In the Spotlight: Destin George Bell

Morning, friends! Logan here.

If you’ve been involved in the Lexington startup community since pre-2019, you probably recognize the name of today’s guest. It’s recognizable because Destin built a reputation for being an extremely passionate individual who’s willing to hustle his ass off to find success. A few years ago, Destin left Lexington to make the move to Austin, Texas - set on starting a company and learning from the Austin startup community. He’s done just that, and the company that he launched made it onto the season premiere of Shark Tank, landing an investment and bringing significant attention to his company. If you’re looking for a story of persistence, grit, and hustle - this episode is for you👇🏻

The Company: Card.Io

Card.io is a fitness app that transforms cardio workouts into an engaging and interactive experience, creating territories that can be captured by the runner as they move through them. By incorporating elements of social competition and collaboration, the app motivates users to engage in daily physical activity while creating a fun competition amongst users.

The Embodiment of Hustle, The Move to a Larger Startup Community, Securing Investment on Shark Tank

Whether it was securing contract work on LinkedIn to cover the bills or cold emailing the Pokemon Go team repeatedly to secure a $50k grant, Destin is not afraid to put himself out there and put the work in. He brought that hustle with him when moving to Austin, explaining how he went about getting connected to a brand new community. His hard work has started paying off - most recently showcased in his recent appearance on Shark Tank, where Card.io secured an investment from one of the sharks.

What You Can Learn by Listening:

1. What Does Destin’s Hustle Actually Look Like? We had Destin walk through his experience with the Pokemon Go team that granted him $50k of capital after he cold emailed their team repeated. He walks through what exactly he said in those emails, how the meetings went once he got them, and how he continued to follow up to see things through.

2. How Do You Get on Shark Tank? Destin walks us through how exactly he ended up on the show - a life long dream of his. He also explains how he prepared for his pitch and the response he’s seen since his episode aired.

3. How Did Lexington’s Startup Community Influence Destin? Until he left for Austin, Destin was a well-known member of Lexington’s startup community. His interactions with our community shaped him into the entrepreneur he is today, and he explains how those experiences influenced him.

That’s all we’ve got for you this week! Thanks for reading. Don’t forget to forward if you enjoyed this one!

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