A Brief History

Since launching nearly a decade ago, our mission has been simple; help founders more easily raise startup funds by building a community around tech and investing.
And, what began as a meet-up designed to network with angel investors and early adopters, quickly grew into one of the nation’s largest media platforms for entrepreneurs: with millions of podcast plays, national pitch events attended by thousands, and the first-ever live radio show where listeners could invest in startups — resulting in more than $50 million invested via equity crowdfunding, and over a billion dollars of venture capital!

Our Commitment To Diversity

We focus on diversity because while talent is evenly distributed, opportunity is not.
Technori welcomes all entrepreneurs, but we especially encourage founders with diverse teams and backgrounds to apply to present because providing more talent with the chance to build companies creates a stronger economy.
How we affect this is important; female, minority and first-time founders are notoriously underserved by the investor community – we equalize the fundraising landscape by providing founders of all backgrounds with access to startup capital and media exposure.

What We Do Exactly

We host podcasts and pitch videos where followers (both accredited and not) can invest in startups for as little or as much as they want, via equity crowdfunding.

 

 Check out #TechnoriPitch on Instagram.

Why What We Do Matters

Over the next ten years more than half of current S&P 500 companies will be replaced with technology driven, high-growth companies that haven’t even been formed yet. But, those startups will need money to grow and many of the founders of the future are not going to come from the top 1%, which means they’ll need your help to get funded.
Silicon Valley is an amazing place that has funded startups for decades, but its monoculture has become increasingly apparent in recent years. And, with tech hubs like Chicago, Austin, Boston and others growing at a rapid pace due to access to lower costs and more diverse economies — the time for change is now!
Fortunately, equity crowdfunding opened the door for those previously excluded from startup investing to fund the companies they believe in. This makes room for more entrepreneurs — because in a world where anyone can fund anyone, more ideas get off the ground.

 

To fundraise on Republic simply apply here

Who We Are

We’re a team of entrepreneurs, investors, tech builders, creators and operators whose expertise has contributed to more than $3,000,000,000 in shareholder value.

Scott Kitun
Scott Kitun

CEO

Media entrepreneur, investor, sports fanatic, Curb Your Enthusiast, Medillian, host of Startup Showcase on WGN Radio and 2x Northwestern grad.

Mike Rothman
Mike Rothman

Investor

SMS Assist founder and Chairman, Venture Capitalist, Chicago Innovation Awardee, Board member and EY Entrepreneur of the year.

Sam Fiske

Executive Producer

Master operator-in-training, Technori Executive Producer; startups and media junky, occasional @AP_Sports contributor, Medill alum, and an Outdoor cat.

Rachel Rowlands

Marketing Manager

Michigander living in Chicago, social media & digital strategist, college sports nut, pro books on boats, and a seriously impressive Netflix binger.

Sam Fiske
John Rosin

Video Producer

I’m responsible for anything you see on Technori that makes you laugh; gamer, creator, videophile, and a shameless promoter of Baltimore sports.

Sean Froelich
Sean Froelich

Video Producer

Host of technori Feed, Medillian and multimedia juggernaut, sometimes WGNRadio host; people compliment my voice a lot.

seth_kravitz
Seth Kravitz

Co-Founder

CEO at Phlearn – Sometimes feel lost, sometimes found. Varies daily. Collector of interesting people. 3x founder with 2 exits to public cos. Introvert Writer.    

Val Chulamorkodt
Val Chulamorkodt

Co-Founder

Recovering lawyer, writer, mother 2x, female tech founder, and supporter of all things inclusive.    

Victor Pascucci III-tean
Vic Pascucci

Advisor

VC, former Lightbank Managing Partner, family-first, cooking, fitness-buff (sometimes); fintech, insurtech, blockchain, combat sports, leadership & beats.

Anne Hoffer

Advisor

For the love of learning, entreprenuer. Started espnW, the chicago office of Apple and the Chicago office of Snapchat. Passionate about media and technology.

Emile Cambry

Advisor

Polymath: Founder of @BLUE1647 & CISCFF; Partner longjumpfund, married to @misskelleyohh, @Ebonymag Power 100, TheRoot Power 100

Ken Nguyen-team
Ken Nguyen

Advisor

Republic founder, founding advisor of @CoinList, former General Counsel at @AngelList, @StanfordLaw Fellow and democratizer of investing.

Matt Luzadder

Advisor

Partner @KelleyDrye, legal strategist, fintech, crypto and payments aficionado, IU grad 2x, explorer of all things new, and generally pretty radio-friendly.

Nate Lyman

Advisor

VP of Engineering @Fanatics. Formerly Head of Retail Innovation Tech @eBay. I love building teams that solve hard business problems with technology. 

Michael Laser

Advisor

Lifelong entrepreneur, co-founder of Second Avenue Realty and former investment manager at SF based Coatue.

Turiya Simic

Advisor

Director @MillerCoors, evolving marketing strategy through human insights illuminated by empathy and storytelling.