Co-founder / CTO @ CoachLogix. Sold my last startup, Acclaimd. Co-organizer/Mentor @ Startup San Diego. Serial entrepreneur & web developer geek. 1492 and 10xelerator graduate. 2x Innovation Awards semi-finalist.
My past two ventures have together successfully raised over $100K in initial funding through grant programs, private angel funds and accelerators. Both of these ventures are based in Columbus, Ohio, where investors are traditionally very conservative about selecting portfolio companies.
Acclaimd is my second funded and successful web startup. Upon graduating from Startup Weekend Columbus in February 2012, we raised a total of $70K in initial funding in 90 days from Founders Factory, TechColumbus and the 10xelerator program. We released a minimum viable product about 10 weeks later and now have a growing base of recruiters and business users.
Derek is a very bright individual with a great deal of technical expertise, wisdom beyond his years, and most importantly the right attitude. I believe anything he's involved with will succeed in a big way.
My relationship with Derek is based on advising and investing in his company Acclaimd. Obviously he is a talented technical developer, however, his business acumen is what sets him apart from the crowd. It's rare to find such a powerful mix of skill sets and that's why I wouldn't hesitate to back any venture in which he is involved.
Derek is bright, enthusiastic, and driven. I've had the pleasure to work with Derek in multiple start up environments. He is a leader that has the ability to provide strategic direction as well as execute tactically. I look forward to following Derek's success in the years to come.
Derek has put together an invaluable resource for Ohio Entrepreneurs. His journey as the founder of multiple start-ups and his ability to lead a group of like-minded entrepreneurs has put him in a unique position to add value, share experiences, make connections and give feedback. I am looking forward to a continued relationship and dialogue with Derek as I continue to grow my startup.
Derek is a great help in the field of start up technology. He provided some good advice to me as an aspiring entrepreneur.
Derek came in and spoke to the Business Builders Club about his entrepreneurial experiences. He attended several events and has been valuable with spreading the entrepreneurial mission of the BBC. Members of the club have told me they appreciated how honest Derek was about his experiences with his startup companies. The Business Builders Club is fortunate to have this talented and philanthropic entrepreneur as an ally and friend.
