Found In The Rockies

In today’s episode, I talk with Trent Mano. Trent is a General Partner at Utah-based Convoi Ventures. We dive into the Utah startup community, Convoi’s specific approach, and the growth of AI startups. Here’s a closer look at the episode: Growing up in the Bay Area and serving as a financial advisor to startup founders. Convoi’s Utah-focused venture capital fund and its unique approach. Why they w...

In today’s episode, I'm super excited to welcome my friend Russell Sprole, who is the Founder and Managing Partner of Virta Ventures, which is an early stage, climate tech venture capital firm. Here’s a closer look at the episode: Russell Sproul shares his journey as a founder and venture capitalist in the climate tech industry. Career pivot from sports TV to climate tech investing . 1:30 Rus...

In today’s episode, we are excited to feature Jason O'Neill, founder and CEO, and Sharayah Clancy, the COO - dynamic duo of Sidecar, which is a co-working community with not one, not two, but three locations in Montana. Here’s a closer look at the episode: What brought Jason and Sharayah to Montana The first location in Helena - lessons learned The first location in Missoula. Finding a locati...

In today’s episode, we have Leah Pagnozzi who is the founder and CEO of RugDoc. RugDoc is is a website and platform that focuses on providing information and analysis about cryptocurrency projects, particularly within the decentralized finance (DeFi) space. The term "rug" in the name refers to a type of scam in the crypto world, often associated with "rug pulls," where a projec...

In today’s episode, we have Caroline Lewis from Rogue Women’s Fund. Caroline is sharing with us what got her into investing, why she thinks investing in women is so important, and what is unique about a venture fund from the Pacific Northwest. Here’s a closer look at the episode: Caroline’s early days teaching English in South Korea for a year and traveling around southeast asia for another year....

In today’s episode, we have an incredible founder who is trying to change the way we think about meetings. And most importantly, how we make sure that everyone not only has a seat at the table, but a voice as well. Andres Sigcha, who is the CEO and founder of Tariy has build a way to tackle this problem. Here’s a closer look at the episode: Andres growing up in Ecuador and leaving to come to the U...

In today’s episode, And on today's episode, we have a story that is one of the most incredible trailblazing journeys, you will hear. Meet Lauren Fitzpatrick Shanks, who is the founder and CEO of KeepWOL, which is a gamified learning platform for teams that enables employee engagement and retention insights for employers. Here’s a closer look at the episode: Growing up in Kansas and Missouri G...

In today’s episode, we have a whole different kid of tech. Dave McCarson is on the show. Dave is the founder of Alpine Greenhouses, which is a very unique company using proprietary technology to build greenhouses for extreme climates. We get into not only the science of his greenhouses, but the benefits of growing your own food.  Here’s a closer look at the episode: Dave’s background and goals for...

In today’s episode, we're talking all about the coming wave of IDTech. And we're so excited to welcome a founder with Montana family roots, who grew up in Idaho, and now lives in Utah, talk about the epitome of a rocky mountain founder, Riley Hughes, who is the co-founder and CEO of Trinsic. He is going to tell us how Trinsic can help enable you to use your identity to get access to all...

In today’s episode, we're gonna get empathetic. We are welcoming Dr. Grin Lord, CEO and founder of mpathic, and Brian Williams, who is the VP of Engineering and mpathic. Grin and Brian are going to talk about how they are working to bring empathy into the world of AI throught their unique API.  Here’s a closer look at the episode: Brian’s background and history with startups. Grin’s early lif...

In today’s episode, we have Matt Hyde, who is a partner and the co-founder of Catalyst Law Group, which is a Colorado based venture and technology law firm. Matt is going to go through the ins-and-outs of being a lawyer working with startup founders as well as venture capital firms. Here’s a closer look at the episode: Matt’s Naval Academy and law school background. The challenge of starting over...

In today’s episode, I am very excited to welcome a fellow investor and friend here in the Intermountain West, Serene Papenfus, who is a Principal at Kickstart Fund in Salt Lake City, Utah. Kickstart is a venture capital firm on a mission to help build great companies in the Wild West. Here’s a closer look at the episode: Growing up in Tokyo, Japan. And comparing the skiing in each.  Transitioning...

In today’s episode, we explore a critical and relevant topic for all founders, optimizing personal and professional performance through coaching. We have Scott Walgren who is the founder and CEO of Credo Performance Coaching. He coaches founders and entrepreneurs through goal setting and through the startup process. And we also have Matt Maasdam, who is going to help us provide a founder perspecti...

In today’s episode, we are joined by Dr. Elliot Justin, who is the founder and CEO of FirmTech. FirmTech is a company whose slogan is think smarter, get harder and the main product is a wearable tech device for improving sexual health and performance for all men, not just those with erectile dysfunction. Here’s a closer look at the episode: Elliot’s life growing up in an Army family.  Elliot’s exp...

On today's episode, we are excited to share a powerful story of two founders who are on a bold mission to dent the universe by pioneering housing as an employment benefit. Jerryck Murrey and Aly Hollewijn, who are the co-founders of Annum.  Here’s a closer look at the episode: Aly’s early experience watching her parents as entrepreneurs. Jerryck’s early entrepreneurial aspirations growing up....

In today’s episode, have one of Next Frontier Capital's portfolio company founders on the podcast - Jeff Gibson, who is the CTO of MonetizeNow. Jeff and his co-founder Sandeep are revolutionizing billing systems and streamlining the process. Here’s a closer look at the episode: Jeff’s early days in Missoula, MT. Jeff’s start in tech with Advanced Technology Group. The transition from Montana...

In today’s episode, we have a pioneer in change management. Kate DeGon is the founder and CEO of ChangeSync which is a platform working to enable companies to to make strategic decisions and improve change management practices. This practice will allow companies to see internally how they are dealing with changes, and help manage changes in th future. Here’s a closer look at the episode: Kate shar...

In today’s episode, we have a self described “Startup Addict” - Joseph Haecker. Joseph is using his vast experience in entrepreneurship to mentor new startups, and work to create a vibrant community in the startup ecosystem of Denver, Colorado. Here’s a closer look at the episode: Joseph the Startup Addict. Losing $283K on his first venture. The big mistake founders make early on. Turning your cus...

In today’s episode, we're headed for the first time to the Grand Canyon State. Last year in 2022, Arizona saw over 140 companies raise upwards of $1.1 billion, putting Arizona on the National Venture map as a strong emerging venture ecosystem. Here to tell us all about the Arizona venture scene is my friend David Paul, who is the CEO and founding member of DWP Capital. Here’s a closer look at...

In today’s episode, we are featuring an experienced startup founder who is on a mission to revolutionize communication and quality of life for families who are engaged with the entire continuum of senior care - Katherine Wells, who is the CEO and founder of Serenity. Here’s a closer look at the episode: Growing up in Colorado Springs. Working at Hewlett-Packard in California. Working with the “fat...

In today’s episode, we have someone who has done it all founder, funder, and now contributor to our startup ecosystem. Excited to have Elle Bruno who is the managing director of TechStars Boulder. Here’s a closer look at the episode: Elle’s early days as an entrepreneur Why Elle focuses her angel investing on female founders. What’s changed in the world of investing in female founders. Elle’s advi...

In today’s episode, we have Sam Fonoimoana Sam is the founder and CEO of Datajoin, which is a b2b SaaS company based in Salt Lake City, Utah, that allows enterprise customers to connect their customer behavioral data across their marketing platforms to enable truly full funnel personalization, with Datajoin’s proprietary micro integrations. Here’s a closer look at the episode: Growing up in a Poly...

In today’s episode, we have Wesley Eames, CEO and founder of after.com. Wesley is working to fix what is an antiquated and broken funeral system and he has the entrepreneur chops to do it.  Here’s a closer look at the episode: Wesley’s early start in entrepreneurship at 12. Wesley’s background in business. Trace.com - genealogy - Wesley’s first VC backed company Diving into dating apps by buying a...

In today’s episode, we welcome back the original host of Found in the Rockies - Stef Sample. Stef now has a new company, FUNDID, which is empowering business owners on their growth journeys by simplifying business finance & access to capital Here’s a closer look at the episode: Growing up in Billings, MT Moving to Missoula to study Chinese The Insight Studio and supporting other entrepreneurs...

In today’s episode, I speak with Zach Smith, who is the founder of the FinTech company, Align Tech, and also on a professional mission to improve financial literacy for young people. Zach's journey is underscored by his persistent commitment to create value respect and lead people from all backgrounds and walks of life. Here’s a closer look at the episode: Zach’s story and how it all began. M...