Noor Sugrue

Founder | Vintro

Noor Sugrue Has a Purpose-Driven Vision—and with Vintro, a Platform to Democratize Access to Opportunity and Capital

Chicago-based entrepreneur Sugrue founded Vintro in 2018. Her vision was to create a platform that would help break down historical social barriers and democratize access to opportunity and capital. Vintro gives businesses of all sizes and entrepreneurs from anywhere access to guaranteed attention, feedback, and opportunity from some of the most influential people in the world.

The Vintro business model pays leaders for their time to review new ideas, products, or services from business ventures. When ventures compensate leaders for their time, not only are the leaders guaranteed to hear them, but they also have more meaningful engagements, with lower prices than traditional networking. Entrepreneurs no longer have to pay to go to conferences (or virtual networking events) and hope to speak to the right person; Vintro guarantees that attention.

Industry leaders and decision-makers want to engage with brilliant ideas and bring as many as possible to life, but they want an opportunity to filter these ideas at scale. On the other hand, businesses and entrepreneurs want an effective and efficient way to reach decision-makers. There is a high demand for leaders’ time, but they only have 24 hours in a day. Vintro is the perfect marketplace: time and efficiency combined. It’s all about connecting people. 

Be very clear on your purpose and your mission.

What has been your most satisfying moment in business?

There have been so many. Every leader who comes on board and believes in our mission is awesome. I’m in the privileged position of talking to industry luminaries, including John W. Thompson, chairman of Microsoft, and Rick Haythornthwaite, former chairman of MasterCard. Their support and endorsement of Vintro is extraordinary and makes me feel very humble.

What success habits did you pick up early on to get ahead?

I am juggling being a student at the University of Chicago and building Vintro, so I think perseverance but also organization have been some of the most important habits for me. My parents always emphasized the importance of these traits, and I am very grateful they did. 

Noor enjoying a break in Florida from a long Chicago winter.

You are incredibly accomplished in your career and we all know that doesn’t come without mistakes and failures. How do you handle setbacks and learn from failure?

Vintro is my first venture, but it didn’t just happen. It’s been three years in the making, with false starts and pivoting in new directions. I have had to learn to be resilient and see failure as an opportunity. At the end of the day, you have to move forward, but having a strong, supportive team around me has been imperative to helping me through the difficult times.

What advice would you give to 20-somethings looking for ways to make a valuable impact on society and culture through entrepreneurship?

Go for it. And be very clear on your purpose and your mission: What are you trying to achieve, and what are you trying to solve for the world? There’s more support out there for purpose-driven or social-impact businesses than ever before. I believe that this next decade will see success come to those ventures that address the real problems facing our society.

What one product or service have you invested in lately that changed your life?

My iPad has been one of the most amazing investments I’ve ever made. From not lugging my heavy computer everywhere and being able to work on the fly, to having all my textbooks and readings in one place, to taking notes and sketching out new ideas, the iPad is great.