How Motherhood Created an Entrepreneur and a Successful Medical Startup in the Delta

Is necessity the mother of invention, or is motherhood the mother of invention? There’s nothing quite like becoming a parent for spurring the imagination and motivation to solve problems. Misti Staley is the perfect example of parent who took on entrepreneurship to solve a problem she encountered in the course of parenthood.

Staley’s experience as a young mother and her feeding tube-fed newborn inspired her idea and fueled her search for resources to build the business that became the FreeArm. That’s where the I-Fund came in. The I-Fund puts in the work to support entrepreneurs like Misti.

Watch our session with Staley to learn how she took advantage of I-Fund and the network of Entrepreneur Support Organizations in Arkansas to launch a successful medical startup product and business.

During our session, Staley tells her parenting story and how it led to the invention of the FreeArm. Staley describes the steps she took to take FreeArm from an idea to a real business, including participating in the I-Fund program.

John Chamberlin then explains what the I-Fund is, how the program accelerates businesses, and what entrepreneurs can expect and gain from the program, including LEAN canvas training, customer discovery, mentors, instructors and other resources.

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