#128 Demetrie King: Making Markets Match
Innovate Fort Worth
Meet Demetrie King, the local app builder who is working to connect customers with local merchants so they can make sure and stock their favorite brands. Pivoting from a company that stocked vending machines based on consumer preferences, Market Match gives customers the opportunity to customize their experience at smoke shops, wedding venues, travel destinations, concerts, and more. He is also using and innovative giveaway program to incentivize users to keep sharing their preferences. Similar to the swiping functionality of apps like Tinder, Market Match gives the power to the consumer to...
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#127 Jason McCann: Standing Up for Innovation
Innovate Fort Worth
Nobody knows change like Jason McCann. CEO of Vari, the DFW based company revolutionizing office furniture, Jason discusses Vari's journey. From a simple sit-stand desk converter to a full-fledged office furniture leader, Vari is disrupting the industry with its direct-to-consumer model and focus on speed, simplicity, and flexibility. Jason shares his vision for the future of workspaces and wellness and Vari's role in shaping it, along with insights into his serial entrepreneur background and advice for aspiring innovators. Learn more about Vari at Learn more...
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#126 Victor Hwang: The Big Picture: Your Right to Start
Innovate Fort Worth
Victor Hwang is empowering entrepreneurs by improving state and local policy. As the CEO of Right to Start, he and his team are advocating for entrepreneurs in governments around the country to ensure their voices are heard. By initiating round tables and cross-country road trips, Victor is meeting and teaching entrepreneurs across the nation how to work with their local governments to inform change. Right to Start is leveling the playing field for starters, makers, doers and dreamers that are building our country. Learn more about Right to Start: Learn more about HSC...
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#125 Jenny McDonald: Greasing the Skids for Fort Worth Businesses
Innovate Fort Worth
Jenny McDonald is tackling policy on behalf of entrepreneurs across the country. She is the Assistant Director of Activism and Special Projects at The Institute for Justice (IJ) and IJ’s Cities Works program, where she is meeting entrepreneurs, getting to the root of business struggles, and helping local government find solutions to those problems. Jenny shares the discoveries from the 2023 IJ report for Fort Worth around local entrepreneur’s biggest hurdles and recommendations for the city on how to overcome those challenges. Find the IJ Fort Worth report here: Learn more about...
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#124 Kartik Krishnan, M.D., PhD: Killing Cancer with Luminescence
Innovate Fort Worth
Explore the future of cancer care with Dr. Kartik Krishnan, CEO of OncoNano Medicine, a biotech company revolutionizing treatment with a new technology targeting solid tumors with high precision. Dr. Krishnan will discuss their innovative approach, leveraging the immune system and CPRIT grants to fast-track impactful therapies, while highlighting the supportive role of the Fort Worth entrepreneurial ecosystem. Learn more about OncoNano here: Learn more about HSC Next at
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#123 Wade Myers: Freedom Through Funding
Innovate Fort Worth
Wade Myers is looking for entrepreneurs who are solving some of the world’s toughest challenges. He is the CEO of Eagle Venture Fund, a venture studio and investment firm, and they focus on opportunities that will positively impact other people. He sees innovation to tackle tough problems, like creating economic opportunities for entrepreneurs, fighting against human trafficking, and broadening healthcare access. Eagle Ventures is also innovating tools to support founders, through their Pro Forma pitch competition which allows founders to use their proprietary software to help entreprneurs...
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#122 Jamie Erwin, M.D.: Birthing Innovation in Fort Worth
Innovate Fort Worth
Remember that baby gorilla that was born at the Fort Worth Zoo earlier this year? Meet Dr. Ja#122 mie Erwin, the human OB/GYN that performed the rare procedure to birth a gorilla, alongside a team of experts, that made national news. Dr. Erwin shares the story of her work at the Fort Worth Zoo consulting on several different medical issues that need assistance at the zoo, and she talks about her all-female obstetrics and gynecology practice called Vivi Women’s Health. Her practice is exploring an idea to develop one of the first birthing centers that is connected to a hospital in the state....
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#121 The Big Picture: Peter de Silva: Taking Stock of Entrepreneurship
Innovate Fort Worth
Peter de Silva is sharing his secrets on business and community leadership. After an extensive career in the banking and finance industry, Peter shares his experience on how he served his local community and helped establish Kansas City as “America’s Most Entrepreneurial City.” He also overcome the effects of a debilitating disease that he is now working to treat and raise money for research that can lead to a cure. Peter shares advice and observations in his latest book “Taking Stock: 10 Life and Leadership Lessons From My Seat at the Table” for...
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#120 Cindy Weston, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC: The Next Generation of Nursing
Innovate Fort Worth
When it comes to innovating the future for nurses, Dr. Cindy Weston is on the front lines. She is the dean of The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth’s new College of Nursing, launching in the fall of 2024. She shares her experience as a nurse and what it takes to build out a new nursing program to meet the statewide nursing shortage. Weston also shares how the nursing profession has changed in the past years as well as how she plans to support nurses in identifying problems in healthcare and thinking innovatively to find solutions. Learn more about the HSC...
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#119 Chris Rawley: A Different Kind of Seed Investment
Innovate Fort Worth
Chris Rawley is finding innovative ways to invest in local farmers. Through Harvest Returns, people can micro invest to support farmers buying new equipment or services to grow and scale their farms. With Rawley’s unique background in the military and witnessing how the agricultural industry can be improved, he is introducing new ways to invest in securing our food supplies and getting involved in their local agricultural communities. To learn more about Harvest Returns, visit: To learn more about HSC Next, visit:
info_outlineScotty Scott has a story that many entrepreneurs share. He started with aspirations in politics, though his passion was in his hobbies like hosting dinner parties and telling stories. CookDrankEat is Scotty’s food journey from a hobbyist to an influencer, author, and entrepreneur. He shares how influencers are innovating, his inspiration for writing his cookbook “Fix Me A Plate”, and how Fort Worth supported Scotty Scott and other creatives entrepreneurs become successful.
Follow Scotty Scott at @ CookDrankEat
Follow Innovate Fort Worth at @ InnovateFortWorth