JD Audena: On Camera

Two-hour live session in The Good News LOOP, hosted by Darrel Frater (TGN Ventures) with Amit Nath (Vettable). Founders pitch and get investor feedback on customer pain, validation, traction and investor fit; JD explains how Connetic evaluates early-stage businesses. Audio version: The Good News LOOP Podcast on Spotify and iHeart.

Clip from the Oct 9, 2026 TGN Office Hours. JD's feedback to a founder: write down how you got to 1,000 deliveries, show what more capital would unlock and the return it could generate, and remember that not every business needs venture capital. Posted by TGN Ventures, Oct 10, 2026. Also on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DeVHhVhJnWn

Clip from the Oct 9, 2026 TGN Office Hours. JD introduces Connetic's approach to evaluating founders: a proprietary AI and machine-learning platform built since 2019, which led Connetic to invest in eight times more diverse founders than a traditional VC fund, and the service mindset he brings from hospitality. Posted by TGN Ventures, Oct 10, 2026. Also on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DeVHHXqpIiB

From Reuben Levinsohn's in-plane podcast. JD on the other side of the table: "Founders have it so hard. It is much easier to be a VC." Thinking about the exit can feel off-plan, but it is important. Also on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dc1KvlCgKWo

JD on why Connetic built an AI platform to evaluate founders wherever they are: "There are amazing founders in Kentucky, in Kansas, in Michigan, and everywhere." Every early-stage investor is making a gut call on the team; Connetic is trying to quantify it.

What JD keeps telling founders: "The tech is not the moat anymore." The clip turns to distribution and how fast you can get real. Also on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcBwfK3FePZ) and Facebook.

JD on the founder trait he values most (Aristotle's phronesis, the quality of a founder's decisions), why manufactured hype is easy to see through, and his runway hot take: spend an extra year on a team retreat, because healthy founders lead to healthy exits. Posted Jul 23, 2026.

Hallway interview at Startup Grind. JD introduces Connetic Ventures, a data-driven VC in the Cincinnati metro that has used AI and machine learning to evaluate founders since 2019, and talks about his first Startup Grind. Posted May 18, 2026.

KET Kentucky Edition segment on the 2025 Governor's School for Entrepreneurs Summer Startup at the University of Kentucky, where more than 100 Kentucky high school students spent three weeks building and pitching startups. JD appears on camera as an instructional coach (around 0:48). Aired Jul 15, 2025.

Panel at Fintech + Insurtech Generations 2025, moderated by Lohita Chamarti (RevTech Labs Capital), with JD, Jack Benedict (Thomson Reuters Ventures) and Amit Chaube (Santander). How investors are navigating fintech and insurtech: AI-powered startup evaluation, deal structuring, and what it takes for founders to earn smart capital. Posted by RevTech Labs, Jun 24, 2025; shared by Thomson Reuters Ventures on LinkedIn.