Playbook to Start and Scale a Start Up

William Bissett, CFP®, President and Founder, Portus Wealth Advisors, LLC. William began his career in insurance sales, then moved to a job in wealth-management. He has over 17 years of experience in the wealth management industry working with Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) firms. He works with clients to help them define and achieve balance through their financial and personal life.

He was the founder of Principled Heart, an estate administration planning software, from 2012 to 2015. He grew it to over 1,000 users at one point before ultimately shutting down the business. After Principled Heart, William joined the Charlotte Angel Fund as an investor contributing back to the local startup community in other ways – mentoring and funding. William also hosts a regular podcast, the Charlotte Angel Connection, where he interviews founders, investors and those supportive of the startup ecosystem.

In 2019, he started Portus Wealth Advisors which has grown to work with 58 families spread across the country. In 2021, William co-launched Charlotte Growth Partners, LLC first investment fund, Charlotte Growth Partners Real Estate Fund I. The fund has a goal of raising $6-$8 million to invest in a diversified set of Charlotte area real estate projects.

William’s email is: william@portusadvisors.com

Todd Buelow’s career is anchored at the intersection of entrepreneurship, people, and digital. Todd has over 20 years of experience managing digital products and serving as a catalyst for growth. Before founding Dualboot Partners, Todd was a founding member of Elogex, Bella Tunno, Cloud Logistics, and Castle Digital Partners.

Todd is an investor in post-revenue startups and is active in the local community. He serves on the boards of Society of Information Management (SIM) Charlotte, Speedway Children’s Charity, American Football without Barriers, and Bounce Out the Stigma and previously was the Board President at the Charlotte Rescue Mission. Todd lives in Charlotte, NC with his wife Michelle and daughters Riley and Ella.

Ben Gilman has spent more than 15 years building software products and has been intimately involved at every level of the software development process. The breadth and depth of Ben's technical skills combined with deep business understanding and clear communication make him a distinguished leader for all things digital.

As an experienced executive and entrepreneur, Ben has founded several successful startups including Learn Platform, a Techstars alumni. He received his B.S. in computer science from Principia College and his MBA from Wake Forest University.

Recep “Richie” Karaburun, DPS, aka “Dr. K”, is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Hospitality and Tourism at the NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism. With more than two decades of experience in the travel industry, Karaburun is recognized as an industry expert in helping travel companies start and develop a growth strategy and business.