Found In The Rockies

Garrett Smith (Reveal) \\ Marine-Turned-Founder Revolutionizes Defense Technology

In today’s episode, Garrett Smith, CEO of Reveal Technologies, discussed his journey from the Marine Corps to founding a defense tech startup in Bozeman, Montana. Garrett, a linguistics graduate with a background in Mandarin, transitioned from government service to Silicon Valley, where he focused on drone technology. Reveal Technologies developed Farsight, a software that creates 3D maps from drone video in real-time, enhancing situational awareness for warfighters.

Here’s a closer look at the episode:

Garrett Smith's Background and Early Life

Enlistment in the Marine Corps post-9/11 and his decision to pursue higher education at Stanford University.

Garrett explains his undergraduate degree in linguistics with an emphasis on Mandarin, which he learned while serving as a Mormon missionary in Taiwan.

Transition to Silicon Valley and Early Career

Garrett discusses the decision to leave government for the tech startup world, influenced by the potential for greater impact and ownership in tech startups.

Inspiration for Reveal Technologies

Garrett explains the concept of photogrammetry and how Reveal Technologies' software, Farsight, uses it to create 3D maps from drone video in real-time.

Future of Defense Technology and Reveal's Vision

Garrett reflects on the broader implications of defense technology innovation, drawing parallels to the Cold War era and the current geopolitical landscape.

Community Building and Future of Tech Hubs

Les and Garrett discuss the future of defense technology and the potential for Reveal Technologies to continue innovating in the space.

Resources:

Website: https://www.revealtech.ai/

Garrett LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wgarrettsmith/

Reveal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reveal-technology/posts/?feedView=all

TITLE: France Hoang (Boodle.ai) \\ From the White House to the Battlefield

Summary:

In today’s episode of Found in the Rockies, Les spoke with France Hoang, co-founder of BoodleAI. France and Les shared their experiences and insights on optimizing AI models for efficient use in Boodle, an AI-powered chatbot. Les and France shared their experiences in the military and government, highlighting the differences in their paths and the lessons they learned about service, sacrifice, and debt. They also share their insights on entrepreneurship and investment, emphasizing the importance of culture, trust, and finding the right fit in the investment process.

Here’s a closer look at the episode:

France Wong shares his origin story and unique career path, from humble beginnings to co-founding Bucha Box.ai.

France’s Military service before and after 9/11, including deployment to Bosnia and White House experience.

France shares insights on entrepreneurship, highlighting the importance of a strong team and effective execution.

France emphasized culture as a hiring advantage, interviewing candidates on why they wouldn't join the company.

Entrepreneurship, fear of failure, and overcoming setbacks.

Bootstrapping an aviation company, raising investment.

Entrepreneurship, fundraising, and AI technology.

Using AI for investment analysis, with emphasis on personalization and goal-oriented approach.

AI language models and their applications in higher education.

Resources:

Website: https://boodle.ai/

France LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franceqhoang/

France Twitter: https://x.com/fqhoang

Matt Puopolo (StageDotO) & Travis Hawkes (Capital Eleven) \\ Idaho Investing and Seed to Growth Conference

Summary:

In today’s episode, Les talks with Matt Puopolo from StageDotO and Travis Hawkes from Capital Eleven about the startup community in Idaho as well as the Seed to Growth Conference coming up in September. They discussed the growth and potential of Boise's startup ecosystem, highlighting favorable conditions such as a talented workforce and increased acceptance of distributed workforce. They emphasized the importance of supporting local founders and investing in the region to drive growth and innovation. They discuss the challenges faced by founders in accessing capital and building scalable businesses, and the need for founders to prioritize capital efficiency and pathway to profitability. Finally, they emphasized the importance of authentic networking in nurturing startup ecosystems, citing in-person events like the Seed to Growth conference as valuable opportunities for founders and investors to form meaningful connections.

Resources:

Matt Puopolo - StageDotO

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewpuopolo/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/stagedoto/

https://www.stagedoto.com/

Travis Hawkes - Capital Eleven

https://www.linkedin.com/in/travis-b-hawkes-76a8a13/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/capital-eleven/

https://capitaleleven.com/

Seed to Growth Conference

https://seedtogrowthconference.com/

In today’s episode, of Found in the Rockies, Les Craig sits down with a dynamic guest from the Rocky Mountain region, Maggie Rodney, a principal at Massive Capital Partners. They dive into the unique and innovative investment strategies employed by Massive Capital, focusing on deep tech and climate tech ventures. Maggie shares her compelling journey from a finance career to joining the Peace Corps in Rwanda and ultimately transitioning into the venture capital world. Listeners will gain insights into Massive Capital's distinctive model, the importance of personal interactions in investment, and the exciting future of technology and innovation.

Here’s a closer look at the episode:

Career evolution: Peace Corps, litigation, to venture capital.

Peace Corps in Rwanda.

Understanding industry fundamentals and principles, despite differences in size and structure between firms.

Hydros Ventures Fellowship

Unique investment model with SPVs and pre-committed index fund.

Benefits of the Massive model for founders, including reduced complexity and the potential for interaction with investors before the investment closes.

Investment strategies and sectors, including climate tech and verticals with potential impact on the world.

Climate tech and deep tech investments, including energy transformation, circular economy, and space technology.

Colorado's lifestyle and people, finding them unique and engaging.

Resources:

Website: https://www.massive.vc/

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggie-rodney/

Massive LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/massive-vc/

In today’s episode, Les talks with Gabriel Wyner, the creator of the most funded app in Kickstarter history - Fluent Forever. Gabe details his fascinating journey from a science-focused student pursuing dual degrees in music and engineering, to becoming a successful entrepreneur in the language learning space. He shared experiences learning languages through immersion programs that led him to dream in foreign tongues. His story provides inspiration for those seeking to unlock their potential and open up new possibilities through perseverance.

Here’s a closer look at the episode:

Gabe’s dual passions for engineering and singing, with a focus on the Renaissance scholar prize and language learning for opera

Language immersion programs and dreams in foreign languages.

Cheating on a language test to gain admission to a program.

Defining the pain point and the ways that resources were lacking

Language learning and teaching methods.

Gabe’s book that was deemed terrible by an editor, leading to financial struggles and a new perspective on writing.

Memory retention and the effectiveness of spaced repetition.

Gabe shares his story of overcoming self-doubt and pursuing his passion for language learning.

Resources:

Website: https://fluent-forever.com/

Gabriel LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriel-wyner/

Fluent Forever LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fluent-forever/

Fluent Forever Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FluentForeverApp/

Fluent Forever Twitter: https://x.com/Fluent_Forever

Fluent Forever Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fluentforeverapp/

In today’s episode, Les talks with Quique Nagle, the founder and CEO of Advisr - a sales operating system that helps organizations maximize existing resources to increase revenue and market share. Quique shares his journey with Advisr, discussing the challenges and innovations in risk management technology. He emphasizes the importance of adapting to change and leveraging new tools to enhance decision-making and efficiency. Quique also reflects on the serendipitous moments that have influenced his career path, underscoring the unpredictable yet significant impact of chance encounters. The discussion highlights how technological advancements can transform traditional industries and personal trajectories.

Here’s a closer look at the episode:

Quique shares his experience growing up in a small town in upstate New York and how it influenced his decision to move to Bozeman.

Career path in media and advertising industry.

Quique talks about his luck and serendipity in getting a job in the ad industry without prior knowledge or experience.

The evolution of the advertising industry, from traditional formats to digital platforms.

Digital ad products and their impact on sales organizations.

Creating an algorithm to help salespeople make better product recommendations. Entrepreneurship, risk-taking, and early stages of a startup.

Lessons learned from early stage company growth.

Remote work and funding challenges during COVID-19 pandemic.

Leadership principles and cultural values with a tech CEO.

Resources:

Website: https://www.advisr.com/

Quique LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/quique-nagle-a609401/

Advisr LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/advisrio/

In today’s episode, Les talks with Blair Simpson, a Principal at Frontier Venture Capital. Blaire shares his journey from being a musician to entering the venture capital world, emphasizing non-traditional paths into VC and the music industry's influence on his career. Les and Blair talk about the impact of AI on creative fields, Blair's advice for aspiring VCs, and Blair's musical inspirations and how they relate to his work in venture capital.

Here’s a closer look at the episode:

Entrepreneurship and venture capital path.

Music inspirations and teaching methods.

Entrepreneurship, music, and technology.

Non-traditional path to venture capital, with a music industry background.

Networking, authentic connections, and personal branding.

Early-stage B2B software investments in the US, ecosystem growth, and exit strategies.

AI investment, creativity, and uncertainty.

Investing, entrepreneurship, and personal growth

Resources:

Website: https://frontiervc.com/

Blair’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jblairsimpson/

Frontier Venture Capital LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dfj-frontier/

TITLE: Travis Lowry (Vinyl VC) \\ Entrepreneurship, motivation, and investing in startups.

Summary:

In today’s episode, Les talks with Travis Lowry, General Partner at Vinyl Capital. Travis shares his early background in Texas as the child of an entrepreneur and how that impacted his own decision to jump into the startup scene. Travis talks about his time in Syria, and how that impacted his world view. Travis shares how he transitioned from entrepreneur to investor. His path illustrates the power of adaptability, strategic thinking, and the impact of a global perspective in the entrepreneurial world.

Here’s a closer look at the episode:

Travis Lowry shares his background, growing up in a household where his mother was an entrepreneur and his father was a salesman.

Moving to Syria in 2010 and his startup in Syria using his Arabic language skills.

Startup mistakes and lessons learned.

Founding and working at a restaurant reservation platform.

Entrepreneurship, venture capital, and business growth.

Acquisitions, and company culture.

Travis’s VC journey and approach with early-stage VC.

Montana culture, travel, and entrepreneurship.

Resources:

Vinyl Captial Website: https://vinyl.vc/

Travis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travis-kirk-lowry-b00b8850/

Vinyl Capital LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vinyl-capital/

TITLE: Pete Roos (Bridger Photonics) \\ Revolutionizing Methane Detection

Summary:

In today’s episode, Les speaks with Pete Roos, CEO of Bridger Photonics, discussing the company's journey and its photonics technology used for precise methane emission detection and topographic mapping. The discussion covers Pete's background, the founding of Bridger Photonics, its early challenges, and the evolution of its technology from topographic to gas mapping LiDAR. Les and Pete also touch on the environmental impact of BP’s work, the oil and gas industry's response to their technology, and future opportunities for growth and expansion.

Here’s a closer look at the episode:

Pete Roos, CEO of Bridger Photonics, shares his background and academic path leading to his role in the Bozeman-based company.

Pete Gallatin County, where Bozeman and MSU are located, has the most photonics companies per capita in the US.

Career path and entrepreneurship in the field of photonics.

Australia as a transformative time for Pete.

Laser technology and its applications in topographic LiDAR.

The split of the company and its subsequent success.

Successful entrepreneurship and innovation in the energy industry.

How Bridger Photonics uses proprietary sensors to detect leaks in natural gas infrastructure.

Methane detection and emission reduction in the oil and gas industry.

Why Pete thinks being based in Bozeman helps with his company mission and culture.

Resources:

Website: https://www.bridgerphotonics.com/

Pete LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-roos-66526510/

Bridger Photonics LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bridger-photonics-inc/

Bridger Phtonics Twitter: https://twitter.com/BridgerPhotonic

In today’s episode, Les talks with John Cordier, the co-founder and CEO of Epistemix. They discuss Epistemix's unique approach to simulation, and how it could be seen as a blend of SimCity, Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point, and The Matrix. John shares his background, including his geospatial experiences, university choices, and his journey through public health, leading to co-founding Epistemic X. The discussion covers the company's simulation technology, its applications in public health, decision-making, and business, particularly in predictive modeling versus traditional analytics. They also explore the broader impact of simulation technology on society and public health.

Here’s a closer look at the episode:

John combines his geospatial experience from childhood with simulation and AI.

Founding a company, simulation vs predictive analytics.

Using simulations to model human behavior and predict outcomes.

Using AI to predict population behavior.

Using AI to analyze healthcare data and predict outcomes.

Creating a new category of analytics with agent-based modeling.

Using data simulations to tell better stories and connect with people.

Personal side projects and education experience.

Life paths and connections with a surprise twist.

Where to find out more about John and Epistemix

Resources:

Website: https://www.epistemix.com/

John LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncordier/

Epistemix LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/epistemix/