Midcon Markup

In a world where talent is evenly distributed but venture capital is concentrated in coastal silos, smart startup money is heading for the Midcontinent. The MidCon Markup podcast uncovers the inspiring stories of our visionary tech entrepreneurs and the investors who believe in them. Listen, learn, and make your Midcon Markup! Hosted by Cortado Ventures.

Listen on:

  • Apple Podcasts
  • Podbean App
  • Spotify
  • Amazon Music
  • Podchaser

Episodes

3 hours ago

Lawyers have a reputation for being merchants of "No" in their desire to help clients minimize risk. Bill Richmond argues that the best lawyers seek to understand their clients' long-term goals and serve as collaborative partners in helping them get to "Yes." Tune into our latest episode to learn how startups can optimize their return on investment from legal representation.

Thursday Jan 16, 2025

Some communities have a universally respected and beloved behind-the-scenes leader with a Midas Touch for all things impact. If you have lived in Dallas for long, you know that person is Lynn McBee. Tune in to learn how this biochemist Superwoman simultaneously built a successful drug development career while serving as CEO, Chair, or mentor to the most impactful initiatives supporting Greater Dallas from homelessness to the environment to upward mobility.

Thursday Jan 02, 2025

While college years are associated with in-classroom learning and extracurricular partying, Trevor Gicheru proves it is also the perfect time to start your first startup. Startups require an immense amount of time and community support, but the fire-house learnings can sharpen your spear faster than conventional schooling and employment. Tune in to hear how Trevor has chaptalized on his college experience to build a transformational AI ed-tech solution called Nurovant.

Thursday Dec 19, 2024

A hero's journey is rarely a straight path, but few have winded as abruptly as Rich Rolls'. Overcoming childhood insecurities through competitive swimming, Rich had everything going for him as a D1 Stanford Swimmer. Alcoholism had other ideas, stealing his prime swimming potential, destroying a marriage, and leading him into two DUIs. Rich's redemption story to global ultra-endurance and podcasting stardom teaches everyone how far listening, vulnerability, and conviction can take you.

Thursday Dec 05, 2024

Most people go through their everyday lives trapped behind their own lens of the world. This lack of empathy is especially palpable when VCs are raising money from LPs and when founders are raising money from VCs, where the temptation to oversell to pick up a check as fast as possible is overwhelming. Oklahoma-based emerging manager VC Kevin Moore shares great wisdom in this episode about learning to be yourself, empathizing with the goals of your counterparty, and building genuine relationships with investors for the long haul.

Thursday Nov 21, 2024

Medicine is a profession mothers tend to love. High on virtue, prestige, and income, life as a doctor is rewarding and lucrative. Discontinuing a medical school route is common for people with practical life considerations, but for Deborah Moorad, med school was a dense obstacle impeding her inexorable journey to transform patient lives through biotech innovation. Tune in to hear how to blend technical expertise and relationships to shepherd biotech projects from idea to exit!

Thursday Nov 07, 2024

Moving from Vancouver, British Colombia to Oklahoma City, OK is rare enough, let alone for venture capital. According to Matt Waraich, the geographic arbitrage thesis of non-coastal venture firms is resonating in coastal markets more than Oklahomans realize. Tune in to hear what attracted him to Cortado Ventures, why he made such a large career bet transitioning from Canadian founder to Oklahoma venture capitalist, and how founders can best communicate with him and other VCs.

Thursday Oct 24, 2024

New research on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) demonstrates an overwhelming negative correlation between the severity/frequency of childhood trauma and lifetime well-being outcomes. Ed Long overcame childhood trauma to pursue a Master's of Public Administration and completed all coursework for a Ph.D. in Political Science. However, instead of following the direct government path, he set his sights on driving broader change. Tune in to hear how Ed leverages his research background to become a social impact pioneer, optimizing sustainable solutions for social problems with economic models that attract public, private, and philanthropic capital.

Thursday Oct 10, 2024

Tech exit to selling "commoditized" waterbottles on Amazon? Mike Beckham must be crazy! After 9 years of rapid growth with his company Simple Modern, Mike has proved his doubters wrong by leaning in to competion to eliminate market risk. Tune in to hear how Mike leveraged Amazon's customer pipeline, outcompeted 3rd party sellers for water Bottles, created a category for "Drinkware as a Fashion Accessory," and has built a sustainable empire with community contribution at the core.

Thursday Sep 26, 2024

Trent Smith succeeds at every major endeavor he pursues. He was a Junior Olympic Taekwondo Champion, an All-American national champion football player in college, and a tight-end for numerous NFL franchises. Tune in to learn how he is now leveraging 8 years of experience owning and operating a home health company and a curiosity about LLMs to revolutionize the home healthcare nursing profession.

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Cortado Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in ambitious, growth-driven companies, backing a new generation of economic prosperity for the Midcontinent region, defined as Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Colorado, Kansas and New Mexico. As one of the largest VC funds in Oklahoma, Cortado’s focus is on tech companies bringing innovative solutions to the energy and logistics, life sciences, and the future of work sectors. For more information, visit cortado.ventures.

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