Growth Pioneers

In this episode of the Growth Pioneers, Doug speaks with Candi and Juston from the EDAWN entrepreneurial team. They discuss the why behind Startup Week, its impact on the community and some key insights and highlights from this years event. They also discuss the Reno Startup Deck 4.0, the importance of core values in community building, their personal motivations for doing this work and new events and programs for the ecosystem for the rest of 2024 and into 2025.

On this episode of Growth Pioneers, Doug speaks with Rachel Macintyre, the City of Reno Activation Manager, to explore the transformative power of revitalizing urban spaces. Rachel shares her journey as a serial entrepreneur, detailing the highs and lows of her career and how she has channeled her passion for creation into projects that breathe new life into downtown Reno. From activating underutilized spaces to fostering a vibrant community, Rachel’s story is one of resilience, innovation, and the relentless pursuit of positive change. Tune in to discover how entrepreneurship can be a powerful tool for urban renewal and community empowerment

On this episode of the podcast Doug speaks with Tyson Falk the Government and Public Affairs manager of Ioneer. Ioneer is a mining company that has discovered a unique deposit of Lithium and Boron in Nevada. They discuss the local, regional and global significance of Lithium, Ioneers unique value proposition and the exciting prospect the project has on Nevadas Economy.

On this episode of the Growth Pioneers, Doug speaks with Jennifer Mcdonald who is The Assistant Director of Activism Special Projects from the Institute for Justice (IJ). The IJ is a national nonprofit law firm dedicated to protecting individuals' rights against government violations. Jennifer Mcdonald started her career in California politics before transitioning into evidence-based policymaking, earning an MPA along the way. Jennifer joined IJ, where she spent seven years on the research team, focusing on issues like food trucks and home-based businesses. At IJ, she now works on the activism team, engaging in legislative and policy work at various government levels. IJ's mission includes safeguarding property rights, eminent domain, First Amendment rights, and economic liberty. They believe everyone has the right to earn an honest living doing what they love, without unnecessary government barriers like restrictive occupational licensing laws and high fees. Tune in to learn about the impactful work IJ does to support entrepreneurs, and their commitment to fostering an entrepreneurial ecosystem. For one of Reno Startup Week’s engaging discussions, the institute for justice will be hosting an interactive discussion session.

On this episode of the podcast Doug speaks with Matt Nordby the Founder and Managing Partner of Flume Ventures based in Incline Village. Matt is an amazing human with a really interesting career path. He was an young executive at Sun Microsystems, went on to start a company, which was later sold, then became the President of Playboy Enterprises , and is now currently in the role of managing partner at Flume. Flume is a non traditional venture fund with some really impressive partners including Scott McNealy from Sun and Dave Duffield from PeopleSoft and Workday. They have a unique thesis and are committed to supporting Nevada's entrepreneurial ecosystem.

On this special episode of the podcast Doug speaks with his colleagues Juston Berg and Katie Freeman about Reno Startup Week. They discuss the rationale for Startup Week, the importance for the startup community and its value alignment with EDAWNs mission. They dive deep into the events, people and activities that are making Reno Startup Week a unique inaugural event. Sept 25-29 RenoStartupWeek.com

On this episode of the podcast Doug speaks with Denis Phares the Founder and CEO of Dragonfly Energy. Dragonfly is one of Reno's Startup success stories, having started a decade ago and recently going public. They have a wide ranging conversation on the technology, the business and the personal side of the Dragonfly story. They also discuss energy storage and Nevadas Lithium Loop.

On this episode Doug speaks with his good friend Tony Lillios. Tony is a serial entrepreneur, endurance athlete , integral coach and president of the Reno/ Tahoe EO Chapter. They go deep into leadership development topics including what is enough, overcoming resistance, living well and much more.

On this episode of the podcast Doug speaks with Mo Collins the CEO of Entrepreneurial communities. They discuss the recent Nevada entrepreneurial ecosystem report going deep into the challenges, opportunities and recommendations outlined for Reno, Las Vegas and Rural Nevada.

On this special episode of the podcast, Doug speaks with his dear friend and coach Robert Ellis about his new book Coaching From Essence. They discuss Roberts personal journey, how it informed his philosophy, coaching methodology and led to his first book.

On this episode of the podcast Doug speakers with Kate Cotter, the executive director of the Sierra Psychedelic Society and the Nevada Colition for Psychedelic Medicine. The discuss a wide range of topics exploring the potential of psychedelic medicines for healing, the role of her organizations in eduction and advocacy and much more.

On this episode of the podcast , Doug speaks with the CEO of Mental, Anson Whitmer. Mental's goal is to improve mens mental health using proven tools and daily practices which are easy to integrate into daily life. They have an in-depth conversation on the factors effecting mens mental health and the tools and philosophy Mental employs to address these them.

On this episode Doug speakers with Eaton Dunkelberger the CEO of the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada. They cover a wide range of topics on philanthropic giving, structures, strategies and the important roll the foundation plays in transforming communities.

In this episode of the podcast Doug speaker with Edward Park the founder and CEO of Neuro Reserve, a neuro protective supplement company. Ed's passion for tackling cognitive decline comes from a deeply personal place. They discuss a broad set of topics around brain health, diet and the role of supplements in this informative and moving conversation.

In this episode of the podcast Doug speaks with Dawson Lamb, CEO of Loop another Gener8tor cohort company. They discuss Loops service in detail and get into the Dawsons origin story. He is a young and engaging founder and with deep Nevada roots.

In this episode Doug speaks with Anklet Fender the CEO of Grant Cycle, one of the Gener8tor Reno/Tahoe Cohort companies. They discuss the ups and downs of her journey , the unique challenges of scaling a tech company in a small town and the benefits of the Gener8tor.

In this episode of the podcast Doug speaks with Dan Feliciano the CEO / Cofounder of Clotheslyne. Clotheslyne is democratizing wash and fold laundry service through its Airbnb style marketplace. They cover topics including, the psychology of laundry, the challenges of 2 sided marketplaces, the value of the Gener8tor investment accelerator and more.

On this episode of the podcast Doug speaks with Heather Brown the Co-founder of Startup Vegas. Heather is a passionate and dynamic leader with a background in community organizing and politics. They deep dive into the state of startups, entrepreneurship and economic development in Las Vegas.

On this episode of the podcast Doug speaks with Kaitlyn Schlesinger, CEO of KS Strategies. They deep dive into the B Crop, discussing the benefits, the process, the potential pitfalls and case studies. Kaitlyn is a dynamic, articulate and authentic leader driving change in Las Vegas. For a free B Corp mini assessment check out https://forms.gle/F8gg16L9wiDVniaj8.

In this episode of the podcast Doug speaks with Maggie Brickerman and Jared Byer from Gener8tor. Gener8tor is a nationally ranked top quartile venture fund and investment accelerator program. They cover a ton of ground on the role of accelerators, why Gener8tor is different and how to apply in Nevada. https://www.gener8tor.com/investment-accelerators