Brian Hand is a Co-Founder at FireStarter Fund. Colleagues describe them as "In our first meeting Brian said (tongue in cheek, of course..) "I'll give you $100K for 50% of the company!" You can assume we didn't do that deal but a deal was done. Brian is an investor in Kapow, a great supporter, a smart advisor and over the last two years someone I'd consider a really good friend. He is one of the pillars of the Chicago tech community. He deserves an enormous amount of credit for his support and contribution to so many companies and individuals within the community. if you get the chance to work with Brian as an investor in your company jump at it, not for the cash but for the support…..maybe don't do the $100K for 50% deal though :)", "Brian is one of the greatest mentors that I have worked with throughout my career. Not long out of the Navy and in a narrow corporate role, he taught me to understand business at a macro level. His shaping of how I think about business still favorably impacts me to this day.", and "Brian was the most down-to-earth leader of any organization for which I've worked. He respected everyone regardless of title and knew all staff members by name. His vision, knowledge, leadership abilities and interpersonal skills made him the ideal leader for ShopLocal."