Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

Startup of the Year Podcast


Mar 9, 2021

On this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, we listen to Frank Gruber’s interview with Lo Toney at the Startup of the Year Summit in the fall of 2020.

Lo is the founding managing partner at Plexo Capital, which is an institutional investment firm he incubated and spun out from Google Ventures. Plexo Capital invests in emerging seed-stage VCs led by diverse teams and invests directly into companies sourced from the portfolios of VCs where Plexo Capital has an investment.

Prior to founding Plexo Capital, Lo was a Partner on the investing team at Google Ventures where he focused on marketplaces, mobile and consumer products. Before Google Ventures, Lo was a Partner with Comcast Ventures where he led the Catalyst Fund and worked with the main fund where he focused on mobile messaging and marketplaces.

Lo also worked with Zynga as the GM of Zynga Poker with full P+L responsibility for Zynga’s largest franchise at that time. He has also held executive roles with Nike, eBay, as well as startups funded by top tier investors.

On another note, we have a very exciting SXSW event planned on March 15 - 20. Our programming will also include a segment for Government Funding Opportunities for Startups and a Venture Capital Reverse Pitch, where investors will actually pitch their funds to startups...which everyone is really excited about. If you are interested in learning more or getting involved visit: www.est.us/sxsw21.

We also invite all of our listeners to get involved with our program by visiting: established.us/programs. This is the best way to get notified of the various startup opportunities that we come across while working with various partner organizations and in a number of ecosystems across the country. It is also that time of year again when the Startup of the Year 2021 Application is open. So if you are a startup looking for exposure and to become part of an amazing community make sure to apply at https://www.startupofyear.com/application.

We also want to congratulate Kamana Health (Established Venture Portfolio & 2019 Top 100) for announcing that they've been acquired by Triage. Kamana is a software platform connecting healthcare providers and staffing agencies with traveling nurses and other medical professionals. Learn more at the following: https://www.kamanahealth.com/an-open-letter-to-our-customers/.

Lastly, check us out on the Clubhouse App, where we are planning a bunch of new rooms and sessions coming out regularly and we will also have some rooms during our SXSW festivities. Follow our Club - Startup Community Club.

Thank you for listening, and as always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at www.est.us

Checkout Startup of the Year at www.startupofyear.com/

Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow

Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: http://startupoftheyear.libsyn.com/

Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: https://soty.link/ESTYouTube

***

Startup of the Year helps diverse, emerging startups, founding teams, and entrepreneurs push their company to the next level. We are a competition, a global community, and a resource.

Startup of the Year is also a year-long program that searches the country for a geographically diverse set of startups from all backgrounds and pulls them together to compete for the title of Startup of the Year.

The program includes a number of in-person and virtual events, including our annual South By Southwest startup pitch event and competition. All of which culminate at our annual Startup of the Year Summit, where the Startup of the Year winner is announced, along with an opportunity at a potential investment.

Established is a consultancy focused on helping organizations with innovation, startup, and communication strategies. It is the power behind Startup of the Year. Created by the talent responsible for building the Tech.Co brand (acquired by an international publishing company), we are leveraging decades of experience to help our collaborators best further (or create) their brand & accomplish their most important goals. Connect with us on Twitter - @EstablishedUs and Facebook - facebook.com/established.us/.