Leib Bolel of Grayhawk Capital: Don't Feel Guilty Asking for Growth Partnerships

Leib Bolel is the President and CEO of the Arizona Israel Technology Alliance where he oversees the facilitation of growth in bilateral trade between the technology communities of Arizona and Israel across the spectrum of the technology sector. He is also a Venture Partner at Grayhawk Capital with over a decade of experience in the area of new business development, startups, marketing, funding acquisition, and general operations management. He is a recipient of the Phoenix Business Journal’s 40 under 40, and one of two Valley leaders selected to the National List of Influential Young Executives. 

Leib holds an MBA from Auburn University and a Bachelor’s Degree from Tannenbaum College.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

• [01:09] Stephanie introduces her guest, Leib Bolel 
• [02:24] Speed round with Leib
• [04:49] Leib shares why he feels guilty asking and what he does to counter this challenge
• [06:21] How Leib decides who to say ‘yes’ to
• [08:50] What Leib commonly sees among those asks that he says ‘no’ to
• [09:55] Leib talks about how a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem in Arizona can help founders in their community
• [11:47] Why people who are passionate about what they do are good at making an ask
• [14:02] Why having value in your vision and your brand can help attract a pool of people who are willing to help 
• [17:57] Leib discusses how well Jamie Baxter of Qwick and what people can learn from him in making a successful ask
• [20:49] Leib asks the community to add value and contribute to the growth of Arizona
• [21:48] What Grayhawk and Tech Alliance have lined up this year

In this episode…

Making an ask, although necessary, can be a challenge. Particularly when you get the nagging feeling of guilt because you wonder what you can bring to the table to make your ask more valuable and beneficial for everyone involved. For Leib Bolel, the quality of your ask depends greatly on the value you put behind your brand and your vision and working on these will help you gain a pool of people who will be more inclined to help you and your business.

Leib Bolel is a Venture Partner at Grayhawk Capital who gets a ton of requests online and offline. He has a ton of experiences sifting through the various asks he has received and has learned how to determine which once get a positive vote from him and which ones need more time to develop and improve on their ask.

In this episode of What’s Your Ask, Stephanie talks to Leib about how to attract a pool of people willing and ready to help your startup, the elements you need to have to ask effectively, and why it’s important for him for the people in their community to contribute in their own way to the creation of a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in Arizona. Stay tuned.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

• Leib Bolel LinkedIn
• Grayhawk Capital 
• Arizona Israel Technology Alliance
• Jamie Baxter
• Qwick.com
• Finance-Ability
• Stephanie Sims LinkedIn

Sponsor for this episode...

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