While we have seen significant growth over the past few years, I was frustrated knowing that there was more opportunity that we just weren’t capturing. Finding interested investors was not the problem, but I wasn’t just looking for money. I wanted true partners who brought growth expertise to complement our domain knowledge. From the first call, I felt the difference that GSP brought to the table. The entire GSP team is incredibly data-driven and process-driven. Couple that with senses of humor that work well with mine and I knew we would do something special together.

From the beginning, they stressed that I should speak to their current portfolio executives. And actually, those CEOs were reaching out to me on their own. The message was consistent – GSP lets you do what you do best but provides the resources to do it better and faster.

I am fortunate to have a few advisors who I lean on, as well as an amazing cadre of other female CEOs. But, none of them were in our space or had scaled a SaaS company. So while they were and continue to be extremely supportive, their counsel could only take me so far.

I realized that workplace investigations were not being done well in organizations. That causes huge risk for organizations and terrible experiences for employees. No consistency, no standard practices, and absolutely no use of data. At the time, the only tech experience I had was as a user of really bad HR software. But for some reason, I was convinced I could solve the problem. In retrospect, that was nuts. But had I not taken the leap, I wouldn’t be answering these questions today.

At work.

Frankly, this was the one question that almost kept me from deciding to partner with GSP. Sophie’s choice…I’ve got to go with Nate only because I know the reaction that will get from Steve.

When we met the GSP team we weren’t even looking for partners. We are always open to learning and understanding our options, so we welcomed the dialogue. After a few conversations, we could tell that our cultures would align, and that these guys would provide real value far beyond growth capital. Their expertise in scaling this specific type of business in our stage was attractive. The fact that they are willing to work hard to help us succeed while bringing humor made it clear that we’d be better off fulfilling our mission at Chipply with GSP by our side.

Chipply was born out of a need for our family’s 5th generation sporting goods business, Burghardt Sporting Goods. We saw our own staff and many of our industry peers struggle with efficiency and profitability while fighting to fulfill their customers’ ever-growing expectations. It became clear that a solution was not available, so we dug in and began the project of building one.

Well, if you’ve ever tried to name a band, it’s sort of like that. We wanted the name to be inclusive of all involved in the project. We wanted it to be catchy, and not too specific. After hundreds of iterations, Carl, my brother, pieced together the names Chip and Lynn to form what is now Chipply. Chip is our dad, our mentor, and our inspiration.

The more appropriate question would be who is better at ping pong, Carl’s wife Alison or Nate? And to that I would like to arrange a challenge match.

As our business grows, we continue to face challenges that are new to us but common for companies that have a similar profile to us. In addition to the capital that allows us to pursue our objectives, Growth Street’s specialized focus allows us to tackle these challenges more quickly and more effectively. Growth Street has been down this road many times before and can help us get to our destination more quickly.

We had several discussions about the specifics of Growth Street's methodology and how exactly they would help us grow. We ensured we were aligned on our desired outcomes for the company. We talked to their portfolio companies to see what they were like to work with day-in and day-out. After all of that, we knew Growth Street was the right partner for Suralink.

While working in public accounting I grew frustrated with the processes we used to interact with clients. They were not only inefficient, they routinely caused serious problems and delays. A much better way seemed obvious, and I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur!

At this stage of my life, at the park with my kids, at the pool with my kids, or playing Lego’s and Minecraft with my kids.

If it’s a doubles game, in a non-regulation size room, with no warmup, playing with brand new partners, and playing only to five points… definitely Steve. Any other time, Nate.

Growth Street is a unicorn in my opinion. Obviously, there are plenty of firms out there that claim to be different, but the Growth Street team really is - and in a fantastic way. Three things that are different about them and caused us to choose them: 1) They are very founder friendly in terms of how they approach the relationship as a minority investor, deal structure, and as a true partner in the business; 2) We wanted an investor who viewed their investment as potentially our only institutional round vs. multiple rounds; and 3) They are just incredibly nice, down to earth people, who I really enjoy being around.

I always feel like you either want to spend more time with someone or you don’t. I loved every interaction I had with the Growth Street team and wanted to continue to spend more time with them. They were such great listeners, really got to know our business and our industry, and did what they said they were going to do at every step along the process. When we got to the point of entering into a letter of intent, it perfectly matched our discussions up until then. When we got to the point of the transaction documents, those documents perfectly matched the letter of intent. They even proactively pointed out to us a clause that we had inserted into the deal docs that was in their favor but didn’t match the letter of intent - that was definitely a confirmation that they were the real deal! And, since closing, they have done exactly what they said they would do - providing us with great data, analysis, support, etc., and all in a very supportive and non heavy handed way. And, just as mentioned in the question above, they are just genuinely good people - very fun and caring.

I previously started and sold a company in the frontline worker recruitment space. I realized during my time there that there was a huge void in how companies communicate and engage with those workers once they are hired.

Either at one of our three kids’ schools or sporting events or on our way to and from one of those!

Nate. That’s what he told me at least…

Until I’d met the Growth Street team, I didn’t think it was possible to meet "money guys" who didn't just talk in some strange language and throw money at you. But with Growth Street, it’s a totally different approach. The team is super talented and focused on taking solid ideas, both theirs and ours, and turning them into reality. In my opinion, their data driven and strategic approach is a much healthier way to grow our business.

After our first meeting, it was apparent that GSP was a lot more than your typical VC/PE/Investment group. They have heart, passion, and a true sense of service, which aligned with our team and mission. My co-founder's dry sense of humor after meeting them pretty much says it all: “Well, that went better than I thought.”

My daughter, Nicole, has been a first responder since 2003. In 2009, she called to ask if we could build her department an app for truck checks. When we learned how their paper check sheets weren’t cutting it, and how first responders had been injured and even killed from the lack of communication and accountability with paper checks, I knew we had to help.

Keep in mind, I’ve never actually seen Steve and Nate play ping pong.  I think Steve talks a big game but Nate, being the quiet, strategic guy he is, has got to be the ping pong champion between the two.

They are engaged, team-oriented, minority investors, who provided capital and expertise to grow the business, and they had the right connections for the next level. It just felt right.

Steve and Nate’s guidance and sometimes “tough love” has made us a better company, and their connections have provided us opportunities we otherwise may have never had. They have helped with marketing strategy, planning and systems, financial budgeting and analysis, coordinated offshore projects we needed done, provided analysis around key hires, managed a small acquisition, and have been involved in our quarterly and annual offsite planning sessions. They are there when you need them and not overly intrusive when you don’t. I feel they are true partners with us and not just investors. They are partners who really care.

Partnering with Growth Street provided us the capital and connections to get great people on our team, as well as providing me personally with some peace of mind - even taking a little cash off the table. This allowed me to focus more on the long term growth of the business instead of constantly being in the weeds and worrying about meeting short term obligations both in the business and personally. Growth Street brings a focus on structure and professionalism, which helped us transform ChildcareCRM into LineLeader.

If you tie both hands behind Nate’s back, definitely Steve.

Growth Street’s culture and values align perfectly with Pear Deck. We are thrilled to welcome them to the Pear Deck family. The partnership will allow us to accelerate growth, invest in product, optimize go-to-market, and remain focused on our primary mission of helping teachers engage all of their students, every day.

Growth Street helped us choose specific focus points for business success and held us accountable to our goals. They also connect us with a wider industry network, help us with perspectives we don’t have within our own team, and, in a pinch, will negotiate with tough salespeople for us ;)

I found a problem shared by a lot of other people, and I thought I could make a good solution to it. It was too exciting not to start, and I’m lucky enough to be in a position that I could just follow my enthusiasm!

I doubt they’d ever finish a game – when Nate is on track to win I bet Steve just raises the goal!

Growth Street's business and growth philosophy is closely aligned with our own. The firm also limits its investments to just a handful of companies so each one gets the attention it deserves.

We spoke to other founders who all had very positive experiences working with the firm and its people. We got to know the team better and felt we had a lot in common.

We kept hearing that there was an unmet need in the market. Many of the state courts went to electronic filing and the federal courts were already there, yet firms were treating the filings as if they were still on paper. There was a clear opportunity to eliminate mundane work and reduce risk through automation. It's worth noting, the photo here was taken right about when Nelson and I decided to start the company!

Nelson is out golfing or hiking. I am woodworking or playing strategy board games.

Today, it is Nate. Tomorrow, it could be Steve.

I knew we could do more and move faster, but I needed the right partner. Growth Street is that partner for us. We specifically chose to partner with Growth Street because the firm's culture, values, and goals align perfectly with our company's. Partnering with Growth Street allows us to accelerate our growth, invest in our people and industry-leading product, and consider add-on acquisitions to deliver even greater value to our customers.

Partnering with Growth Street has made my life better. Even though we had a profitable and growing business, deep down I was always worried about something. I often felt alone whenever I had an important decision to make. Today, I worry less and spend more time thinking longer term about the business. I’m happier at work. Even more importantly, my wife tells me that I’m noticeably happier and less stressed at home.

I have always sought out entrepreneurs from all types of businesses and at all stages. When I talk to an entrepreneur who’s ahead of me on building their company, I learn how they did it. When I speak with an earlier stage entrepreneur, I get more clarity about my own business from giving them advice about their business.

Strategically, Growth Street helped us complete our first acquisition. We never would have done that without them. Their team has helped us create a scalable sales & marketing technical platform. They have identified key executive hires from their own networks. They also helped us in smaller ways like advising on how to structure a partnership or deal with a tricky customer issue.

I’ve been in the hotel business for most of my life, so not surprisingly, I love visiting hotels and traveling. Closer to home, I ride a Peloton bike most mornings. It gives totally measurable results and allows you to take classes to compete against thousands of people all around the world. It’s the perfect workout for a super competitive person.

I was a frustrated employee and saw companies that became too large to care genuinely for their customers and team members.

Nate – that perfect smile is disarming and makes you want to let him win.

Our leadership team was blown away by the GSP team’s ability to understand our business, offer new insights, and see the big picture. On a personal level, there’s a certain joy and sense of humor they bring to the work that makes team GSP an excellent culture fit.

A quick coffee with GSP that turned into a much longer, highly insightful conversation about the nature of building a company and yourself along the way. It was the recognition of that duality of company and personal development that made working with GSP an exciting opportunity.

If you go back four generations in my family, at every layer you’ll find local elected officials and entrepreneurs. On some level, PublicInput emerged less from “inspiration” and more from falling into work that feels natural to me. It just took a spark, and in this case the spark was seeing first-hand the broken process local governments use to collect input on big infrastructure projects.

My wife, Sarah, has pulled me out of the office and onto a walk with our son, Lee, around historic Oakwood in Raleigh. If it’s gotten really busy, she’s pulled me onto the hiking trail in Asheville, NC!

I heard a rumor that Nate turned down team USA Table Tennis. I shudder at the thought of playing Nate or Steve in any table sport except foosball, which is the best sport.

Let me count the ways. Growth Street brings the right combination of team expertise, data-driven conversations, connections, and experience with scaling SaaS businesses. They immediately identified the areas where we needed to change for a major inflection and are extremely collaborative in addressing those changes. And, more importantly, they ‘got’ our culture and shared our values. It also doesn’t hurt that they are funny as hell.

Because of the pandemic, we couldn’t meet in person, so we all worked hard at spending lots of Zoom time together. I also talked with other of their portfolio CEOs who confirmed that the message met the reality – expertise, honesty, integrity, transparency, and success!

I’ve been a long-time member of Women Presidents Organization and have a great network of female CEO’s I can tap into. Pittsburgh also has a vibrant software/startup ecosystem.

Surround yourself with positive people. Focus on the things you can change. Be mindful of the stresses on your team. And take care of yourself! Everyone is depending on you.

Normally dining out, going to the theatre, biking, travelling, and spending time with friends and family. Right now, the pandemic has stopped a lot of that, so I’m working a lot more.

Hmm…I should take the Fifth on this. But if forced to guess, I’d say Nate is the better player but Steve talks a better game.

Good, wholesome, really smart guys. Good values. I always look for people who will make proper, well-reasoned decisions. And I look for people who share my values of honesty, transparency and integrity.

As soon as Growth Street invested in us, they jumped in to help improve our organizational structure and position us for growth. Steve and Nate clearly are not your standard investors. They are true partners. Not only do they help us achieve our vision for the company, they care about me personally and about maximizing my success as a founder and entrepreneur.

I’m always working. I integrate my work with my family life; they are not separate activities. I don’t see work as work, but rather as my hobby and lifestyle.

Nate, for sure.

We knew very early that GSP was the firm that we wanted to partner with. First, it was clear that they had extensive experience helping companies at our size/stage scale, as well as direct experience working with companies in edtech. Second, my interactions with their team were like no other firm I had ever met before. From the first call the day before Thanksgiving, where the Founder Managing Partner was on, all the way to and through closing. They’re kind, smart, and direct, and, in all of our interactions, there was always a friendly, but also productive and efficient, tone to the interactions. We quickly built trust and rapport, and I could see myself working with them for the long term. They developed an intense alignment with me and my team that made me feel like they had the level of commitment to enable our success well before we even closed.

Three things stood out to me:
(1) Great advice, and surfacing of great new ideas, never gets old. The entire GSP team - top to bottom - is savvy, asks good questions, and brings valuable suggestions and ideas at a high frequency. (2) They are genuine and all-in. They weren’t selling me, or putting on a show, to encourage us to sign their term sheet. (3) Meeting with their team gives me energy. Every founder has responsibilities that give or take energy. For many, managing investors takes energy. With GSP, I get excited about our meetings. Our meetings are casual and light but also efficient and productive. I almost always learn something and usually come away more confident about the future of our company.

My older sister inspired me to think about my own career early in life. I benefited tremendously from following her as she launched a career on Wall Street while I was still in middle school. I want others to have a similar experience, and I hope uConnect can help make that happen. She gave me the wherewithal to leverage my college’s vast career services resources and set myself up for success post-graduation. Fast forward, when I went back to my alma mater to recruit students, I realized that my journey was unique (and I must thank my sister for that). In reality, most students either don’t spend any time exploring career paths or defer career planning until very late in their college journey. uConnect engages students and embeds career education in the entire education ecosystem to improve access to career services for everyone. It is my hope that uConnect makes my experience less unique.

When I’m not working, I’m probably playing with our 3 year old little girl, watching some sporting event, or trying to keep up the 270 year old house we bought last year :)

I’ve never seen either of them play ping pong, but probably Nate.

Partnering with Growth Street to help accelerate adoption, expand our team, and grow our technology platform was a no-brainer. Growth Street has a proven track record of helping companies just like us. In Growth Street, we see a passionate team who cares deeply about our mission and is aligned with our company's core values.

This was the best part! Even before the ink was dry on the initial term sheet, the entire Growth Street team got to work as if we were already partners. We knew they mentioned that they like to roll-up their sleeves and get in the trenches with their portfolio companies, but we were thrilled by the energy with which they dove in! They were instrumental in significantly augmenting our marketing and sales efforts even before the deal was finalized.

People are the most important asset while building any business. Find your tribe of like minded and passionate individuals to form your core team and thereafter everything will fall in place as you scale. Hire for hunger and passion and not solely based on the qualifications on their resume. Finally, be the dumbest person in the room, encourage initiative, and allow your team to thrive.

You can find me on a boat fishing, and you can find Chitra spending time with the family.

We will opine on that after they face off against each other at our office’s new ping pong table in Tampa!