What criteria did you use to find the right technical talent?
Chris Duesing, my co-founder and CTO, is leading all of the coding in-house. Chris is a serial entrepreneur and he and I worked together for five years at another startup. Our skill sets and values really complement each other.  He has about 15 years of experience in software development, has built several trading platforms, and has worked on terabyte scale data reporting, streaming order processing and other projects that are fundamental to the work we’re doing now.
Have you participated in any incubators, accelerators, hack-a-thons, competitions or other organizations that helped you with building your business plan, technology, or capital?
We have taken advantage of several invaluable programs targeted to startups. I’m a Focus Fellow with Digital Undivided, a program that supports black women founders, and Chris and I went through Excelerate Labs (now Techstars Chicago) Accelerator program. We’ve also entered and won several great pitch competitions: PowermovesNola, a pitch competition and network for minority entrepreneurs; the InvestMaryland Challenge, and the StartRight Women’s Pitch competition. Together we’ve won $130K in pitch competition awards.
How have the cities that you’ve worked in supported your endeavors?
We have offices in Chicago and in Silver Spring, MD. Both places have been incredibly supportive–Both cities recognize that fostering entrepreneurship is a very healthy thing for the local economy. In Chicago, we’ve been able to locate our offices at 1871, which has done a great job of building a startup ecosystem by offering the type of office space, with the community and flexibility that a growing startup needs.
Has the tech community been supportive? In what ways have they provided mentorship, advice, and practical assistance?
I have many mentors in tech, each with different experiences that have been invaluable. I’ll highlight two here: Kathryn Finney, the founder of Digital Undivided, has done great work in supporting and raising the profile of black women founders. Steve Farsht, formerly a managing director of Techstars Chicago, is a serial entrepreneur and gives realistic, practical advice. We also have a great board with Sanjeev Krishnan, of the Agriculture Investment Fund ‘Seed 2 Growth,’ Kirsten Tobey, co-founder of Revolution Foods, and Will Babler, principal of AttenBabler Commodity Risk Management.
What are your plans/goals moving forward?
Our plan is to build on our early success and continue to grow Mercaris. That means launching new data products, new analytics tools, and covering additional agricultural commodities. It means continued outreach to potential customers who are part of the food supply chain. Also, on a personal note, it means continuing to provide a good example that a black woman entrepreneur can be successful in a non-traditional space.