You're originally from Houston. What brought you to Wichita?
Family. My husband’s family is from Halstead. And he always wanted to move back, so when the time was right, we made a move. We actually met in India.
How did you wind up in India?
When I graduated from college, I wanted to travel—to see the world. And I came across an opportunity in India to work for a sourcing company that also engaged heavily with the community. I took it. I figured I'd better do it while I could.
Whereabouts in India?
Southern India. Bangalore. And, I might add, this was my first real introduction to startup communities. There were so many people starting their own companies there. Almost every person I interacted with wanted to do their own thing. But it was unstructured–not the venture capital-funded startups you see here. Everybody just really wanted to make it.
We lived near a local coffee shop and became friends with the owners. By the time we left India, they had over sixty locations all over the country. They were everywhere. It was fun. I loved watching them hustle and succeed.
You have a startup to talk about, but before we go there, did you realize what you were seeing in India, and did you know then that the experience of being around all these startups would influence you today?
I didn't have the "I want to be like that" feeling until I moved back to the United States. But things started to click when I took the job as managing director of business development with infoFluency. I kept thinking that I wanted to have something–my own thing–but it had to be legit. It would need to fill a market gap.
Being around all those people, did you see any traits or characteristics of a founder that stood out to you?
I don't think it's a secret that it takes a certain type of person to start a company. But they have to be more than motivated; they have to have an intrinsic passion for their idea. There are plenty of motivated people out there, lawyers, doctors, but there's that element of risk founders are willing to take. Not everyone can do that. Willingness to take that risk is part of what makes founders founders.
In your job at infoFluency, you're around fewer founders and more venture capital firms and family offices. High level: What does infoFluency do?
At its simplest, we provide data visualization. We take company data and transform it so decision-makers can see and understand it. Sometimes that means pulling analytic data out of Excel spreadsheets and hosting it in the cloud so our clients can see their data in real-time.
It sounds like a lot more than just charts and graphs. How would a VC, or for that matter, an SMB, use infoFluency?
We aggregate data sources–accounting, CRM, Excel, research, prospects, founders, VCs searching for limited partners, etc.—and transform them into visual stories that help our clients make better business decisions.
VCs are always looking for new startups, but they're also looking for new investors. So, they're constantly selling to both sides—startups and investors. They capture data that helps them better understand their investors and startups, and that data then informs their strategy.
For example, maybe as a VC you want to store data about the characteristics your investors share to help you find new ones, or you want to examine the performance of your decision-making strategies. For founders, maybe you want to keep track of their experience, or what stage of development they’re in, or who their investors are. At infoFluency, we present this data to our clients in real-time so they can make informed decisions.
And if you're an SMB, we offer to aggregate their sales and marketing data to find correlations between sales efforts and revenue. With the way we aggregate and present data, you'll always know what's happening in your business, which will allow you to earn more.
Your new startup, Luminous, is also a tool for investors and founders. Talk a little about your plans for Luminous.
Luminous is an aggregate data source for founders and investors all over the U.S., with a deep emphasis on emerging ecosystems in the Midwest and off-coast states. If I can get more specific, we want to create a data source where founders of early-stage startups can learn about investors, and investors can learn about founders of early-stage startups.
To succeed, we want to connect with incubators, accelerators, universities, community groups, city groups—essentially any organization that’s in touch with startups and founders as well as investors. We want to work with organizations that share our vision of promoting the early visibility of early-stage startups.
Like Crunchbase, only not Crunchbase?
Sort of. If you're a startup in a major market, you probably have a developed ecosystem or investor connections. But VCs are always looking for new opportunities, new startups, and new founders.
For example, a VC with a specific thesis can search the database to find startups matching their investing philosophy or objective. Or maybe a VC or investor is looking for startups that have reached a certain stage–through Luminous, they'll be able to search for this kind of information.
Why start Luminous?
At infoFluency, we work with a variety of VCs, family offices, and investors. I know they're looking for data sources where they can learn about early-stage companies. And I know early-stage founders are always searching for connections in the VC world. We’ve uncovered a need, and so far, we’ve had great feedback.
What do you think about Wichita so far?
Wichita has been great. The community is so welcoming. This is exactly the kind of market Luminous is looking for—a city in the Midwest with a growing startup ecosystem.
You've spent a lot of time around VCs, many of them well-known. What's your advice for founders who are looking for funding?
Network. Find those personal connections, find those warm introductions, and use them. That's so much better than seeking them out yourself. Invest in a good pitch deck. Please. Oh, and of course, invest in good analytics for your company!