StitchCrew Change Makers Podcast
42 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsBringing you real-world experiences, tools, and insights from changemakers who’ve challenged the status quo and are now doing things they once thought impossible.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
#39 Cliff Hudson, Master of None
June 22, 2021 03:00 - 52 minutes - 36.2 MBIn this episode we talk to Cliff Hudson, former chairman of the board and CEO of SONIC, a company founded in Shawnee Oklahoma by Troy Smith that ultimately evolved to be one of the largest chain of drive-in franchises in America. Now Sonic is owned by Inspire Brands, the parent company of Arby's and Buffalo Wild Wings. Since his departure from Sonic, Cliff has moved on to help others embrace life as masters of none. Sharing his philosophy on the freedom of being comfortable with uncertain...
Tower Theater and the Future of Live Events
June 09, 2021 02:00 - 1 hour - 42.6 MBIn March 2020, the live event industry shut down overnight, shuttering growth plans, jobs, and some businesses. There was a mass exodus of talented artists, entertainers and event professionals. But others managed to stick around, pivoting to virtual events and shifting their businesses online while betting that the industry would in fact, bounce back. In this episode we talk to Stephen Tyler, one of the operating partners at the historic Tower Theatre, which originally opened in 1937 and ...
#38 Tower Theater and the Future of Live Events
June 09, 2021 02:00 - 1 hour - 42.6 MBIn March 2020, the live event industry shut down overnight, shuttering growth plans, jobs, and some businesses. There was a mass exodus of talented artists, entertainers and event professionals. But others managed to stick around, pivoting to virtual events and shifting their businesses online while betting that the industry would in fact, bounce back. In this episode we talk to Stephen Tyler, one of the operating partners at the historic Tower Theatre, which originally opened in 1937 and ...
#38 Tower Theater and the Future of Live Events
June 09, 2021 02:00 - 1 hour - 42.6 MBIn March 2020, the live event industry shut down overnight, shuttering growth plans, jobs, and some businesses. There was a mass exodus of talented artists, entertainers and event professionals. But others managed to stick around, pivoting to virtual events and shifting their businesses online while betting that the industry would in fact, bounce back. In this episode we talk to Stephen Tyler, one of the operating partners at the historic Tower Theatre, which originally opened in 1937 and ...
#37 Cybersecurity with Marcus J. Carey
May 11, 2021 04:00 - 43 minutes - 29.7 MBAccording to the Department of Homeland Security, our daily life, economic vitality, and national security depend on a stable, safe, and resilient cyberspace. In fact, the global cyber security market size was valued at USD 167.13 billion in 2020 and is expected to register a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.9% from 2021 to 2028. This growth can be attributed to the growing sophistication of cyberattacks and the frequency and intensity of cybercrimes that have increased over the l...
#36: The Film Industry in Oklahoma
April 26, 2021 22:00 - 55 minutes - 38.4 MBIn this new series we go behind the scenes of some of the billion dollar industries we often hear about but don't necessarily know exactly how they work and how they impact the way we live, work and play. Prior to the pandemic, the global box office and home entertainment industry surpassed $100 billion dollars for the first time in history according to the Motion Picture Association. Yet, despite being a massive industry there is still a lot of mystery around how the industry actually wor...
#35 "Chingona" a Badass Investor
October 20, 2020 03:00 - 54 minutes - 37.6 MBAlmost 60 million Latinos account for $2.3 trillion in economic activity and are projected to make up 30% of the U.S. population by the end of this year. In addition, the number of Latinx businesses grew 34% over the past 10 years, making them the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in the country. Despite these numbers, when it comes to Venture Capital, less than 2% of venture led companies and venture capitalists are Latinx. Fortunately there are several new fund managers emerging and...
#34 Investing in Diverse Teams, Marcos Gonzalez, Vamos Ventures
October 06, 2020 00:00 - 54 minutes - 37.7 MBLast year, a report to Congress based on data from 2017, found that almost 60 million Latinos already account for $2.3 trillion in economic activity and are projected to make up 30% of the U.S. population by the end of this year. Another study from Stanford University found that over the past 10 years, the number of Latino business owners grew 34%, compared to 1% for all business owners, making them the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in the United States. Despite these numbers, wh...
#33 A $50 Million Dollar Bet in the Middle of the Country
July 28, 2020 03:00 - 57 minutes - 39.2 MBIn this episode we talk to Brian and Candice Brackeen, Partners at Lightship Capital. Prior to becoming investors and co-founding their venture firm, Brian and Candice were entrepreneurs with first hand experience building, financing and raising funds for their respective companies. Join us as we talk to them about their latest $50 million dollar fund, which is considered to be the largest-ever VC fund to invest in Midwest in underrepresented founders including BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and...
#32 Demystifying the Cannabis Industry
July 21, 2020 00:00 - 1 hour - 43.9 MBCannabis sales in the U.S. alone are estimated to reach more than $30 billion dollars by 2023. This growth is only going to accelerate as more and more governments legalize the industry’s medicinal and recreational use, prompting entrepreneurs and investors to jump into the opportunity. In addition to recreational and medicinal use, there is a broad range of cannabis-related consumer products including edibles, topical creams, soft drinks, coffees, sleep-inducing teas, and even infused non...
#31 Marie Rocha, Managing Partner Realist Ventures
July 13, 2020 23:00 - 1 hour - 46.1 MBVenture Capital is still very much a closed network. By design, the sector is exclusive. Legally, to be an LP or a Fund Manager, investors have to be able to carve out their own capital, or benefit from having an established elite network with enough personal wealth to tolerate the risk. The vast majority of VCs, come from very similar and privileged educational backgrounds from institutions like Harvard or Stanford. In fact, most LPs still look for that stamp of approval as a way to de-ri...
#30 More than a VC Fund
June 12, 2020 16:00 - 48 minutes - 33.3 MBEighty percent of all venture capital is spent on three coastal states. Unfortunately, this statistic often leads founders to think they have to move to places like California or New York to build a high growth company. There are many reasons why fund managers and venture capitalists have concentrated in certain regions, luckily new fund managers are emerging in the middle of the country to close the funding gap and help support early stage entrepreneurs. Today we talked to one of those ...
#29 Launching a VC Fund in Oklahoma
May 26, 2020 15:00 - 47 minutes - 32.9 MBEighty percent of all venture capital is spent on three coastal states. Unfortunately, this statistic often leads founders to think they have to move to places like California or New York to build a high growth company. There are many reasons why fund managers and venture capitalists have concentrated in certain regions, luckily new fund managers are emerging in the middle of the country to close the funding gap and help support early stage entrepreneurs. Today we talked to one of those ...
#28 Managing through COVID-19, Brian Sampson
May 22, 2020 22:00 - 40 minutes - 27.6 MBPeople all over the world are experiencing abrupt life changes as we attempt to return to work safe and responsibly. As founders, we must figure out ways to keep not just our loved-ones but our employees and customers safe, our companies afloat, and investors onboard. And on top of that we also need to take care of our mental state because if we are not well, we can’t help others. In this episode we talk to Brian Sampson, the owner of multiple ServiceMaster franchises in Louisville and Nas...
#27 Steven Hughes, Founder of Know Money
May 12, 2020 05:00 - 58 minutes - 40.2 MBWhy is it so hard to talk about money? With our parents, spouse, kids, friends, employees and yes, investors? Is it a taboo or social norm? In this episode we talk to Steven Hughes the founder of Know Money, a nonprofit teaching college students how to think, talk, and interact with money. Having made nearly every financial mistake imaginable during his own college experience, Steven now dedicates his efforts to helping other young adults avoid the same pitfalls. Selected for his contribu...
#26 Max Tuchman, CEO and Co-Founder of Caribu
April 21, 2020 05:00 - 59 minutes - 41.2 MBIn this episode, we talk to Max Tuchman, the Co-Founder and CEO of Caribu, an interactive video-calling platform that helps grandparents and parents, have virtual playdates, read and draw with children when they’re not in the same location. What a concept right? Especially as we shelter at home with our kids in an attempt to flatten the Covid-19 curve. But Max and her Co-Founder came up with this idea way before Covid-19. Max's passion for educational equity began way before Caribu. Prio...
#25 Larissa Rocha, Employee No. 1 at BREX
April 09, 2020 15:00 - 39 minutes - 27.1 MBCo-founded by Henrique Dubugras and Pedro Franceschi, two engineers who previously founded one of the largest payment processors in Brazil, Brex, is now valued at well over $2 billion dollars and is backed by high profile investors, including Paypal co-founders Max Levchin and Peter Thiel, Y Combinator, Ribbit Capital, Yuri Milner, and Carl Pascarella, former CEO of Visa. In this episode, we talk to Larissa Rocha, Employee No. 1 at BREX, the ultimate corporate credit card for Startups whic...
#24 Harold Hughes, Angel Investor and Founder of Bandwagon
April 08, 2020 21:00 - 47 minutes - 32.7 MBPeople all over the world are experiencing abrupt life changes as we attempt to flatten the COVID-19 curve. As founders, we must figure out ways to keep not just our loved-ones but our employees and customers safe, our companies afloat, and investors onboard. And on top of that we also need to take care of our own mental state because if we are not well, we can’t help others. This new podcast series we’ll be sharing tips, tools, and tactics from entrepreneurs on how they are adapting to the ...
#23 Dale and Carrie Spoonmore, From Seed to Spoon
March 24, 2020 20:00 - 39 minutes - 27.3 MBImagine walking out to your backyard and picking bright red tomatoes, bell peppers and fresh-picked cilantro. Or any other fresh produce that is often expensive and difficult to find in stores. Sounds great no? Particularly in times of uncertainty like we are experiencing now as we combat coronavirus fears and isolation. During World War II, people experienced food shortages, fear and anxiety, so Dr. George Washington Carver, a prominent scientist and inventor, promoted the idea of Victory ...
#22 Allison Watkins-Conti, Founder of Watkins-Conti Products
March 10, 2020 05:00 - 37 minutes - 26 MBUrinary incontinence, or urine leakage you can't control, is something that many Americans, men and women, suffer from. In fact, it is believed that one third of Americans in the U.S. suffer from urinary incontinence. That means millions of people, although experts don’t know the exact number since many people do not tell anyone about their symptoms often because they are embarrassed, or because they think nothing can be done. So they suffer in silence. Many people think urinary incontinenc...
#21 Hugh Forrest, SXSW | Chief Programming Officer
February 25, 2020 06:00 - 41 minutes - 28.7 MBImagine spending 10 days with creatives, artists and thought leaders from across the world. Last year, the SXSW Conference & Festivals combined exceeded more than 400,000 attendees. The conference alone was comprised of more than 2,100 sessions, 73,000 attendees, almost 4800 speakers, and 4300 media representatives from around the globe. SXSW began in 1987 and every year it’s grown in size and scope, emerging as one of the world’s most influential conferences and festivals. The event celeb...
#20 Anna Mason, Partner at Rise of the Rest
February 17, 2020 06:00 - 41 minutes - 28.8 MBYou’ve heard us talk about the daunting statistic that almost 80% of all venture capital is spent on three coastal states. And while there are plenty of investors arguing why this trend will continue, there are contrarian investors looking beyond the coasts for their next homerun. Steve Case, Co-founder of AOL, is one of those investors. Steve co-founded Revolution, an investment firm that houses multiple funds. One of those funds is the Rise of the Rest seed fund which made its debut in 20...
#19 Ally Myers, Founder of SUMA
January 28, 2020 06:00 - 34 minutes - 23.7 MB43% of women with children leave the workforce at some point in their careers and unfortunately, many of them face an uphill battle when attempting to return to work. And while we’ve come a long way, many employers still discriminate (often covertly) against new moms or moms who for one reason or another have stayed out of the workforce for a period of time. In fact, a 2018 study in Harvard Business Review found that women who tried to transition from being stay-at-home mothers were only hal...
#18 Behind the scenes with Karlis Kezbers and the Crew
January 14, 2020 06:00 - 1 hour - 44.2 MBTwo years ago, we partnered with the Oklahoma City Thunder to launch an accelerator and to help us build a more inclusive startup community in our region. Since our launch, we’ve helped 39 startups and we’ve built a community of 78 founders and over 100 mentors as well as an impressive database of in and out of state investors. Although we’ve been operating for a while, we still get asked questions about what it is that we do. So we decided to start the year with a new episode talking ab...
#17 Brett Kolomyjec - Founder of Happily
October 29, 2019 05:00 - 51 minutes - 35.2 MBThere are several companies transforming the way we interact with loved ones. Instagram for example, changed the way we capture and share moments about our daily lives. Venmo has altered how our friends can pay us back and Happily, a company located in the middle of the country, is making it easier for couples to have lasting relationships by making relationship health resources accessible to everyone. Founded by Brett Kolomyjec and his wife Devon, Happily, helps couples have a deeper conne...
#16 Kathy Taylor - Angel Investor, Entrepreneur and Policy Maker
October 15, 2019 05:00 - 36 minutes - 25.4 MBWhen it comes to fundraising, Venture Capitalist tend to get most of the attention, but in reality, most first time checks for startups actually come from angel investors, not VCs. Angel investors are basically wealthy people who like to invest in early stage startups - in other words, they are people that can financially afford to lose their investment, without impacting their lifestyle. Most angel investors were once founders. They sold their company and now have capital to invest in oth...
#15 Unshackling the Next Generation of Venture Capitalists
September 24, 2019 05:00 - 57 minutes - 39.8 MBVenture capital (VC) has been a highly visible part of the growth of many well-known companies like Google, Amazon, Facebook, Rent the Runway, 23 and Me, among many others. But, while VC has been very helpful for some entrepreneurs, the industry is focused on a small percentage of businesses with high growth potential: in fact, only 0.6 percent of businesses ever raise VC. Venture Capital is also very concentrated, out of all the venture capital spent, 78 percent is spent in three states New...
#14 Kevin Moore - Spur Capital
September 10, 2019 05:00 - 50 minutes - 34.8 MBAccess to capital continues to be one of the main barriers to entry for entrepreneurs. With 80 percent of startups never accessing traditional loans and less than .6 percent of startups ever accessing venture capital funds, entrepreneurs are struggling to find financial resources to launch and scale their companies. This is particularly true for entrepreneurs of color and female entrepreneurs. In this new series of the StitchCrew Changemakers Podcast, we’ll be talking to early-stage invest...
#13 AgBoost - Sean Akadiri
August 27, 2019 05:00 - 51 minutes - 35.4 MBSince the world’s population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, there is renewed focus on how to create a food supply that can sustain this amount of people. Given the scrutiny that industrialized agriculture is responsible for a significant portion of greenhouse emissions, several food innovation startups are working on solutions that will enable the industry to meet future demand without destroying our planet. In fact, growing food in labs is now a thing. This process is often referr...
#12 Green Tree Project - Sam Walker
August 13, 2019 05:00 - 43 minutes - 29.7 MBChristmas is a big deal for retailers around the world as people and corporations purchase gifts, decorations, and supplies to celebrate. In the U.S. alone, the Holiday shopping season accounts for more than $1 Trillion dollars and more than a quarter of annual retail sales. Even companies completely dependent on Christmas, benefit from big industry, Christmas trees companies for example sell more than 40 million trees in the US every year. But for an industry selling trees, does it promot...
#11 Congresswoman Kendra Horn - Flipping More Than Just A District
July 16, 2019 05:00 - 1 hour - 41.3 MBIn 2018, we saw more women launch innovative companies accounting for 40% of new entrepreneurs in the U.S. We also experienced an increase of women investors and fund managers as well as a record number of women run for office and get elected to Congress. Today, we have more women than ever running to become President of the United States in 2020. What is behind the drive of these women to build the businesses they want to see in the world and run for office to enact the change they want to...
#10 Emmy Winning Rapper, Jabee - In a World So Fragile and Cruel, We Are Glad We Got You
July 02, 2019 05:00 - 55 minutes - 38 MBHip hop emerged in the mid-1970s from neighborhood block parties. Like any style of music, it has deep roots, and its evolution was shaped by many different artists. The Music Industry has also made a giant evolution. It is now easier than ever for an artist to publish and stream their music online thanks to social media and music-streaming platforms like Spotify which has made record labels a lot of money and music fans very happy. But what about the actual musicians? Platforms like Spoti...
#9 Brian Byrnes, OKC Thunder - From inauspicious beginnings to becoming one of the NBA’s most successful franchises.
June 19, 2019 04:00 - 1 hour - 52.9 MBSports teams are one of the greatest motivators of our time. They inspire commitment, dedication and risk-taking. they also teach us a thing or two about an individual’s ability to push limits, manage success and failure as a learning step to becoming great. Moreover, sports teams tend to be inclusive, diverse and unscripted. These cultural characteristics are critical traits of successful entrepreneurs and thriving innovation ecosystems. But what about the similarities of startups and th...
#9 Brian Byrnes, OKC Thunder - From inauspicious beginnings to becoming one of the NBA’s most successful franchises.
June 19, 2019 04:00 - 1 hour - 52.9 MBSports teams are one of the greatest motivators of our time. They inspire commitment, dedication and risk-taking. they also teach us a thing or two about an individual’s ability to push limits, manage success and failure as a learning step to becoming great. Moreover, sports teams tend to be inclusive, diverse and unscripted. These cultural characteristics are critical traits of successful entrepreneurs and thriving innovation ecosystems. But what about the similarities of startups and th...
#8 Lisa and Matt Pinnell - Founders of Binxy Baby: From Hijacking Shopping Carts to Building a Global Brand
June 04, 2019 05:00 - 1 hour - 31.6 MBSylvan Goldman invented the shopping cart in the mid-1930s. Like a lot of entrepreneurs, Goldman was solving a problem for himself. He owned a supermarket in Ardmore, Oklahoma called Humpty Dumpy and although business was good, he knew he’d be able to sell more if he could figure out how customers could carry more products while shopping. Although Goldman continued to make modifications to his original design, it was another Oklahoma inventor who managed to make the shopping cart more functi...
#7 Stephanie Conduff - Founder of Leche Lounge: Creating Safe Spaces for Working Moms
May 21, 2019 05:00 - 58 minutes - 26.9 MBManaging the nuances of returning to work, while caring for an infant is a heroic endeavor. That’s why having the support of management and peers is not only encouraged but critical. Particularly for moms who choose to breastfeed. Nearly 4 million babies are born each year in America and according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 8 out of 10 moms choose to breastfeed. Many of these moms are going back to work quickly for economic reasons -- in fact, it’s not uncommon for wo...
#6 Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt - The MAPS to a Big League City
May 07, 2019 05:00 - 1 hour - 31.5 MBThere have been three Presidents who’ve served as mayors prior to taking office. Grover Cleveland, served as the mayor of Buffalo, NY. Andrew Johnson, as mayor of Greeneville Tennessee and Calvin Coolidge as mayor of Northhampton, Massachusetts. Today, Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, Indiana is running for the 2020 presidential bid - and until recently, many speculated that Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti would also run though he’s publicly decided against the presidential bid. Although, m...
#5 Jill Castilla - Small Bank, Big Impact
April 23, 2019 05:00 - 1 hour - 29.8 MBWith only 18 percent of startups ever accessing a bank loan, finding community banks that see the long-term value of working with early stage entrepreneurs even if they are not bankable right away, is a rare find. Jill Castilla, President and CEO of Edmond Citizen’s Bank is one of those rare finds. As a Fintech inventor herself, she believes in fostering the next generation of businesses and has even transformed 15,000 square feet of unused office space into Vault 405, a co-sharing space for...
#4 Elizabeth Frame Ellison - An Entrepreneurs Journey Along Route 66
April 09, 2019 05:00 - 58 minutes - 26.8 MBAfter receiving a lot of criticism and little to no support when launching her bakery, Elizabeth Ellison identified a gap when it came to supporting entrepreneurs in the community. In a world where technology and high growth ventures tend to dominate the conversation, Elizabeth wanted to create a better environment for traditionally overlooked entrepreneurs - food entrepreneurs. Through her Family’s Foundation, she’s created several programs to support all types of entrepreneurs in Tulsa. Mo...
#3 Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum - Renewing The Spirit of High Expectations
March 25, 2019 05:00 - 57 minutes - 26.5 MBHow does an underdog win an election against a two-term incumbent by 17 points while running a very unconventional campaign? To win elections in today’s political environment conventional candidates often resort to their base, fear-based rhetoric and divisive instincts. But as a candidate for mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma, G.T. Bynum took on challenging equity conversations and decided to skip the smear campaigns. Instead he challenged the community to think like an entrepreneur and dream big aga...
#1 Stephanie Bice - From Entrepreneur to Policy Maker
February 12, 2019 18:00 - 53 minutes - 24.7 MBThis episode of the StitchCrew PodCast is a fascinating interview with Oklahoma State Senator, Stephanie Bice. Stephanie joined the Senate at a time when Oklahoma was 49th in the country for female legislators, despite being one of only five females in the senate and a first-term senator, Stephanie received national attention when she managed to challenge the status quo by changing the Oklahoma Constitution to allow the modernization of the state liquor laws. The first overhaul since 1959. ...
#2 Rooted - A Cut Above The Norm
February 12, 2019 06:00 - 1 hour - 39 MBThe role of barbershops has always been about more than a haircut. Barbershops have always propagated around creating a sense of community, dating back as early as 296 BC when greek men used to gather in marketplaces to get their hair and beards trimmed while debating politics and life. The trade was formally introduced in the US in the 19th century, as AB Moler opened a barber school in Chicago, making it the first institution of its kind anywhere in the world. It brought training, educatio...