Welcome to INVANTI Founders' Stories, where Dustin Mix and Maria Gibbs interview INVANTI founders about their backgrounds, how they ended up at INVANTI, what they explored while they were here, and ultimately what venture they have built.

In this seventh and final episode of this season, Dustin and Maria interview Cohort 2 member Celena Green. Celena moved to South Bend for INVANTI from Queens, NY with 20 years of experience working with small businesses, social enterprises, and nonprofits throughout the U.S. and in 20 countries internationally to create programs and services to increase the success of women and youth as leaders, entrepreneurs, and social innovators. In 2016 she founded her own business, Teke Global Inc., to provide fundraising, communications, strategic partnership, and growth services to entrepreneurs.

Celena is emerging from this 6-month cohort as the founder of FoundRE, an online marketplace that vets and matches small businesses with industrial spaces, providing a simple lease process, short minimum lease periods, and flexible layouts that accommodate today’s growing companies.

This conversation covers why Celena chose INVANTI and entrepreneurship, how she discovered the problems that led to FoundRE’s solution, and where this new company is going in the next 3-6 months.