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Learn from some of the top CEOs and leaders in the country. Read our blog and listen to our Fast Frontiers Podcast where entrepreneurs share some of the most valuable lessons learned in their journey and what it means to truly make an impact.

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“Some of the most successful entrepreneurs have a strong sense of curiosity. They ask questions, investigate, and are willing to learn. If you can describe the elite organization you want, you have to be prepared to be the leader it requires.” – Tim Schigel

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Patrick Gilligan Joins Refinery as an Associate

Patrick got his start in finance at Fifth Third Bank in his hometown of Cincinnati, contributing to two impactful teams. His first role was as a Specialist in the Private Bank, supporting Wealth.

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A Hiring Matrix for Building A-Teams

Welcome to the Great Lakes Hypergrowth Talent Roadmap, where we explore all the aspects of building high-growth teams. This article is inspired by the following tweet: “To make sure we only hire A-players,.

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Refinery’s April Newsletter

Welcome to the Refinery Ventures Newsletter! We're excited to bring to you a recap of our recent events, a preview of what's coming up, and updates on our portfolio companies. Enjoy this month's.

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Hiring Engineering Talent in the World of AI

Welcome to the Great Lakes Hypergrowth Talent Roadmap, where we explore all the aspects of building high-growth teams. I saw the following tweet from Ohio person Andrew Rea and had a strong reaction:.

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Hiring High Potential vs. High Experience

Welcome to the Great Lakes Hypergrowth Talent Roadmap, where we explore all the aspects of building high-growth teams. This is one of the most essential and existential questions that all hypergrowth startups face:.

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Refinery’s March Newsletter

Welcome to the Refinery Ventures Newsletter! We're excited to share our talent roadmap newsletter and the launch of the Great Lakes VC Summit. You'll also find updates on our portfolio companies. Enjoy this.

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Prioritizing Your Hiring Process

Welcome to the Great Lakes Hypergrowth Talent Roadmap, where we explore all the aspects of building high-growth teams. “There is no wrong process, however, the most wrong thing to do when hiring is.

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Refinery’s February Newsletter

Welcome to the Refinery Ventures Newsletter! We're excited to announce a new talent roadmap newsletter and the launch of the Great Lakes VC Summit. You'll also find updates on our team and portfolio.

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What is Going on in Startup Hiring? – Carta 2024 State of Market Report

Welcome to the Great Lakes Hypergrowth Talent Roadmap, where we explore all the aspects of building high-growth teams. Despite what you might think about Carta (and if you have used their product as.

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Todd Schwarzinger On ‘Boomerangs’ and Innovation in the Midwest
Todd Schwarzinger On ‘Boomerangs’ and Innovation in the Midwest

Last fall, we wrote about how 2020 has set off many unexpected shifts in the business world, including the “boomerang” effect. Over the past few months, an increasing number of people from dense.

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Kristi Daiker on The Importance of Corporate Innovation
Kristi Daiker on The Importance of Corporate Innovation

We recently sat down with Kristi Daiker, one of our venture partners, and spoke about the importance of corporate innovation. Kristi spent 20 years working for Cardinal Health, a prominent medical wholesaler within.

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The GreenLight Fund: An Organization that Succeeds by Giving Back
The GreenLight Fund: An Organization that Succeeds by Giving Back

In this week’s episode of Fast Frontiers, I spoke to John Simon, the Managing Director at Sigma Prime Ventures and the co-founder of the GreenLight Fund. John is an active entrepreneur, creator, and.

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Hypergrowth is Not Stereotyped
Hypergrowth is Not Stereotyped

Fast Frontiers is an exploration of how innovation frontiers are emerging in surprising places. Innovators, entrepreneurars, champions of founders – these are all words that should not surprise you given the content of.

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Myth: There is a Lack of Venture Capital in the Midwest
Myth: There is a Lack of Venture Capital in the Midwest

The conventional belief from many people within the entrepreneurial ecosystem is that early-stage companies within the “flyover states” of the Midwest have little to no access to venture capital. People love to say.

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Mythbusters on Season 2 of Fast Frontiers
Mythbusters on Season 2 of Fast Frontiers

On Season 2 of Fast Frontiers, we noticed that a lot of our guests were talking about myths that they had uncovered. So we thought we would do our own version of “Mythbusters”.

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Are Entrepreneurs Better Jockeys Or Surfers?
Are Entrepreneurs Better Jockeys Or Surfers?

You may have heard of the horse and jockey analogy used for investing—some people bet on the horse, i.e., the business or the business model, and others on the jockey, i.e., the CEO.

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Refinery Welcomes Two Defense Ventures Fellows
Refinery Welcomes Two Defense Ventures Fellows

I am proud to announce that Refinery has been selected to be part of a venture capital initiative that helps the Department of Air Force solve problems and deliver better capability to warfighters,.

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Fast Frontiers Across the World
Fast Frontiers Across the World

Throughout our podcast series, we’ve talked to some fantastic people, bringing you expert insights and covering an abundance of relevant topics facing tech pioneers as they forge their ways in new frontiers across.

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Lessons in Hypergrowth: Elina Gokh

A Refinery Ventures conversation about Hypergrowth with Executive Business Leader and Strategist, Elina Gokh.

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Lessons in Hypergrowth: Marc Pretorius

Refinery Ventures welcomes Marc Pretorius, Director of Sales at Silo, for a discussion detailing how autonomy, mastery, and purpose can elevate culture and ultimately lead to Hypergrowth.

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