Healthy, Happy Founders
A No-BS Conversation About Founder Health (YouTube)
Yep, that’s right, we already have the video from last night’s panel locked, loaded, and uploaded on YouTube! We’re making big progress here at Thunderview CEO Dinners.
And what a panel it was! Our own Lizzie Nelson, alongside Lindsay Donath, Emily Eby, and Mike Clark, had an engaging and inspiring talk about all the aspects of founder health — mental, physical, emotional, and practical. Based on the Q&A that no one wanted to quit after they were done, it was an incredibly valuable conversation and a topic we all should be discussing more. I encourage you to share the video with anyone you think might find it useful (ie, everyone) and keep the dialogue going!
I also encourage you to sign up for next month’s dinner where we’ll discuss non-dilutive funding and options for founders looking to raise money without going the traditional VC/angel route. Even if you have gone the traditional VC/angel route, who couldn’t use some new ideas as we head into the new year?
Our December dinner will not only be the last dinner of the year, it will also be our last dinner before February. We’re taking January off for a bit of a holiday break, so rather than go three whole months without getting together with your favorite group of people, sign up right now and get on the list for next month!
Thank you again to everyone, especially our panelists, for another fantastic dinner. I am already excited to close out the year with all of you next month!
Coming dinners:
December 7th, 2023 — Non-dilutive funding — SIGN UP NOW!
We are off January 2024
February 1st, 2024 — AI roundtable
March 7th, 2024
April 4th, 2024
May 2nd, 2024
The same rules still apply. Once you’ve signed up for next month’s dinner, be sure to…
Help another CEO with an Ask (see below), and;
Refer another CEO to sign up! Post about us on LinkedIn, include us in your email newsletter, share our YouTube video with your founder friends, or whatever creative way you choose to get the word out.
Team shoutouts:
Joe, who joined us again to take headshots and is no longer on the market for a job;
Megan, who can help with any of your PR or content marketing needs;
Lizzie, who has a marketing/comms background, now runs her own Integrative Health coaching practice, and proved last night why she should be at the top of your list for any panel-hosting needs;
Danny and the Merc, who should be your first thought for live music, date nights, and events!
And please, follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn!
See you in December!
Eric! (and Megan!)
Asks
My name is Ori Lotan. I am the CEO of Conveyor AI. We are a software platform that allows high-volume manufacturers to easily integrate robots instead of human-operated stations, to raise productivity and ultimately drive full automation in less time, at a lower cost. I’m seeking introductions to speak with relevant manufacturers, and experts in the manufacturing industry.
My name is Jay Jacobs. I am the CEO of Sky. We help financial advisors automate their client relationship management so they can get back to spending time with their clients. I currently need help with GTM and Sales.
My name is Dave Loftis. I am the CEO of Devious Panda. We are a shell company in the process of becoming an app vendor. We help mobile phone users keep track of their contacts more efficiently, and those same (or different) users identify the best places to fish in Alaska by using novel approaches to managing or repackaging data. We have launched one app on iOS, and will be launching the second on iOS and Android by the end of the year. I'm looking for ideas at the nexus of product and marketing for these tools.
My name is Helen Xu, the founder of Shulytics a no-code analytics platform. A current sales impediment is that we don't know which of our value props to lean into. So I'd love to know from fellow founders/CEOs what you care most about: accurate, automated KPI reporting, the complete outsourcing of data tech stack, on-call analytics expertise for your board and investor meetings, or something entirely different when it comes to analytics?
My name is Loren Kerr, and I’m the founder and CEO of Dex, an esports organization committed to making competitive gaming accessible to all levels of skill sets. We partner with intramural and collegiate leagues and tournaments across the country in building tools for improving the quality of their product and getting them to an easy point of profitability. We’re pre-seed and I’m ultimately looking for any other early founders with a passion for gaming interested in coming in with handling marketing and design or taking over development.
My name is Chris Britt. I am the CEO of HeliBacon. We do Helicopter Hog Hunting in Texas. We kill feral hogs with machine guns from helicopters. The benefit is to farmers and ranchers, and the ecology, economy and environment of Texas. About 50% of our clients are doing corporate entertainment and the rest are folks checking a cool bucket list item. I have recently relocated to the Denver area and am looking for a CEO forum community, focusing on service businesses.
My name is Micah Mador. I help out at Colorado Startups and have been hosting Startup Hikes and Startup Ski Days to get startup folks outside. Come ski and hang with us this winter: coloradostartups.org/ski-days.
My name is Eric Reinhardt. I am the CEO of Helio Home. We have built an end to end technology platform that makes it easy for homeowners to remove fossil fuels and fully electrify their homes. We are starting to grow and would appreciate guidance on the tradeoffs between hiring leadership to grow departments vs hiring individual contributors to get things done.
My name is Brad Paz. I am the CEO of Zoptic. We help athletes and coaches optimize their training and reduce injury risk with wearable technology and data analytics. We’re deploying our beta kit and I’m looking for competitive coaches interested in testing the system.
My name is Mathias Gran. I am the CEO of Work With Feelings. We help organizations experiencing growth or change by developing leaders who engage from the heart to thoughtfully honor the experiences and emotions that arise from change across the organization. I currently need help building a funnel and outreach strategy that doesn't feel gross.
I’m Caroline Caselli, the CEO at Haven Connect. We’re a seed stage startup that connects low-income applicants to affordable housing by selling a property management CRM. I’m looking for help with implementing Amplitude or Pendo for product analytics.
My name is Karen Frame. I am the Founder & CEO of Makeena. We help people lead healthier lives on a cleaner planet by incentivizing them to buy better products anywhere they like to shop, even online, while providing healthy and sustainable brands the granular consumer data and insights they need to grow. We just signed a deal valued at $25M over the next few years with the largest data aggregator in the natural products industry, SPINS, and we need help with scaling that exclusive partnership.
My name is Maggie Gannon and I am CEO of Haven, We solve for critical gaps in EOL care that cause people to die poorly. Our solution provides health care organizations create a positive EOL expereince, improve quality metrics and revenue to support patients with chronic and terminal illness.
My name is Chris Oltyan. I'm the CEO of Compliable. We remove licensing as a bottleneck to growth for companies. During the pandemic, I taught myself how to play concertina, and I somehow ended up organizing a concert series for traditional Irish music called Denver Celtic Night. Come support live performances and also feel free to learn an instrument and play along with us here, at the Merc, Nov 25th at 6:00pm.
My name is Paul Traficanti. I am the CEO of Dare Drop. We help games reach and engage their communities by providing gamified sponsorships for influencers to reward their audiences. We recently have been accepted into a16z's gaming accelerator "Speedrun" and would like to prepare for our demo day and raise in q1 of next year.
My name is Kyle Shannon. I am the CEO of Storyvine. We help Healthcare/Pharma marketers and sales organizations create authentic, professional quality video at scale by allowing their people to use our "Automagic" video storytelling app/platform to self-produce high-quality content. I currently need help with normalizing our revenue predictability.
My name is Michael Dawson. I'm the CEO of Impulse, and we make an app and wearable device to help people overcome addictions and other unwanted patterns of thinking and behavior. While we'll be hiring a full-time team in January, I'd love introductions to top engineers and designers who might be interested in contributing for an hour or two a week in exchange for equity (think: side project!)
My name is Kyle White. I am the CEO of Astrik. We help companies hire Latin American talent and interview skill-based roles better through our Talent Marketplace & Interview Intelligence Platform. I currently need help with beta user feedback for our Interview Plugin/Chrome Extension from TA/HR Managers, Dept/Team Managers, and VP/C-suite Executives.
My name is Arezou Zarafshan. I am the CEO of Call Emmy. We help busy families get some relief in their day-to-day lives by connecting them to childcare and household help they can trust. I am currently looking for contract work (10-15 hours/week) in operations — COO type stuff or chief of staff in order to bring in some income while raising capital.
My name is Rachel Kois. I am the CEO of Simple Switch. We help any business or individual shopper easily spend their money in alignment with their social & environmental values by curating thousands of products with reportable positive impact on people & planet. (Supplies like more sustainable toilet paper, hand soap coffee, and corporate gifts ranging from brandable apparel and coffee mugs to electric bike fleets!) I currently need help nailing my closings, we have lots of B2B customers interested and I'm having trouble getting them across the finish line. I could also just use encouragement, being a cash-strapped entrepreneur is really hard on mental and emotional health.
My name is Stephen Price. I am the CEO and Founder of Triton, an Agtech focused on the sustainable use of water in Agriculture. Agricultures' access to water in many parts of the world is being reduced and throttled. We help growers optimize their allocated water to reduce costs and increase their revenues using AI & ML. Triton helps to solve this existential crisis that is being expedited due to climate impacts, urbanization, and the ever-increasing demand for food. I am looking for introductions to investors in the world of sustainability. agriculture, and AI.
My name is Tom Kiss. I am the CEO of Ate - the digital health journaling and coaching platform. Ate helps you improve your habits around food, movement and sleep to achieve lifelong health. I would love to talk to anyone who has experience in B2C and B2B pricing. How it should be handled in the current economic environment and how discounts could be used for marketing purposes.
My name is Eddy Connors, I am the CEO of Goodie Bag. We are a marketplace solution for surplus food; connecting people to local shops perfectly good unsold food at a do you yes price for pickup. We launched in Boulder this January, got up in FoCo this September while in the Techstars Farm to Fork program, and are launching Denver November 13th! I’d love introductions to any restaurant/bakery/cafe owners, and we are also opening our Seed round in January if you know investors who might be interested.
My name is Auburn Meisner. I am the CEO of Intimate Inquiries and the co-founder of Institute of Inspiration. I help individuals, groups, and businesses develop communication skills, empathy and assertiveness for better dynamics and overall wellness. I'm making an app that will help accelerate the intake and assessment process for new clients for faster access to the right services. I'd love to connect with people in wellness app development, AI integration, and effective marketing for such platforms.
My name is Monica Norder. I am the CEO of Trumee. We are a video storytelling platform alternative to LinkedIn and the digital resume to help job seekers be seen when they can't break through the thousands of applicants or pass AI screening. We have recently launched our MVP and I need help with viral growth marketing and social campaigns.
My name is Jeff Williams. I am the CEO of Exum Instruments. We are a company building next-generation mass spectrometers to measure the composition of the world around us faster and easier than ever. I currently need help with sales strategy and sustainable management of teams.
My name is Mike Kaplan. I am the CEO of REVKIT. We are creating a revolutionary digital platform for the Automotive Industry that helps connect consumers with inspiration and access to aftermarket parts and connects businesses with access to consumer behavioral data. I currently need help with successful techniques to growing the e-commerce side of our business.
My name is Eric McClure. I am the CEO of Mainn. We're a B2B SaaS platform that gives local SMBs a simpler, more cost-effective way to promote and grow their business than any other marketing channel available today. I currently need help with fundraising strategy (“to raise, or not to raise, that is the question”).
My Name is David Sturgeon, I am the CEO of Uncanny.gg. We help live streamers create more compelling and beautiful broadcasts using cutting-edge computer vision technology. No ask this month, just here to provide as much value to the community as I can.
My name is Brian Hurst. I am the CEO of More Seconds and the creator of mDash. mDash is an AI project manager designed to automate your project workflow, cost estimation, timeline estimation, and more. Set it up and forget about it, mDash will organize your team, and handle all of the mundane project management work.
