NEOSVF SPOTLIGHT: Riley Shelton

Riley Shelton
Student Manager
University of Akron, Class of 2021
COO of BarMate/ NEOSVF intern

"If you thought you knew the ins and outs of starting a business before, you were wrong."
- Riley Shelton

Tell us about yourself.
I have started an Internship with the Northeast Ohio Student Venture Fund. I had the opportunity to work with a healthy pet treat start up.
Overall, I have been getting involved in a lot of opportunities that train you to think more entrepreneurially.

What advice do you have for students interested in entrepreneurial pursuits?
There is no such thing as a dumb question. There are no shortcuts to success but there is also no clear path to it. This requires you to not be afraid to fail.

How did NEOSVF prepare you for an entrepreneurial lifestyle?
It helped me realize that people questioning you isn't them attacking you. So I have learned to take intense questioning with more grace.

BarMar - EST. Feb 2018

What does your company do?
Provides data and metrics of bars marketing efforts to the bar owners through an application so that they can provide a more exclusive experience to consumers through our consumer application.

What’s next?
We plan to participate in a program referred to as I-Corps in hopes to get feedback on customer discovery.

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