Watch the show on television by downloading the e360tv channel app to your Roku, LG or AmazonFireTV. You can also see it on YouTube.
Devin: What is your superpower?
Joey: If somebody tells me that they’re doing something, my mind goes in 20 different areas about how I can make a connection that will help them grow.
Successful fundraising is only the beginning. For entrepreneurs, the real opportunity lies in activating their investor communities for support, guidance, and growth. Joey Hayes, founder of thru., believes that crowdfunding investors are untapped reservoirs of human capital that entrepreneurs often overlook.
“Every single entrepreneur out there has a lot of human capital around them,” Joey said during this episode. “Equity crowdfunding ... is overly unoptimized.” He added, “Whenever I ask any entrepreneur, ‘Are you optimizing your network, your human capital?’ They always think about it and they always say no.”
Joey knows this story well. He recalled his own experiences as a crowdfunding investor and entrepreneur, when friction often prevented him from both giving and receiving support. Recognizing this challenge, Joey launched thru., the first “network activation platform” designed to make it easier for entrepreneurs to connect with and engage their crowdfunding investors.
Thru. works by analyzing entrepreneurs’ networks to identify how investors can help and simplifying the outreach process. “We’re making it as easy as possible to understand who your investors are, how they can help, and what to say to them,” Joey said. The platform also incorporates tools for automated updates, ensuring regular and meaningful engagement between founders and their backers.
This matters not only for operational efficiency but also for success. Joey noted that companies that actively engage their investors often perform better, sharing a vivid example of an investor who introduced a major partner. “It was the picture-perfect example of what you’re talking about,” Devin reflected.
Thru. also empowers founders to leverage their resources strategically. “You can’t ask for things until you engage,” Joey explained, emphasizing the importance of maintaining two-way communication.
Joey’s initiative highlights an often-overlooked truth: crowdfunding is not just about raising money. It’s about creating a community of allies who genuinely want to see entrepreneurs succeed. By bridging the gap between entrepreneurs and investors, Joey helps transform dormant shareholder lists into engines of growth and innovation.
If you’re ready to optimize your crowdfunding journey, or if thru. is actively raising capital, now might be the moment to discover how Joey’s vision can help you achieve your goals.
tl;dr:
Joey Hayes discusses thru., a platform helping entrepreneurs activate and engage their crowdfunding investor networks.
Joey explains how friction often prevents investors and founders from collaborating effectively after raising funds.
Thru. simplifies network outreach for entrepreneurs, transforming investor relationships into powerful growth engines.
Joey shares the importance of active updates and engagement to unlock hidden value for businesses.
Joey highlights his superpower of connecting, offering actionable advice for building relationships strategically.
How to Develop Connecting As a Superpower
Joey describes connecting as his superpower and channels it through the work he does with thru., a platform designed to help entrepreneurs engage their networks. “If somebody tells me that they’re doing something, my mind goes in 20 different areas about how I can make a connection that will help them grow,” Joey explained during today’s episode. This innate ability to create valuable connections is the foundation of his mission to “make getting help the easiest part of building a business.”
Joey shared a story about how his knack for connecting created profound value. While attending a hotel technology conference for Booking.com, he serendipitously met a founder he had invested in. This chance encounter led to Joey facilitating a partnership between the company and Booking.com, saving the founder millions of dollars. Joey used this anecdote to illustrate how such serendipity could be manufactured systematically, which is exactly what thru. aims to do.
Tips for Developing the Superpower:
Make Helping Easy: When requesting introductions, write the message for the connector, ready to copy and paste.
Keep It Low Pressure: Don’t demand connections—ask politely and allow the other person space to say no.
Think Strategically: Consider how your network’s strengths align with the needs of others to forge meaningful connections.
By following Joey’s example and advice, you can make connecting a skill. With practice and effort, you could make it a superpower that enables you to do more good in the world.
Remember, however, that research into success suggests that building on your own superpowers is more important than creating new ones or overcoming weaknesses. You do you!
Guest Profile
Joey Hayes (he/him):
Founder, thru.
About thru.: Everyone talks about helping startups raise capital, but far less attention is paid to what happens after the raise. At thru., we believe the biggest untapped resource for entrepreneurs is their community: investors, advisors, operators, and supporters who are often willing to help, but rarely know how. The problem is not a lack of goodwill, but a lack of infrastructure.
We help founders understand and segment the network behind their capital, identify the right people for specific business needs, create personalized asks, and track the outcomes. That could mean investor-powered referrals, customer introductions, reviews, hiring leads, partnerships, market expansion support, or future funding opportunities.
thru. is building the first network activation infrastructure to make getting help the easiest part of building a business. We help founders better understand, communicate with, and activate their communities for growth; turning passive capital into active support.
Website: comethru.co
Biographical Information: Originally from New York and now based in Amsterdam, Joey Hayes brings 20 years of experience across hospitality and technology, including 11+ years at Booking.com across Global Accounts and Technology Partnerships. He has also studied at East Carolina University, New York University, and Cornell.
In 2021, while working full-time, Joey opened his first business: a restaurant concept called Mac Shack. The business ultimately failed after two years, leaving him with a difficult but defining insight: one of the hardest parts of entrepreneurship is the cost of isolation.
While looking for his next project, Joey noticed the same pattern across his 65+ portfolio companies. Fundraising created community, energy, and momentum, but once the raise ended, that support often faded. Founders were left with valuable human capital around them, but no easy way to understand, engage, or activate those relationships.
That realization led Joey to work closely with startups, particularly in the equity crowdfunding space, on “network activation.” The potential was clear, but so was the friction: founders often have people willing to help yet asking for and organizing that help is still inefficient, awkward, and reactive.
Now, Joey is building thru. to make getting help the easiest part of building a business — and to make the entrepreneurial journey less lonely, more supported, and more human.
LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/joeyhayes1
Personal Facebook Profile: facebook.com/profile.php?id=22224287
Instagram Handle: @joeyhayes1
Support Our Sponsors
Our generous sponsors make our work possible, serving impact investors, social entrepreneurs, community builders and diverse founders. Today’s advertisers include High Desert Gear and Climatize. Learn more about advertising with us here.
Max-Impact Members
(We’re grateful for every one of these community champions who make this work possible.)
Brian Christie, Brainsy | Cameron Neil, Lend For Good | Carol Fineagan, Independent Consultant | Hiten Sonpal, RISE Robotics | John Berlet, CORE Tax Deeds, LLC. | Justin Starbird, The Aebli Group | Lory Moore, Lory Moore Law | Marcia Brinton, High Desert Gear | Mark Grimes, Networked Enterprise Development | Matthew Mead, Hempitecture | Michael Pratt, Qnetic | Mike Babbit | Coledger Solutions | Mike Green, Envirosult | Nick Degnan, Unlimit Ventures | Dr. Nicole Paulk, Siren Biotechnology | Paul Lovejoy, Stakeholder Enterprise | Pearl Wright, Global Changemaker | Scott Thorpe, Philanthropist | Sharon Samjitsingh, Health Care Originals | Add Your Name Here
Upcoming SuperCrowd Event Calendar
If a location is not noted, the events below are virtual.
Join the SuperCrowd Impact League! You can be recognized for making impact investments via Reg CF. See how your activity compares to your peers. It’s free. Win valuable prizes. Start now!
SuperCrowd Impact Member Networking Session: Impact (and, of course, Max-Impact) Members of the SuperCrowd are invited to a private networking session on July 14th at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT. Mark your calendar. We’ll send private emails to Impact Members with registration details. Upgrade to Impact Membership today!
SuperCrowdHour, July 15, 2026, at 12:00 PM Eastern. Devin Thorpe, CEO and Founder of The Super Crowd, Inc., will lead a session on “How to Make a Splash With Your Campaign Launch.” Drawing on his extensive experience helping entrepreneurs and impact-driven founders succeed in investment crowdfunding, Devin will share proven strategies for creating momentum and attracting attention when launching a crowdfunding campaign. In this session, he’ll explore how founders can prepare for a successful launch, build excitement before going live, engage their networks effectively, and generate the early traction that often determines long-term campaign success. Attendees will learn practical tactics for storytelling, outreach, media engagement, and community building, along with common mistakes that can limit visibility and investor interest. Whether you’re preparing for your first crowdfunding raise or looking to improve the performance of a future campaign, this SuperCrowdHour will provide actionable insights to help you launch with confidence and maximize your campaign’s impact from day one. Register now!
SuperCrowd26 featuring PurposeBuilt100™: This August 25–27, founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders will gather for a three-day, broadcast-quality global experience focused on disciplined capital formation, regulated investment crowdfunding, and purpose-driven growth. We’re bringing together leading voices in impact investing, compliance, digital marketing, and circular economy innovation to deliver practical frameworks, real-world case studies, and actionable strategies. The event culminates in the PurposeBuilt100™ Showcase, recognizing 100 of the fastest-growing purpose-driven companies in the U.S. Register now to secure your seat and get all the details. August 25–27, streaming worldwide.
Community Event Calendar
Successful Funding with Karl Dakin, Tuesdays at 10:00 AM ET - Click on Events.
Register Now! October 20th and 21st will be the Crowdfunding Professional Association Regulated Investment Crowdfunding Summit for 2026. This is the event of the year for everyone in the crowdfunding ecosystem.
If you would like to submit an event for us to share with the 10,000+ changemakers, investors and entrepreneurs who are members of the SuperCrowd, click here.
Manage the volume of emails you receive from us by clicking here.
We share educational information—not investment advice. Some links may generate compensation. See our full disclosure.
We use AI to help us write compelling recaps of each episode.
