He takes a call from his wife on a hands-free cell phone. A jacket and tie are thrown across a chair in case of emergency. His office suite on Euclid Avenue is nearly empty. A year ago, Wheeler and two partners founded the Dotcommery, an incubator for technology start-ups. Imagine incubators as the digital sector's modeling agencies, polishing companies for the strut down the IPO catwalk.
Incubators offer expertise, investor contacts, and less esoteric sustenance, like office space.
In return, they receive an equity stake, generally between 25 and 40 percent. Prior to the Dotcommery, Wheeler managed a venture fund at Clarion Capital Corporation. The world looked expansive to Wheeler when he cashed out of Sputnik in 1999. Building an incubator seemed the logical progression of his interests and experience. Their clients included a company that made software for recruiting agencies and a wireless network provider for schools.