Author - Kendel Rogers

August 15By Comments OffRead more...

7 Fort Worth Podcasts Every Entrepreneur Needs Listen To

Starting a business can feel lonely sometimes. You have a lot of questions or are not sure what questions you should ask! Learn from other entrepreneurs who have “been there, done that” through Fort Worth’s local podcasts. Find your new favorite podcast as well as a new community of support. You can find these podcasts on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Innovate Fort Worth - Join entrepreneurial ecosystem builder, Cameron Cushman from HSC Next, as he interviews entrepreneurs and innovators about their startups, and how those businesses are impacting Fort Worth. Whether he is talking to a...

May 17By Comments OffRead more...

The Ultimate Coworking Guide in Fort Worth

When entrepreneurs start their company, sometimes they don’t have the money to buy an office space. Some entrepreneurs don’t need office space, just a place to get some work done. Coworking locations are the best of both worlds: they are more affordable than leasing office space and can accommodate the specific needs of the entrepreneur. We gathered the best coworking spaces so you can pick the one right for you!  76107 Collective - This creative community coworking space is for small businesses and artists alike. With open storefronts to purchase goods, or a flexible space for work or events to happen,...

May 3By Comments OffRead more...

The Innovative Women of Fort Worth

Proud Texan Beyonce said it best when she said “Who runs the world? Girls!” The entrepreneurs below are the movers and shakers of Fort Worth. They are active in their communities, in their businesses, and support other women to overcome challenges that women face in industry. For example, did you know that, according to Bloomberg, women founders raised just 2 percent of venture capital funds raised in 2021?    Learn more about these dynamic innovators below!  Meet the innovative minds that are repurposing surplus materials to "fill a classroom, not a landfill." Vanessa Barker and Taylor Willis are life-long best friends that started...

February 8By 0 CommentsRead more...

Innovators of Fort Worth: Black History Month

Fort Worth is a city that, at its core, is a mix of cultural identities. Fort Worth would not be the city it is today without our diverse communities that contribute to local innovation. In honor of Black History Month, we are celebrating Black innovators who are making Fort Worth a more exciting and accessible place through entrepreneurship. Black entrepreneurs face unique challenges in starting and growing companies, like lack of access to capital, bias and accessing other resources and programs that support entrepreneurs.   The entrepreneurs listed below (and countless others) are thriving despite the odds and adding to an...

September 16By Comments OffRead more...

10 Ways Sparkyard Can Help Your Business

Sparkyard, you have heard of it, but do you know the man behind it? Meet Marco Johnson, the “Entrepreneurial Cat Herder” and main Spark Plan builder at Sparkyard. What you may not know is Marco has vast experience in entrepreneurship and economics. I sat down with Marco and wanted to share our conversation so you can learn more about the Spark-Man himself. My first career was in international development where I lived in 8 countries over 15 years and worked in a variety of sectors, including humanitarian work with refugees, microfinance, private equity investment, agricultural development, and impact investing. While I lived overseas, I was a...

September 13By Comments OffRead more...

Startup Capital Series: Angel Investors vs. Venture Capital

All startup companies require capital of some kind. In the initial stages of a company, funding can be hard to find. Most founders get started by using personal funds, bootstrapping money from personal savings, loans and credit cards, or using revenue from the company's profit to reinvest back into the company (known as sales-led growth strategy). When businesses need to scale at a faster pace than these methods provide, they will often turn to outside investors to fuel the growth of their company.  It is important to note that less than 1% of all companies raise angel or venture capital. The companies that do are typically launching a hot new technology and they need a...

August 12By Comments OffRead more...

Dallas Startup Week – Here’s What Happened!

Dallas Startup Week, hosted by The DEC Network, is a vibrant conference focused on innovation and entrepreneurship in Dallas. Sessions include educational classes, workshops, networking opportunities, and much more. I was able to join The DEC Network on Monday to attend sessions in person at Cox Business School at SMU, as well as follow throughout the week – virtually! Overall, I love that Dallas Startup Week’s setup was designed to be accessible online or in person. This gave more opportunities for entrepreneurs to learn, connect, and find new opportunities. Disrupt Dallas This event was a full day dedicated to diversity and inclusion during Dallas Startup Week. Its reputation precedes itself as a pillar of what makes Dallas Startup Week great. I love that the event happens on Sunday, so people with full time jobs can attend...

July 1By Comments OffRead more...

Innovator Spotlight: Dr. Vanessa Bouche of Savhera

Meet Dr. Vanessa Bouche, the founder of Savhera and a political science professor at Texas Christian University. Savhera is an essential oil company whose mission is to “Live Well, Do Good.” In Hindi, Savhera means “new beginnings,” and that is exactly what Savhera’s business model is doing by providing survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation meaningful employment. The Innovate Fort Worth podcast interviewed Dr. Bouche and she shared the Savhera story with our audience! Let’s start with the basics...What are essential oils?   " Essential oils are the essence of a plant. You grow a plant, fruit, or vegetable, and you can extract various things from it. You can extract the water or oil from it. It is the very highly concentrated essences of some fruit or herbs or plant that you receive. " Savhera has had a fascinating history from its inception. What started as a question challenging Dr. Bouche became a personal...

April 27By Comments OffRead more...

Making the Most of Your Clubhouse Experience

In our Clubhouse 101 post we shared some of the terminology used in Clubhouse, how to set up your profile and begin getting connected and how to join a room. If you are new to Clubhouse and you didn’t see our previous blog, please check that one out first. Now that you have listened in on a few rooms...let’s get you talking!    Getting started Let’s start with just being in a room. In the hallway, you can see rooms that are actively happening when you open the map. You can jump into any room instantly. Be sure to join a topic that interests you. You are in the audience (I suggest sitting in on a few rooms before you start moderating any rooms...