Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast
Entrepreneurship on the RISE, hosted by RISE Collaborative, tells the story of change-makers to advance the knowledge for rural ecosystem building. In each episode of this limited series, co-hosts Lauren Mathena and Jacob Dolence speak with industry leaders, entrepreneurs and small-business owners, and change-makers for rural ecosystem building in Southern Virginia and across the country to hear how they are building up their local communities.
Featured Guests
Michael Scales
Longwood SBDC Business Consultant
Warren Reid
Reid Executive Group
Natalie Hodge
Founder and Owner of Rudy’s Girl Media
Tad Deriso
MBC & SOVA Innovation Hub
All Podcast Episodes
Brandon Hennessey on Leveraging Data to Support Entrepreneurs
Brandon Hennessey on Leveraging Data to Support EntrepreneursIt is important not just to look at data for what it is but to craft a narrative with the data and allow it to lead us toward innovation and growth. This week, season 2 episode 10 of Entrepreneurship on the...
Todd Waldo on Human-Centered Solutions and Technology to Help Entrepreneurs Scale
Todd Waldo on Human-Centered Solutions and Technology to Help Entrepreneurs ScaleThroughout the pandemic and subsequent years, we saw a shift in the way businesses approached diversity and equity but it is clear that if we want to continue improving our ecosystems, we...
Anand Macherla on How to Build a Resilient Startup Ecosystem
Anand Macherla on How to Build a Resilient Startup Ecosystem To create an ecosystem that is thriving, it’s important that ecosystem builders work together with the local community. Everyone impacted should have a voice and be made aware of the shifts happening in...
Beth Zimmer on Reducing the Barriers to Entry for Rural Startups
Beth Zimmer on Reducing the Barriers to Entry for Rural StartupsSerendipity in ecosystem building is a huge underlying and immeasurable resource. It’s important to have communities the support of amazing things coming together in a harmonious way. This episode of the...
Eric Weissmann on The Value of Variety in Ecosystem Building
Eric Weissmann on the Value of Variety in Ecosystem BuildingWhen you look at ecosystems in nature, like the rainforest, for example, it’s not all tall trees but a variety of different species that come together to create a bigger landscape. The same goes for our...
Trinity Thorpe-Lubneuski on The Impact of Internet Access in Rural America
Trinity Thorpe-Lubneuski on the Impact of Internet Access in Rural AmericaThose of us who have easy access to the internet often take for granted the benefits we reap from it. By providing equitable access to the internet across our rural communities, we are opening...
Tara St. Clair on Fostering Collaboration and Connection while Ecosystem Building
Tara St. Clair on Fostering Collaboration and Connection while Ecosystem BuildingFor anything to come together in a short amount of time AND without funding, it takes a community of people believing in the same mission and working together to create a network of...
Brian Deurloo // FrogCreek Partners
Entrepreneur Interview with Brian Deurloo, President & Founder of FrogCreek PartnersWhen it comes to your startup, if you don’t have the passion behind what you’re selling, you’re not going to make it as far as you think. This week, season 2 episode 2 of...
Anika Horn on Putting People First in Ecosystem Building
Anika Horn on Putting People First in Ecosystem BuildingWe often fall into this trap of only looking at the professional facet of a person rather than the people themselves. When you take the time to understand the person, what it is they want, and how you can support...
Sheri McGuire on The Ever-Evolving Nature of Rural Ecosystem Building
Ecosystem Builder Interview with Sheri McGuire of Longwood UniversityYou can't control an entrepreneurial ecosystem. It has its own form, its own life. It's the magic that happens when certain things and people come together. On episode 10 of the Entrepreneurship on...
Baylie Evans on Generating Investment in Rural Entrepreneurs
Ecosystem Builder Interview with Baylie Evans, gBETA Managing Director at gener8torWhat every ecosystem needs is a connector that builds this vast network of open doors for more and more people to access different people and resources they were never able to before....
Warren Reid on Present, Community-Centered Leadership
Interview with Warren Reid, Owner of The Reid Executive Group Not everyone has the privilege to travel the world so it is even more important for the ones that can to bring some of that knowledge and perspective back to their small towns for the greater benefit....
About the Hosts
Our podcast is a real-time reflection of the behind-the-scenes and everyday conversations happening among entrepreneurs, ecosystem builders, and small-business resource providers in our region and around the country. Hosts Lauren Mathena and Jacob Dolence interview interesting people leading equity-driven entrepreneurship and innovation movements in small towns in Virginia, Colorado, Oregon, Wyoming, and Minnesota. Stay tuned – we have been completing lots of interviews and can’t wait to share our guests’ stories and expertise with you!
HOST | Lauren Mathena
Growing up in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, Lauren has lived in Virginia and North Carolina for her whole life. Lauren joined the team at RISE Collaborative through her work with entrepreneurship and digital skills programs for the SOVA Innovation Hub in her role at Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corporation. She brings experience as an entrepreneurial project manager, knowledge of the region, and 15+ years in community engagement to her work as an ecosystem builder with a background in healthcare and innovation.
HOST | Jacob Dolence
A native of Wyoming, Jacob worked in higher education entrepreneurship centers in Flagstaff, Arizona and at West Virginia University before joining the faculty at Longwood University in the Cormier Honors College for Citizen Scholars. In addition to teaching freshman and senior level honors courses in social entrepreneurship, Jacob is a lead facilitator for CO.STARTERS powered by RISE Collaborative. Still relatively new to Virginia, Jacob Dolence brings fresh eyes and an abundance of experience to his role as an ecosystem builder with RISE Collaborative.