Charlotte Angel Connection Episode 076: Mac Lackey, VentureSouth Partner, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor

Mac Lackey is a Charlotte kid.  He grew up here, returned after playing soccer in college and professionally to start his career.  He started his first businesses and began raising his family here. Ultimately, he decided to return here after spending several years overseas. He’s returned to a startup ecosystem vastly different than the one he left.  And he is in the middle of it through his work mentoring companies, leading the VentureSouth efforts here in Charlotte and being an active speaker at startup and investor focused events. Listen to our podcast with Mac today as we explore his first startup in the late 90s and expand all the way through his latest venture with Kyck.  We dive deep into Internet Soccer (Mac’s 3rd) startup to explore how he was able to sell an internet company with little money left in the bank to a European company. Listen to which company Mac would like to have back and why.  And found out what some of Mac’s key guidance is to founders as they look to build their own startups here in Charlotte. I found it really interesting to find the lessons within his stories.  He’s got a great comfort around telling who is and what’s he’s done and is trying to accomplish.  He’s sold businesses at fantastic numbers and talk freely about it. But how often do you hear someone admit they lost 90% of their ‘winnings’ in a market downturn. Mac’s has a lot to offer Charlotte entrepreneurs and investors.  Listening to him talk about it in this podcast is a great way to get started.  You can also learn more about Mac and what he is doing at www.maclackey.com. A few other local notes and comments: Sam Smith of Vishion (local startup) and Collective Hustle is organizing a fantastic event called Seed the South.  The goal with this effort is to bring investors and entrepreneurs in Charlotte and beyond together to begin to show off what’s here.  The event is going to be on January 9 at the Foundation for the Carolinas and Sam is working on building a terrific list of speakers.  There will be a pitch competition for 4 – 8 startups and other startups will have demo tables there too.  It’s going to be a great way to start 2019 and I hope to see you there. Dan Roselli and his team at QC Fintech and Packard Place did a fantastic job hosting the 2nd Annual Southeast Fintech Venture Conference yesterday along with the Demo Day for Class 9 from QC Fintech.  There was a great showing of both the Charlotte community AND investors/investor funds there looking at and talking with companies.  Caroline Hudson with the Charlotte Business Journal covered the event well.  She’s doing a great job getting coverage for local startups and events. Thank you to Dan Roselli and his team at Packard Place for our first sponsorship. They have hosted more than 2 dozen of our interviews over the last couple of months and have offered one of their used Yeti’s for us to use with guests when we go offsite. They are a great community supporter for all things startup in Charlotte.   William Bissett is an Investment Advisor Representative with Secrest Blakey & Associates, a Registered Investment Adviser.  Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Secrest Blakey & Associates. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.  Secrest Blakey & Associates does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under the Securities Act, and a Qualified Purchaser as defined in Section 2(a)(51)(A) under the Company Act or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests.  Prospective investors should particularly not...