Wed, 5 May 2021
In this episode, Hall welcomes Don Rainey, General Partner at Grotech Ventures. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, Grotech Ventures is a team committed to helping creative and driven entrepreneurs build technology companies that last. Their strategy is simple: early investors in high-potential technology companies. They initially invest from $500,000 to $5 million and look to continue investing and building value throughout the growth of your enterprise. Grotech Ventures is committed to advancing a more diverse, equitable & inclusive venture capital ecosystem. As part of this commitment, they have signed the #VCHumanCapital Pledge to submit their firm’s demographic and talent management details to support the industry’s data collection and tracking efforts. Don currently serves or has served on the boards of Grotech portfolio companies Booker Software, Ceterus, Clarabridge, Contactually, HelloWallet (acquired by Morningstar), ICX Media, Intellinote, LivingSocial, Passport, Payzer, Personal, PetScreening, Rent Ready, The Royalty Exchange, WiserTogether, and Zenoss. Don is a strong proponent of technology transfer and education and devotes much time to both areas. In 2010, he was appointed to a third term as an emerging technology consultant to the Chief Information Officer of the US Department of Defense through the DeVenCi Program, which is tasked with researching and nominating companies to solve the DoD’s unmet technology needs. In 2011, Don was appointed to the JMU Board of Visitors by Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell. During this four year appointment, he and other board members are responsible for overseeing the effective governance of the university. He also serves on the Board of Directors of James Madison Innovations, Inc., a non-profit corporation which helps commercialize intellectual property produced at JMU. In 2012, he was named to the Board of Directors of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Investment Authority, which is the parent authority for The Center for Innovative Technology. Don earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from James Madison University and a Master of Science in Bioscience Management from George Mason University. Click here to read Don’s complete bio. Don discusses what excites him now in venture capital. He also advises investors and entrepreneurs and shares what he thinks are some good investment opportunities. You can visit Grotech Ventures at www.grotech.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/grotech-capital-group, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/grotechventure. Don can be contacted via email at drainey@grotech.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/don-rainey. Music courtesy of Bensound. |