Nazr El-Scari '21 | Kansas City, MO
Major | Management
Minor | Entrepreneurship
In this experience so far my favorite founder was Ed Aten of Merchbar and my favorite investor was Joe Blair. Ed Aten was my favorite founder because I really resonated with the challenges he is facing within his business journey.
In the beginning of his business journey, he really had a hard time finding investors who understood and could actually help his platform grow. This is something I am currently facing with my own start up A Sneakerhead’s Paradise. Finding an investor who not only understands your vision but has the connections to help it grow is vital for the growth of any business. It’s very reassuring to know how many entrepreneurs actually have this similar problem and that if I keep pushing something great will happen.
Next, Joe Blair was my favorite investor because his insight that great investors are like great coaches who help entrepreneurs prepare for their big moments really helped demystify the idea that Venture Capitalist and investors are just greedy high wealth individuals looking to take advantage of startups. This was important for me to hear because I have always feared reaching out to and working with investors because I thought that they would just try to steal my idea. In fact, he made it clear that many of these individuals have been in my position and are only looking to help because they believe in me as a person. If I were to have a one on one conversation with either of these gentleman I would discuss with them the similarities that I noticed between the businesses they started and my own platform to gain more insight about how to make my business grow and be the best founder I can be. I am so happy I got to connect with these two fantastic people and I hope to meet even more as this program progresses.