upside
Named a top 27 business podcast by Fortune, upside examines startup investing outside of Silicon Valley.
Every Wednesday, we speak with an early stage founder. We interview them as if we are angel investors considering the company as an investment opportunity.
Each show has three segments:
1.) Intro: independent research of the company
2.) Interview: interview with the founder
3.) Debrief: breaking down the opportunity
Sometimes, we share Coffee Chats interviewing venture capitalists, community builders, and later-stage founders.
Subscribe and see why Business Insider called our podcast "Almost as Good as Getting an MBA."
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 59 minutes
- Episodes
- 219
- Years Active
- 2018 - 2021
UP072: Muxy // powering viewer engagement for live streaming
Interview begins: 6:29
Debrief begins: 51:16
Jared Steffes is the co-founder and COO of Muxy.
Founded in 2014 and based in Austin, Texas, Muxy is an online service that develops interactive features for…
UP071: BackpackEMR // electronic medical records for mobile clinics in remote locations
Interview begins: 7:50
Debrief begins: 51:01
Lori Most is the founder and CEO of BackpackEMR.
Based in Bloomington, Minnesota, BackpackEMR is a medical EMR software designed for mobile clinics in rural,…
JE017: "Test City, USA" official release
We've been waiting for today for a long, long time.
Last summer, we filmed and produced a full-length documentary about the startup ecosystem in Columbus, Ohio. The film is called Test City, USA and i…
UP070: Xena Workwear // stylish steel-toe shoes designed for women
Interview begins: 7:50
Debrief begins: 43:06
Anastasia Kraft is the founder and CEO of Xena Workwear.
Xena Workwear is a footwear and soon-to-be apparel company dedicated to designing stylish and safe a…
CC050: Matt Hunckler of Powderkeg // connecting talent to startups in the Midwest
Interview begins: 6:10
Debrief begins: 45:00
Matt Hunckler is the founder and CEO of Powderkeg.
Powderkeg is a platform connecting tech talent in the middle of the country to the Midwest companies they'…
CC049: Alex Lazarow // why the Silicon Valley playbook is outdated
Interview begins: 7:32
Debrief begins: 50:16
Alex Lazarow is the author or "Out-Innovate: How Global Entrepreneurs from Delhi to Detroit Are Rewriting the Rules of Silicon Valley."
Alexandre (Alex) Laza…
CC048: Mike Duda of Bullish // the strategic creative and capital partner behind brands like Casper, Birchbox, Peloton, and more
Interview starts: 6:20
Debrief starts: 1:02:12
Mike Duda is a Managing Partner at Bullish.
Bullish is a marketing operating partner focused on the growth business and has helped develop companies like B…
UP069: Relish // relationship coaching in the comfort of your own home
Interview starts: 6:15
Debrief begins: 49:25
Lesley Eccles is the founder and CEO of Relish, an app developed to help guild couples create healthy relationship skills and conversations.
Originally from …
CC047: Elias Torres of Drift // opening offices outside of silicon valley (live from Embarc Collective’s grand opening)
Interview begins: 5:29
Elias Torres is the co-founder and CTO of Drift.
Jay recently had the chance to talk to with Elias Torres at Embarc Collective in Tampa Bay. Having worked in software all his lif…
UP068: Fiveable // live-streaming test prep for AP classes
Interview begins: 7:02
Debrief begins: 51:37
Amanda DoAmaral is the founder and CEO of Fiveable.
Fiveable is an online streaming and content platform helping high school students study and master their …
CC046: Lakshmi Sarah // Storytelling in Virtual and Augmented Reality (live from CES 2020)
Interview starts: 6:05
Debrief starts:m 33:22
Lakshmi Sarah is the co-founder of Tiny World Productions. An educator and journalist, Lakshmi covers the intersection between VR/AR and storytelling, and …
CC045: Elizabeth Galbut of SoGal Ventures // the first female-led millennial venture capital firm (from CES 2020)
Interview starts: 6:10
Debrief starts: 43:34
Elizabeth Galbut is the Founding and Managing Partner of SoGal Ventures.
SoGal Ventures is the first female-led millennial venture firm, and they are leading…
CC044: Doug Clinton of Loup Ventures // exploring frontier technologies (from CES 2020)
Interview starts: 6:38
Debrief starts: 32:46
Doug Clinton is the managing partner of Loup Ventures. A Midwest-based venture firm, Loup Ventures was founded in 2017, and to date, they have made exciting…
CC043: James O’Connor of the Pittsburgh Knights // operating a professional esports team (from CES 2020)
Interview starts: 6:09
Debrief starts: 39:07
James O'Connor is the cofounder and president of the Pittsburgh Knights, a global esports team of 30+ players and streamers, headquartered in one of the mos…
UP067: eFuse // connecting gamers to professional opportunities & esports scholarships
Interview starts: 7:22
Debrief starts: 45:18
Matthew Benson is the founder and CEO of eFuse, a new platform used to connect anyone in or interested in the gaming world to other opportunities, talent, a…
CC042: Jordan Davis of Smart Columbus // Looking into the future of smart cities (from CES 2020)
Interview starts: 6:24
Debrief starts: 58:09
Jordan Davis is the Director of Smart Columbus for the Columbus Partnership, leading strategy and public-private partnerships for the Central Ohio region’s …
CC041: Bryan Darr of Ookla // demystifying the 5G revolution (from CES 2020)
Interview starts: 7:25
Debrief starts: 38:48
Bryan Darr is the Executive Vice President of Smart Cities at Ookla, the company behind Speedtest.net.
Bryan began his career in wireless communication back …
UP066: Locomation // commercializing autonomous trucking with convoy technology (from CES 2020)
Interview begins: 5:25
Debrief begins: 46:38
Tekin Meriçli is the cofounder and CTO of Locomation, a company focused on developing autonomous trucking. Founded in 2018, Locomation hopes to implement au…
CC040: Recapping CES 2020 with fellow Media Trailblazers Hayden Field (Entrepreneur) and Lindsay Bjerregaard (Aviation Week)
Interview begins: 4:02
This episode begins our coverage of CES 2020.
Lindsay Bjerregaard is a Digital Editorial Producer with Aviation Week and Hayden Field is an Associate Editor at Entrepreneur.
Lind…
CC039: Catharine Dockery of Vice Ventures // investing in good companies operating in “bad” industries
Interview starts: 5:40
Debrief starts: 32:25
Catharine Dockery is the founding partner of Vice Ventures, an NY-based early stage venture firm focusing on companies working in "vice" industries such as …