Funding Northwest Arkansas' Next Generation of High-Growth Startups with Sterling Smith

SummaryIn this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell sits down with Sterling Smith, Managing Director of Atento Capital’s Northwest Arkansas hub. Sterling spent time as a computer program analyst and software engineer before starting his journey as a serial entrepreneur and VC. His experience in operations has shaped his entrepreneurial and VC development, but ultimately, his drive to add diversity to the investment world sets him apart. Throughout the episode, he and James discuss his career, Atento Capital’s investment in the Heartland, the reasons for Bentonville’s success, and much more.
Show Notes(0:53) Introducing Sterling Smith(4:37) Sterling’s Passion for Entrepreneurship(8:39) Introducing Atento Capital(12:09) Atento’s Presence in NWA(19:25) 412 Angels(23:12) How Bentonville Has Changed in the Last Fifteen Years(29:09) Comparing Bentonville to Other Prominent Markets(30:25) What Sets Bentonville Apart for Founders and Startups(34:21) How Operational Experience Benefits a VC(37:48) Sterling’s Strengths and Weaknesses as a Founder(41:28) Closing Thoughts
LinksJames BellBentonville Economic Development Sterling SmithAtento CapitalBlack FreelancerGraham Cohen412 AngelsNorthwest Arkansas Technology SummitFuel Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning AcceleratorStartup JunkieCartwheel StudiosUniversity of ArkansasBlockchain Center of ExcellenceOffice of Entrepreneurship and InnovationVenture Intern ProgramWhole Health InstituteXNA - Northwest Arkansas National Airport
Quotes“It took none other than for me to revisit Bentonville after being gone for so long for me to touch down and feel the energy that exists here.” - Sterling Smith, (13:16)
“I feel the same energy today in Bentonville that I felt eight years ago when I first came to Austin, which is a much larger city, but the same fundamentals that existed there are in this region as well.” - Sterling Smith, (13:46)
“Investing in startups is on the riskier side of investing in assets, generally speaking, and I’ll say that the approach that we take—we do everything we can to derisk and provide investors that participate in 412 Angels with an unfair advantage when making those decisions.” - Sterling Smith, (21:37) 
“For people that want to be around other passionate individuals and passionate organizations that care about producing world-changing and practical solutions, I think that if you are in any of these spaces—B2B SaaS, direct to consumer, CGP, logistics…this is a great place to be for that.” - Sterling Smith, (31:54)