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“Live Life a Little” says Capital Innovators’ Managing Partner – Judy Sindecuse

After majoring in Mechanical Engineering, Judy went off to Harvard Law School. She practiced law for almost an entire year

By Mustafa Najoom»Jan 19, 2022»3 min read»Capital Innovators Managing Partner
“Live Life a Little” says Capital Innovators’ Managing Partner – Judy Sindecuse

After majoring in Mechanical Engineering, Judy went off to Harvard Law School. She practiced law for almost an entire year before she came up with a business idea and got started. Within 6 months she made it into a profitable venture, however, when she hit a snag, she needed a solution for a problem. It struck her then that the solution itself was a separate business idea for her and went ahead to set that up as well.

A similar event occurred on her next business venture, which led her to move out of Dallas and to St. Louis, where she was running two businesses together and figuring out her next big idea. That is when she was invited to volunteer at a Non Profit which was helping new startups up and running.

Through the process of volunteering she came up with the idea of Capital Innovators as she believed that the companies needed something different. Judy made it her mission to go out and get more funding for these startups while also revamping the mentorship model. What started off as a purely volunteer gig, became her “next big idea”.

At follow-on funding of $330 million for up to 128 companies and creating over 1300 jobs, it is no wonder that Capital Innovators has managed to bag the Top Accelerator title for 5 years. Shows that Judy and her team have always played their A Game!

Judy.webp

Summing up her decade long endeavor, Judy shared a few insights that are worth talking about.

“You need perseverance” for all the ups and downs was one thing she started off with. Secondly her sound advice “from a business standpoint…you may have to go out and live a little life first.” All her business ideas stemmed from all the problems she was personally facing. She believes it is easier to sell a solution to somebody’s pain rather than sell them an idea of a great opportunity.

Hard work creates successful companies to get follow-on funding and that has helped Capital Innovators be ranked 2nd and 3rd in the country for the ability to raise follow-on funding. “See where the best fit is for you to grow that business,” is her means of getting work done right.

Discussing the future of remote employment Judy shared that, “In the immediate future remote workers can really work for a lot of companies” and that it depends on how a company can motivate people to feel a part of the team and reach for the success that any company is striving for.

It is super important to have daily meetings for the core tech team and she compares it to “imagine playing a sport; but not in person – those are very real challenges.”

She summed up with further insights on how she has fared through her life as an entrepreneur. Hear on for more details and let us know what pain points do you feel need to be addressed in order to make startup ventures more successful?

Frequently asked questions

Who is Judy Sindecuse and how did she found Capital Innovators?
Judy Sindecuse is the Managing Partner of Capital Innovators. After majoring in Mechanical Engineering and attending Harvard Law School, she founded the accelerator while volunteering at a non-profit helping startups, aiming to secure more funding and revamp the mentorship model.
What results has Capital Innovators achieved under Judy Sindecuse?
Capital Innovators has driven $330 million in follow-on funding for up to 128 companies, created over 1,300 jobs, earned the Top Accelerator title for five years, and ranked 2nd and 3rd in the country for ability to raise follow-on funding.
What advice does Judy give to aspiring entrepreneurs?
She stresses perseverance through the ups and downs and advises founders to 'live a little life first,' since the best business ideas stem from personal pain points. She notes it is easier to sell a solution to someone's pain than to sell the idea of an opportunity.
What is Judy's view on managing remote teams?
She believes remote workers can work for many companies but success depends on motivating people to feel part of the team. She emphasizes daily meetings for the core tech team, comparing remote collaboration to playing a sport but not in person.
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Written by

Mustafa Najoom

Marketing & GTM, Gaper

Mustafa is a CPA turned B2B marketer focused on go-to-market strategy, working on growth at Gaper, the AI-native partner that builds and deploys production AI agents.

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