Very…Very few tech companies generate revenue the day the product is built.  For that reason, many would-be tech entrepreneurs find the jump from a steady paycheck and/or name brand employer to full-time entrepreneur.   One way to bridge this divide is by creating a services business.  Like an employee, you are still trading hours for dollars, but the benefit is the opportunity to test your idea in the market by using your expertise to solve a customer pain point.   Today’s guest, Jasmine Shells, worked at a Big 4 accounting firm (Ernst & Young) before moving into non-profit where she began testing her business idea as a “side-hustle”.  By launching a networking and events business, she understood where value was created in this space and began to build a reputation that inspired potential corporate customers to request her services.  Armed with the learning lessons from running her services business, Jasmine built tech that would allow her to serve her soon-to-be corporate customers at scale.   Founder Bio: Jasmine is the Co-Founder & CEO of Five to Nine – a virtual event management and evaluation software for program leaders at companies. A few of Five to Nine's customers include DoorDash, MasterClass, and Verizon Media, among others.   Jasmine was recently named Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for enterprise technology, a Google for Startups Recipient, and a US Department of State Fellow for teaching entrepreneurship in emerging markets. Jasmine graduated from the University of Notre Dame and is pursuing her MBA at the University of Chicago where she was named an Entrepreneurial Scholar.   Jasmine served on Notre Dame’s Black Alumni Board, is a P33 Chicago Advisor, and teaches entrepreneurship to companies, universities and non-profits globally. She’s been featured in Vice, Forbes, Business Insider, TEDx, Black Enterprise, Yahoo Finance, and Marketwatch.           Timestamps: 2:45  Born and raised in the Midwest – from Toledo, Ohio to Chicago, Illinois 5:23  Launching her career at a Big 4 Accounting firm 7:10  Leaving a cushy corporate job to setting foundation to start a business 11:11  Launching a networking community as a springboard to building a tech platform 14:36  What is FiveToNine?  Evolving from a services business to a tech company 17:13  Building the first version of the product 18:30  Establishing an initial team to build out tech 24:45  Lessons learned in selling into enterprise customers as a startup 31:18  Sales and implementation consideration when pursuing enterprise vs SMB customers 34:27  Creating value through data driven insights 38:19  Defining business objectives where AI creates tangible ROI 42:25  Fundraising history: Leveraging grants, accelerators, and then seed round ($1mm+) 43:35  Lessons learned from fundraising