Inspiring Underrepresented Innovators with Derrick Braziel of MORTAR

“It’s about a larger story, which is this renaissance that’s happening in Cincinnati. And I can’t think of a single person that I’ve ever met who lives in Cincinnati that doesn’t want the city to get better. And I think that most of us would agree that it’s a better city if all of us can participate.” -Derrick Braziel, co-founder of MORTAR Cincinnati & 2019 Obama Foundation fellow

Why do stories matter to the innovation process? What values can be instilled in innovators who share stories? How do innovation leaders inspire creators to tell and share their success and failure stories?

达里克Braziel is a2019年奥巴马基金会研究员and a co-founder of砂浆辛辛那提，一个支持少数民族和不足的企业家的企业家中心。德里克开始迫击迫击炮，因为他在辛辛那提和全国各地的人都有很大的想法，但不一定与启动企业的最佳工具和资源相连。

他们的使命是提供非传统企业家有机会利用其固有的人才不仅可以赚一美元，而是积极参与辛辛那提的崛起。我们讨论如何与熟练的讲故事配对，可以支持这种使命并弥合资源缺口。投资者和企业家之间存在这种差距;学生和素质教育;最终，社区之间以及被认为有价值的东西。迫击炮有助于使辛辛那提成为多元化，经济上包容的社区，该社区被排名为美国的最佳增长中心，以及少数民族企业家的最佳地点之一。辛辛那提的初创公司资源和初创公司资源和初创公司网络，辛辛那提的创新生态系统是对全国各地的启示。

• 增长中心的案例
• Places Where Minority Entrepreneurs Are Succeeding

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TRANSCRIPT

该集发电支持来自Untold内容和数据+ Science的数据讲故事培训。乐动体育足球乐动体育266通过学习数据可视化和技术讲故事的最佳实践，将数据转换为强大的视觉故事。无论您是PowerBi还是Tableau的人 - 或者只是想更好地传达您的数据 - 这次研讨会将激励您查看数据中的故事。了解更多//www.isandstone.com/datastorytellingtraining/。

Katie[00:00:00] Our guest today is Derrick Braziel. He is a co-founder of MORTAR Cincinnati, an entrepreneurial hub supporting minority and underrepresented entrepreneurs. Derek is also a 2019 Obama Foundation fellow, so I can’t wait to ask all kinds of questions about how you founded MORTAR and how it’s grown and changed over the last few years.

达里克[00:00:20] Awesome. Can’t wait.

Katie[00:00:21]谢谢你在这里。

达里克[00:00:22]谢谢你。

Katie[00:00:23]所以告诉我一些关于你的创新故事。是什么让你想发现这个刚刚变得如此转变为辛辛那提及其超越这一点的轮毂？

达里克(00:00:36)好吧,再一次,谢谢你邀请我去day. I’m really excited for this opportunity. You know, I moved to Cincinnati almost seven years ago now, and when I moved to Cincinnati, I lived in Over-the-Rhine and I still live in Over-the-Rhine. And I was immediately struck by all the amazing potential that that neighborhood has, all the new bars, all the new restaurants, all of the amazing buildings that are in that community. And that was the first thing that I noticed was so much potential and so much opportunity in that community. I also noticed that it is a neighborhood that’s in transition. A lot of the residents who made up the fabric of that community were starting to leave.

Katie[00:01:16]是的。

[00:01:17] And I saw these new bars and restaurants and stores that were opening. And I have like those new establishments were representative of that community, and I felt like there was a disconnect that was there. In parallel, there was a Kroger that was in Over-the-Rhine. And every time I walked to this Kroger, somebody would ask me if I needed a ride, because that was their way of doing car sharing. All of us have Uber. All of us have Lyft. But I was thinking, what if those guys were given the same access and the same opportunity or the same resources to start the same kind of idea and concept that they’re asking people every single day if they wanna participate in. And we localized that to Over-the-Rhine. Those folks were not given the same opportunities and resources to participate in this revitalization that was happening around them. So my colleagues and I got together. We pitched this vague idea at an event called Fuel the Fire through Give Back Cincinnati. It was to create this entrepreneurial hub to support Over-the-Rhine residents. Somehow, we won two thousand dollars and that was where the idea for MORTAR was birthed. And that was where things got started. It started from a place of seeing hope, seeing opportunity and thinking we could do something about it. And that was now five years ago.

Katie[00:02:36]难以置信。你知道，我认为每个城市都在努力解决自己的绅士和文化变革问题以及多样性，包容，参与的挑战，确保每个人都在桌面上座位。过度莱茵莱在某种程度上是一定程度的，但历史上一直是一个令人难以置信的各种社区。阿巴拉契亚居民，德国移民，非洲裔美国人。这真的很有趣的空间。我知道我的家人遗产，阿巴拉契亚和德语。所以我在莱茵河上有一些根源。它令人难以置信的是您为其他城市创建的适用性。你找到了自己吗？我此时我直接跳到了你的全球影响力。 Have you found that other cities and other neighborhoods are starting to model or ask how you did it, how you transformed, you know, and how you sort of used this as a way to speak back against some of the critiques that come with gentrification?

达里克[00:03:39]绝对。我认为两件事发生了迫击炮迫使迫击炮认出了。一个是，我们基于一个特定的世界观，我们在美国教授企业家精神：白色，直，男性。通常这些人来自特权的立场。

Katie[00:03:55] And they are the ones who get most of the venture capital still. Things are getting better, but it’s a slow process.

达里克[00:04:01] Slow process. So the first thing to recognize is there are other ways to teach entrepreneurship. And we recognize that people of color, we have different learning styles and different cultural references and different cultural contexts. So we wanted to figure out a way that we can teach the nuances and the principles of entrepreneurship in a way that was digestible to folks that traditionally have not been incorporated into those traditional entrepreneurial systems. So that was the first thing that we recognized and we started to work on. The other thing that we recognized is that the folks, particularly in Over-the-Rhine, were people that were doing the very best that they could. They have a job, which is to revitalize this community and maybe they didn’t know how to reach out and engage diverse populations. Yeah, maybe they just weren’t aware. Or maybe they needed some help and support. And what we wanted to do was to build bridges. Yeah. We wanted to find these entrepreneurs and train them and to build their confidence in themselves while also working with those folks that were, at the time, decision makers, whether it’s developers or whoever it might be. And to provide a bridge for those folks to work together to find common goals and common objectives. And the hope is that when this would happen, you have a more diverse, economically inclusive community. And I believe we’re starting to see that in Over-the-Rhine. So with those building blocks, other communities are saying, well, how can we replicate that same experience? Many of us, I think, would know that Cincinnati has a very complicated history, especially around race, justice, inclusion.

Katie[00:05:35]是的。

达里克[00:05:35]尚未去年，辛辛那提被排名为美国最好的地方成为少数民族企业家。我们走了很长的路要走。

Katie[00:05:44]这很令人难以置信。

达里克[00:05:44]所以，如果它可以在像辛辛那提这样的地方发生，为什么它不能发生在像密尔沃基这样的地方？为什么它不能在其他城市发生擒抱，就像你说的，经济不平等，et eeta，等等？因此，我们一直在努力创建一个理论上的框架，您可以在任何您所在的社区中纳入其中。我们开始测试和实验。所以我提到了密尔沃基。

Katie[00:06:07] Oh, I’m so excited about that. I didn’t know that when I asked the question, but that’s where my instincts were pulling. I’m really glad you’re doing that.

达里克[00:06:14]我们在过去两年中曾在密尔沃基工作过，我们将在今年的两个城市成长为两年之后。而且我认为我们的长期目标和目标是改变这个国家的企业家精神的面貌。为了看到每个人，无论他们的背景如何，无论它们是如何看待他们的文化规范如何。这个国家的任何人都有合适的支持系统可以参与美国梦的这个想法。这就是我认为迫击炮正在努力做的事情，表明它可以为此创建一个途径。

Katie[00:06:44] Share with us some of the innovation stories coming out of MORTAR and some of the startups that have stood out to you. Yeah.

达里克[00:06:50]当然。在我回答这个问题之前，我还应该说，我们还需要重新定义我们的成功定义。我想到了很多人，成功正在努力，申请一个计划，去面试并看到筹码落下的地方。如果你从未见过家庭中的任何人甚至要采取一个想法并试图实际工作的第一步，我想说并验证这是成功的，我们应该尊重。

Katie[00:07:19] Yes.

达里克[00:07:20]迈出这一步和企业家，就像你们俩所知道的那样，非常非常困难。

Katie[00:07:23] It is so scary.

达里克[00:07:24]如此可怕。

Katie[00:07:25] [00:07:25]It’s the most vulnerable feeling in the world [1.5s] to have an idea that in your gut or in your mind or in your heart is right and good. And to be willing to say it out loud, it is incredible to me. Anyone who’s willing to speak up, I don’t care if you’re six years old or you know you’re a grandparent. It’s the fear of being judged, the fear of not being worthy. It’s always there in the back of all of our minds, no matter how much we’ve gotten external validation for how great our ideas are or not. I think it’s really tough. So I love that you started with what success looks like. That has to be part of it.

达里克[00:08:05]而现实也是如果发生故障，则没有安全网。所以你真的很冒险。

Katie[00:08:11]是的。

达里克(00:08:12)就通过这勇敢的一步trying to create a new future for yourself and your family. So I always honor a lot of the people who have just even applied for MORTAR’s program and say that that for me is success and we should honor that. Now, to answer your question. At this point, we have almost 300 graduates of our program. We’ve had 21 classes here in Cincinnati, several in Milwaukee. So we’ve had a lot of folks who have come through our program who I think are making history in Cincinnati. One person that comes to the top of my head is a guy named Brian Jackson. Brian Jackson was a graduate of our first class in 2014. He won our pitch night. And he has a passion for brewing. And he wanted to start a brewery. I think we both just instinctually would understand that opening a brewery would be very capital and time intensive. And he at the time was working with some local brewers in town and testing out his recipes and trying to figure things out. And he’d been working diligently to open a brewery one day. One day, myself and my colleagues were watching March Madness at a brewery. And one of our colleagues who worked for a developer in town asked us if we knew anybody who had a passion for brewing. And we said, yes, we know a guy. And we connected Brian with the developers. And fast forward, Esoteric brewing is open in 2020. The first black-owned Brewery and the history of Cincinnati.

Katie[00:09:32] Oh, my goodness.

达里克[00:09:33] And we were able to be a part of that story. And now it’s making history.

Katie[00:09:36]这将在哪里？

达里克[00:09:38] It’s at people’s corner.

Katie[00:09:39] OK.

达里克[00:09:39]在麦米兰和吉尔伯特的角落里的核桃山。

Katie[00:09:42] Yes.

达里克[00:09:42] So that’s a really cool story.

Katie[00:09:45] Wonderful part of town. That’s incredible.

达里克[00:09:46]是的。

Katie[00:09:46] Thank you for sharing.

达里克[00:09:47] Yeah.

Katie[00:09:47]那里有一种差距。正确的。这是一个梦想实现的五年左右。

达里克[00:09:53] That’s right.

Katie[00:09:53] The patience and persistence of entrepreneurship. It always amazes me.

达里克[00:09:58]这是一段漫长的旅程。这是一个非常漫长的旅程。另一个非常快速的故事，我们的头等舱也是如此。只是，再次，为您提供所需时间的时间表，其中一些想法成为现实。有一个名叫的绅士意味着卡梅隆。他开始黑了。这是辛辛那提的一个非常受欢迎的服装线。他有一些最成功的运动员，艺人穿着他的衣服。但他想为颜色的人们创造一个空间，以娱乐，娱乐 - 奖学金 - 无论它可能是什么。他需要进入资本以使其发生。 He went to a lot of the traditional financial institutions in Cincinnati. You can imagine what they said. No. So he was feeling pretty desperate. But he came to MORTAR. And he said, can you guys support us in this? And we said, yes. And not just did we say yes. We then were able to leverage those resources to go to Main Street Ventures, which is an organization in town that provides access to capital. He then went to another organization in Cincinnati called Greater Cincinnati Microenterprise Initiative and got even more resources and Black Coffee opened in 2019. And that’s, for me, a really inspiring story because it talks about the power of collaboration, not just MORTAR. It’s all these organizations coming together to support an entrepreneur, because in my opinion, it really takes a village to support entrepreneurs. No one, in my opinion, can do it alone. So that gives me a lot of encouragement that our ecosystem is now beginning to rally around these entrepreneurs and supporting them. Final story is my own personal story. I love to go to Mexico. I’ve been there several times. I went to Mexico City.

Katie[00:11:40]只是为了旅行？去看世界？

达里克[00:11:42]最初是，你知道，只是旅行。我喜欢在墨西哥。

Katie[00:11:45]是的。

达里克[00:11:46] And I started to eat these tacos when I was there. Al pastor tacos. It’s a soft taco that came to Mexico in the 1940s from emigrants from the Middle East. It’s like a euro, but they replace the lamb with pork, but it’s roasted.

Katie[00:12:05]是一种较厚的面包吗？

达里克[00:12:06] It’s not breaded at all.

Katie[00:12:07] Oh, it’s not. OK.

达里克[00:12:09] Oh, sorry. You mean like the—it’s a corn tortilla.

Katie[00:12:09]好的。

达里克[00:12:11]玉米玉米饼。但是你使用面粉有一些墨西哥部分。他们对黎巴嫩文化说传统，将这种炸玉米饼推出到墨西哥中部。但在墨西哥城，他们使用玉米玉米饼。他们有一个特别的辣椒和香料混合。我现在回到辛辛那提就像，男人，我找不到这个炸玉米饼。

Katie[00:12:31] Yeah.

达里克[00:12:32]并且并行 -

Katie[00:12:33]我现在已经饿了，现在已经听了这个。

达里克[00:12:36] In parallel, you know, we’ve been working for the last several years helping entrepreneurs start businesses. So have all this knowledge about the dos and don’ts of entrepreneurship. So I thought maybe I could start my own business. So I came back last February. I bought a taco cart in March and I graduated from MORTAR’s program in December.

Katie[00:12:58]哇。

达里克[00:12:59]那就是我们的21班。所以我也是迫然古老的迫击炮毕业。我认识到，我们提供的资源可以如此有助于帮助企业家成功，因为企业家认为自己是养课的价值。

Katie[00:13:14] Have you named your taco company yet?

达里克[00:13:16]是的，它被称为Pata Roja。它意味着西班牙语的红腿。

Katie[00:13:20] And it’s a cart, right now?

达里克[00:13:21]这是一辆推车。但我在整个城市都开了起来。我在一家叫做40个盗贼的一家餐馆的餐厅出现弹出，好吗？我用他们的厨房空间。但是，在那之外，我通常在街头上卖我的炸玉米饼。

Katie[00:13:32] Oh, my gosh, that’s incredible.

达里克[00:13:33]是的。

Katie[00:13:33]我们在辛辛那提也有几种创业厨房。

达里克[00:13:36] I use one.

Katie[00:13:37]是的。我在想Findlay厨房。

达里克[00:13:40] Yeah Findlay Kitchen. I use the Incubator Kitchen Collective in northern Kentucky. It’s a great resource. You know, I’m going to keep belaboring this point, but I’m so excited about where Cincinnati is in terms of our entrepreneur ecosystem. It feels like wherever you are in your entrepreneurial journey, whether you’re just in the beginning, whether you’re in food, whether you’re in tech, wherever you are, regardless of your background, race, et cetera, there are resources that are available to you. And not just any resources, world-class resources available to help you take your idea to the next level. So it’s really encouraging about where we are as a city in comparison to other cities.

Katie[00:14:14] I agree. And I think, too. Another thing that stands out and you’ve already demonstrated in our conversation the fact that community is so important to us and no matter whether we’re celebrating a win or recovering from a loss, we are constantly looking to thank and reengage with the resources that are out there. So, you know, even in your stories for those three that you shared, each one of them you mentioned it was this organization that supported it. It was this funder. It was this group who believed. And it’s unique. It’s really unique. And it’s also interesting how our enterprise organizations that are here, we have some really big companies in Cincinnati—long-standing companies and they’re playing in this space, too. There is an imperative. You know, they’re getting a lot out of not just mentoring startups but seeing the startups and the disruptors as mentoring them. And there’s more openness, I think, to those relationships and to piloting out their ideas than there’s ever been growing up. I grew up here, actually. And it’s—this was not so much part of our identity when I was younger in the city, but I’ve watched this transformation. And now it’s really sort of a beacon in the Midwest in particular.

达里克[00:15:37]为什么你这么认为是？

Katie[00:15:38]你知道，我想 - 我该怎么办？我先转向社区。我认为一些已经创造的公共私人伙伴关系，离心是其中之一，这是超级独特的。我们有政府资助加入企业资金，与风险投资进行配对，这真是独特的。我认为像迫击炮这样的组织。对我而言，当我开始解开内容 - 大约三年前。乐动体育足球所以砂浆在那一点上就离开了地面。你在藤街上有一个物理位置。而且我是牛津迈阿密大学教授。我的城市有关于企业家的可见性。 And there was an identity forming and a rallying cry with Startup Cincy that I felt I could own as well. And it was ultimately what led me to kind of resign from what I thought was gonna be my perfect dream job as a professor. And I said, I have to be part of this. This is where it’s happening. And my life will be very interesting and surprising if I follow this path. I mean, so that for me, I think those elements and sort of hearing how you had a chance to share your idea, I’d never heard that’s how MORTAR was founded. But I came in a little bit later into the scene. And yeah, I think for all of those reasons, our city has been pretty incredible. The amount of funding, too, coming and not just local angel investors, but some of the funds running here in town are actually funded by collaborations from the West and East coasts. And so there’s a lot of play here, a lot of VC’s are flying in—a lot—to hear ideas. And now they’re on boards of different startups. And so they come back more frequently and keep their finger on the pulse of what’s happening. What do you think? Do you agree?

达里克[00:17:29]我同意。但是，我想问你的问题仍然在我的脑海里，你谈到了这些更大，长期的机构。我在想，像这个星球上最大的品牌公司的Procter＆Gamble一样。他们必须在辛辛那提重新投资什么奖励？他们必须与当地企业家一起工作的激励，并启动CINCY和砂浆？他们有什么动机？然而，他们将他们的时间，人才和珍惜投入了这个社区。和它 - 如果我对自己诚实，有时候我会想知道为什么。因为他们不必这样做，但他们仍然继续。

Katie[00:18:07]嗯，你知道，它可能在表面上看起来像是不必的。但是，当您查看大型CPG公司的其他收购时，我认为中断对于任何长期的公司来说都是可怕的。和那些没有看待他们的收购是杀死比赛的人，而是从竞争中学习并尊重他们并将那些创始人提升到企业内的领导作用 - 我认为我们将继续看到越来越多的那种。所以我想，你知道，我讨厌去恐惧，但我确实认为期望你需要留在可能的东西和什么是创新的东西。这真的很困难，特别是在深深制造的沉重，过程导向，你知道，需要很多资本建造的东西或者这与我们一直做的事情一直做的事情。好吧，随着新代代来说，通过技术使消费者，用户，我们所有人，我们的期望都越来越快，我认为中断只是 - 它必须是期望的一部分。现在几乎就像一个新的均衡。

达里克[00:19:26] Do you think it’s possible to create—I was just in Austin, Texas. So I’m thinking of like Dell computers. Is it possible to create that kind of transformational company here in Cincinnati or is there eventually gonna be a ceiling where you have to go somewhere else.

Katie[00:19:43]只有一份报告，我将在演示笔记中将其链接。它提出了美国的创新增长中心，辛辛那提被列入了最高增长中心的创新。但是，这份报告的惊喜发现是创新越来越多地孤立于某些地域。我们无法真正 - 此时，例如，在硅谷，那里有如此多的成熟增长，这是一个不可避免的是，很多最重要的想法将发生在那里或获得资助或在那里增长。是的，不幸的是，报告的棚灯是在未来十年内越来越困难的事实，即其他城市的进一步呼喊或获得他们需要做出的资源。

达里克[00:20:39] Interesting. It’s also interesting from a social sector side. I’m thinking about organizations like MORTAR, Hilman Accelerator, Minority Business Accelerator, there’s an organization named Strive Together, CityLink, and I’m sure I’m missing a ton of them that are organizations that were started in Cincinnati that are skipping across the country. Yes. So I’m thinking from a social sector in particular, we’ve been able to attract national funding and we are starting to kind of spread that DNA, if you will, to other places while, at the same time maintaining our headquarters here. So while it may not necessarily happen in the, like, the traditional VC sector, I definitely see it happen in the social sector. And that’s really encouraging for me.

Katie[00:21:22]它是。是的。我不能同意更多。而且，我很高兴我问你对迫击炮是如何为其他城市提供见解的问题，因为它 - 我认为这是如此需要。而且我真的很高兴你们已经在这一点上激活了两年并观看它传播。您知道，还有其他举措，如剩下的崛起，或者，您知道，查看为什么创新需要从真正昂贵的地区或高度独家区域被拉出的不同方式。我认为我们越来越多地吸引了可见性和关注，那么我们将继续在被投资的内容中看到更多的多样性。是的，请告诉我更多关于您脑海中的社会创新。当然，这个播客的核心是在创新讲故事以及如何使用故事来获取买入。所以我正在考虑社会目的，因为我一直说，拉缓哭泣 - 但这是一个讲故事的技术，你知道，创造了人们可以相信和倾向的东西。那么你是如何利用的，让迫击炮从你的成立中取得成功？

达里克[00:22:37][00:22:37]是的,我真的认为这是蜜蜂n about relationships. People got to know us. They saw how passionate we were. They saw that we followed through with the things that we said we’re trying to do. And we also make connections to the people that we’re talking about. So you can meet Brian, you can meet some of our other graduates and you can follow their story in the same way that you’re following us as MORTAR. And I think we’re able to connect that to a larger story, which is this renaissance is happening in Cincinnati. One thing I would say about Cincinnati is that we love Cincinnati.

达里克[00:23:10] You did that so beautifully, too.

Katie[00:23:11] Yeah. And I’m thinking back to how—and I never worked super closely with MORTAR when I was first getting off the ground, but you were there in front of my mind to help me—and the stories of the people who were going through your program were very empowering. So even for those who haven’t directly interacted or touched MORTAR or gone through the program, I think that’s true.

达里克[00:23:35] Yeah, thank you.

Katie[00:23:35] Sorry. So yeah.

达里克[00:23:36] It’s okay. Yeah. It’s about a larger story, which is this renaissance that’s happening in Cincinnati. And I can’t think of a single person that I’ve ever met who lives in Cincinnati that doesn’t want the city to get better.

Katie[00:23:46]是的。

达里克[00:23:47]我们所有人都希望辛辛那提成为最好的地方。我认为，如果我们所有人都可以参加，我们大多数人都会同意这是一个更好的城市。所以，如果我们同意这些事情，那么我认为其他一切都属于地。现在，挑战是，如果你和别人说话，你讲述了辛辛那提的故事，他们从来没有去过辛辛那提。他们甚至没有真正了解辛辛那提。你如何让他们关心辛辛那提发生的事情？而且我认为这是我们更大的挑战，这是我们走出去讲故事的挑战。我认为大多数人要么不知道辛辛那提是或我没有听说过的地方，或者我们的声誉不是一个很棒的人。这就是为什么我真的通过奥巴马基金会奖学金欣赏这个机会，因为它验证了我们在国家层面所做的工作。如果总统正在验证辛辛那提，如果总统正在提升正在发生的工作，那么也许有些东西在辛辛那提中发生了这种情况。 Cincinnati is one of a handful of cities, maybe three cities across the world that has more than one fellow.

Katie[00:24:47]有趣。

达里克[00:24:48] Why? For me, it’s because there’s something special that’s happening. And I could just easily point to that and say one of whatever cities across the world has more than one fellow. Obviously, there’s something that’s in the water that is bringing this innovation, that’s bringing this optimism about the future. And people have to pay attention to that.

Katie[00:25:04]告诉我更多关于你的奖学金。

达里克[00:25:06]这是一种疯狂的经历。我坐在米歇尔奥巴马对面，与我们有相同的距离 -

Katie[00:25:13] Oh, my goodness.

达里克[00:25:15] What a foot? A foot from each other. And, you know, I think so many of us, rightfully so, put her on this pedestal. She’s the first lady. She’s one of the most remarkable people in the world. But the way she talks about herself and her story is so normal. You know, it’s like—

Katie[00:25:31]可关联。

达里克[00:25:32] So relatable. You can be Michelle Obama. Maybe I could be?

Katie[00:25:35]（笑）。这是我曾经拥有的最好的恭维。

达里克[00:25:37] If you listen to her talk, she would give you that confidence that whatever you wanted to achieve, you have the power and the ability to do that.

Katie[00:25:44] I believe that.

达里克[00:25:44]并听她谈论自己和她的故事就像，也许是可能的。你知道，也许我们实际上可以这样做。然后也有19个其他人也被选中获得这种着名的机会，在那个房间里，并与那些人见面并听取他们的故事。对我来说，这是一个不断变化的经历。我再次，我有另一个在辛辛那提的家伙，诺克帮派博士，他们正在努力解决我们在我们地区拥有的阿片成瘾危机。

Katie[00:26:14]哇。是的。

达里克[00:26:15]这是如此鼓舞人心，所以赋权。所以到目前为止，这是一个伟大的体验。

Katie[00:26:19]，你的时间再次焦点是什么？

达里克[00:26:22]hip?

Katie[00:26:24] Yes.

达里克[00:26:24]围绕机会的访问。这是让所有人都能获得美国梦想的这个想法。我认为，迫击炮和我们的工作再次有一些早期的收益，使现实成为可能。

Katie[00:26:39]我不能同意。在我们的谈话开始时，您已经听到了一些东西，并且它是关于文化或修辞，如不同的不同背景不同人之间的语言差异。特别是风险世界或初创世界被排除了很多人，因为他们真的没有说出相同的语言，而不是共享相同的价值观，或者具有相同的讲故事技术。那么你能给我们带来更多的生活吗？喜欢你发现什么？你能够 - 因为在我的脑海里，就像它一样，它需要两件事。它需要教导企业家讲述VC的语言。它需要绝对把VC世界转向头上，并说这 - 这是不可接受的，因为你错过了机会，这实际上是障碍。是的。你能告诉我们一些挑战吗？

达里克[00:27:41]当然。我会给你一个例子。从企业家一边。它进入讲故事。通常，非洲裔美国人在一个非常非正式的休闲登记册中发言。这是关于通过讲故事构建关系。所以，如果你要让我打招我的经营理念，我可能会从一个点开始，而是通过谈话结束，我到处都是，因为我的业务也是我的家人。这是关于我的社区。这是关于我在大学时经历的逆境。所有这些都进入我的故事的东西，进入我的业务，​​我觉得是重要的背景。

Katie[00:28:19]是的。

达里克[00:28:19] So in 90 seconds, that’s impossible for me to give you all of that context necessary to share my business [00:28:25]idea. If you’re a VC, you have 90 seconds. Right. And you have to go from point A to point B to point C. It has to be linear. [7.4s]

Katie[00:28:33] Yeah.

达里克[00:28:33]这只是一种文化规范和文化期望。所以，如果我到处都是因为我正在尝试建立一种关系，你可能会以不同的方式解释互动。

Katie[00:28:42]是的。

达里克[00:28:42]所以我们尝试做的是说，你很好，你用你的业务和你的球场作为传达你的故事的方式。但是，您必须了解该桌子另一侧的人可能无法完全理解。所以你必须找到一种方法来满足所有信息或挑选最重要的作品。所以它适合90秒。所以我们在我们的团队中有一个人，他们培训准备。他们进来了我们的班级，我们帮助他们把故事凝聚到一种消化的声音，捕捉他们的故事，并将与一个可能投资他们业务的人产生共鸣。

Katie[00:29:17] Yeah.

达里克[00:29:17] So that’s a very easy cultural difference that we understand and recognize. And we help bridge that gap between the entrepreneurs and the folks that might be investors.

Katie[00:29:26]是的，我喜欢那个点。它也在文化中或跨地面积。当我们在不带名为WordsMith的未罗块创建一个课程时，这就像是一个语法，写作繁忙的专业人士的复习，我们研究了这一概念称为高中文文化和低下文文化。基本上，它是你的文化或你的国家，支持提供更多环境或者是有点达到这一点吗？所以在美国，在那里有一个低的情境文化。它有点达到了这一点。这些是概括。但在东方，这是一个高层文化更常见。如果您没有进入那么多细节，可以分享更多细节及其攻击性。所以这是我认为随着我们一直在考虑全球关系以及如何在文化中进行合作，我们必须记住这些事情。

达里克[00:30:18]必须记住他们，我们认为，我认为，只是开放争执。只是因为你可能不了解某人 - 它不会让你成为一个坏人。它不喜欢 - 我们对彼此了解如此敏感。我们应该认识到我们会犯错误。我们没有所有的答案。但是，如果你愿意坐在那里互相倾听，我认为有机会关系。我还要提到银行在我们的社区，第五银行，第一个金融银行，亨廷顿银行，美国银行，美国银行一直是我们最大的支持者。你想象的机构是一些最保守的 -

Katie[00:30:56] That’s exciting to hear.

达里克[00:30:56]一直是最具支持的。所以有机会，我认为，以辛辛那提在辛辛那提看到的方式弥合那些差距。

Katie[00:31:02] Yeah.

达里克[00:31:03]所以它​​真的令人鼓舞。

Katie[00:31:04] It is. And, you know, I want to keep pushing us, too, to expect the venture world to change and to hold that expectation that [00:31:13]if you are blind to how other people form relationships or how other communities see value, you’re going to miss the opportunity to innovate within those communities. [9.0s]

达里克[00:31:22]那是对的。

Katie[00:31:22] It has to go both ways. I love that you coach unlike the 90 second pitch. But I’m also, you know, I feel like we have to change both worlds at the same time somehow.

达里克[00:31:34]对。我的意思是，[00:31:35]黑人女性是这个国家的企业家中增长最快的人群。所以，如果你是VC，你的投资组合没有反映那个，你就把钱留在桌子上。[8.8s]

Katie[00:31:44]是的，恰好。

达里克[00:31:44]你[00:31:44]知道，如果你专注于资本增长，你忽略了这个创造价值的人口。我们国家的真正有形的经济影响 - [7.3s]

Katie[00:31:53]是的。

达里克[00:31:53]你在桌子上留下钱。[00:31:54]因此，如果您可以从经济透镜和粘合镜头谈论公式中的自身利息，我认为您可以找到两个方面可以成功的空间。[8.3s]

Katie[00:32:03]我完全同意。我听到更多有限伙伴，现在将这些预期放在他们的风险公司，说是妇女在这家公司的合作伙伴？这个公司有一个颜色和合作伙伴吗？你的投资组合是什么？它代表了多少多样性？我认为这是我们可以继续拉动并将组织持有这种标准和期望的杠杆。这将有助于激发更多的变化。

达里克[00:32:29] Yeah.

Katie[00:32:29] I’m so grateful for our conversation today.

达里克[00:32:35] Thank you.

Katie[00:32:35]我迫不及待地想看看未来几年将带来砂浆。所以让我问你是否有任何建议，你会分享给他们的人 - 随着他们的转变为努力，以传达他们的伟大想法。

达里克[00:32:48] Yes. I have a couple. I’ll try to keep this as short as I possibly can. The first one, I think, is the most important one. And it’s knowing your value and being unapologetic in requesting what you’re worth. If you undercut yourself and your value, it’s really difficult to recover from that. So if you’re worth $10, don’t ask for one. Have confidence that you’re worth those 10 dollars and the value of your product will be reflective of what you’re requesting. My second piece of advice is don’t be afraid to start messy. You’re not gonna have all the answers. Your product isn’t going to be perfect. You’re gonna make a ton of mistakes. But if you fail forward and you’re not afraid of learning from those mistakes and sometimes doing it in a very public way, I think that will separate you from other people who are waiting to always be perfect. So know your value, start messy, and don’t be afraid to fail forward.

Katie[00:33:47] I love it. Thank you so much, Derrick.

达里克[00:33:49]谢谢。蛮好玩的。

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