A CAREER BUILT ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Hal is a life-long perpetual tinkerer, obsessed with simplicity and natural elegance and balance in design and functionality. He is a serial entrepreneur passionate about collaboration and the sharing economy.
After a healthy mix of startups, failures, scaling, and exits at several of his own backed ventures in the last three decades, Hal decided to sit on the “other side of the table” helping startups grow. Hal is a true “adaptive generalist”, having been in the mist of many idea creations, business launches, pivots, re-incarnations and having been involved with hundreds of entrepreneurs he realized that it is better to find the best “expert” than be one!
Thanks to his father’s diplomatic assignments, he lived in and visited dozens of countries in Europe, Asia, and North Africa. What he observed and learned from all those different cultures has been an invaluable asset to Hal and cannot be attained from any educational institution. This experiential knowledge has helped him become a better human being and a better entrepreneur.
He maintained the entrepreneurial drive throughout his long professional career and launched several startups while working with large enterprises since the mid-seventies. The highlight of his achievements was the launch of a satellite communication equipment design and manufacturing business in 1993. They sold microwave and satcom antennas in 50 countries.
During his time in various entrepreneurial ventures, Hal developed the ability to spot a technological need and fill it. He learned how to build, scale, and exit a successful business. Since exiting his last venture, he has devoted his time to helping other local, domestic, and international startups succeed.
He is currently a founding member of Startup Port, a startup support platform based in Chicago, Illinois. It is a co-foundry that brings a unique blend of everything he has learned and experienced in the past three decades, supported with the input of a team of subject matter experts’ “intellectual capital,” which can be more beneficial to a startup than any type of investment.
He created a collaborative network of independent advisors, subject matter experts, and technology specialists; professionals preeminent in various specialized fields related to facilitating strategic alignment of people, money, technology, and other mission-critical resources.
Startup Port selects a small number of startups through its proprietary assessment and vetting process, and implements a proprietary fast-track program to create the proper business process, validation, market-fit, sales traction, and launch in a very short period of time. He is involved with a constant deal-flow of local, domestic, and international startups and founders.
In these ways, Startup Port has developed a proprietary system that improves their clients’ chance for success in a competitive market. This system is what makes Startup Port a co-foundry and differentiates it from the standard incubators and accelerators.
Currently advising the following startups:
Size&Me, Floq, Maestrozon, StartupCoop, Yatirim Advisors, AIscope, Axios.
Previous startups I have advised include:
Retropole, SupplyClinic, Predictive, Prefense, OFNI app, ULAKapp, Safe-In-The-City, PowerKiosk, Energy -IQ, FitnessCubed, Medical Ingenuities, Ingenious, NanogasTechnologies, WapLog, Selfie, CrowdFind, Attic Brewing, CloudPrintry, Freenters, CampusStarter, ZMarkit, Chicago Black Inventors Association, AX Data Centers, Torque Parts, IPTV, ITTV, SMI, Spotmyphotos, Suggesthat, LRB Global, WSI Management, Anka Coop, Cupela, KidsRide, SmartMediCase, Elektronet, ToolFloor, RWS Water treatment, Invent2026, Marketyo, Technolera, VaHaa Vertical Farming Solutions, Ulak, Tritail.com, VentourageDiversity.
Startups launched:
Advanced Measurements, Teknolator, SolarTrak, T Square Telecom (T2), ErgostandUp Desk, ExpoBox, Sherpa Business Advisors, Startup-Port, SigmaRisk, Nutricio, EatWell.
Successfully completed Major Projects:
Reynolds Aluminum, Virginia, 1987 + Clements National Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1988 + Vertex Communications, Longview, Texas, 1989 + TV Abril, Sao Paolo, Brazil, 1990 + OMNI Cellular Corp., Illinois, 1991-92 + Aydin Elektronik, Ankara, Turkey, 1993-1994 + Fortuna Holdings/ Teleblu / LEWV, LLc, Illinois 1994-1996- and 1999 + TGI- Apple Beepers Acquisition, Chicago, Illinois, 1994 + FCC “C” Block PCS license auctions. FAMS & Associates, Washington, DC 1995-1996 + Patriot Antennas, Albion, Michigan, 1993-1996 + Prairie Street Partners, Kansas & Illinois, 1996 + TGI Telecom Investments Group, Chicago, IL 1995-1996 + Green Street Capital LLc., Kansas, 1997 + E.B.S. – NEWNET, Inc. Connecticut, 1996-1997 + United Telecom, Inc., Illinois, 1998-2000 + Prodeline Corp. (Tripoint Global), Conover, North Carolina, 2003 + AX Data Centers, Des Plaines, Illinois 2004 + AATK, Inc. Crestwood, Illinois, 2005 + Phoenix International LLc. PetroFree.com. Hinsdale, Illinois, 2006 + Retropole LLc / Retroplole.com. Richardson, Texas, 2007 + ExpoBoxUSA, expoboxusa.com, Rosemont, Illinois, 2008 + LightMart LLc, Lightmart.com, Des Plaines, Illinois, 2009 + Sensible Metals, Inc. Rosemont, Illinois, 2009 + Torque Parts LLC, Mt. Prospect, Illinois, 2012 + Sigma Business Services Corp, Chicago, Illinois 2013, TOBB Trade Center Inc., Franklin Park, Illinois 2023