#58: Cross-Selling in Tech Communities with Stout Street Capital, Kirsten Moorefield & Jeb Banner

When tech startups use each other’s products and services, they give each other added opportunities to grow, and the entire startup community gets a lift. There’s good reason, then, for tech communities to support cross-selling between companies at the local, regional, and national level. Furthermore, there’s plenty that entrepreneurs, investors, and talent can do to help support this goal. Take our first guests on this episode, John Francis and Clay Gordon, the founding partners of Stout Street Capital in Denver. As venture capital fund managers, they’re dedicated to building meaningful cross-selling opportunities among their portfolio companies. Doing so enriches the startup ecosystem in the Rocky Mountain region and beyond. Joining them are founders Kirsten Moorefield, COO of Cincinnati-based Cloverleaf, and Jeb Banner, CEO of the Indianapolis startup Boardable, who have each developed products centered on relationship-building and are active participants in their local tech communities. Our four guests today take us on a journey into the world of tech community cross-selling, illustrating how everyone involved in the industry can take steps to raise each other up. We discuss cross-selling from the perspective of both entrepreneurs and investors, touch on the role played by relationships and team building, and even get into some practical advice for marketing and business development. In this episode with John Francis, Clay Gordon, Kirsten Moorefield and Jeb Banner, you’ll learn: Why starting a venture capital firm is a lot like starting a company (5:50). How Stout Street Capital is helping to grow cross-selling tech networks across the country (11:50). Boardable’s best tips and strategies for marketing through affiliate networks (13:45). Why Cloverleaf’s whole business is founded on relationships and team building (24:35), Signs that your company has or hasn’t yet reached product-market fit (35:22). The best things Denver, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis have to offer for tech startups (42:04). If you like this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes. You can also follow us on Soundcloud or Stitcher. We have an incredible lineup of interviews we’ll be releasing every Tuesday here on the Powderkeg Podcast. Check it out at powderkeg.com/itunes.