Unvalley

Unvalley

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.

Episodes

January 10, 2023 52 mins

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 move...

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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 Quart...

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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 p...

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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. 


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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 le...
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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 cultu...
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Have you ever been stuck in a parking garage and couldn't quite figure out how to leave? Well, you're not the only one; according to reports, 85% of "help" calls in a parking garage are due to struggles with understanding the equipment, whereas only 15% of those calls are due to actual equipment failure. That’s why today, you'll hear from a company that saw the need for human interaction within the parking industry and set out to f...
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The Minneapolis-St. Paul area may not be as known for tech as San Francisco, but the city has seen huge potential in building a rising tech scene. And when it comes to the Midwest, you couldn't ask for a more tech-friendly city. Minneapolis-St. Paul is home to some of the top accounting firms in the country and overall has a healthy and satisfying tech environment. And with so much untapped potential left for opportunists to unlock...
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Every new beginning has its struggles, but getting a business started to call your own can be so fulfilling. Today we dive in with a founder who is ready to risk everything. He gives up his steady 9-to-5 job to chase his passion for the entrepreneurial dream beginning with the simple words "I Quit." On today's episode of the Powderkeg Pitch, we're bringing on Co-founder and BBQ expert of Durham based Mike D’s BBQ, Mike De Los San...
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August 25, 2020 15 mins
How much more impactful could your company's marketing strategy be if you could understand exactly what content to create and the best places to publish it in order to keep up with the present trends? Well in today’s episode, you’ll hear from Shawn Schwegman, Co-founder and CSO of Demandjump. DemandJump focuses on taking the uncertainty out of digital marketing by allowing you to see what your customers and competitors are doing,...
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August 18, 2020 49 mins
Leaders that are able to build and create a culture of openness and collaboration are able to encourage their team to better self-develop, communicate, and share what they are learning so they can capitalize on the actions they are or could be doing better, and promoting and pushing one another to do the same. But where do we begin in order to create and maintain this idea that we call product culture? In today’s episode, I speak...
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August 14, 2020 14 mins
Most companies understand the importance of employee training, with the highest priority being the need for creating the right training resources for increasing effectiveness talent training programs. But for most companies, it always seems to come with a struggle of creating the right training tools and applications for company talent. That's why on today's episode of Powderkeg Pitch, we're featuring a company focused on helping t...
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In the last decade, the cities of Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville have grown Tennesse tech tremendously, attracting skilled talent, founders, and investors from across the country. Today, we talk with a CEO of a public-private partnership with Entrepreneur Centers in seven regions across the state focused on connecting and nurturing innovative startups, and tight-knit communities—mixed with a healthy dose of Southern...
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Indianapolis Tech is growing at full throttle, but there is still so much untapped potential. From startups to tech giants, high-growth companies have found Indianapolis (Indy) to be an ideal home. The city is outpacing the competition by providing experienced talent, lower cost of living, and a productive environment of innovative founders, investors, and leaders. That’s why Powderkeg teamed up with several Indiana organizations...
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July 24, 2020 15 mins
Being able to launch a tech product can always be a difficult step for startups. The technical issues in the first product are common, and user feedback during the early days of rollout often more focused on the problems than the product's actual features. This can make it difficult for teams to focus on what's working and what isn't. Luckily, in today's episode of Powderkeg Pitch, we brought on someone focused on eliminating this ...
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There’s no doubt that companies, big or small, can have a tremendous influence on the community. And in being a founder, CEO, and a leader, it can come with great responsibility. I'll avoid using any more famous superhero references but wanted to share the most important facts I gained from this conversation. Almost 81% of all VC firms don't have a single Black investor. In a sample of 160 firms with more than 2 people, only 5 ha...
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When entering the world of entrepreneurship, it can come with a long list of challenges. Rewarding challenges, but many unpleasant challenges nonetheless. The biggest battle for most would-be entrepreneurs is taking the first step. It may be quitting a job, putting up a website, entering a startup accelerator program, approaching somebody with your first elevator pitch, or simply announcing your new venture to the world and family ...
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July 10, 2020 14 mins
Our national fight against COVID still continues in round 1. And it has been a roller coaster ride for most digital health startups here in 2020 so far. After jumping out of the gates fast, U.S. digital health companies have raised an extraordinary $5.4 billion in venture capital support across the first six months of 2020. The first half of 2020 saw more support than any previous first half from years 2011 to 2019. And there is on...
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Branding. It’s one of the essential elements of any company, but it’s also something startup owners might not know how to create. Fortunately, our guest on this episode of the Powderkeg Podcast is a leading expert on all things related to the brand (including employer branding). She breaks branding down to its simplest components for time-strapped founders. Tiffany Sauder is the founder and CEO of Element Three, a full-service mar...
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Whether you’re an employee or entrepreneur, creating your personal brand has grown and become more critical. If you want to start trusting and valuing your instincts more and maybe even advance your career, it’s time to start setting yourself apart with personal branding. In a tech industry, that’s all about people; the importance of personal branding never goes away. There are 21 million salespeople in this country, and that num...
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