Friday Feb 2 | 9:00-12:00PM
Meet 1-on-1 w/ the Experts you need –
100% VIRTUAL Format
Innovate New Albany created Expert 😎 Office Hours to make it easy for business owners & aspiring entrepreneurs to get the answers they need.
Please set all your appointments by 12 Noon, Thursday 2/1/24.
We will end registrations at Noon, so our Experts can plan their Thursday schedules.
STEPS
1. Review our roster of Experts, below
2. Click on the link below the Expert’s name to schedule an appointment
3. Make individual appointments w/ the experts you need – just ONE – or, up to a maximum of SIX
4. You’ll receive an email & a calendar invitation – w/ a Zoom link for each appointment
5. Fri Feb 2: at time of each appointment, click on Zoom link to meet w/ your selected Expert
NOTES
1. For most of you, a personal computer will be the best means to access your Expert meetings via Zoom; no need to download software
2. Questions? Email Neil Collins at “neil@InnovateNewAlbany.org”
Schedule up to six 30-minute meeting(s) below:
Ryan Steele | Porter Wright
Startup & Emerging Business Law
At Porter Wright, Ryan Steele helps early stage entrepreneurs choose optimal business structures and complete the documentation needed to establish their business foundation, grow and expand, and ultimately exit on their own favorable terms.
Ryan also handles corporate contractual matters to bring mergers, acquisitions, financing, startup operations, and other general business transactions to fruition. Combining business operations knowledge with legal acumen, Ryan efficiently executes complex business contracts so that rapidly growing companies, business owners and early stage entrepreneurs can cost-effectively achieve their growth goals.
Ryan also brings great business savvy to his client relationships. Having managed an office of over 100 people, Ryan can apply his first-hand knowledge of everyday business functions including project management, employee management, and independent contracting, providing practical counsel to fast-growing entities so they can overcome challenges and achieve their business goals.
Great Questions for Ryan:
- Incorporating Your New Business – What forms are possible and the pros/cons of each
- Capital Tables – How to structure company ownership to ensure achieving my long term goals?
- Business Operating Agreements – What are these and when does my business need one?
- Liability – How do I protect myself and my business?
- Written Contracts – When and why should my business use them?
- Regulation & Red Tape – What docs must I file to comply with laws/rules for my industry?
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Ryan.
Kaylee Willis | Porter Wright
Intellectual Property (Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights)
Kaylee is an intellectual property attorney who practices in the areas of patent, trademark, copyright, biotech and technology law. She works with clients on a wide variety of technologies, including food science, chemistry, biotechnology, medical devices, consumer products, product packaging, automotive technology and electrical appliance technology.
Kaylee drafts and prosecutes all stages of U.S. utility and design patent applications, as well as trademark applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). She also manages, prosecutes and enforces foreign and international patent and trademark portfolios. Kaylee also handles intellectual property licensing issues and other technology transactions.
In addition, Kaylee is experienced with enforcement of intellectual property rights, including litigation in patent, trademark and copyright infringement matters. She counsels clients on patentability opinions, infringement analyses and validity inquiries, and also handles cease and desist issues.
Great Questions for Kaylee:
- What is the difference between patents, copyrights and trademarks?How do I protect my IP?
- What is the process like to get a patent?
- What is the process like to get a trademark?
- How much does it cost, on average, to get and obtain a patent?
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Kaylee.
Scott Longnecker | Huntington National Bank
Loans & Banking Services for Startups & Small Businesses
Scott Longnecker has over 20 years of experience in the finance and banking industry. His role as a Business Development Officer Sr has allowed him to develop a deep understanding of his client’s financial situations and to come up with solutions to help business customers like you reach your financial goals. Scott helps clients walk through the steps on how to obtain commercial loans, real estate loans, lines of credit, Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, and more.
Great questions for Scott:
- How do I obtain commercial loans?
- What are the advantages of an SBA loan? And do I qualify?
- How do I secure real estate loans for my business?
- When should I be securing lines of credit?
- What other banking services are available to help a business like mine?
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Scott.
Eric Pace | Book + Street
Accounting, Treasury, and Financial Modeling
Eric has worked over 15 years in Corporate Treasury and Finance roles for financial services companies including KeyBank, Huntington, and JP Morgan Chase. Eric played an important role in managing through the 2008 financial crisis and the additional governance, regulation, and risk management practices. He developed complex financial models to improve capital, liquidity, and credit risk management and has extensive experience in stakeholder interaction in the board room and with investors and rating agencies. He has experience leading the finance function at Konzortia Capital, a SaaS startup specializing in AI/ML technology to improve deal flow management for venture capital and private equity.
Eric earned a bachelor’s in management from Case Western Reserve University with a finance concentration, as well as a bachelors in accounting and has held a Certified Treasury Profession designation (inactive).
Great Questions for Eric:
- What are my options for raising capital? What is better, debt, preferred, equity, etc?
- What are the benefits of having a disciplined financial process and system in place?
- What is the role of a CFO in my business? What can I expect and how is it different from a standard accountant or bookkeeper?
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Eric.
Jen Meek | Book + Street
HR and Talent Solutions
Jennifer is a result-driven executive, guiding leaders in laying the foundational work of their talent strategy. Going beyond the everyday Human Resources issues, she aligns people strategy with the overall goals and objectives of an organization. This intentional and authentic approach leads to identifying areas where an organization can continue to develop and thrive.
Her vast experience in the talent solutions arena also makes her a sought out subject matter expert. She is knowledgeable in C Suite issues that impact workplace culture, team dynamics, and internal communications strategies. A dedicated and passionate leader, Jennifer can provide personalized service, create meaningful and lasting relationships, and achieve profitable results.
Prior to Book+Street, Jen has 25 years of senior leadership experience, she served as Vice President of HR for a multibillion-dollar private equity-owned company in the oil and gas industry, with 1500 employees in 22 countries. Additionally, Jen was the President, CEO, and member of the Board of Directors of an HR consulting organization for 12 years.
Jen’s undergraduate degree is in Marketing from Bowling Green State University, and her Master’s in Business Administration is from Miami University of Ohio. She has served on many boards over the years and is currently a member of the Board of Advisors for Modern Ice Equipment and Supply.
Great Questions for Jen:
- How do you build and sustain a conscious culture?
- What are strategies that you can deploy to attract, recruit and retain top talent?
- What are the keys to leading executive team communication?
- How can you effectively and efficiently hold your team accountable?
- Learn effective ways to articulate mission, vision and values for your company.
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Jen.
Lora Brown | Bookkeeping Simplified By Lora
Bookkeeper/Quickbooks Online Pro
Lora Brown has over 25 years experience with QuickBooks and Bookkeeping. She offers professional bookkeeping services anywhere in the United States. Her company is called Bookkeeping Simplified By Lora. She is also a QuickBooks Online Pro Advisor. Lora has a Bachelor of Science from Ohio University.
Bookkeeping Simplified By Lora’s mission is to partner with small business owners and take the stress off of their company by taking care of the financial aspects so they can focus on what is most important – growing their business! Building relationships with clients is extremely important in this industry. She will always have your financial health up to date and accurate.
Great questions for Lora:
- I don’t have time to keep track of my expenses; can you get/keep them organized?
- What range of services does a Bookkeeper provide?
- What’s the best QuickBooks Online (QBO) Subscription for my business?
- What great new features have been added to QBO?
- Can I convert my QuickBooks Desktop version to QBO?
- How do I manually upload bank transactions to QBO if the bank connection is not working?
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Lora.
Tushar Kulkarni | Big Kitty Labs
Software Solutions to Meet Your Needs
Tushar has over 25 years of experience managing small to large-scale projects & teams
& delivering innovative tech solutions. Tushar founded Big Kitty Labs to pursue his passion for innovative tech solutions and bringing them to different domains. Under Tushar’s
leadership, Big Kitty Labs has successfully designed & delivered 200+ software systems in domains ranging from the government sector, healthcare, education, automative, aviation, agtech and sports.
Great questions for Tushar:
- What were the initial challenges one faces when starting their tech company, and how can one overcome them?
- How does one validate their tech idea or solution in the market before diving into development?
- What were the key steps that one can take to build a talented and cohesive tech team
- What strategies can one employ to market and promote your tech product or solution
- Can you share any lessons learned or mistakes made during the early stages of your tech venture?
- How does one navigate the competitive landscape and differentiate your tech product from existing solutions?
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Tushar.
Brad Griffith | Buckeye Innovation
Web Strategy & Engineering
Brad Griffith is President of Buckeye Innovation, the web strategy and engineering agency he started in 2009. Prior to starting Buckeye Innovation, Brad spent several years consulting and developing web applications in-house for a variety of companies including JPMorgan Chase, QUALCOMM, and the Go Big Network. Brad earned his Masters in Business Administration after completing his Bachelor’s in Electrical and Computer Engineering with honors, both at The Ohio State University.
He has more than 20 years of web development experience and has worked from coast to coast with small and large companies, educational institutions, non-profit organizations and government agencies to build innovative web solutions.
Great questions for Brad:
- What is the best way to get my website started?
- How do I start planning an application for my business?
- How can I improve my site for better SEO?
- What different ways can I start building my company’s brand?
- How can I refresh or redesign my website?
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Brad.
Ron Savoia | Stratus Innovations Group, LLC
IT Consulting, Azure PaaS Application Development
Ron Savoia has over 30 years of experience in IT consulting, starting with his first engagement with CompuServe in 1993 to help with their migration to WindowsNT and SQL Server for their new Email platform. He used this experience to join Microsoft’s new Enterprise Consulting Team, Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS), where he worked Nationwide, Limited and JPMC (BankOne at the time), and eventually running MCS’ Central Region Financial Services practice. He spent the last 3 years in MCS incubating the professional services needed to deploy the Microsoft offering that eventually became Office 365 and Azure.
Ron continued the focus on Cloud Services when he founded Stratus Innovations Group in 2010, working with local and global organizations to help develop their Cloud strategies, including Nationwide Childrens Hospital and Cardinal Health. Stratus Innovations Group now has a global reach of reach of working with Enterprise and Mid-Market companies in deploying Cloud Services for their IT infrastructure and line-of-business applications, including Ceridian, MKS/Spectra-Physics, Hexagon, PowerGrid Services, OrthopedicONE, BroadStreet Partners, and The Energy Cooperative.
Stratus Innovations Group’s vision is to become a software platform startup, where they recently released IT-Gig.com, which is a platform specifically for IT Service Providers.
Great questions for Ron:
- What is the best way to get your first IT services customer?
- Why do customers utilize IT contractors vs using FTEs?
- Is it possible to have an IT contracting side-job while having a full-time job?
- What is the difference between Azure and AWS from a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) applications, and why would you use one over the other?
- How do you differentiate the IT services you provide vs the many other providers in the market?
- How do you scale/grow a sole proprietor IT Services organization?
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Ron.
Satish Albert | E2 Infosystems
Custom Software & App Development
Satish Albert is Founder & CEO of E2 Infosystems. Satish offers a unique combination of experiences: enterprise software development and practical entrepreneurial a, the latter gained while bootstrapping and then selling his own successful SaaS startup. Satish has an advanced degree in computer science and deep experience leading development teams at premier tech companies including: AT&T, Lucent Technologies (Bell Labs), and Docomo Intertouch.
Satish launched E2 Infosystems to help emerging and scaling companies by engineering software solutions that meet their unique needs.
E2 Infosystems has developed software and mobile applications serving:
- SaaS startups
- Healthcare & Assisted Living businesses
- Travel, Manufacturing and Enterprise Legacy Systems
Great questions for Satish:
- How do I turn my idea into a software product or application?
- What factors influence the price of software or app development?
- What are the latest trends or best practices in software/nas/content/live/innovatena development?
- How can I make sure my software or app is built to grow as my business grows?
- What’s a realistic timeline & what milestones can I expect when developing my products?
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Satish.
Manny Larcher | Stopwatch Creative
Growth Marketing & Branding
Manny Larcher is a first-generation American born in Columbus, Ohio, both of his parents are from St. Lucia. He serves as a Deal Flow associate with JumpStart Ventures, which combines capital, services, and connections to help entrepreneurs grow, researchers commercialize, and corporations innovate. As the co-founder and CEO of Stopwatch Creative, a boutique marketing/tech firm incubating platforms like CollaborateandElevate.com, which connects hundreds of businesses of all sizes with opportunities, Manny leads vision and growth.
A lifelong learner who genuinely enjoys digging deep into new technologies and the creatives developing them, Manny loves seeing innovative ideas, and the teams behind them flourish. He also serves on the Board with Black Men Talk Tech and Columbus Young Professionals.
Great questions for Manny:
- How can I maximize the efforts of my team?
- Are my marketing efforts really creating the action I want?
- Am I using the best and current tech stack or strategies for growth?
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Manny.
Susan Fortner | BPR International
Public Relations & Marketing
Susan Fortner has 20+ years of experience in public relations and marketing. Her firm BPR International manages accounts throughout the country specializing in health care, talent, banking, and packaged and soft goods. In addition the firm is recognized as a broker/partner with QVC, HSN, and Evine shopping networks.
Fortner has won awards and sits on the accreditation board to advance candidates in the Accreditation in Public Relations process. In 2013 Susan received special honors for her work in crisis management.
Great questions for Susan:
- How can I promote my company on a limited budget?
- How do I set Marketing & PR budgets that are sufficient to drive results?
- What simple steps can I take to improve my social media visibility rapidly?
- Which charities, like-minded businesses, and complementary companies should I partner with?
- How do I create and execute events that will differentiate my business in a crowded market?
- How can I get my products featured on shopping channels like QVC and HSN?
Click here schedule 30 minutes with Susan.
Matt Cynkar | Rev1 Ventures
Resources for High Growth Startups
Matt Cynkar serves as Managing Director at Rev1 Ventures. In that role, Matt leads the team that serves as the first touch point for the more than 700 entrepreneurs who reach out to Rev1 each year. That team connects entrepreneurs quickly with the startup resources available within Rev1 and throughout Ohio’s startup communities.
Matt manages exploratory meetings between qualified entrepreneurs and the Rev1 team members. Matt ensures seamless handoffs for entrepreneurs between their early contact with Rev1 and the next steps on their journey, which may be Rev1’s Customer Learning Lab, client engagement planning, or referrals to other support organizations or programs.
Before joining Rev1, Matt played key roles in Market Research and Customer Insights at Alliance Data and Bath & Body Works. Matt is a graduate of Miami University.
Great questions for Matt:
- I have an idea for a high-growth startup; can Rev1 help me determine if it’s
worth pursuing? - I’ve launched a startup; can Rev1 help me get funding to grow it?
- What other resources does Rev1 offer to help entrepreneurs?
- How does an entrepreneur get started with Rev1?
- I see that Rev1 works in corporate innovation; how can I learn more?
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Matt.
Kevin Hammond | Ohio SBDC
Business Management Advice
Kevin Hammond has been a business management consultant for 13 years, mostly focused on small businesses and start-ups. Kevin has been on the SBDC team for almost ten years as a consultant. Prior to consulting, Kevin was in financial services at Chase Manhattan. Kevin has an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Ohio Dominican University and an MBA from Capital University.
The Ohio SBDC is part of America’s SBDC national network comprised of over 1000 Centers across the U.S. including 28 in Ohio. The Ohio SBDC Network provides one-on-one advising, by Certified Business Advisors, at no cost and conduct no or low cost business training.
Great questions for Kevin:
- I have a business idea. What is my next step?
- How do I market my services and products?
- How can I take my business to the next level?
- How and where can I get money for my business?
- How do I keep track of my financial records and assure I’m tax compliant?
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Kevin.
Emily Fehrman Cory | Airship Consulting
Defense Technology, Tech Transfer, SBIR
Emily Fehrman Cory has her doctorate in Electro-Optics, with a specialization in nanofabrication of polymer photonic devices. Her technical interests include advanced manufacturing, additive manufacturing, photonics, and optics. She started her career at AFRL, where she was the chief technology advisor for America Makes, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. She was also a program manager in Manufacturing and Industrial Technologies, specializing in Air Force tech transfer and commercialization. Emily then went on to create the AFRL Maker Hub, the first public-private makerspace for collaborative prototyping for the Air Force, to give small businesses a physical space to co-create with Air Force researchers. After her time at AFRL, Emily spent three years as Faculty of Practice for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Dayton School of Engineering, where she created a business incubation program that supported 11 student and faculty-led startups.
In 2021, Emily founded Airship Consulting LLC, where she uses her broad experience to help startup to small businesses leverage academic and government partnerships to grow their research and development programs towards commercialization and tech transfer goals. Emily is also an Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) for the Entrepreneurs’ Center and a facilitator for Wright Brothers Institute.
Her specialties include tech transfer and commercialization, partnering with academia and government, management consulting, executive leadership and coaching, corporate strategy, and innovation techniques. Emily is a Black Belt Certified practitioner of Innovation Engineering through Eureka! Ranch.
Great questions for Emily:
- How can I use the SBIR program to grow my business?
- What does “commercialization” mean to the Department of Defense? Why do they care?
- How can I create commercial products using my government-funded research?
- As an engineer founding a tech company, who else should I be adding to my team?
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Emily.
Evan Marsh l WynHouse
Innovation Consulting & Corporate Venture
Evan Marsh and the WynHouse team support entrepreneurs and organization by solving process inefficiencies through technology.
Evan is passionate about M&A, consulting, business development, corporate venture capital and innovation. Outside of his role as Managing Partner, he is an active angel investor and advisor to early-stage organizations.
Great questions for Evan:
- How do I find innovation projects at my day job?
- How do I know if my business is a good fit for investment from a corporate venture fund (CVF)?
- I’m a seasoned entrepreneur looking for my next project, how do I find commercialization opportunities?
- Where do I go to learn more about process innovation?
- How do I identify areas for improvement in my organization?
