I began my career in politics and government affairs, getting licensed to practice law, before pivoting to launch my first startup, HomeYeah.com, where I helped hundreds of homeowners sell their homes online. In 2003, I sold that business to the private equity firm behind Help-U-Sell Real Estate.

In 2004, I was invited to teach a pilot course on Venture Capital and Entrepreneurial Finance at the IU Kelley School of Business, a top-10 undergraduate business school. I’ve been teaching there ever since, which led me to write a 5-star rated book on capital formation: The First-Time Founders Equity Bible. And for the past 10 years, I've taken students to Hong Kong, China, and Singapore to meet with VCs and Entrepreneurs to learn about their venture ecosystems.

In parallel to teaching:

- From 2005 to 2016, I co-founded the Charley Biggs Food Company with my brother to save our father’s distribution business, which was getting squeezed by a manufacturer. I served as CEO and acquired elite selling skills getting over 1,000 grocers in Tennessee, Mississippi, South Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Utah, Texas, and Winnipeg (CA) to switch from their existing fried chicken programs to ours, going from $0 to $10MM in ARR within five years. With our father’s business saved (through the creation of a new food manufacturing company), I was ready to return to my own pursuits. So, we arranged a private equity transaction that allowed me to exit the business.

- From 2009 to 2014, I was co-founder and CFO of Apparel Media Group (later Pear), where we scaled custom t-shirt advertising until our acquisition by Custom Ink. I also originated the idea of FounderSuite and found a partner in San Francisco to build it. Today, it's one of the top SaaS fundraising management platforms for Founders.

- I’ve been the first check in multiple startups, some of which have achieved profitability or raised over $20MM in venture capital.

2018 - Today

In 2018, I made the decision to dedicate the rest of my career to making venture capital universally accessible and winnable. I chose to pursue this mission under the Doriot brand (pronounced Doe-ree-oh), inspired by my deep admiration for Georges Doriot, the first venture capitalist and a historical figure I greatly respect. With the blessing of the Doriot family, I secured the rights to use the name and began building toward this vision.

We started as an education lab, launching our first product, Fantasy Startup®, which enabled us to catalog the startup investment decisions of over 13,000 participants. Building on that, we created the QAI Certification Program (Qualified Accredited Investor) to certify financial expertise in venture investing. We’ve even submitted this program to the SEC, aiming for approval to certify individuals as accredited investors through an educational path.

Next, we developed a program empowering retail investors to make micro-investments in Regulation CF (RegCF) startups. This hands-on approach allowed participants to learn by doing, gaining real-world insights into startup investing. To date, we’ve made investments in 75 RegCF deals.

All of this has led to the breakthrough we call VentureStaking™—a concept we believe will become the go-to entry point for both investors and founders alike. With our educational initiatives now housed under Doriot University, we are building a platform to bring VentureStaking™ to the world.

All our programs will live within the Doriot Venture Cooperative, which integrates education with real investment opportunities. By purchasing a VentureStake™ in Doriot, you’re not just supporting this mission—you’re becoming an active participant in reshaping the future of venture capital.

We’d be thrilled to have you join us on this journey.