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Early and growth stage investor in rural broadband, digital infrastructure and enterprise…
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Nelson Chu reposted thisGeorge Stegall Can't wait, this will be a good one.FISPA (Fiber Internet Service Providers of America)
FISPA (Fiber Internet Service Providers of America)
Nelson Chu reposted thisThe biggest obstacle to expansion for independent providers isn’t always technology or talent—it’s capital. Many small-to-mid-sized ISPs find themselves in a "funding gap": too small for big lenders, but too complex for standard small business loans. Join us for a Broadband Therapy session focused on the funding realities facing operators today. What we’re covering: • Diagnosing the Gap: Identifying liquidity issues vs. balance sheet problems. • The Growth Roadmap: A 90-day capital readiness checklist. • Investor Perspectives: What capital partners actually want to see. Bring your toughest questions for our panel of experts from Kinetic Ventures and DragonFly Internet. Register here: https://lnkd.in/ep7b8MnW #Broadband #ISP #Telecom #RuralBroadband #FISPA #CapitalFunding -
Nelson Chu reposted thisFISPA (Fiber Internet Service Providers of America)
FISPA (Fiber Internet Service Providers of America)
Nelson Chu reposted thisThe biggest obstacle to expansion for independent providers isn’t always technology or talent—it’s capital. Many small-to-mid-sized ISPs find themselves in a "funding gap": too small for big lenders, but too complex for standard small business loans. Join us for a Broadband Therapy session focused on the funding realities facing operators today. What we’re covering: • Diagnosing the Gap: Identifying liquidity issues vs. balance sheet problems. • The Growth Roadmap: A 90-day capital readiness checklist. • Investor Perspectives: What capital partners actually want to see. Bring your toughest questions for our panel of experts from Kinetic Ventures and DragonFly Internet. Register here: https://lnkd.in/ep7b8MnW #Broadband #ISP #Telecom #RuralBroadband #FISPA #CapitalFunding -
Nelson Chu reposted thisNelson Chu reposted thisI’m thrilled to share that Kinetic Ventures has made a strategic investment in Alyrica, a leading provider of rural broadband solutions. This partnership reflects our continued commitment to empowering innovative companies that are bridging the digital divide in rural America. As part of this investment, I’ve joined Alyrica’s Board of Directors and look forward to supporting their mission to expand high-speed internet access across rural America.
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Nelson Chu reposted thisNelson Chu reposted thisAmid the broadband giants making headlines and snapping up competitors, there’s a quieter, grittier story playing out: small service providers rolling up their sleeves to tackle the tough job of bringing broadband to rural communities. Over the years, fiber technology has taken the spotlight, and the insatiable appetite for internet data keeps growing. While the big players soak up the social media buzz, these unsung heroes are out there hustling—fighting for growth, working with limited resources, and doing the work that doesn’t always make the cover of industry magazines. Their customers also love them. Kinetic’s research reveals there are more than 1,000 small but mighty providers serving fewer than 10,000 customers each. These scrappy independents have held their ground, resisting the pull of selling their business to one of the large telecom players. It’s a dynamic and exciting time for broadband, with market expansions laying the groundwork for even more investment in the rural communities that need it most. The broadband race isn’t just for the giants—it’s for the grinders, too, and that's exactly who Kinetic looks to invest in. Read more about this evolving industry trend: https://lnkd.in/ezyiqCrx
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Nelson Chu reposted thisNelson Chu reposted thisWe are thrilled to announce our latest investment in RiverStreet Management Services. This strategic partnership aims to accelarate broadband development in underserved areas in rural Virginia and North Carolina. Read our full press release here:
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Nelson Chu reposted thisNelson Chu reposted thisWith much discussion recently around the CFPB's proposed ruling on EWA, our CEO Tal Clark spoke with Thomson Reuters to provide some clarity on the topic and simplify key positions on the debate. Read the full piece below: CFPB's proposed EWA rule: Industry debate and future trends https://tmsnrt.rs/401rISLCFPB's proposed EWA rule: Industry debate and future trendsCFPB's proposed EWA rule: Industry debate and future trends
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Nelson Chu reposted thisNelson Chu reposted thisRegistration is OPEN for the Southern Capital Conference 2024! This year we will hold the SCC at The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee, in Greensboro, Georgia. The conference will run Monday, August 26 - 28, 2024. We have limited rooms available so register and book your room as soon as possible. Our Keynote Speaker on Monday night will be Nassim Taleb, Best-Selling Author of The Black Swan: The Impact of the High Improbable. In the meantime, reach out if you are interested in being a Sponsor. https://lnkd.in/gTNXz9S7
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Nelson Chu shared thisNelson Chu shared thisFor a second year in a row, Virginia Tech is ranked a Top 25 School in the nation for Undergraduate Entrepreneurship! See why Virginia Tech is ranked #4 in the South East and is the only school ranked for #entrepreneurship in Virginia. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g7bRFzd
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Nelson Chu liked thisNelson Chu liked thisThe biggest mobile testing challenge of 2026 might not be a software release. It might be the FIFA World Cup. It’s a rare engineering problem: the demand is massive, global, and completely predictable. And if you know the surge is coming, what’s your excuse for not being ready? In this blog post, https://lnkd.in/eBHnZsV6, I break down what mobile engineering, QA, and digital leaders can take from World Cup-scale demand, and how testing helps you prepare long before customers show up. #MobileTesting #QA #Automation #DevOps #Accessibility #MobileApps #SoftwareTesting #WorldCup2026 KobitonCan your mobile app handle World Cup-level demand?Can your mobile app handle World Cup-level demand?
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Nelson Chu liked thisNelson Chu liked thisSince 2009, the Lunch Pail Defense Foundation has put over $1 million into Southwest Virginia. Bud Foster and the board have taken $0 in salary. Every dollar goes directly to the families it was meant for. The lunch pail started as a coal miner's, and Virginia Tech football players competed for the right to carry it each week. It became a symbol which summed up what Bud's players were about: earning your shot through putting in the hours. It’s become one of the most recognized traditions in college football. In 2009, still coaching, Bud built the foundation around the same idea. It funds kids from families in Southwest Virginia where college isn't the assumed next step, and also supports medical organizations families lean on when things get hardest. (If you’re in a position to give, this is where I'd point you without hesitation -https://lnkd.in/eeGGKQhK) The foundation funds two pathways. 1) On the education side, it puts money behind Virginia Tech Advantage, which funds undergraduates who got in but can't cover everything that comes with it. • Tuition shortfalls • Emergency expenses • The cost of taking internships in expensive cities. For high school graduates and home-schooled kids who want to attend New River Community College, the foundation funds two full years of tuition through the ACCE program, debt-free. 2) On the medical side, the foundation put an initial $100,000 into the Community Health Center of the New River Valley. It's a full-service medical and dental clinic that serves Southwest Virginia families whether they have insurance or not. The center is expanding, and the foundation's check was part of making that happen. They're also backing a pediatric cancer wing at Carilion in Roanoke, kept local so families don't have to leave the state when they get the worst phone call of their lives. Donations have also supported families carrying the hidden costs of serious illness (travel, lodging, childcare) while a family member goes through organ transplant care. If you've had any success and Southwest Virginia means something to you, this is where your money does real work These are overlooked, hardworking people, the kind the lunch pail was always meant for. Bud has spent 40 years here. He is paying back the community that gave him everything he needed. He said it best himself: "Not everybody was blessed like we were." If you're able to support it, please join me in donating whatever you can toward this mission: https://lnkd.in/eeGGKQhK ____ Kim Shanahan | Nick Cullen | Shivon Dosky | Charles Cosmato | Jeff Mitchell | Christina Daves
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Nelson Chu liked thisThis is where education is going—applied learning, real work, and outcomes that speak for themselves. At the Apex Center for Entrepreneurs - Virginia Tech, we don’t just support startups. We foster a learning laboratory where students practice entrepreneurship by actually doing it. The recent success of sentivity.ai —from the ACC InVenture Prize to a Top 15 national placement at the Rice Business Plan Competition—is a great example of what’s possible when you bring together talented students from across disciplines, provide practitioner-led and mentor-supported experiences, and give them the space to build. But here’s what is just as important: Alongside founders like Rowan Martnishn and Vishal Green, we’re also creating new pathways for other students to get in the game. Through our Incubator program, students are working inside these startups—co-oping on real ventures, building real job readiness skills and work experience. It’s a different kind of internship: Peer-to-peer. High ownership. Real stakes. And it’s a core part of the Pamplin+ vision — student learning taking place not just in the classroom, but through applied, hands-on experience that builds real-world skills. Early results like Sentivity.ai give us confidence that this model works. Not just for a small set of students. It works: For student founders For student interns And for how universities prepare students for what comes next We’re just getting started—as entrepreneurship shifts from niche to necessary in the modern workforce. 🚀 🛠️ 🤖 📖 Read the full story below. --- #Hokies #Entrepreneurship #PamplinPlus #VirginiaTech #Innovation #NexGenPamplin #Experiential Somiah (So-May-uh) L. | Caroline Honeycutt | Rob Cummings | Donna Gibb | Kim Shanahan | Bill Colbert, CPA | Sofie A. | Daniel Lundberg | Nelson Chu | Saonee Sarker | Rajesh Bagchi | Michelle MH Seref, Ph.D. |Nelson Chu liked thisAfter back-to-back appearances on national stages, sentivity.ai is gaining recognition not only for its technology solution, but for what it represents: the power of interdisciplinary, hands-on learning in action. Through Pamplin’s Apex Center for Entrepreneurs - Virginia Tech Center for Entrepreneurs and its Startup Hokies Incubator program, the student-led venture recently competed in both the ACC InVenture Prize Competition and the Rice Business Plan Competition, placing among the top 15 student ventures in the country. The team also became the first all-Virginia Tech student team to achieve this distinction. These national competitions highlighted more than innovation alone. They showcased how students across engineering, science, and business can collaborate to solve real-world challenges while gaining meaningful, career-ready experience. Sentivity.ai is a strong example of the Pamplin+ approach, where experiential learning is embedded into the undergraduate experience, and students contribute to real business outcomes while building skills that translate directly to the workforce. “What makes the Startup Hokies Incubator unique is that it creates a two-sided learning environment,” said Sean Collins, director of new ventures at the Apex Center for Entrepreneurs. “We’re helping founders build companies while simultaneously scaling paid internship opportunities for students to work inside those startups. It’s an ecosystem where engineers, scientists, business students, and others collaborate in real time, developing ventures while gaining real ownership and experience.” Read more about how these national competitions are shaping the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs: https://go.vt.edu/upATY #NextGenPamplin #VirginiaTech #Hokies | Virginia Tech College of Science, Virginia Tech College of Engineering, Trevor Gumbrill, Saonee Sarker, Somiah (So-May-uh) L., Rowan Martnishn, Vishal Green
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Nelson Chu liked thisNelson Chu liked this‼️ Restaurant leaders: your workforce is struggling. ‼️ In our latest research with The Center for Generational Kinetics, 75% of hourly restaurant workers said they're living paycheck to paycheck. Many report constant financial stress, difficulty covering basic expenses, and challenges caused by traditional pay cycles. If retention, engagement, and the guest experience matter to your business, this research is worth a read. Read the article and download the full study. 👇Restaurant Leaders Should Pay Attention to What Their Hourly Workers Are SayingRestaurant Leaders Should Pay Attention to What Their Hourly Workers Are Saying
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Nelson Chu liked thisWe are excited about this one as well! There's a lot of rural broadband projects coming together as the BEAD dollars are flowing and I'm hopeful our conversation can help those navigating it!FISPA (Fiber Internet Service Providers of America)
FISPA (Fiber Internet Service Providers of America)
Nelson Chu liked thisThe biggest obstacle to expansion for independent providers isn’t always technology or talent—it’s capital. Many small-to-mid-sized ISPs find themselves in a "funding gap": too small for big lenders, but too complex for standard small business loans. Join us for a Broadband Therapy session focused on the funding realities facing operators today. What we’re covering: • Diagnosing the Gap: Identifying liquidity issues vs. balance sheet problems. • The Growth Roadmap: A 90-day capital readiness checklist. • Investor Perspectives: What capital partners actually want to see. Bring your toughest questions for our panel of experts from Kinetic Ventures and DragonFly Internet. Register here: https://lnkd.in/ep7b8MnW #Broadband #ISP #Telecom #RuralBroadband #FISPA #CapitalFunding -
Nelson Chu liked thisLooking forward to this show and participating on this panel in Dallas!Nelson Chu liked thisPanel discussion: Financing broadband - Private capital supporting broadband expansion Infrastructure requires more than engineering, it requires a massive injection of smart capital. At #ConnectedAmerica 2026, we’re bringing together the architects of broadband finance to discuss the next wave of deployment. The panel: > George Stegall, VP, Kinetic Ventures > Arun Varanasi, CFA, Managing Director, Stonepeak > Ben Brockman, Principal, Searchlight Capital Partners > Brian V., CIO, Connect Humanity > Jonathan Adelstein, EVP & CSO, TWN Communications > Moderator: John Cankar, Managing Director, GravityPath Partners Key discussion points: - Discuss current investment trends, financing structures, and market opportunities driving the next wave of broadband deployment. - How can private equity and public markets work together to accelerate broadband expansion? - Discuss strategies for maximizing ROI in a competitive landscape Join the Conversation: 📍 Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas 📅 April 14-15, 2026 Register here: https://lnkd.in/efCWex2K #ConnectedAmerica #BroadbandFinance #PrivateEquity #CapitalMarkets #Investment #Infrastructure #DigitalDivide
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Nelson Chu liked thisNelson Chu liked thisGrateful to Kevin Oliver and the team at CoBank for their partnership as we continue growing. We recently closed a $327 million credit facility that will support our construction efforts as we expand fiber broadband to rural communities across America. Thank you to CoBank for their continued support of rural infrastructure.
Experience & Education
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Kinetic Ventures
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Volunteer Experience
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Member, Technology Advisory Subcommittee of the Board
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
- Present 9 years 5 months
Children
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Co-Chair (prior), Fund/Innovate Workgroup
FinTech Atlanta
- Present 10 years 7 months
FINTECH ATLANTA is a coalition of companies (from Fortune 500s to startups) and other organizations working to cement Atlanta as the recognized global capital of financial technology. The group’s priorities are to fund and fuel efforts to RECRUIT, RETAIN and EXPAND businesses and jobs across the FinTech ecosystem in metro Atlanta and the state of Georgia.
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Advisory Board
MIT Enterprise Forum Global
- 1 year
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Mentor / Advisor
BD CyberSecurity Accelerator
- 3 years
BDCA's mission is to accelerate the growth of domestic and international cybersecurity companies within Atlanta's unique cybersecurity ecosystem. BDCA provides office space and connects emerging companies to mentorship, talent, customers and capital.
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