Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF)
This month, we are highlighting OKC tech++ as our Builder Highlight. We are also highlighting one of our LPs, Meg Salyer, and this Spring’s intern, Brooks Hensley. Cortado is excited to announce the funding of Senslytics via Managing Partner Nathaniel Harding’s latest Medium post. To close, get to know more about Nathaniel, who was was featured in HoganTaylor’s “How That Happened” podcast and highlighted by the National Venture Capital Association’s Member Spotlight.
- Builder Highlight: OKC tech++
- LP Highlight: Meg Salyer
- Team Highlight: Brooks Hensley, Spring 2022 Intern
- Cortado Funds Senslytics
- Cortado Participates in VC Accelerator
- Cortado In The News
Builder Highlight: OKC tech++
Annually, OKC tech++ is hosted by a conglomerate of organizations including Techlahoma, Launch Metro OKC, and Cortado Ventures, among others, to feature our tech, startups, and entrepreneurial community with great speakers and pop-up talks with industry experts. The March 24 event will be from 6-9 p.m. and feature two guest speakers including IP attorney Douglas Sorocco and Smarter Firms CEO/Co-Founder Eric Patrick. Register for the free event here.
LP Highlight: Meg Salyer
Our investors (called “limited partners” or “LPs”) come from many different backgrounds as entrepreneurs, executives and operators throughout the region and beyond. This month, we highlight Meg Salyer who has made her home in Oklahoma City for more than 35 years. For 25 years, Salyer led Accel Financial Staffing, until the sale of the company in 2020. She is also principal of Broadway Realty, investing in, and repurposing, historic properties.
Salyer served as a member of the Oklahoma City City Council from 2008 to 2019. She also served as the first woman president of the Rotary Club of Oklahoma City. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Woman’s Hall of Fame in 2017 and has been recognized by Downtown Oklahoma City with the Dean A. McGee Award and was the 2003 Journal Record Woman of the Year.
Question for Meg Salyer: What’s your vision for entrepreneurship in Oklahoma?
Salyer: “Oklahoma’s culture is built for entrepreneurship; our people are smart, creative, resilient, persistent and fearless. My vision is that we tell this story better, and in turn attract the capital that we need to support great home-grown ideas.”
Team Highlight: Brooks Hensley, Spring 2022 Intern
Born and raised in Oklahoma, Brooks Hensley is currently a student at the University of Oklahoma, studying Economics and Philosophy. Before joining us at Cortado as a Spring intern, Brooks helped startups grow through consulting with the Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth, interned at Boeing in their corporate finance department, and started a real estate investment fund.
HIRING: Cortado is currently accepting applications for a summer intern! If you know of an ambitious and intellectually curious student interested in startups and venture capital, we’d love to have them apply. Applications are being considered on a rolling basis. All majors and programs accepted: www.bit.ly/internatcortado
Cortado Funds Senslytics
In his latest Medium post, Managing Partner Nathaniel Harding announces Cortado’s latest investment in Senslytics, a startup using its ‘intuition technology’ to scale expert insight with AI and machine learning to avert catastrophes and save millions. Read the full article here.
Cortado Participates in VC Accelerator
Cortado Ventures is honored to participate in the latest cohort of Sutton Capital’s Fund Accelerator. The high-quality, selective program focuses bridging the gap between founders and VCs and building connection points between GPs and LPs. The tight-knit global community connects Cortado to other best in class VCs to learn and improve, placing Cortado and Oklahoma on the national and global stage.
Cortado In The News
- How That Happened: Nathaniel on HoganTaylor podcast
Cortado Ventures’ Managing Partner Nathaniel Harding was featured in HoganTaylor’s “How That Happened” podcast to discuss the history of Cortado and its alignment with the Oklahoma pioneering spirit as more startups grow in the state.
Here’s an excerpt: “Actually putting yourself out there, it can be scary and risky, but there’s just no other way to achieve the things that are in your head. It’s something I really admire about the entrepreneurs that we invest in. They’re taking that dream and they’re just going for it.”
- NVCA Member Spotlight: Nathaniel Harding
The National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) highlighted Cortado’s Managing Partner Nathaniel Harding recently. In the spotlight, Nathaniel provides interesting insight into his passion for VC and startups as well as shares why he believes in Cortado and its portfolio. Check out this brief article here.