Blog: Forward Thinking

Often snarky, sometimes funny, thoughts and musings from Glen Hellman about Executive Development, Leadership, Startups, Washington DC Business and more.
February 17, 2019
In DCTech, Raising Capital, Startup
1 Comment

Bobby Ocampo and Blueprint Equity

When I wrote the post, Angel And Venture Capital Are Broken – Part II, I highlighted two innovative variations of traditional Venture Capital, Proof Fund and Private Access Network. Then a few months later, I sat down with Bobby Ocampo of Blueprint Equity. Bobby introduced me to yet a third variation, that of his new fund Blueprint Equity. If you're from DC and you live a hefty bag (basically that means those of you who get your DC Startup news from the Technically.DC and DCinno, the startup equivalents to getting your world news from Fox News), you probably don't know Bobby Ocampo. So let me...

February 8, 2019
In DCTech, Musing, Rant
0 Comments

Heard Around DC Startups

Ah DC Startups, the red-headed, bastard, stepchildren of the startup world. For instance, the other day I read a quote by a guy. In terms of DC Startups, this guy is a successful founder with a good, relative to other DC Startups exits.  I like and respect this guy and his current company.  Yet, the quote was a perfect example of the ridiculous, over-the-top, kind of sound bites it takes to get ink or bits in the startup press in the wastelands of DC Startups. This quote inspired me to pick on all the pronouncements and predictions from DC's "prestigious"...

February 7, 2019
In DCTech, Wolves of Startupland
0 Comments

Trustify Trustpilot Reviews

Sorry, folks, I've been trying to stay away from the stale topic of Danny Boice, Jen Mellon and Trustify but then someone pointed me towards Trustify Trustpilot reviews (you can find Trustify Trustpilot reviews here). Some signs that things are over...

February 7, 2019
In DCTech, Wolves of Startupland
2 Comments

Danny Boice’s Drug Induced Fever Dream – Journey to Trust

What follows is a bit is a blog post and analysis of said blog post that formerly could be found on the Trustify web site. The post was titled, "Journey To Trust, Part 1 -the man with the knife." After I started posting links to the blog, Danny Boice must have thought it would be better if he removed it.  It's gone. Of course, I am a patron of the arts so I will try and restore this artwork. The article, an incoherent, mix of Dashiell Hammett, Louis Carroll, Jim Morrison, and a 12-year-old, pre-pubescent boy,  spending his 4th year in 2nd...

February 6, 2019
In DCTech, Wolves of Startupland
0 Comments

Is Robert Katz a Deadbeat?

Robert Katz, is he a deadbeat? That's the assertion made in a GoFundMe campaign opened-up in December 2018 by 22 people who say Mr. Katz owes them a total of $79 thousand. Deadbeat? That's the opinion of these 22 people who may be biased because Robert Katz stiffed them.  To get an unbiased opinion I went to the one man who knows Rober Katz like no other...

February 3, 2019
In Musing, Raising Capital, Rant, Wolves of Startupland
2 Comments

Angel Kings Ross Blankenship is a Fraud

Angel Kings my ass. Ross Blankenship is a fraud. Old Ross, claims to have cut his teeth in the DC startup scene. I've been doing startups since 1978. Over that time I've worked with a few of the great entrepreneurs and tech visionaries in this town. No legitimate startup veteran even knows this clown. Let me tell you, Ross Blankenship is not an entrepreneur, nor is he a tech visionary, nor was he ever been a thing in DC of any consequence to anyone but his mom. The cockroaches in DC built better businesses than Blankenship. He's not an Angel Investor...

January 30, 2019
In Rant
4 Comments

LinkedIn Scammers meet Sam Walton AKA Yuhao Fan

Yesterday, I received this exciting invite on LinkedIn: Hello Glen, I am Yuhao, co-founder of two companies, one is valued at over $5 million. Just turned 22 and about to graduate this year. Working on the third and the greatest idea yet in D.C. Looking for a mentor as well as funding! To do good and make bank. Let's connect and have a chat. Cheers. Ahhhh...

January 27, 2019
In DCTech, Technology
3 Comments

Plate Vision wins Best of Show

DCTech has a best of show award winner that actually means something. It's not one of those LifeFuels-like, pay-the-fee-receive-an-award award things. Plate Vision is a product developed by two University of Maryland Professors, Dr. Chris Davis, Dr. John Rzasa.  The company was formed in cooperation with the help of the University of Maryland, Office of Technology Commercialization OTC. OTC helped Davis and Rzasa find the resources to create a business plan, find a CEO and garner an investment from TEDCO, the State of Maryland's, early-stage investment arm. The match between entrepreneur and University of Maryland technology was made through a partnership between...

January 20, 2019
In DCTech, Rant, Startup
0 Comments

LifeFuels is a Punchline to a Joke.

LifeFuels is entering its 5th year as a company. Actually, LifeFuels is not a company, it's a punchline to a joke. What do you call a company that has been in business for 5 years and has no product, no sales, no nothing of any value except for press releases? Lifefuels is not a company, LifeFuels is a punchline to a joke. On April Fools Day, 2014, Life Fool Jonathon Perrelli founded LifeFuels...