Blog: Forward Thinking

Often snarky, sometimes funny, thoughts and musings from Glen Hellman about Executive Development, Leadership, Startups, Washington DC Business and more.
September 22, 2019
In DCTech, Wolves of Startupland
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Former Trustify Employees Awarded $260 Thousand Judgement

Eight former Trustify employees, Matthew Scott, Elisabeth Nugent, Kevin Wiggins, Stacy Blackburn, Bey Wesley, Matthew Blanchard, Bernadette Vielhaber and Andrew Little, seeking $35 thousand in back pay. A court awarded these former employees $259,425.49 for several weeks back-pay, lost wages while unemployed, damages and Labor Law violations. The troubles for the bankrupt company and it's two co-founders Danny Boice and Jennifer Mellon keep adding up. Good luck with collections as this group of creditors get in line with other burned creditors. Litigant Type Status Amount Commonwealth of Virginia Tax Lien Judgment $593,054.03 JBG Smith Office Rent Judgment $263,477.21 Centro GS Software Judgment $25,000.00 Eight Former Trustify Employees Back Pay/FinesDamages Judgment $259,425.49 Buckley Sanders LLP Legal Bills Judgment $245,945.00 Dini Von Mueffling Communications Press...

September 20, 2019
In DCTech, Wolves of Startupland
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Another Day, Another Day In Court For Andy Powers Communiclique CEO

For the past 2 months, for the past 3 court dates, Andy Powers, the co-founder, and former CEO of a criminal enterprise and $50 Million Ponzi Scheme known as Communiclique (AKA Clique API) promised the court he would have a new attorney in just a few weeks. He's been promising to show up with his dream legal team any day now. Well, boy did he not disappoint today.  At 10:55 AM, five minutes before his scheduled 11 AM Case Review. In walks Powers with a virtual "Dream Team" legal team. He's followed by super attorney Johnnie Cochrane, Justice, Oliver Wendell...

September 19, 2019
In DCTech, Startup
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Arlington County and Culpeper Garden $12K Pitch Contest

Arlington County Economic Development and Culpeper Gardens, a seniors living housing company, are holding a Pitch Contest called the Innovation in Healthy Aging Challenge with applications to pitch due by October 11, 2019. The contest is targeted to companies that have products that improve the health, mobility, and quality of life for senior citizens like me. The sponsors describe the contest as a unique competition to provide funding and pilot program opportunities for innovative companies and technologies focused on improving the lives of low-income seniors. The announcement states that three companies will be selected to pilot their products and receive $12 thousand...

September 18, 2019
In DCTech, Startup
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Washington Post Readers Dump on LifeFuels

The Tom Heath Washington Post Article The Washington Post's Thomas Heath is a good guy. He writes puff, feel-good pieces for the Post's Business Section. He's written about a bunch of clients, a bunch of good people. He's had a miss or two, for instance when he offered positive coverage to now-bankrupt Ponzi Scheme., Trustify. A company and two founders, Danny Boice and Jennifer Mellon facing multiple fraud and embezzlement charges (BTW, The Washington Post had to close the comment section because the comments against Boice were scathing). Tom is usually a cheerleader and yet in a recent post about one of...

September 15, 2019
In DCTech, Uncategorized, Wolves of Startupland
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Communiclique’s Andy Powers Once Again Doesn’t Disappoint

(September 13, 2019) If you took the 50 to 1 Vegas odds against Andy Powers showing up in court today with his new attorney, you would have been sorely disappointed. Vegas made the right call. If you are new to this case you can catch up on what you missed here. Okay? Everyone up to speed now? You get the idea, right? Andy Powers has been trying to delay this thing and string it out...

September 11, 2019
In DCTech, Raising Capital, Wolves of Startupland
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Ross Blankenship Failed Entrepreneur and Pretend Angel King

There are a ton of Ross Blankenship fans out there. And these, let's call them "fans" for lack of a better word love to tell stories about this creep. None of the stories are flattering. Since I last published a post about Ross, I've received multiple tips from people who worked with him. The consistent Ross Blankenship Story from all sources goes like this. The poor guy achieved two things in his life...

September 6, 2019
In DCTech
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Andy Powers’ Judge Is Not Having It

If you do a google search for the worst on-screen romantic chemistry, a few couples keep coming up. Katherine Heigl & Seth Rogen in Knocked Up Jessica Alba & Mike Myers in The Love Guru Charlize Theron & Woody Allen in Curse of the Jade Scorpion Julia Roberts & Woody Allen in Everyone Says I Love You Any Woman and Woody Allen Any Man and Woody Allen Any Human and Woody Allen Any Plant and Woody Allen Woody Allen's Hand and Woody Allen If what took place at 11 AM on September 6th, 2019, in the US Courthouse in Alexandria Virginia,...

September 5, 2019
In DCTech, Startup
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Falfurrias Capital Partners acquires majority interest in DCTech company Industry Dive

Congratulations to the co-founders, CEO Sean Griffey (pictured above), CRO Ryan Willumson, CTO Eli Dickinson and the entire Industry Dive team, the best little company that DCInno never heard of. Industry Dive announced today that Falfurrias Capital Partners acquired a majority stake in the DC-based company. According to the company,  Industry Dive, "provides premium business news, original analysis, and other information products and services to more than 7 million executives across 19 industry verticals ranging from banking and supply chain to retail and waste." Founded 7 years ago, in 2012, Industry Dive started with a $900 thousand capital infusion by the founders and a small group...