The Kurty D Show

051 - Somewhat Frank with Frank Gruber

Episode Summary

This week I'm excited to share my conversation with my friend, Frank Gruber - the trailblazing new media journalist, community builder, entrepreneur, and early-stage tech investor. In 2006 he co-founded TechCo (formerly Tech Cocktail) which was acquired by MVF Global in January 2018. Frank is also the author of Startup Mixology: Tech Cocktail’s Guide To Building, Growing, and Celebrating Startup Success published by Wiley. An early blogger and one of the first contributors to TechCrunch, Frank has interviewed some of the most noteworthy thought leaders from some of the most successful businesses in history. He currently hosts two podcasts, “Somewhat Frank” and “Startup of the Year Podcast”. Before his TechCo success, Frank launched products for the masses while at AOL and Tribune where he built and led product development efforts. In 2018, he co-founded Established, to assist organizations with strategy and innovation programs working with clients like NASA, U.S. SBA, Capital One, and more. Established also manages the Startup of the Year community and program which provides a unique opportunity for startups to build relationships, connect with mentors, and gain exposure.

Episode Notes

Key Takeaways:

Highlighting Frank Gruber’s career highlights
From Blogging to Tech Ecosystem Development: A Journey of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The Evolution of Technology and the Importance of Business Model Innovation
The Business Mechanism as a Path to Self-Actualization
Investing in Next Gen: A Journey of Early Stage Funding and Partnerships
Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Resilience

Tweetable Quotes:

“The people that can tell their story the best usually do the best.” - Frank Guber
“A lot of times what I tell founders is just, pick one that you're best at rather than try to do everything because it's just exhausting trying to do all the different things.” - Frank Guber
“If you can start early when you're not comfortable, it's better because once you get comfortable with all the things you're used to, it's harder to do it.” - Frank Guber
“Some of the stuff that we had to do was to make those sacrifices so I can get done with school.” - Frank Guber
“These people that are out there have that ability to be able to tell that story and convince people that this is the direction that we're going.” - Frank Guber
“Everyone's got a social channel, there's so much noise, it's how do you get ahead of that now?” - Frank Guber
“As an actual investor, you gotta make those relationships before you need them.” - Frank Guber
“You just never give up - you learn and get stronger along the way.” - Frank Guber

Links Mentioned: