This post originally appeared on Tech In Chicago. Visit Tech In Chicago to listen to more interviews with Chicago’s top startup founders and venture capitalists.
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Aaron Dallek is a serial entrepreneur and founder of Opternative - the world’s first online eye exam. The exam can be taken from anywhere, at anytime, and a doctor issued prescription can be used to shop everywhere. The exam only takes 25 minutes and a digital prescription is delivered in 24 hours or less.
In this episode we cover:
- How to raise money in the current down market - In February 2016, Opternative closed their Series A ($6 million) from Jump Capital, Chicago Ventures, Pritzker Group, Tribeca Venture Partners, Corazon Capital, and NextGen Partners.
- How they built an online eye exam that rivals the traditional phoropter
- How to recruit the best talent against larger companies with deeper pockets
- Why you have to take things one step at a time as an entrepreneur
Aaron’s favorite book: The Art of the Start 2.0: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything by Guy Kawasaki
Listen to the episode on iTunes
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Tech In Chicago takes you inside the Chicago tech world. Each week Colin Keeley is joined by Chicago’s top founders and investors to talk about the amazing companies being built right here. If you want to learn more about Tech In Chicago, head to TechInChicago.co
