Thunderview CEO Dinners: The Sequel
We’re back, baby.
They said we couldn’t do it (actually, no one said that), and we pulled it off. Thunderview CEO Dinners — Round 2! — went off without a hitch last evening and I couldn’t be prouder.
We stacked ourselves against some major odds — Rockies’ Opening Day, the Second Night of Passover, TechStars Boulder’s Demo Day and a spate of illnesses — a I can confidently say, without any bias, we were the not-to-be-missed event of the evening!
Thank you again to everyone who attended, with special shoutouts to Wendy Lea, CEO of Energize Colorado, and Jack Policar, CEO of Carbon Free Homes, for their presentations. As promised, Jack’s one-sheet primer on Climate Action for early-stage startups is here, and please also check out what Wendy and her team are doing and get involved if you can!
Our next dinner is already set for May 4th. I’d say that we’ll try to avoid coming up against other major events and holidays in the future, but the honest truth is we’ll always be the first Thursday of the month, no matter what. Even Star Wars holidays don’t stand a chance against us.
And now…
If you want to be invited to the May 4th gathering, you need to sign up here! You’ll also need to bring your lightsabers (kidding, kind of).
In order to ensure you receive an invite, we have a few simple rules:
Help another CEO with an Ask (see below), and;
Refer another CEO to sign up! You can even just post about us on Linkedin with a link to our website (tag Eric Marcoullier and our LinkedIn page!)
As always, I appreciate any feedback you have. Especially from those of you who attended for the second time, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the changes we made since last time. But don’t let that dissuade you first-timers, nothing beats a first impression!
Quick shoutouts to our team:
Joe, who takes lovely photos of us at the dinner and would love to take photos of you and your team as well!
Megan, who can help with any of your PR or content marketing needs.
Danny and the Merc, who should be your first thought for live music, date nights, and events!
And some of you met Carrie Thomas-Omàur last night. She’s with Colorado Startups and organizes a new event that brings together amazing women entrepreneurs, called INSPIREher. Next month is “Wine, Wit & Wisdom” – the event that combines great conversations, delicious food, and of course, wine! She’s created this event with one goal in mind: to provide a space where women entrepreneurs can share their wit and wisdom while enjoying each other's company.
One final ask from me, before all of your asks… follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn! We’re posting regularly and there’s lots of good information to see and share!
Thanks,
Eric!
Asks
My name is Cristina Poindexter. I am the co-CEO of Parable. We help 30 to 50 year old's demystify brain health by introducing effective braincare in their daily routines. Our product is a supplement for daily brain nutrition formulated by neuroscientists proven to effect brain fog, anxiety, focus, and more. While I have an amazing distributed team, I've been working solo in Denver for three years, so the closest thing I have to an ask is to keep learning about startup folks coming together to work and help each other in events like this.
My name is Rani Powers! I am the CEO of Pluto, a B2B SaaS platform for analyzing and visualizing complex biological data sets. Pluto is enabling scientists in academia and pharma to make new discoveries and develop new medicines and diagnostics faster and more accurately. I currently need recommendations for a superstart Director of Sales looking for a new and exciting challenge.
Hi folks, my name is Grant Gunnison. I'm the founder of Zero Homes and technology-enabled marketplace that helps homeowners electrify. We have built software that leverages smartphones to streamline the purchasing process and reduce costs. We are actively launching a new app and are looking for testers. I'm also looking to build a small group of Founders/CEO's (5-7) that have both raised a Seed round and are interested in participating in a monthly dinner together. Slightly more intimate group to help each other through challenges.
My name is Chris Deardorff. I am CEO of revnt. We are a live and on-demand video monetization platform that helps coaches and consultants increase revenue and scale their businesses through selling educational videos. Our conversions have really increased the last few months, and I'm trying to find people with experience in customer success that we can hire.
I’m Seth Heine, CEO of PrologMobile. We are a DaaS company serving the mobile telco space. I’m looking for advice on taking a platform into a Series A (with secondaries), and how to find a replacement CEO in a year. I’m also looking for a good, local, part-time accountant to do the books.
My name is Eric Schneider. I am the CEO of Patchr. We teacher students how invent real electronics and manufacture their inventions, teaching industry realistic electronics engineering to k12. I am looking for introductions to computer science or physics teachers.
My name is Dustin Ramsay. I'm the CEO of Sarus Lifting. We help crane and heavy haul companies save time and reduce risk while moving heavy loads with our Lift-Pro software platform. Specifically, it helps field personnel simulate crane work on an iPad. I need advice on developing partnerships with the large crane manufacturers that make the cranes our customers use. (i.e. Manitowoc, Liebherr, Tadano, Link-Belt, Sany, Manitex, XCMG, Zoomlion, Altec)
My name is Mike Rowan. I am the CEO of Get Structure. We emperor founder-led startups to scale simpler & lead longer by delivering Startup operations as a service for venture-backed founders. I currently need help learning & ideating from advisors and mentors passionate about operational excellence - it will help me be a better CEO, build a better product for founders, and an opportunity to bring your expertise to our collective currently in alpha (operational focused startup community).
My name is Kyle Shannon. I am the Co-Founder/CEO of Storyvine, which is an automated video agility platform. We allow our clients to create high quality video anywhere, anytime from anyone. I'm also the founder of a number of generative AI communities and initiatives, and actively pursuing everything AI I can get my hands on. I've got a new Omnichannel Content Engine I am market testing for Storyvine that I would love feedback on, as well as opportunities to speak/consult on generative AI, collaborate or even just kick ideas around.
My name is Mackenzie Langley. I am the CEO of Lighthouse. We are a social network that creates opportunities for nonprofits to collaborate with their communities and expand their networks online. I'm looking to bring on a director of tech passionate about social impact. If that is you, or you have experience with building teams, I'd love to connect!
My name is Maggie Gannon. I am CEO of HAVEN. We are a modern end-of-life software and we assist health care systems improve the care quality for anyone who is navigating severe illness. We launched in January 2022 and are gaining traction. I am looking for help from anyone in the health tech world, mentors industry connections.
My name is Bree Thomas. I am the Founder/CEO of Balance. Over half of the independent workers out there (gig workers) struggle to match uneven cash flows with life expenses. Balance solves their problem with financial forecasting solutions. Today, we help them predict their earnings. Tomorrow, we build custom financial products for what will be the new working majority. We have an early version of our product and I'm looking for interested testers, preferably those in shift/appointment-based gig work.
My name is Nicole Friedenberg. I am the founder and CEO of Amateur Hour. We are an online marketplace where people with a skill or hobby can offer in person classes to those who want one. I am looking for a mentor who has experience with scaling a marketplace.
My name is Ryan Fishel. I am the CEO of The Sweet Spot. We're making bikes more accessible by getting people on them for half the cost of retail through a turn-key financing solution and lease management platform focused on bicycle retailers and manufacturers. We are in the process of integrating our system into ecommerce systems like Shopify and would love to chat with anyone that has had experience with it.
My name is Brian Hurst. I am the CEO and founder of More Seconds. We have both a product and a suite of services. Our core SaaS product, mDash is an intelligent project management tool designed specifically for managing web development projects. And as you can probably guess, our core service offerings are all web development related, specifically we specialize in CMS development.
My name is Mike Kester. I am the CEO of Lead Belay. We offer a group coaching and leadership development programs for new and mid-level managers–it's a unique and affordable approach where we match managers across companies and give them a coach. We're about to launch a Beta of our 180-degree assessment and I could use people interested in testing the tool and getting anonymous feedback from their teams.
My name is Casey Lawlor. I am the CEO of UnVale. We've built a home for people to trade identity-based, user-generated content like profile pictures, avatars, and gaming characters. Users can display, sell, and trade for the first time, creating a 100% user-generated collectibles market (no NFTs needed!). We launched last week and are doing user recruiting. I would love guidance on how to organically grow online communities that touch gaming, fandoms, and streaming spaces online.
My name is Ian Cairns. I am the CEO of 228 Labs. We help <product development teams without significant AI/ML expertise> <build great AI-powered features in production> by <giving them tools for developers & non-technical experts to collaborate>. I currently need help with <product validation research -- intros to developers or PMs who have shipped GPT-powered features>.
My name is Omar-Pierre Soubra, CEO of Good Veg Foods. We create plant-based charcuterie with traditional French recipes so that everyone can see at the same table, vegan or not. I currently need help in connecting with a non-profit that helps women in difficult situations get back to work.
My name is Dan Bruder. I am the CEO of Blendification. We have a fully integrated AI strategic planning platform that blends company focus and employee focus. We are releasing the AI-powered strategy software this month. I need help connecting with technology journalists and writers.
My name is Mike Shanley. I am the CEO of AidKonekt Data, a bootstrapped, profitable, and growing B2B SaaS firm in the government procurement sector. We help US government contractors, specifically in the $30 billion/year US foreign aid market to win more funding by building a software that streamlines their pipeline monitoring and accelerates competitor and procurement research, so they can win more government funding with less resources. We have built a solid subscriber base and I am looking for account management solutions to keep retention high. I want to build a process to get regular feedback from clients, especially ahead of their renewal dates, and to check in with new subscribers early on to make sure the onboarding is smooth. Any suggestions for tools, consultants, or other resources to support B2B SaaS account management?
My name is Marshall Hayes. I am the CEO of Pick Me Up. We have a Party Game like Cards Against Humanity but for Pickup Lines. I would love to talk with someone running a web comic or blog like The Oatmeal, Wait But Why, XKCD (someone that may want to partner in building the game). Im also looking to talk with anyone that has run a kickstarter that raised more than $1M. If you want to play test the game, let me know.
My name is Tom Kiss. I am the CEO of Ate. We help people struggling with disordered eating live a better life, by providing them an easy to use, nonjudgmental, mindfulness based food journaling solution to help them improve their habits. I currently need help with effective influencer marketing on a minimal budget.
My name is Ian Fischer. I am the CEO of C Prompt Games. We are a game developer focused on creating PC strategy / management titles. Our team has a unique set of skills and experience that makes us one of very few developers capable of this work. Our team is growing and I'd like to hire additional people in Denver (but, see above, the skill set is rare).
My name is Jack Policar. I am the CEO of Carbon Free Homes. We help homeowners with electrifying their homes by connecting them with qualified local contractors and DTC products. I currently need help with introductions to city officials working on decarbonization and hitting city-based climate goals.
My name is Caleb Polley. I am the CEO of Cubby Beds. We make smart beds for kids with special needs. Would love to talk to anyone who has sold to hospital systems or insurance payors!
My name is Scott McMunn. I am co-founder of company called Nestfuel - we are a fintech mortgage lender looking to reinvent home ownership through technology and financial innovation. We are launching a beta product in CO which is a financial wellbeing employee benefit - helping employers solve for retention of talent and providing employees up to 20% larger mortgage for same monthly payment and online and in person financial education! I am looking for help to navigate the HR and benefits world and get access to decision makers in firms.
My name is Ilya Radzinsky. I am the COO of TaxDome. We help small to medium sized accounting firms manage their projects and collaborate internally and with their clients through a SAAS platform. We have over 5,000 paying firms globally using it since launching 4 years ago. I currently need help with scaling a team (we are >150) and battling existing customer concerns vs product development to obtain new customers
My name is Mike Gellman. I'm a founder of ThingVC. We're a micro venture fund that makes super early-stage investments in underestimated entrepreneurs. Given that we're just getting off the ground, would love any feedback, suggestions, or contacts.
My name is Eric Marcoullier. I help organize the Thunderview CEO Dinners. Being a startup CEO is one of the most rewarding AND challenging roles anyone will ever volunteer for, and it’s often lonely AF. We bring together a diverse group of startup CEOs at a monthly dinner to solve challenges and celebrate wins. My ask is for my son Royse, who is interested in working in the trades (plumbing, welding, electrical, carpentry, etc). If you know any Boulder/Denver-based CEOs of trade-based companies, I’d love an intro.
