Found In The Rockies

Found In The Rockies

By Les CraigBusiness
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Found In The Rockies episodes

  • Abby Schlatter (commonFont) \\ Building a Bozeman company with co
    In today’s episode, Abby Schlatter joins us, who is the CEO and co-founder of Bozeman based commonFont. CommonFont is a tech company that partners with the world's top companies to establish, evolve and optimize experience management solutions.
    Here’s a closer look at the episode:
    Abby’s start in Central Illinois, Harvard, Stanford Business School, Google, UNICEF
    The decision to come to Bozeman
    Life in Bozeman in 2013
    Starting to hire and grow the team
    The name commonFont and how it relates to the company mission
    Experience Management Technology
    Having too many tools that don’t work well together
    Opening an office in Rhode Island
    Who we choose to hire - commitment, heart, and grit
    How commonFont culture has been built
    Community Involvement - support of HRDC
    Challenges and overcoming them
    Thoughts on achieving success
    Pushing through tough times
    The “winning mindset” - rigor, discipline, and accountability
    commonFont Confluence event
    Resources:
    Website: https://www.commonfont.com/
    Abby Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbyschlatter/
    commonFont LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/commonfont/
    commonFont Twitter: https://twitter.com/commonFont
    commonFont Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commonFont/
    1 hr
  • Timeri Tolnay (EdCuration) \\ Empowering educators to find the best resources

    Summary:

    In today’s episode, we have an Timeri Tolnay, who is the CEO and founder of EdCuration. Timeri is an Edupreneur, who has built a company focused on connecting educators to the right curriculum and instructional resources to help their students succeed. 

    Here’s a closer look at the episode:

    • Timeri’s early career in education in California
    • Moving to Colorado
    • Understanding how schools purchase curriculum
    • Developing and selling a curriculum company
    • The problem Timeri was trying to solve
    • Launch in 2018
    • Early advice from Traction
    • Raising a Friends and Family round
    • Support from the state of Colorado
    • First customers
    • How they defined the business model
    • Growing the team during COVID
    • Challenges of raising capital
    • What is exciting in the works
    • The future of education

    Resources:

    EdCuration Website: https://edcuration.com/ 

    Timeri Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timeri-tolnay-1586591a/ 

    EdCuration LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edcuration/ 

    EdCuration Twitter: https://twitter.com/ed_curation 

    EdCuration Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edcuration/ 

    EdCuration Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EdCuration 


    42 min
  • Timeri Tolnay (EdCuration) \\ Empowering educators to find the be
    In today’s episode, we have an Timeri Tolnay, who is the CEO and founder of EdCuration. Timeri is an Edupreneur, who has built a company focused on connecting educators to the right curriculum and instructional resources to help their students succeed.
    Here’s a closer look at the episode:
    Timeri’s early career in education in California
    Moving to Colorado
    Understanding how schools purchase curriculum
    Developing and selling a curriculum company
    The problem Timeri was trying to solve
    Launch in 2018
    Early advice from Traction
    Raising a Friends and Family round
    Support from the state of Colorado
    First customers
    How they defined the business model
    Growing the team during COVID
    Challenges of raising capital
    What is exciting in the works
    The future of education
    Resources:
    EdCuration Website: https://edcuration.com/
    Timeri Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timeri-tolnay-1586591a/
    EdCuration LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edcuration/
    EdCuration Twitter: https://twitter.com/ed_curation
    EdCuration Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edcuration/
    EdCuration Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EdCuration
    1 hr
  • Natty Zola (Matchstick Ventures) \\ From Entrepreneur to Venture Capitalist

    Summary:

    In today’s episode, Natty Zola, who is a TechStars founder travel startup EverLater. He's the former managing director of TechStars Boulder and now is an investor and partner at Matchstick Ventures.


    Here’s a closer look at the episode:

    • From Colorado to Maryland for a bad track team
    • Leaving Finance to develop Everlater
    • How travel inspired Everlater
    • The early help with Everlater and the “give first” mindset of Colorado
    • Access to capital in the early days
    • Getting acquired by MapQuest
    • Joining TechStars as the managing director
    • How Natty’s entrepreneur journey helped him succeed at TechStars
    • What Natty loves most about being an investor
    • The decision to leave TechStars and become a full time investor
    • The Matchstick investment strategy
    • Importance of collaborative investing
    • The things Natty looks for in an investment
    • Importance of diversity in founders
    • How companies can be attractive for Series A and coastal capital
    • Natty’s advice during these economic times

    Resources:

    Natty’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nattyzola/ 

    Natty’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/NattyZ 

    Matchstick website: https://www.matchstick.vc/  

    Matchstick LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/matchstickventures/ 


    41 min
  • Natty Zola (Matchstick Ventures) \\ From Entrepreneur to Venture
    In today’s episode, Natty Zola, who is a TechStars founder travel startup EverLater. He's the former managing director of TechStars Boulder and now is an investor and partner at Matchstick Ventures.
    Here’s a closer look at the episode:
    From Colorado to Maryland for a bad track team
    Leaving Finance to develop Everlater
    How travel inspired Everlater
    The early help with Everlater and the “give first” mindset of Colorado
    Access to capital in the early days
    Getting acquired by MapQuest
    Joining TechStars as the managing director
    How Natty’s entrepreneur journey helped him succeed at TechStars
    What Natty loves most about being an investor
    The decision to leave TechStars and become a full time investor
    The Matchstick investment strategy
    Importance of collaborative investing
    The things Natty looks for in an investment
    Importance of diversity in founders
    How companies can be attractive for Series A and coastal capital
    Natty’s advice during these economic times
    Resources:
    Natty’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nattyzola/
    Natty’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/NattyZ
    Matchstick website: https://www.matchstick.vc/
    Matchstick LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/matchstickventures/
    1 hr
  • Susie Lira-Gonzalez & Thomas Cotter (INDX) \\ Curated content for continuous learning

    In today’s episode, I talk with co-founders who deliberately relocated their early stage startup to the great State of Colorado. They are on a mission to curate learning paths for all of your interests. No more Google searches or expensive online courses. The co-founders of INDX  - Susie Lira-Gonzalez & Thomas Cotter,  are helping experts and tastemakers curate the best articles, podcasts and newsletters to help you quickly level up your interests and knowledge. 

    Here’s a closer look at the episode:

    • Early days and how Susie and Thomas met
    • From big tech to the startup world
    • Creative bootstrapping strategies during COVID
    • Notre Dame to Denver
    • The original vision
    • How INDX is different from traditional ways to learn
    • Value in curated content
    • Who were the early adopters
    • Early mistakes - what didn’t work
    • Challenges for an early-stage startup
    • Hitting the pain point
    • Getting creative with limited resources
    • Thinking about how to raise money
    • What makes them a winning team
    • Importance of trust
    • Learning Paths
    • Calling all curators
    • Why curated content is so valuable
    • What is on Susie and Thomas’s INDXs

    Resources:

    Website: getINDX.com 

    Susie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susielira/ 

    Susie Twitter: https://twitter.com/susiestartup?lang=en 

    Susie TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@susiestartup 

    Thomas LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tcotter1/ 

    Thomas Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/cottertmc 

    INDX LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/getindx/ 

    INDX Twitter: https://twitter.com/getindx 

    INDX Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getindx/ 

    INDX Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/INDXSoftware 


    49 min
  • Susie Lira-Gonzalez & Thomas Cotter (INDX) \\ Curated content for
    In today’s episode, I talk with co-founders who deliberately relocated their early stage startup to the great State of Colorado. They are on a mission to curate learning paths for all of your interests. No more Google searches or expensive online courses. The co-founders of INDX - Susie Lira-Gonzalez & Thomas Cotter, are helping experts and tastemakers curate the best articles, podcasts and newsletters to help you quickly level up your interests and knowledge.
    Here’s a closer look at the episode:
    Early days and how Susie and Thomas met
    From big tech to the startup world
    Creative bootstrapping strategies during COVID
    Notre Dame to Denver
    The original vision
    How INDX is different from traditional ways to learn
    Value in curated content
    Who were the early adopters
    Early mistakes - what didn’t work
    Challenges for an early-stage startup
    Hitting the pain point
    Getting creative with limited resources
    Thinking about how to raise money
    What makes them a winning team
    Importance of trust
    Learning Paths
    Calling all curators
    Why curated content is so valuable
    What is on Susie and Thomas’s INDXs
    Resources:
    Website: getINDX.com
    Susie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susielira/
    Susie Twitter: https://twitter.com/susiestartup?lang=en
    Susie TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@susiestartup
    Thomas LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tcotter1/
    Thomas Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/cottertmc
    INDX LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/getindx/
    INDX Twitter: https://twitter.com/getindx
    INDX Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getindx/
    INDX Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/INDXSoftware
    1 hr
  • Harley Blakeman (Honest Jobs) \\ Providing Real Second Chances
    And on today's show, we have Harley Blakeman, who is the CEO of Honest Jobs. He is sharing with us one of the most authentic and powerful stories of inspiration you will hear anywhere. Harley founded Honest Jobs, to help people impacted by the criminal justice system. find meaningful employment. He is going to tell us his story, what circumstances landed him in jail, and where his passion came from to start Honest Jobs.
    Here’s a closer look at the episode:
    Harley’s early life in Texas, Arkansas, and Florida
    Tragedy that lead to drug use and drug dealing
    Incarceration and turning the corner
    The struggle with finding a job
    Understanding the pain point and finding first customers
    Mistakes made building the platform
    Educating companies about statistics around employment people with a criminal record
    Harley’s own hiring practices
    Company culture and camaraderie
    Raising capital - first Angel investment
    TechStars
    Finding a engineer turned CTO
    Advice to other founders in the early stages of their company
    The importance of legal advice early on
    Protecting your equity
    Changes in 2022
    Startup Island
    Resources:
    Honest Jobs: https://www.honestjobs.co/
    Harley's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harley-blakeman/
    Honest Jobs LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/honestjobsco/
    Honest Jobs Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/honestjobsHQ
    Harley's Twitter: https://twitter.com/harley_blakeman
    Honest Jobs Twitter: https://twitter.com/honestjobsco
    Honest Jobs YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD0oJUUcgmb42A5ORs-RlKQ
    1 hr
  • Heather Shoemaker (Language I/O) \\ The Language of Coding
    In today’s episode, we have Heather Shoemaker, who is the CEO and co-founder of LanguageI/O. She’s a linguist, but she doesn't just speak multiple languages. She also speaks programming languages. As a matter of fact, she wrote the first version of her company's enterprise software, the epitome of a technical founder and CEO, meet one of Wyoming's most accomplished startup founders,
    Here’s a closer look at the episode:
    Heather’s love of language and communication
    From linguistics to Java programming
    Working as a globalization engineer on software globalization
    Learning from experience at eCollege during the acquisition by Pearson Education
    The importance of understanding the corporate world and cultures
    The connection between coding and languages
    Jumping off the entrepreneur cliff
    Building the translation solution
    Licensing the solution to other companies
    Going from FAQ translation to real-time translation for email and chat
    Solving the problems of nuances in different languages
    From solving the problem to becoming LanguageI/O
    Committed to staying in Cheyenne
    Going from Angel funding to VC funding
    The unique journey as a woman fundraising in tech
    What is coming up for LanguageI/O
    The future of tech in Wyoming
    Advice for founders
    Resources:
    Language I/O Website: https://languageio.com/
    Heather's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathermorganshoemaker/
    Heather's Twitter: https://twitter.com/heathersh
    Language I/O Twitter: https://twitter.com/languageio
    Language I/O LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/languageio/
    Language I/O Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LanguageIO
    1 hr
  • Josh Nielsen (Zencastr) \\ Creating the “perfect” podcasting platform

    In today’s episode, we are joined by Josh Nielsen, a founder who launched his tech career as a Hackstar in Boulder. He then traveled all over the world, only to return to the Rockies to build and grow something new and very exciting, Zencastr. Josh is here today to talk to us about the trajectory of the podcasting industry, what podcasters need and how his platform is innovating, modern recording tools for quality conscious podcasters

    Here’s a closer look at the episode:

    • What brought Josh to the Rockies
    • From Mechanical Engineering to Computer Engineering
    • Early days at Mahalo
    • TechStars Hackstar program
    • Hackathon music production platform
    • Moving to Australia
    • Fast-tracking creating a new company
    • How a quilting business comes into the story
    • Why a podcasting platform?
    • The problem with the available platforms
    • Getting the first 100 users
    • Moving to Thailand
    • Making money while you sleep
    • Josh’s return to the Rockies
    • Solving more podcasting headaches
    • What is unique about Zencastr
    • Raising capital
    • Bringing on a co-founder
    • What’s next for Zencastr

    Resources:

    Zencastr Website: www.zencastr.com

    Josh Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshnielsen/

    Zencastr LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zencastr/

    Josh Twitter: https://twitter.com/joshontheweb

    Zencastr Twitter: https://twitter.com/zencastr


    47 min

About Found In The Rockies

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