Episode 8 - "Underrepresented Founders” with John McDonald of NEXT Studios

The Hoosier Hub Podcast

Recorded September 22nd

John started NEXT Studios in 2020 after a successful exit on his own venture in the internet of things software space. One of the things that makes NEXT Studios unique is it’s B Corp status with a social mission helping underrepresented founders in Indiana. The NEXT Studios model allows the firm to accept capital as either donations or investment. He holds periodic “lean startup bootcamps” to help new founders learn the ropes of starting a business and think through their idea which also serves as a way to find opportunities to fund new ventures. John provides some interesting statistics on the role of business creation in job growth and how organizations like NEXT are uniquely situated to improve the local economy. We also learn about the process for local communities to incubate startups through John’s paradigm of Capital, Talent, and Place.

John’s Book Recommendation –Wicked Fishers by Robert Bowling

https://shop.indianahistory.org/products/wicked-fishers Guest Bios

MANAGING ENTREPRENEUR | NEXT STUDIOSJohn McDonald has over twenty years of experience as an entrepreneur, most recently as the founder and CEO of ClearObject, a leading Internet of Things company which successfully exited to private equity in 2019, and at IBM, where he led technical sales for their software development tools brand in New York.

He is a founder and board member of the Indiana Technology & Innovation Association, chairman of the Technology & Innovation Committee of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, an Executive in Residence at Ivy Tech Community College, a board member of TechPoint, and of the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce. At Purdue University, John is an Adjunct Professor for the Certificate Program in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, a member of the Dean’s Council for the Purdue Polytechnic Institute, and a member of Purdue’s President’s Club.

A graduate of Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, John studied business management, computer science, and meteorology before receiving degrees in Software Development and Computer Information Technology from Purdue University at West Lafayette, where he was also the Student Body Vice President and Treasurer. John was named Purdue’s Distinguished Technology Alumnus in 2007 and Lawrence North’s Distinguished Alumnus in 2017.

Email: [e-mail]: https://nextstudios.org/

Who are the hosts? Austin Crites, CFA: Austin is a past-president and current committee member of CFA Society Indianapolis. Professionally, he is the Chief Investment Officer at Aurora Financial Strategies where he manages US-focused, all-cap, style-agnostic equity strategies as the core of client portfolios. Austin is a 2008 graduate of Marian University in Indianapolis where he is now an adjunct professor in the Byrum School of Business.

Matt Henry, CFA: Matt is a Senior Investment Officer at STAR Wealth Management. He is also a Past President and a director of CFA Society Indianapolis. When he’s not managing porfolios, Matt teaches Finance 300 at Ball State University. He enjoys air conditioning, wi-fi, and the conveniences of indoor living.