“Hipster, Hacker, Hustler” with John Harden & Michael Kelly

The Hoosier Hub Podcast

Recorded September 29th 2023

Strap in for a behind the scenes look at the founder/investor relationship. Amid a global pandemic, John Harden (backed by Michael Kelly) launched Saaslio to help managed service providers (MSPs) manage a quickly growing list of SaaS applications. By the end of 2022, the company successfully exited with a sale to Auvik. John recounts his big mistake while pitching the company. Michael reveals both his biggest reservations about the deal as well as the moment he decided that John was a founder he should back. Finally, Michael shares his “Hipster, Hacker, Hustler” philosophy and why curiosity is such an important trait in a founder.

Book Recommendations

John – The Sales Acceleration Formula by Mark Roberge

Michael –

• The End of the World is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization by Peter Zeihan (Austin seconds this recommendation!)

• Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Relevant Links:

Saaslio: https://www.saaslio.com/

Auvik: http://auvik.com/

Auvik acquires Saaslio:

• https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221012005283/en/Auvik-Expands-to-the-Last-Mile-of-the-Network-with-Acquisition-of-Saaslio-and-Boardgent

• https://www.ibj.com/articles/indianapolis-based-tech-firm-saaslio-acquired-by-canadian-company

Connect with John and Michael:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-harden/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldkelly/

https://www.michaeldkelly.com/

https://developertown.com/

Guest Bios John Harden John Harden has spent 15+ years in the IT & MSP industry, starting his career in the MSP NOC, moving into software engineering and operations, and eventually becoming the founder of Saaslio. Auvik acquired Saaslio in 2022, where John joined as a Sr. Product Marketing Manager - SaaS Management. In this role, John serves as a subject matter expert for all things Auvik SaaS Management and has spent many years studying & challenging the problem in the industry.

Michael Kelly I help corporate leaders and founders craft a vision for new products by working with them to put together strategies, teams, and funding to help launch, validate, and grow those products and businesses. At DeveloperTown we do both that by partnering with our clients on these opportunities, as well as (occasionally) taking the risk ourselves. Current DeveloperTown companies include: DeveloperTown, DeveloperTown Starts, DeveloperTown Investments, FullStack, DevStrategies / Tenant Tracker, Waterly, Piano In A Flash, Startup Competitors, Monon Property Management, and Start Something Ventures. I'm also an active advisor and/or board member at a number of organizations, including: the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, TechPoint Foundation for Youth, AcreBin, Venue Intelligence, Peerview Data, Peoplocity, and the Indiana National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).

Who are the hosts?

Austin Crites, CFA: Austin is a past-president and current committee member of CFA Society Indianapolis. Professionally, he is the Chief Investment Officer at Aurora Financial Strategies where he manages US-focused, all-cap, style-agnostic equity strategies as the core of client portfolios. Austin is a 2008 graduate of Marian University in Indianapolis where he is now an adjunct professor in the Byrum School of Business.

Matt Henry, CFA: Matt is a Senior Investment Officer at STAR Wealth Management. He is also a Past President and a director of CFA Society Indianapolis. When he’s not managing porfolios, Matt teaches Finance 300 at Ball State University. He enjoys air conditioning, wi-fi, and the conveniences of indoor living.