is premised on the top 80 most profitable small town business ideas, and how to select the one that suitable.

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Brett Renzenbrink Scott Jacobs Tyler Mantel Ryan Retcher Patrick Henshaw Sue Bevan Baggott Some highlights from the panel Funding AI powered startups Midwestern companies that overlook raising capital in the Midwest are overlooking opportunities We’re in a valuation reset period, and what happens on the coasts is invest across the board and see what sticks, whereas investors in the Midwest are a bit more conservative and wait for the excitement to burn off before investing 20% of the nations GDP is generated in the Midwest but only about 3% of venture comes from the Midwest… something is off there Focus on solution <> market fit more than product market fit One of the most powerful things we have in the Midwest is an abundance of midmarket companies that are easier to get We’re seeing valuations at 4-7x times revenue in the market right now #cincyAIweek

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In this captivating episode of Construct Your Life Podcast, we sit down with Collin Trimble, a former petrochemical industry employee who took a bold step into entrepreneurship by acquiring a security company. Dive into an enlightening conversation that spans across topics of trust, business growth, family life, and leadership in the context of small business ownership. Listen as Collin shares his remarkable transition from a corporate job to becoming a CEO in the security industry, providing valuable insights and lessons learned along the way. Collin's career shift was based on trust and a desire for autonomy, serving as inspiration for those contemplating a significant change. He discusses the challenge of juggling family and business responsibilities, highlighting the importance of trust in the alarm industry. Collin stresses the significance of adapting to customer needs and the excitement of tackling larger projects. He shares how team confidence can help navigate uncertain times. Collin's sales background facilitated a seamless transition, emphasizing the value of responsiveness and swift proposal delivery in boosting close rates. Acknowledging the complexities of managing operations and service departments, Collin stresses the importance of clear expectations and consistent communication for effective employee management. Recognizing varying levels of work passion among employees can lead to better management and workplace harmony. 👉 Stop playing small, book a call! Link in bio 👉 For more information visit austinlinney.com 👉 The @constructyourlifepodcast is available on ALL platforms This episode is proudly sponsored by Leadhub: Your Growth Partner For The Trades. Visit https://www.leadhub.net to discover how Leadhub can amplify your business growth and success today! #MINDSETPODCAST #BUSINESSPODCAST #REALESTATEPODCAST Powered by www.podcastproducer.com

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Stony Hill Advisors, Inc. M&A Advisory services include M&A Coaching. If you've identified that acquiring a business (and/or additional businesses), selling your business, pursuing a merger (including reverse mergers), whatever it might be around M&A we can help. We can help you devise that strategy, and figure out what is best for your business. #MergersAndAcquisitions #BusinessGrowth #AskTheExperts #coaching #buyingabusiness Roy Y. Salisbury Geoff Miller Paul Visokey Joseph Radic Bryan Coble Dave Severance Johnny Cram Christopher Carroll

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Coming to a cattle ranch near you 🇺🇸 Im fascinated by second order effects of technology. Every now and again a company/technology comes along that not only changes how a job is done (farming), but changes how we use, and *value* the real estate adjacent to the job (farms) Commercial property people: if you could buy a warehouse, roll out some specific new tech, and increase its yield 1.5-2x in a year or two, that would be pretty sweet, right? Hear me out: Step #1 = buy cattle ranch 🐮 Step #2 = roll out halter: increase carrying capacity of land (~50% more cows), while decreasing labor and overheads (e.g. fencing, maintenance). Step #3 = profit! sell your newly higher yelling asset, or hold it for the long term and build a portfolio, roll up the neighbors.

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