The Business of Politics Show

Every startup comes with unique challenges, but campaign tech startups must overcome the added difficulty of the politics of politics. We built Startup Caucus to help entrepreneurs overcome these barriers more effectively, efficiently, and affordably to fast-track innovation into the field to help Republicans win more elections. The Business of Politics Show, hosted by Eric Wilson, is a production of Startup Caucus, an investment fund and incubator for Republican campaign technology.Visit StartupCaucus.com to learn more.

Our guest today is Ryan Rodgers, President of the Strategy Group Company, a Columbus, Ohio-based political firm that specializes in media and advertising for political campaigns. They’ve worked for just about everybody. Ryan has a background in campaigns and entrepreneurship. In our conversation we discuss the importance of websites for campaigns, what works, and how campaigns can make better decisions about their online presence. 

Jeremy Becker joins us on the show today. He’s the co-founder and CEO of Cloverleaf AI. Their product helps customers access local government meetings virtually and create actionable insights based on the data collected. In our conversation we discuss why Jeremy chose this space, how the Techstars accelerator helped his company and what has surprised him about the political industry. The Business of Politics Show, hosted by Eric Wilson, is a production of Startup Caucus, an investment fund and incubator for Republican campaign technology.Visit StartupCaucus.com to learn more.

Brad Parscale is our guest today. He’s the founder of Campaign Nucleus, a software platform to help campaigns break down data silos and connect with other apps in the campaign tech ecosystem. He was an integral part of the campaign team that helped Donald Trump win in 2016 and he was campaign manager for the re-election campaign for more than two years. In our conversation today, we discuss the reason campaigns face data silos and why breaking them down is so important, how he's making the switch to building a product business, and what he thinks Republicans need to be doing to be more competitive.The Business of Politics Show, hosted by Eric Wilson, is a production of Startup Caucus, an investment fund and incubator for Republican campaign technology.Visit StartupCaucus.com to learn more.

Today we’re joined by Rich Thau, president of Engagious, a leader in dial test focus groups that shape messaging and strategy around corporate and issue advocacy projects. For the last 20 years, Rich has been in the room helping clients test, refine, and improve the content they create to persuade voters, customers, viewers, and even jurors. In our conversation today, we discuss the dial testing process, what swing voters think, and how to ask better questions. The Business of Politics Show, hosted by Eric Wilson, is a production of Startup Caucus, an investment fund and incubator for Republican campaign technology.Visit StartupCaucus.com to learn more.

Our guest today is Kate Faherty, CEO of Empower Strategies which is a recruitment, people operations and organizational effectiveness consulting firm for political firms and organizations. Before starting her own firm, she was head of digital operations for the Republican National Committee during the 2020 election. Just to give you some context, that was a team of 187 employees. In today’s episode we discuss the reasons political operatives aren’t always good managers, what Gen Z expects from a career, and how Kate stays organized.

I recently joined Michael Bossetta on the Social Media & Politics Podcast to discuss Startup Caucus and the role of technology in U.S. politics. The Business of Politics Show, hosted by Eric Wilson, is a production of Startup Caucus, an investment fund and incubator for Republican campaign technology.Visit StartupCaucus.com to learn more.

Our guest today is Jonathan Gallegos, founder of GOP Jobs, a curated job board of the best jobs and freelancers in conservative and right-leaning politics. Before founding GOP Jobs, Jonathan worked in the White House as Director of Digital Content. He has experience from Capitol Hill and corporate America.The Business of Politics Show, hosted by Eric Wilson, is a production of Startup Caucus, an investment fund and incubator for Republican campaign technology.Visit StartupCaucus.com to learn more.

Today we’re speaking with Luke Thompson, co-founder of Cerberus Strategies. He’s a political strategist with a deep background in data. Luke has done work for the NRSC, the Jeb Bush Super PAC, and Applecart. In our conversation we dive into his latest campaign in the Ohio GOP Senate primary, how he approaches decision making, and the ways he thinks technology is shifting politics.A mole hunt, a secret website and Peter Thiel's big risk: How J.D. Vance won his primary (Politico.com) @ltthompso (Twitter.com)The Business of Politics Show, hosted by Eric Wilson, is a production of Startup Caucus, an investment fund and incubator for Republican campaign technology.Visit StartupCaucus.com to learn more.

Drew Ryun is the founder and CEO of Campaign Sidekick, a voter contact app used by campaigns across the country to reach voters via phone, at doors, and text messages. Drew has a long history of working in campaigns both as an operative and as an entrepreneur. The Business of Politics Show, hosted by Eric Wilson, is a production of Startup Caucus, an investment fund and incubator for Republican campaign technology.Visit StartupCaucus.com to learn more.