Blog

Featured Post

3.14.2024
XO Summit Recap: Slowing Down to Speed Up

We brought together 40+ startup founders from our portfolio for two-days of learning, networking, and inspiration.

Go to Post

Other Posts

XO Summit Recap: Slowing Down to Speed Up

3.14.24

We brought together 40+ startup founders from our portfolio for two-days of learning, networking, and inspiration.

Go to Post

Bolster CEO Matt Blumberg on Board Structure, Management, and the Power of Independent Directors

3.13.24

We sat down with Bolster CEO and Co-Founder Matt Blumberg to learn more about board management and the power and impact of independent directors.

Go to Post

Founder Stories: Connor Kelley, CEO of Flaunt

2.15.24

Flaunt is revolutionizing digital loyalty programs. Listen to Flaunt CEO Connor Kelley's story, and how he partnered with High Alpha to move fast.

Go to Post

Inside High Alpha: Our Blueprint for Building and Retaining World-Class Teams

1.8.24

I sat down with High Alpha's Director of Talent to learn how the HR and Talent team supports founders and the importance of building an elite team from the get-go.

Go to Post

Inside High Alpha: Strategic Financial Guidance for Founders

1.8.24

I sat down with High Alpha's Chief Financial Officer to learn how the Finance team supports founders and why early-stage companies should invest in strategic financial resources.

Go to Post

High Alpha Studio Overview

12.12.23

From idea to exit, together. When we partner with founders, we’re all in. Learn more about our studio model.

Go to Post

High Alpha Capital Overview

12.12.23

We pride ourselves on investing in exceptional founders and fueling the next breakout SaaS companies in North America. Learn how to scale faster with us.

Go to Post

Meet High Alpha's Mollie Kuramoto: Our Branding Expert

12.7.23

Since joining our team, Mollie has introduced and standardized an efficient branding process that allows our companies to launch in just six months. Read on to learn more about everything she does for our Studio companies.

Go to Post

The New Normal: Insights on Remote and Hybrid Strategies

11.30.23

Implementing a remote or hybrid work strategy demands a proactive and intentional approach, but there can be many benefits if implemented strategically.

Go to Post

Board Meetings: One of the Most Crucial Duties as a Founder

11.20.23

Your board members want to help you succeed, so you must approach your board meetings thoughtfully and strategically.

Go to Post

Meet High Alpha's Michelle Watts: Our Diversity Champion for Talent

11.1.23

Founders need a seasoned talent partner they trust will attract top candidates. Introducing Michelle Watts: Talent Acquisition Partner.

Go to Post

Leveraging Your Board Members: Advice from CEO Michael Burton

10.16.23

Your board members can be critical for your company's success. Read more to learn how to best leverage your board members.

Go to Post

Diversity and Inclusion in Technology: Insights from Grace Hopper 2023

10.9.23

Organizations have made progress in promoting diversity and inclusion in technology, but there is still work to do.

Go to Post

Mastering Founder-Led Sales: Advice We Give to Our Founders

10.2.23

Founders are uniquely equipped to sell their products, but that doesn't mean it's easy. We gathered tips to master founder-led selling.

Go to Post

Meet High Alpha's Tim Page: Our Finance Strategist

9.28.23

Assumptions are dangerous for startups, and you can only run experiments as long as you have runway. Meet Tim Page, our Finance Manager.

Go to Post

Unveiling the New Ventures Team's Approach to Crafting Scalable Software Businesses

9.21.23

Our New Ventures team co-creates with founders and partners to turn problems and ideas into investable opportunities and scalable businesses.

Go to Post

How Indiana's Biggest Tech Acquisition Created The Venture Studio Model

9.18.23

After Scott Dorsey sold ExactTarget, he wanted to help other tech founders live out their dreams. Shortly after, the Venture Studio was born.

Go to Post

Key Learnings from SaaStr Annual 2023

9.14.23

High Alpha hit the road last week to participate in SaaStr 2023. Check out our key takeaways with while they’re still fresh in our minds.

Go to Post

Guiding The Next Generation of Entrepreneurs: Insights from Managing Partner Scott Dorsey and Purdue's Dr. Mung Chiang

9.12.23

Managing Partner Scott Dorsey and Purdue President Dr. Mung Chiang give aspiring entrepreneurs must-have tips at the Rally conference.

Go to Post

Meet High Alpha's Cameron McAllister: Our ICP Discovery Expert

8.28.23

There's a lot to consider when building a company, but you always go back to the ICP. Meet Cameron McAllister, our Go-to-Market Manager.

Go to Post

Meet The Squad: Our Team of Experts for Founders

8.14.23

We offer founders the squad: our cross-functional team of experts in go-to-market, brand marketing, design, and product-market fit.

Go to Post

CEOs: It's Okay to Be Vulnerable

8.7.23

Being vulnerable is important, but as the CEO, you need to find the right balance between making the right ask in the right way.

Go to Post

From Startup to Acquisition: Max Yoder's Journey with High Alpha Studio

8.4.23

Max Yoder, former Co-Founder and CEO of Lessonly, shares his experience building, scaling, and exiting the company with High Alpha Studio.

Go to Post

Founder Stories: Why The CEO of Airwave Chose High Alpha Studio

7.28.23

Pankaj Prasad shares his experience partnering with High Alpha Studio to start Airwave, a messaging app built for skilled frontline workers.

Go to Post

The Perfect Time to Start a Company Is Now

7.24.23

The market landscape has undergone significant transformations. Aspiring entrepreneurs may ask, “Should I start a company?” The answer is yes.

Go to Post

Mindfulness Unleashed: From Burnout to Bliss

6.19.23

Busyness without self-awareness can lead towards burnout. The pivotal key to preventing burnout lies in the practice of mindfulness.

Go to Post

Product-Market Fit Investigation: The Verdict Is In

6.9.23

R.J. Talyor unveiled Project Horizon—a resource start-up CEOs can use to benchmark their progress towards product-market fit (PMF). We wanted to take it a step further.

Go to Post

Key Learnings From VeeCon 2023: How To Build A Modern Tech Company

5.24.23

Check out our key takeaways from a panel discussion with High Alpha's Managing Partner Scott Dorsey, Vayner3's President Avery Akkineni, and Utopia's CEO Alejandro (Nino) Saez Novales.

Go to Post

Bold Beginnings: Unlocking the Potential of First-Time Founders

5.22.23

First-time founders are constantly asking us if they have what it takes to start a company. We've noticed a few common threads that predict a founder's success.

Go to Post

Introducing Project Horizon: High Alpha's Product-Market Fit Report

5.15.23

High Alpha is going heads down in product-market fit research. Read on to learn more about Project Horizon and how it's helping our Studio CEOs benchmark their progress against others in the same boat.

Go to Post

ChatGPT Doesn't Love You...Yet

5.8.23

This is no different than the building outside that has graffiti on it that says 'I love you.' I didn't feel loved by the building because of that...

Go to Post

Yes, The Midwest Is Different: Tech, Infrastructure And Values Mark The Rise Of A Corn Belt City

2.24.23

Catch High Alpha Partner Kristian Andersen talk about the state of tech and entrepreneurship in Indianapolis.

Go to Post

Founder Stories: Castiron, a Platform for Independent Food Artisans

10.13.22

Castiron Co-Founder and CEO Mark Josephson shares his experience partnering with High Alpha to start the business.

Go to Post

Highlights From My High Alpha Internship

8.26.22

After 12 weeks on the venture team, my High Alpha internship is coming to an end. Here are my highlights from the summer.

Go to Post

Go-to-Market Experimentation: a Game of Hot or Cold

7.7.22

High Alpha's Go-to-Market Manager, Cameron McAllister, shares his thoughts on go-to-market experimentation.

Go to Post

Founder Stories: Bolster, an On-Demand Executive Talent Network

6.21.22

Bolster Co-Founder and CEO Matt Blumberg shares his experience partnering with High Alpha to start the business.

Go to Post

Top 10 Lessons From Season Two of Speaker Series Rewind

5.11.22

Here are ten key takeaways from season two of Speaker Series Rewind, our podcast featuring leading investors.

Go to Post

Building the Muscle: Why Early Stage Startups Should Focus on Retention

5.2.22

How can your early stage company bolster retention metrics? High Alpha's Sr. Financial Analyst Tim Page shares tangible examples.

Go to Post

The 6 Components of an Effective Visual Identity Rubric

4.4.22

How do you determine what makes a strong visual identity? We recommend dividing the brand identity up into 6 components.

Go to Post

High Alpha CEO Spotlight: Christopher Shutts, Co-Founder and CEO of Logik.io

3.17.22

We sat down with Logik.io's Christopher Shutts to talk more about his company, background, and the lessons learned along the way.

Go to Post

Up-front Payments: Fueling SaaS Growth Without Dilution

3.15.22

What are the benefits of up-front payments? High Alpha's Tim Page shares why companies should incentivize up-front payments.

Go to Post

A Simple Yet Effective B2B Content Strategy for Early-Stage Startups

3.10.22

When creating a content strategy at a startup where do you start? Here’s a step-by-step guide to crafting a B2B content marketing plan.

Go to Post

What Comes First, The Customer Or The Product?

1.31.22

A common reason startups fail is lack of product-market fit. But, what comes first, the product or the customer?⁠

Go to Post

High Alpha CEO Spotlight: Mitch Causey, Co-Founder and CEO of Demandwell

1.26.22

We sat down with Demandwell's Mitch Causey to talk more about this company, background, and the lessons learned along the way.

Go to Post

Top 10 Lessons From Season One of Speaker Series Rewind

12.22.21

Here are ten lessons from our first ten episodes of Speaker Series Rewind, a podcast featuring leaders, founders, and investors.

Go to Post

Raising Your Next Funding Round? Here’s Advice From Successful CEOs

12.21.21

This is the final blog in a series by High Alpha’s Sr. Financial Analyst Maddy Cutler all about raising your next fundraising round.

Go to Post

5 Big Business Benefits of Documenting Your Brand as a Startup

12.20.21

Here are a few reasons why it’s important to make, and document, brand decisions earlier rather than later.

Go to Post

How to Become a Wellness-Focused Organization According to Mindbody’s Senior VP Kristin Carrico

11.26.21

Want to improve your employee experience? Here's how to become a wellness-focused organization according to Mindbody’s Sr VP Kristin Carrico.

Go to Post

Freemium Pricing: Examples, Models, and Strategies

11.23.21

Freemium pricing is a popular strategy for SaaS companies. Here are the 8 types, including pricing examples, to consider for your startup.

Go to Post

Founder Stories: Casted, an Amplified Marketing Platform

11.2.21

Co-Founder and CEO Lindsay Tjepkema shares her experience partnering with High Alpha to start Casted and fundraise.

Go to Post

High Alpha CEO Spotlight: David Weissman, Co-Founder and CEO of Humankind

10.27.21

We sat down with Humankind's David Weissman to talk more about this company, background, and the lessons learned along the way.

Go to Post

Founder Stories: Pattern89, a Creative Performance Solution

10.20.21

Pattern89 founders, R. J. Talyor and Jeff Cunning, share their entrepreneurial journeys from Day 1 to acquisition.

Go to Post

Why Financial Transparency Matters to Startups

10.18.21

A well-informed leader makes better decisions. With reporting, here's how your startup can achieve financial transparency.

Go to Post

Founder Stories: Filo, a Platform for Virtual Meeting Spaces

10.15.21

Filo.co CEO Matt Compton shares his unique experience launching his business out of High Alpha's Sprint Week process.

Go to Post

Creating an Internal Design Process That Anyone at Your Startup Can Understand

10.11.21

Read the three foundational — yet straightforward — areas to focus on when developing an internal design process to make the highest impact.

Go to Post

The Perfect Pitch Deck Example Crafted By Launching 30+ Companies

10.4.21

We receive a distinct advantage from launching over 30+ companies. In this article, we’re going to share our learnings and framework for crafting the perfect pitch deck.

Go to Post

Raising Your Next Funding Round? Here’s Advice From 3 Successful High Alpha CEOs (Part 2)

9.15.21

Advice from High Alpha CEOs to help you strengthen your pitch and navigate through the process of raising venture capital.

Go to Post

Why High Alpha Invested in Smartwyre

9.9.21

We couldn’t be more excited to welcome John Brubaker and the entire Smartwyre team to the High Alpha family.

Go to Post

Minimum Viable Brand: The Branding Process We Implement With All of Our Companies

8.31.21

We’ve successfully led over 30+ startups through a proven process for building effective brands. We call it Minimum Viable Brand (MVB).

Go to Post

High Alpha CEO Spotlight: Jonathan Gandolf, Co-Founder and CEO of The Juice

8.26.21

Co-Founder and CEO of The Juice, Jonathan Gandolf, talks about his company, background, and the lessons he’s learned along the way.

Go to Post

Why Omnichannel Marketing is Essential to Scaling Your Startup

8.25.21

Learn how a startup can get started with omnichannel marketing, the definition of omnichannel marketing, and why it matters.

Go to Post

Reflections on Lessonly

8.16.21

To commemorate Lessonly's acquisition, High Alpha Partner Kristian Andersen shares their origin story and his own connection to the company.

Go to Post

Startup Advice from Bolster Co-Founder Matt Blumberg

8.3.21

Let's dive into our key takeaways from our July Speaker Series event featuring Bolster CEO and Co-Founder Matt Blumberg.

Go to Post

How to Develop Effective Messaging & Positioning as a Startup (According to the Experts)

7.29.21

When it comes to advising the High Alpha portfolio, messaging and positioning are the most requested topics. Why? Read more to find out.

Go to Post

Demand Generation Strategy: A Simple Framework for Your Startup

7.27.21

What is demand generation? How should you create your demand generation strategy as a startup? We’ll discuss this and more in this blog.

Go to Post

High Alpha CEO Spotlight: Matt Compton, Co-Founder and CEO of Filo.co

7.22.21

We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Matt, Co-Founder and CEO of Filo, to talk more about the company, his background, and the lessons he’s learned along the way.

Go to Post

What I Learned the Hard Way From Naming 30+ Startups

7.19.21

How should a founder go about effectively naming their early-stage startup and avoid picking a name that will hurt them?

Go to Post

Raising Your Next Funding Round? Here’s Advice From 3 Successful High Alpha CEOs

7.15.21

Three talented co-founders within High Alpha Studio share their advice for fundraising and navigating venture capital.

Go to Post

5 Steps to Building a Brand for Early-Stage Startups

7.13.21

We unpack both challenges and benefits of developing a brand as a startup along with actionable steps to get started.

Go to Post

Hiring a Sales Leader? Use This Framework According to Angi's SVP of Sales & Training

7.12.21

Whether you’re eyeing a sales leadership role or you’re looking to add one to your team, don't miss this framework for hiring a sales leader.

Go to Post

How Prototyping Product Ideas Internally Helped Us Launch Filo

7.8.21

Chad Hostetter, High Alpha’s Senior Product Designer, outlines how prototyping product ideas internally helped us launch Filo.

Go to Post

Navigating SaaS Partnerships as a Startup

6.1.21

For many startup leaders, the role of partnerships can feel like a black box. Here's our advice on how to navigate them successfully.

Go to Post

Why I Joined High Alpha

5.14.21

Samantha Ginther joined High Alpha as a Venture Associate. As the newest member of the High Alpha family, here's why she joined the team.

Go to Post

4 Tips for Effective Founder Selling (Before You Have a Product)

5.6.21

The earlier you start building these muscles, the better off you’ll be.

Go to Post

5 Things Startups Should Consider With a Second Close in a Funding Round

5.3.21

There are topics that come up while closing a funding round that many founders have not experienced, one of these topics is a “second close.”

Go to Post

Why Every Founder Should Sell Before They Have a Product

4.28.21

Learn why every founder should sell before they have a product. This is the first blog in a two-part series.

Go to Post

High Alpha Portfolio Spotlight: Jeff Middlesworth, Chief Product Officer at Boardable

4.26.21

We sat down with Boardable's Jeff Middlesworth to talk more about this company, background, and the lessons learned along the way.

Go to Post

Salary Isn't Everything: How to Develop a Compensation Strategy That Attracts and Retains Great Talent

4.15.21

Hope Williams, Sr. HR Business Partner at High Alpha, shares how early-stage startups can develop a competitive compensation strategy.

Go to Post

SaaS is Transforming IT from a Cost Center to a Value Center (& Other SaaS Trends)

3.1.21

Just about everyone has heard of software as a service or at least they're using SaaS. So, what are the SaaS trends of 2022?

Go to Post

Introducing High Alpha Navigators

1.20.21

The Navigators network is one of the first places we look for feedback, ideas, first customers, advisors, board members, and investors.

Go to Post

Why Venture Studios Are the Future of Company Building

12.15.20

The startup and venture studio category has seen over 625% growth over the last decade. We explain why venture studios are the next entrepreneurship frontier.

Go to Post

4 Takeaways From the 2020 SaaS Benchmarks Report

11.19.20

This year’s SaaS Benchmarks report from OpenView and a number of partners, is a window into the SaaS industry during a year like no other.

Go to Post

Founder Stories: Base, the First Software for Executive Assistants

11.19.20

Base CEO Paige McPheely explains how High Alpha became part of the Base team in order to build a new category of software.

Go to Post

5 Signs It's Time to Raise Venture Capital For Your B2B SaaS Company

11.2.20

While venture capital isn’t the only option to grow a software business, it can be a valuable tool in an entrepreneur’s toolkit.

Go to Post

Founder Stories: Zylo, a SaaS Management Platform

10.19.20

Zylo CEO Eric Christopher discusses the importance of brand in becoming a category leader.

Go to Post

Why High Alpha Invested in Craft

8.21.20

I am excited to announce that High Alpha has led the Series A of Craft, a San-Francisco based supply chain intelligence company.

Go to Post

How to Fill Your Investor Funnel | Raising Venture Capital

8.18.20

Fundraising is difficult. Pair that with your countless day-to-day tasks as a founder and fundraising can feel impossible.

Go to Post

Startup Incubator vs. Venture Studio: What's the Difference?

7.23.20

Incubators, accelerators, and venture studios are just a few of the support systems that founders can take advantage of when starting a company.

Go to Post

Why High Alpha Invested in Encamp

5.19.20

We’re excited to announce that High Alpha has co-led Encamp’s Series A financing with Allos Ventures.

Go to Post

High Alpha CEO Spotlight: Paige McPheely of Base

4.21.20

We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Base CEO Paige McPheely to talk more about the company.

Go to Post

Why High Alpha Invested in Woven

3.11.20

Since launching in 2018, Woven has earned a reputation as a leading provider of software engineering candidate assessments.

Go to Post

High Alpha CEO Spotlight: Andrew Sawyer of Cured

2.26.20

We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Cured CEO Andrew Sawyer to talk more about the company, his background, and the lessons he’s learned while building a high-growth healthcare technology company.

Go to Post

Why High Alpha Invested in Podchaser

1.29.20

We’re proud to announce High Alpha’s investment in Podchaser, an independent credit registry and an amazing source for daily discovery and discussion in podcasting.

Go to Post

How Legendary Entrepreneurs Use The Constraint Of Time As An Advantage

1.21.20

High Alpha's Scott Dorsey sat down with Forbes to discuss his latest work at High Alpha, how he keeps learning, and using time constraint as an ally.

Go to Post

The Ultimate Conference Sponsorship Guide for Startups

10.16.19

As a startup, a successful conference might make the difference in your quarter or even your year. We'll show you how to get the most from your sponsorship.

Go to Post

So You Want to Host a User Conference: A Guide for Startups

10.10.19

We asked experts from HubSpot's Inbound, SalesLoft's Rainmaker, and Lessonly's Yellowship for their tips on making a SaaS user conference a success.

Go to Post

Why Building for Scale and Creating Benchmarks Matters

10.3.19

We’ve uncovered a few kernels of truth I believe can be applied to any potential category leader: Creating scale early and identifying unique benchmarks matter.

Go to Post

Why High Alpha Invested in Superside and the Future of Work

9.9.19

It’s no secret that the gig economy has exploded over the last several years, and it’s an area that we’ve become deeply interested in as investors.

Go to Post

4 Key Trends Impacting the Midwest Venture Landscape

7.31.19

Hyde Park Angels’ 2019 Midwest Startup and VC Market Analysis proves that investors are taking notice of the innovation coming from the Great Lakes region. These were our four biggest takeaways from the report.

Go to Post

Data Stream Processing for Newbies with Kafka, KSQL, and Postgres

4.6.19

Traditional batch-oriented data processing doesn’t suffice. To keep up with the flow of incoming data, organizations are increasingly moving towards stream processing.

Go to Post