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
UP065: Renewlogy // Turning plastic waste into fuel through chemical recycling
Interview begins: 7:00
Debrief begins: 47:40
Priyanka Bakaya is the founder and CEO of Renewlogy. Founded in 2011, Renewlogy has the technology to break down plastics into its basic molecular form, whe…
CC038: Casey Allen // building the Twin Cities enterprise SaaS community
Interview starts: 7:15
Debrief starts: 54:23
Casey Allen is the founder of Enterprise Rising, a Minneapolis-based conference specific to SaaS startup topics. 2020 will be Enterprise Rising's fifth year…
UP064: Fitt // curating health and wellness recommendations for your city
Interview starts: 6:25
Debrief starts: 49:00
Anthony Vennare is the cofounder and CEO of Fitt, a discovery platform that broadcasts different health and wellness opportunities and locations in differen…
UP063: Visible // powering communication for founders and investors
Interview starts: 7:45
Debrief starts: 49:27
Mike Preuss is the co-founder and CEO of Visible, an investor reporting platform for startups. Beginning in 2014, Visible is a completely remote company use…
JE016: 12 episodes of Christmas
Happy Holidays from the upside team!
Last year, we shared an episode called: JE006: eight crazy months of upside. This year, we're back and sharing the 12 episodes of Christmas — 12 exceptionally nota…
CC037: Neal Bloom of Fresh Brewed Tech // uncovering the past and building the future of San Diego
Interview starts: 5:50
Debrief starts: 47:39
Neal Bloom is the founder of Fresh Brewed Tech and the host of the podcast, Tacos & Tech.
Fresh Brewed Tech is a media company dedicated to raising awareness…
UP062: Mainvest // helping anyone invest in Main Street businesses
Interview starts: 6:07
Debrief starts: 49:30
Nick Mathews is the CEO and cofounder of Mainvest.
Based in Salem, Massachusetts, Mainvest began in 2018 with the incentive to provide investment opportuniti…
CC036: Matt Cordio of Skills Pipeline // Getting a lay of the land in Startup Milwaukee
Interview starts: 6:32
Debrief starts: 38:33
Matt Cordio is the founder and president of Startup Milwaukee.
Startup Milwaukee is a community dedicated to encouraging and growing Milwaukee's startup envi…
JE015: Thanksgiving 2019 // strikes, turkeys, and three things we're thankful for
This Turkey Day, we want to take the time to express our gratitude. We are so thankful for you, our listeners, for the startup movement happening between the coasts, and for the success that this pod…
CC035: Kim Jefferson and Lydia Beechler of BLASTmedia // building a holistic PR strategy for startups
Interview starts: 6:00
Debriefs starts: 44:11
Kim Jefferson is the Senior Vice President and Lydia Beechler is the Director of Accounts at BLASTmedia.
BLASTmedia is a nationally recognized PR agency tha…
UP061: The Bee Corp // using infrared to measure colony size to support beekeepers and growers
Interview begins: 6:49
Debrief begins: 47:27
Ellie Symes is the co-founder and CEO of The Bee Corp.
The Bee Corp is a startup focusing on improving and creating sustainable methods for commercial bee po…
CC034: Greg Robinson of 4490 Ventures // leading Series A/B rounds in underserved markets
Interview starts: 6:38
Debrief starts: 43:48
Greg Robinson is the Managing Director of 4490 Ventures.
4490 Ventures is an early stage venture fund based in Madison Wisconsin that invests in Midwest, tec…
UP060: Perceive // using spatial recognition to measure consumer behavior in the real world
Interview begins: 6:15
Debrief begins: 47:49
Everett Berry is the CEO and founder of Perceive, an experience-analysis computer vision software designed to give companies an automated method for analyzi…
CC033: Alex Rubalcava of Stage Venture Partners // investing in early-stage enterprise software
Interview starts: 6:23
Debrief beings: 48:05
Alex Rubalcava is a General Partner and Co-Founder of Stage Venture Partners, an L.A.-based VC firm that invests in upcoming software technologies.
Alex bega…
UP059: WorkHound // workforce retention via direct feedback from the frontline
Interview begins: 6:13
Debrief begins: 52:10
Max Farrell and Andrew Kirpalani are the co-founders of WorkHound.
WorkHound is a platform that allows frontline workers to provide feedback to the companies…
CC032: Kate Shillo Beardsley of Upslope Ventures // scaling early stage investments across the country
Interview begins: 7:10
Debrief begins: 44:55
Kate Shillo Beardsley is the Managing Partner of Upslope Ventures.
Formerly known as Galvanize Ventures, Upslope Ventures is committed to investing in early …
UP058: Audience Awards // creating opportunity for filmmakers through contests, festivals, and distribution
Interview begins: 7:35
Debrief begins: 48:15
Paige Williams is the founder and CEO of Audience Awards.
Audience Awards is an online platform that organizes contests and film festivals in hopes of provid…
CC031: building a network of generous entrepreneurs in the Midwest // a coffee chat with Joni Cobb (Pipeline Entrepreneurs)
Interview begins: 5:20
Debrief begins: 43:15
Joni Cobb is the founding President and CEO of Pipeline Entrepreneurs.
Pipeline is a network of high-performing entrepreneurs who call the Midwest home. Thei…
JE014: the update issue three // Test City, USA preview
A short episode this week discussing our latest issue of the update. The update is a quarterly publication that usually features editorials, trends, and stories happening outside of Silicon Valley.
We…
UP057: OROS Apparel // making outerwear obsolete with NASA-inspired technology
Interview begins: 6:05
Debrief begins: 45:15
Michael Markesbery is the co-founder and CEO of OROS apparel, an outdoor and sportswear company that has revolutionized the technology in outdoor clothing.
F…