167 episodes

Unvalley is the show for leaders who want to unlock their full potential and plug into the biggest opportunities in Tech and Startups beyond Silicon Valley. Unvalley is brought to you by Powderkeg — the only private member network focused on supporting tech companies and leaders in fast-growing communities beyond Silicon Valley.

Unvalley Powderkeg

    • Business
    • 4.9 • 41 Ratings

Unvalley is the show for leaders who want to unlock their full potential and plug into the biggest opportunities in Tech and Startups beyond Silicon Valley. Unvalley is brought to you by Powderkeg — the only private member network focused on supporting tech companies and leaders in fast-growing communities beyond Silicon Valley.

    #3 Sam Parr: From The Heartland to The Hustle | The Art of Business & Building a Network

    #3 Sam Parr: From The Heartland to The Hustle | The Art of Business & Building a Network

    Sam Parr retired with over $20 Million by age 31, just a few years after losing his job offer at AirBNB. In this interview, Sam goes deep into his journey to share his biggest lessons learned while creating an impressive career and company. 

    Parr is the founder of The Hustle, a daily newsletter providing an entertaining delivery of the latest news in business and tech. He was born in Missouri, grew up in Tennessee, and moved to San Francisco after graduating from college. His media company The Hustle was acquired by Hubspot in 2021 for a reported $25-30 million dollars. 

    In today’s episode of UNVALLEY with Sam Parr you’ll learn:
    7:30 Which Midwest values lay the foundation for Sam’s successful career in tech14:05 The simple writing technique that helped Sam create enormous opportunities in his career28:30 How to optimize your career for success, even if you don’t have money or connections42:30 Why Sam is investing in real estate in Unvalley tech hubs like Austin 
    UNVALLEY is the show for tech leaders that want to unlock their full potential and connect with the biggest opportunities in tech beyond Silicon Valley. UNVALLEY is brought to you by Powderkeg — the only private member network focused on supporting tech companies and leaders in fast-growing communities beyond Silicon Valley. Join the community at Powderkeg.com.

    • 52 min
    #2 Arlan Hamilton: How to Break Into Tech and Build Wealth with Startup Investing

    #2 Arlan Hamilton: How to Break Into Tech and Build Wealth with Startup Investing

    Arlan is the Founder and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital, a venture capital firm dedicated to minimizing funding disparities in tech by investing in high-potential founders who are people of color, women, and/or LGBTQ. Backstage has raised tens of millions of dollars, invested in 200 startups led by underestimated founders, and has been featured in Forbes, Fortune, Wall Street Journal, CNN Money, Inc., Entrepreneur, and Quartz. Arlan also founded Runner, a talent operations startup that connects outstanding operations talent with inclusive companies. She also published It’s About Damn Time, her book detailing her journey from homelessness to venture capital. In today’s episode of Unvalley you’ll hear Arlan’s incredible story and learn some of her best strategies that have helped her succeed in venture capital, startups, and tech, despite enormous challenges.

    • 31 min
    #1 Gary Vee: The Unvalley “Golden Era” | Business Opportunity Beyond Silicon Valley

    #1 Gary Vee: The Unvalley “Golden Era” | Business Opportunity Beyond Silicon Valley

    Gary Vaynerchuk (Gary Vee) shouldn’t need an introduction. Revered as the king of content, he has an uncanny ability to spot trends in the market and skate to where the puck is going. Gary has his finger on the pulse of consumers and is one of the most forward-thinking voices in business today. He is also a prolific angel investor. His portfolio is bolstered by early positions in Facebook, Uber, Twitter, Coinbase, and his own NFT project VeeFriends.

    Mickey Cloud is the Executive Director of The Sasha Group. A VaynerX company based in Chattanooga Tennessee. Mickey works with some of the biggest brands around the world helping them turn business objectives into actionable marketing plans. 

    In Episode 1 we hear Gary’s thoughts on the Unvalley and his approach to building a company with a dispersed team.

    • 52 min
    #0 UNVALLEY: New Podcast Launch | How and Why We’re Relaunching the Podcast

    #0 UNVALLEY: New Podcast Launch | How and Why We’re Relaunching the Podcast

    Six years ago we launched the Powderkeg Podcast Igniting Startups. We were featured in top publications like Entrepreneur and Forbes. Since 2017 we have interviewed over 100 execs at dynamic tech companies beyond Silicon Valley. 

    We are excited to bring this Podcast back in a way that honors both the Powderkeg community and the amazing growth that we have seen in the Unvalley community over the last several years. 

    In Episode 0 we are going to catch you up on what we’ve been up to for the last two years.

    • 54 min
    #152: 5 Startup Growth Stories and Lessons Learned While Leading through Change

    #152: 5 Startup Growth Stories and Lessons Learned While Leading through Change

    The last two years have taught us so much. How to be flexible and adapt quickly to change. A whole new style of doing business in a virtual world. Even how to integrate your work and your life in a healthy way.

    Today we are hearing startup growth stories from 5 CEOs based in the Circle City. These five Indianapolis-based tech companies are doing incredible things and we are joined by their CEOs to hear some stories and lessons learned over the last two years.

    One CEO opened a 50-acre innovation community during the first year of the pandemic. She proceeded to lead her organization through the biggest mass-adoption of remote work ever.

    Another CEO started their company less than a year ago from his home office.

    One even wrote a book chronicling the whole journey!

    We are going to hear from;

    Emily Krueger, President and CEO, 16 Tech
    Jake Miller, CEO, The Engineered Innovation Group
    Jim Goldman, CEO, Trava
    Steve Johns, CEO, OneCause
    Lindsay Tjepkema, CEO, Casted

    These 5 CEOs share practice advice and stories that they have learned over the past two years that you can use in your professional career.

    • 53 min
    #151: Why You Should Prioritize Culture at Your Startup

    #151: Why You Should Prioritize Culture at Your Startup

    Culture, when built correctly can be your key differentiator. When built incorrectly it can be your Achilles' heel.

    Today we do a deep dive into the founding story of Indianapolis darling startup Lessonly. Lessonly is a market leader in training software and was acquired by San Diego-based Seismic in 2021.

    We sit down with co-founders Max Yoder and Conner Burt to discuss Lessonly's development over the last decade and why culture has always been a North Star in the companies evolution.

    Max and Conner both started their professional career by means of the Orr Fellowship, a two-year, Indianapolis-based fellowship focused on developing the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs.

    Max began working on Lessonly after winding down his first startup. Conner was working in sales at ExactTarget (acquired by Salesforce) at the time. The two were roommates and Conner became an early adopter of the original Lessonly platform, where he used it to help train an international sales team of ExactTarget.

    Learn more about the Lessonly journey and hear the words of wisdom this dynamic duo has about growing a high-performing, venture-backed tech company.

    If you like this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes. You can also follow us on Soundcloud or Stitcher.

    • 40 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
41 Ratings

41 Ratings

MarketingProf ,

Diverse perspective of tech companies today

The Powderkeg podcast covers a wide range of topics, from culture to product development to financing and marketing. Great interviews, sharing relevant information for today's companies.

J. Barshop ,

Insightful, entertaining and actionable

Matt and his incredible guests make me feel completely at home here - bowled over by brilliant advice and nourishing conversations.

Highly recommend listening and subscribing to Powderkeg if you want the knowledge AND mindsets to stay ahead of the curve of the rapidly evolving tech landscape.

Mareo M. ,

Revenue Leader

What a great podcast! Interesting and important conversations. Healthtech is a huge a crowded space, this podcast helps you navigate through it.

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