Found In The Rockies

In today’s episode, I talk with Ken Fichtler, the founder of Gaize. We discuss how the company is trying to solve the DUI testing for cannabis. Ken talks about his background and what let him to start Gaize. We talk about the current cannabis impairment testing and challenges that come with the current model. We discuss Ken’s solution and how he combined VR technology with machine learning to deve...

In today’s episode, I talk to two of the visionaries behind the Global Accelerator Network and GAN ventures, Pat Riley and Reilly Flynn. We talk about the founders that they are funding, and the emerging venture ecosystem. We start by talking about what GAN is, and how it ended up in Colorado. We discuss how accelerators changed since 2005. We talk about the 4 traits they look for in founders they...

In today’s episode, I talk with Michelle Huie. Michelle is the founder of VIM & VIGR. She also has another exciting new project in the works that we discuss. We talk about her startup journey, what got her started and where things are headed. We discuss her background and what led her to start her company. We talk about her transition from a side hustle to the main hustle. Michelle shares her...

In today’s episode, I have a conversation with Kimberly about her company Fenix Verify which creates safe environments for customers and employees in a COVID world. She talks about the changes in consumer habits and how the pandemic has changed the way people shop. She dives deeper into why these changes are here to stay. She discusses her journey as an entrepreneur and a brief background on the b...

In today’s episode, I talk with Hanna Wu who is the Co-founder & CEO of Amplify, a life insurance company that allows its users to build wealth with their policy. Hannah tells us her family’s inspiring story of immigrating to the United States and how her upbringing inspired her to an amazing path as a start-up founder. Hanna shares her challenges and the biggest lessons she has learned over t...

In today’s episode, I talk with Corey Finney, Marc Nager, and Jamie Finney, who are the magic behind the Greater Colorado Venture Fund, a firm that invests only in companies based in rural Colorado. We get into why it’s important to fund startups in areas outside of the major metropolitan areas. Corey, Jamie, and Marc share their unique perspective on what startups to fund and why. We get into som...

In today’s episode, I talk with Yasmin Khan, the founder of Khalm, a skincare company. She talks about what is Khalm and the primary ingredient Oud. Yasmin shares her background and journey. She talks about what inspired her to start her company. She shares how she went back to school and earned two master degrees. We talk about her funding choices and why she chose those. Yasmin shares her perspe...

In today’s episode, I talk with Jermey from From Street Capital. He explains the three things that the company does. We discuss the factors that they look into when they decide to invest in companies. Jeremy talks about the philosophy behind long term investing. We dive into the 6 guiding principles of Front Street capital. We talk about how those principles came about and the company’s history. J...

In today’s episode, I talk with Jenni Graff, the executive director of Early Stage Montana, an accelerator program, helping tech entrepreneurs grow faster, and creating jobs to diversify and grow Montana's economy. We dive into Jenni’s background and Montana’s community. We talk about what exactly an accelerator is, and what is unique about Early Stage Montana. We talk about the evolution of...

In today’s episode, I have the pleasure of talking with Liz Marchi. We dive into the history of venture capital. We talk about how Liz got into it, and her background. We discuss the differences between equity-backed companies and financially back companies. We took a closer look into the closing of their first fund in 06. We discuss angel investors, angel portfolios, and the difference between an...

In today’s episode, I talk with Alli DePuy and Kathleen Dent, and how they partnered to co-own Inspired Classroom. We talk about what is Inspired Classroom and how it brings learning to life. We discuss their mentor inspired software and service to connect students, educators and experts. We talk about how they met and their background. Kathleen and Alli talk about what keep them going and the uni...

In today’s episode, I talk with Les Craig, a partner at Next Frontier Capital. We discuss the five things that Venture Capitalists do. We talk about raising funds and how they closed their most recent fund. We dive into the challenges for VCs. We talk about some fund analysis and measuring how well the fund is performing. Les discusses the evolution of the fund and its thesis. We talk about the fu...

In today’s episode, I have the pleasure of talking with Erica Mackey. We talk about her company My Village. We discuss the country’s childcare system and Erica shares very interesting statistics about the system. We talk about the problem that Erica saw and what motivated her to start My Village. We discuss the challenges in the childcare system especially during the pandemic. She talks about her...

In today’s episode, I have the pleasure of talking with Karson Humiston. We talk about the cannabis industry, and what her company Vangst does. We talk about how they went from a recruiting agency to a full on platform connecting the cannabis industry together. We discussed the early stages of her involvement in recruiting for the cannabis industry. We talk about how she started recruiting fresh g...

In today’s episode, I talk with Nicole Montoya, the founder of Cheddar Up. We talk about what is Cheddar Up. We dive into Nicole’s background as a consultant and the problem she is trying to solve with Cheddar Up. We talk about her AHA moment and the early days of Cheddar Up. We talk about raising funds and joining the accelerator. We talk about the first year and the challenges she faced with rai...

In today’s episode, I have a conversation with Karen about her company Makeena. She talks about her journey and her background in coding, and how she went from being a practicing lawyer to founding makeena. She goes into details about her journey and what led her to create Makeena. We also talk about how Makeena incentivizes consumers to buy better, no matter where they shop so they can buy better...

In today’s episode, I talk with Kristin the founder of GoodBuyGear. Her company’s mission is to reduce consumerism and save families time and money. She talks about her own challenges as a parent and what led her to create GoodBuyGear. She dives deeper into why this is the future of shopping for our children. How her business model shifted from being an app to a marketplace. She also talks about h...

In today’s episode, I talk with Chris Bowler, the founder of Creminelli . His company produces a wide variety of charcuterie grade snacks. We talk about his background starting from Stanford, and being in tech, to becoming an entrepreneur. We talk about his “checkered” career as he described it, from government, to non-profit, to a tech startup. We also talk about the time he moved to italy, how h...

In today’s episode, I talk to Brian and Elyse from Access Venture Partners. We talk about the origin story of the fund and how it all started. We discuss the role of a Head of Platform in a venture fund. We talk about the history and evolution of the firm from the late 90’s to today. Elyse shares her experience as a woman in a venture in Colorado. We talk about what’s unique about the founders in...

In today’s episode, I talk with Shea Gerhardt, the founder and CEO of Buderflys Tech. She shares her story and why she started Buderflys. We talk about the current industry solution and technology. We discuss brand positioning and the reason behind the name. What is the future and will people will wear them 24/7? We talk about its potential to replace the cellphone. We talk about Denver startup we...

In today’s episode, I talk with Jeff Batton, the founder of HomeStake Venture Partners. We talk about what is HomeStake. We talk about how many companies are in their portfolio. Jeff discusses how and why he got into it. Jeff talks about the company and team members including Bill his business partner. We discuss what would investors expect and the return possibilities. We talk about what it looks...