The world of startups and acquisitions seems like another universe for many people.
You read about Facebook buying the GIF company GIPHY for $400 million and wonder how in the world an entrepreneur goes from working on an idea at their kitchen counter to getting an offer to buy from one of the largest companies on the planet.
In this episode of the Shontavia Show, entrepreneur and inventor Craig Walker walks through how he went from starting his company, Vidistar, while working full time to being acquired by Hitachi Healthcare Americas Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. – a Fortune Global 500 company.
Craig peels back a lot of the layers that don’t traditionally get exposed.
He walks through how he used his professional career path to support his entrepreneurial endeavors, when he decided to quit his full time job, and how his entire idea started with his and his wife’s difficulties conceiving children.
Craig’s story is quite inspirational, especially for new and early-stage entrepreneurs.
He dealt with the kinds of challenges that many people face: lack of significant capital, family obligations, and uncertainty about jumping in to entrepreneurship full-time.
The full episode offers some great insights, including things that can’t be found in a Google search.
Show Highlights
04:37 How entrepreneur Craig Walker came up with the idea for his startup companyÂ
07:16 How Craig went from idea to companyÂ
09:29 How Craig used his full-time, professional career to support his entrepreneurial endeavorsÂ
10:48 When Craig decided to quit his full-time job and work full-time on his startupÂ
12:00 How Craig grew his company exponentially year over yearÂ
13:07 How Craig found good mentors while he was building his companyÂ
16:42 How Craig sold his startup, Vidistar, to HitachiÂ
18:44 How Craig and his team decided which inventions to patentÂ
23:51 Craig’s advice to new founders and people who want to build startups
 For more, check out the full episode below.
Show Notes:
Hitachi to Expand its Clinical Reporting and Analytics for Diagnostic Imaging with the Acquisition of VidiStar: https://www.hitachi.us/press/hitachi-to-expand-its-clinical-reporting-and-analytics-for-diagnostic-imaging-with-the-acquisition-of-vidistar
Hitachi affiliate’s acquisition of Greenville-based Vidistar a ‘win-win’: https://upstatebusinessjournal.com/tech-design/hitachi-affiliates-acquisition-greenville-based-vidistar-win-win/
SC Launch: https://www.scra.org/how-sc-launch-works/
Raising Startup Capital with Bandwagon Founder and CEO Harold Hughes: https://shontavia.com/15-2/
Questions and Action: How to leverage your full-time job to find and grow your business idea
 After you’ve had a chance to watch the video, I’d love to hear from you in the comments section!
Please answer the questions relevant to your current situation:
1. What problems exist in your personal or professional life that you might have solutions for? What solutions can you think of?
2. Are there opportunities in your job or professional career that can prepare you for entrepreneurship?
3. What opportunities exist in your state or other states that can help you fund your business idea? Check the Department of Commerce websites in the states of interest.
Please give as much information as you can in response to these questions. I’d be happy to share more tools and resources that help you get what you want.Â
Thank you so much for joining me on this roller coaster of an experience.
I am eternally grateful that I get to do this work with working professionals who are also creators, entrepreneurs and side hustlers like yourself.
                                                                 Let’s continue to make it happen,
