Joe Tomco

If you’re a founder or investor in Nashville, you need to know: Peter Swan and Gust -Peter moved to Nashville from New York, and as the CEO of Gust, wanted to find and help advance Nashville’s startup community. -Gust created a program for founders online years ago that provides a dashboard and product to help new startups incorporate their business easily. They also provide templates in business critical subject areas that are high priority for founders: things like tax forms, fundraising documents, and advisor contracts (among many other resources). Peter will always answer questions from folks. He’s a wealth of knowledge for founders. -But I don’t want to bury the lede. The best thing about having Peter and Gust in Nashville is how much more organic visibility founders and Angels have to their initiatives. Gust recently launched a new Angel investor platform with participation from Nashville’s Angel community. I don’t even think we understand how incredible this is. Just 5 years ago, founders didn’t have as many options for investor visibility outside the Southeast. And Angels didn’t have as many options either to form a group. Gust is changing the game. Just personally, I’ve really enjoyed being their customer and getting to be a very small part of their company/community’s journey. I’ve learned so much from them. It’s crazy because Britepeer got rejected from a Nashville based incubator program at the same time we were accepted into Gust’s first cohort program, and it dawned on me back then that finding the fit is incredibly important. Without Gust I don’t think Britepeer would have launched an MVP at all and for that option, I’m really grateful.

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Sam Davidson mentioned there are 80-something resources for entrepreneurs in the Nashville area. StartupNash has one goal: it helps you find your first supporters. We connect startups to peer founders and funders through a tool called Britepeer. Supporters could be: peer founders, funders, mentors, customers, or community members. They likely: - build at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center through vertical specific programming - take advantage of mentorship from SCORE Mentors Nashville - Pitch at the the Wond'ry -Pitch at Founders Live - Go to meetups at Nashville Product Meetup - Join a vault group at BrainTrust - Incorporate through Gust - Angel investing education through Gust’s Angel Guide - Join Greater Nashville Technology Council - Attend 3686 from LaunchTN - Join NashDev Slack to meet other tech founders and engineers solving real problems in their work - Use the Wefunder community to raise a community round OR invest in companies you believe in as a funder - Join other actionable community groups like Repped In Tech® - Join Gun.io's Slack or Discord channels to meet other engineers and learn about Nationwide tech talent -Apply for Jumpstart Foundry’s Healthcare accelerator - Attend Nashville Software School to learn how to be a software developer - Get founder resources specific to the Southeast from Build In SE - Keep up with a ledger of venture backed startup-related developments from Milt Capps at Venture Nashville - Read founder stories from TENNBEAT ...and 70+ other groups in Nashville help founders, funders, and vertical specific businesses incubate, accelerate and grow. Of course, many of the folks who run these programs are also on StartupNash to help raise aware awareness for these resources. Any one of these programs could also use Britepeer to help people in their communities meet if they have a Slack group! (Some of the groups I listed already do!) I have a vision that connecting peers easily within programs like these is the way of the future. * Edit, added tons of things I missed the first time 😄 Probably will continue adding to this. Who did I miss?

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Some VC investors believe that brick and mortar - referring to a physical presence of some kind - should be avoided at all costs. Yet, the track record of clinic and hybrid care businesses in health care indicates otherwise. ==> One Medical (sold for $3.9 billion to Amazon), Oak Street (bought by CVS for $10.6 billion), Lifestance (IPO at $7.5 billion market cap), and PE-backed Premise Health (acquired by OMERS Private Equity for $1.1 billion) If a clinic is indicated as the optimal way to deliver care for that patient population, there are creative ways to build and operate them. Full article below with advice and strategies on how to build and operate hybrid clinics from my teammate Anarghya Vardhana from Maveron, Amir Dan Rubin from OneMedical Group, Steven Eidelman from Modern Animal and more!

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The Information is out with breaking news about Bolt finalizing a $450M round at a whopping $14B valuation for their Series F. This is complete with Ryan Breslow returning as the CEO. While this fundraising is obviously impressive, the ultimatum is that existing investors "Have to buy at twice their existing positions at the higher valuation." Most egregious is their written threat of forcing the existing Preferred Shares into $0.01 common shares if they do not." It will be interesting to see how BlackRock and General Atlantic respond to this direct threat. #management #venturecapital #privateequity #fintech #capitalmarkets https://lnkd.in/eZZec5kT

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Let’s play the blame game. Whenever an NBA team – or a company – fails to reach expectations, people are quick to point fingers. "The Atlanta Hawks didn’t make the Playoffs because of Trae Young," some say. "Company Y missed their earnings because the VP of DTC didn’t get enough unique visitors to the website," they say. Rarely, though, is the finger pointed at the right place. That’s because – and the example of Trae really had me thinking about this – when a company falls short, it’s almost always an institutional failure and not a single individual. What does that mean? Let’s keep using Company Y and that VP of DTC as our example. In a nutshell, the VP was in charge of DTC revenue and missed the projected number. Still, to drive that revenue the VP’s dependent on the product team producing and delivering the right product at the right time. That VP’s dependent on the marketing team cooking up the right assets, branding, and copy. That VP’s dependent on the C suite allocating the proper budget to drive the expected dollars. That VP’s depending on a lot of variables – and on the overall institution – that are out of their control. Likewise, Trae averaged 26 ppg, 10 apg, and made the NBA All-Star team this year. Yeah, he wasn’t perfect on defense and he turned the ball over a fair amount. Still, he’s dependent on institutional variables, too, such as the front office picking up the proper complimentary pieces before (and during) the season. He’s dependent on the ownership group hiring the right basketball, medical, nutrition, and training staff. And, he’s dependent on all of his teammates. With all of that in mind, no matter who is at the top of a company or team, it takes certain factors to be successful. You have to have clear goals and incentives need to be aligned. You have to have outstanding communication. You have to trust one another. You have to, lastly for now, respect one another. If one of those key elements is missing, leadership is going to be on the hook. Which is why we say: Heavy is the head, in this case Trae and our VP of DTC, that wears the crown. #leadership #business

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I love to help entrepreneurs look around corners. I've jumped on Intro to assist founders in navigating the dynamics of their startup. If that’s you or someone you know, and you’re looking to brainstorm with a technical leader experienced in operations, software, infrastructure, team alignment, investor relationships, and the intricacies of starting and growing a SaaS company, keep reading. ⬇️ As a 7x founder I've spent the majority of my professional life leading innovation and product development. Most recently, I served as CEO at Get Structure (financial operations for startups) and prior I was VP of Innovation at SendGrid (acquired by Twilio for ~$3B). Additionally, I've founded and operated four diverse product studios: Techstars Studio, Joy Labs, Hive Hatch, and Stray Labs. I love talking, ideating, and helping with all the details a founder needs to consider when starting, building and delivering their vision. I’m especially excited to offer my advice in navigating the hard questions that impact both founders personally & professionally during their journey. Schedule a call if you want advice on: ✔️ How to make your startup operations easy ✔️ Fundraising OR dealing if you can’t ✔️ Designing & building software & infrastructure early that scales ✔️ Venture studio business models ✔️ Shutting down your startup 🙁 ✔️ Going from 0 to IPO and beyond Honored to be on intro alongside world-class technical leaders like Dmitry Shapiro (former CTO of MySpace) & Phil McKinney (former CTO of HP) If I can help you or a friend you care about, reach out:

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How did a small space become a multi-state success? Working in IT satisfied me financially but not wholeheartedly. With my previous experience in IT operations, sales and strategy, I decided to make a change. On November 9, 2017, I took a big leap and started Brown Elephant in a tiny space after leaving my IT job. Our setup was basic, with no fancy design and we were tucked away from the main road. Many people doubted my decision, but I believed in myself and my passion. I poured my heart into making quality furniture and soon enough, customers were travelling over 100 miles just to buy from us. After six years, we’ve grown and now have five showrooms across two states. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that when you offer a Quality product, Location doesn’t matter as much. And Success starts with following your passion. If you're ready to turn your passion into success, start today—believe in yourself, take the leap, and create something extraordinary. #entrepreneurship #followyourpassion #smallbusinesssuccess #qualityoverquantity #believeinyourself

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These are great insights from Flagstaff Ventures! With consumer behavior shifting so rapidly, it’s exciting (and essential) to anticipate where trends are heading. My prediction? Companies that successfully integrate AI-driven personalization with ethical transparency will dominate in consumer loyalty. I can't wait to see how brands like lululemon and AG1 keep adapting in this space – they’ve already set the bar high. Here’s to more bold moves in the coming year!

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Today's Boring Biz: Pool Leak Detection Company - $2.3M Revenue - $610K Cashflow - South Carolina - Day 39 of "50 States In 50 Days" Note: We do not represent this deal, highlighting for informational purposes only for viewers What do they do? 1. Leak detection services 2. Electronic detection equipment 3. Pool inspections Investment Highlights 1. Strong market demand 2. Established reputation 3. Business systems in place Investment risks/concerns 1. What is the competition 2. Customer concentration 3. Length of contracts #SMB #ETA #finance #Cashflow #investing #search #searchfund #privateequity #microprivateequity #smallbusiness #venturecapital #vc #entrepreneur #business #businessowner #pool #leakdetection #southcarolina #servicecompany Disclaimer: Hypothetical and illustrative only. Please do your own research (DYOR) or work with tax and legal professionals before making a decision. This video are intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or tax advice, nor should be construed as an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation for any security by SMB PE LLC or any third party

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How do you build meaningful partnerships as a founder? I know I've been guilty of sending partnership agreements in hopes of the best In this episode of How I'm Building This podcast, Alex Witcpalek, the founder of Continuum AI, shares his unconventional path from playing football at the University of Louisville to working in commercial real estate and eventually joining the tech industry. Here are some sound bites from our conversation: ✔️"I'm going to build something on my own and I'm going to build it so that not only do I have a better life, but there's families that don't have to go through what we're going through." ✔️"We have so much pipeline that if we close this, I need to build a team to be able to go deliver it." ✔️"You need to be very upfront and transparent with your partner and have a plan together to cross pollinate your go-to-market motions." ✔️"We became thought leaders and our content now drive sour partner channel." ✔️"I don't think you can silo outbound partner and marketing, because we do a lot of partner marketing together too." ‍ Listen now: Youtube: https://lnkd.in/g5P3nkWZ Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gXUYA_ZF Other episodes as they release: https://lnkd.in/gkxQsmwH #startup #entrepreneurship

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Why you need to start setting 10 year visions: Most folks who set goals do so in 1 year increments. Which is better than nothing. But it’s similar to public companies that focus on quarterly results. You risk pursuing goals that don’t intentionally build toward something larger. ✅ 10 year visions are more compelling. They say you overestimate what you can do in a day and underestimate what you can do in a year. We grossly underestimate what we can do in 10. If you decided you wanted to become a professor, for example, it’s highly unlikely you’d be able to do that in a year. But you could absolutely do it in 10. You’d have to identify some intermediate goals along the way. But you probably wouldn’t have chosen those intermediate goals in the first place if you were thinking in 1 year increments. Because they are stepping stones. ✅ 10 year visions allow you to move sustainably. Thinking in 10 years not only allows you to dream bigger, it also allows you to be more steady. 1 year thinking leads to trying shortcuts. To bigger, wilder swings. To microwaving results. Like trying to run a marathon after a week of training. The world is full of weight loss programs that promise incredible results in 12 weeks. Few people actually accomplish it. Those that do usually slide backward soon after. Compare that to a vision of, say, hiking the tallest mountain on each continent. You could spend the first 3 years simply training to get good at mountain climbing, and still have 7 years to tackle a mountain each year. Think bigger. You might not know exactly how you’ll get there. You might not even see the path right now. That’s okay. All that matters is that it resonates with you. And that you have enough information to take the first step. ✅ 10 year visions are more realistic. My last business made $40,000 its first year in business.. It took 3 years to eclipse $1 million. Took 7 to hit $10 million. We absolutely could have grown faster. Lord knows we made dozens of mistakes along the way. But I think rapid success is the exception and not the rule. Accomplishing meaningful, valuable things takes time. Building a great company. Launching and exiting a startup. Building a portfolio of real estate. Becoming strong, flexible and pain free. Building a marriage that lasts. Raising competent, happy children. Mastering a craft. None of these can be done in a year. All of them can be done in 10. ✅ 10 year visions give you more joy. The science suggests that you do not experience joy as a consequence of achieving a goal. You experience joy as a consequence of creating a goal, and then noting your progress towards the goal. This implies that the greater the goal, the greater, the more intense, and the more lasting the joy as you make progress. 10 year visions, with achievable intermediate goals, give you 10 years of joy.

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PE talent professionals / operating partners: give your human capital practices their annual physical. Here are a few key things to health-check. ▶️ What did I miss? Enjoyed hanging out with Jordan Selleck on The Investors and Operators Podcast... and love the work he's doing with 51 Labs / 51 Vets! #PrivateEquity #PE #ValueCreation

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Excited to announce our partnership with Kyle and Evan via our investment in Two Boxes 📦📦 - a company focused on streamlining returns processing for 3PLs and self-fulfilling brands. I believe they are currently one of the most dynamic start-ups in the reverse logistics sector globally. 🌎 The importance of properly managing free returns deeply impacts ecommerce brands - especially given that online merchants currently face average return rates of 20% to 30%. Two Boxes' workflow software and hardware solution streamlines the returns process for 3PLs and brands, turning costs into potential profits. 💰 By providing deep and actionable data on returns, Two Boxes helps merchants identify fraud, improve sustainability, and reduce inventory costs. As Two Boxes becomes the returns processing hub for 3PLs and brands, our team at Assembly Ventures is excited about their potential to deliver tremendous value today while expanding into other areas like recommerce and outsourced returns services. Excited to move the world with our new friends at Peterson Ventures, Vinyl Capital , Range Ventures, and Matchstick Ventures as Two Boxes executes on their mission to make returns an asset instead of a liability. #twoboxes #assemblyventures #movetowin #movetheworld #petersonventures #siliconvalley #detroit #berlin #beyond

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In Nashville, some of our brightest business minds, including renowned founders and CEOs, have navigated the difficult process of building businesses, only to face bankruptcy years later due to market changes or a bad hire in your organization not reporting key facts and it killing your business. But hey, who needs accurate and timely reporting, right? 🙄 These were $25 million to billion-dollar ventures. And guess what? You or your parents, your kids probably work for these people now because they are often hired to run companies or are given more money to start something new by the best business minds. (duh - this expertise is invaluable) Personally, I don't hide my failures. I think my failures help me 1000% become the best at what I do and why I love my job so much. Nothing is better than business building with the right team, with the right idea, with the right customers. What I dislike about my job is simply not having enough resources in the early days to hire A players and build faster and faster. What do you want to know about my failures? I'm an open book. There's a reason they say peaks and valleys in entrepreneurship. Do not fear failing, fear not working with the best and delivering high quality work at all times.

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First Starbucks, now Nike. Large retailers are struggling as consumer behavior changes. Caught in between different eras, these companies struggle with how to proceed. However, a new wave of companies is coming. These companies are able to master both physical and digital commerce. Like Madison Reed (founded by University of Connecticut Alum Amy Errett - Go Huskies!), partnering with UConn Basketball stars to promote Madison Reed's omnichannel Hair Color product. Like Shopify, which is focusing on the full commerce stack by expanding into wholesale. Like Blue Onion, which helps companies reconcile where the payments in their bank account came from. All of this breakdown, and more, in this week's edition of "Retail Is Not Dead?". What future of commerce companies are you excited about? https://lnkd.in/gE5p4Pku

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5 things I've learned that have made running a business simpler: 1) Your time is too valuable for that new show based on the spin-off of that other spin-off. Believe me, it’s all the same. If you’ve watched one show, you’ve watched all of them. My point: Think about the amount of time you’re wasting watching mind-numbing shows that don’t offer you any value in your life. If you want to be successful, I encourage you to be cheap with your time. Starting with turning off that show. 2) Learn to solve problems, not create them. Your attention to detail surely is handy when it’s needed, like when identifying gaps or errors in projects—but if you want to position yourself for success, merely pointing out issues without offering solutions simply creates more problems. If you’re confident enough to point out problems, offer a solution to go with it. 3) Break big jobs into smaller jobs. Big jobs can be intimidating, which can bring procrastination, self-doubt, and ultimately, failure. Don't go down that road. Instead, focus on smaller, more achievable projects—and before you know it, you’ll be on a winning streak just as big as the one you had set yourself up for. 4) Communicating is about what they hear not what you say. When people hear “communication” they hear “talk.” But in reality, communication is all about listening. The next time you’re opening yourself up to communication, take on the art of listening. You’ll be surprised to hear what actually lies underneath. 5) Let go of your control-freak tendencies. If you’re like me, you can’t help but take a hands-on approach to success. But scaling your business may require surrendering the thing that made you successful in the first place. You’ll see how effectively you can lead a team from the sidelines. What other tips have #simplified your business strategy? #CEO #Mindset #Growth #Accelerate #Businessadvice 

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Great article on the founder-investor relationship—one that’s so critical to the success of any venture. Tough times are inevitable, and the true strength of a founder-investor partnership isn’t measured during the good times, but in how both sides show up when things go wrong. These moments test trust, alignment, and shared resilience. As founders, we’re expected to lead our teams through crises, rally, adapt, and navigate the storm. The best investors also show the same level of leadership and step up during challenging moments, offering guidance, empathy, and actionable solutions. It’s a collaborative effort, and I’ve been fortunate to witness how impactful it can be when investors show true leadership. One way to ensure this is to work with investors who’ve been in your shoes before—there’s nothing quite like operator investors to bring valuable perspective and support when it matters most.

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Keen to learn more about the Calybre story? 📖 Check out our new article on TechCentral with the link below. #expectmore #stepahead #reallyawesomedatapeople #data #dataconsulting #dataanalytics #dataengineering #datascience #datastrategy #datagovernance #ai #artificialintelligence #datasecurity

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Hey Nashville Founder and Funder friends: StartupNash is hosting events! We are having a happy hour during the week of #3686, and I want you to come. This event is for high-growth founders in Nashville launching something new (or an interest in newly launched startups)! Founders should expect to meet peer connections. Let me share a bit more. - Startup founders have a lonely road. It's important to make/invest in professional friendships. - 3686 is a great time to share new things you're working on/launching. - We practice peer mentorship (founder knowledge sharing) every day in StartupNash. - We are bringing our community experience to life with this ongoing event. There is a mix of founders and funders already signed up. Those attending 3686 can attend the conference happy hour, then StartupNash in East Nashville, then LaunchTN's after-party. It'll be a busy day but we can do it! I'll be attending every event. How you can help: - Share this event with a founder new to town - Be open to knowledge-sharing with founders - StartupNash is seeking sponsorships for our founder events in the future Details here: https://lu.ma/03h7wpei

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