We’re Back, Baby!
It’s been a long, hot summer and we missed ya!
After taking the month of July off, it was amazing to see so many people — both new and old — join us at the Merc.
Thank you to everyone who sat through my bit of slam poetry — say it with me, THIS WILL NOT BE YOUR LAST STARTUP! — and of course a huge thank you to Auburn Meisner for her discussion about stress and how we can all give ourselves more of a break. If you didn’t catch my email, check out her slides here, and you can find out more about her work on her website.
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t give a special shoutout to the guys from Gringos Tacos, who served up a delicious dinner for us. I don’t think there was a single person who didn’t go back for seconds, and I’m already looking forward to the weird and tasty tacos they’ll bring with them next month.
Speaking of next month(s), it’s not one you’ll want to miss. Not only will we have the usual mingling, introductions, and dinner, but we’re also bringing back our panel discussions.
September: we’re talking all things influencer marketing and how companies can find, work with, and succeed with influencers.
October: we’re already organizing a panel on how to secure media coverage and work with the press.
If you’ve been trying to get the word out about your company — and who among us isn’t? — be the first to sign up for the September dinner here.
Of course, if you want to attend, you still have to do the following:
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!)
On to the team shoutouts:
Joe, who joined us again to take headshots, and also is on the market for a product design job. You can check out his LinkedIn and reach out to him here;
Megan, who can help with any of your PR or content marketing needs — she’s also leading our influencer marketing panel next month;
Lizzie, who has a marketing/comms background and now runs her own Integrative Health coaching practice;
Danny and the Merc, who should be your first thought for live music, date nights, and events!
Our final ask, and then on to yours: follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn!
See you in September!
Eric!
Asks
My name is Joshua Kagan. I am the CEO of Bonfire. We are like a wine club but for real estate. We enable everyday people to invest in one commercial real estate deal per month for $1000 instead of typical minimums of $100,000. I currently need help with prioritizing my marketing time, channels, and positioning.
My name is Chris Oltyan, and I'm the CEO of Compliable. We help companies manage the licenses they need to stay in compliance and operate legally by distributing the work across the entire organization and automating the rote paperwork aspects of license application and renewal. I currently need to find more and better ways to create good social connection spaces with a completely virtual company. We've tried a couple of things, and I have some in the works, but would love feedback and insight into what has worked well for you (other than just Donut/Slack).
My name is Baat Enosh. I am the CEO of Nia Growth. We help freelancers save for retirement by simplifying, automating, and personalizing the process. I'm currently looking at innovative ways to keep a small remote-only team engaged and not just transactional. Also looking for a good UI/UX designer.
My name is Ben Dodson. I am the CEO of Doowii. We help K12 and Higher Ed with accessing data and perform data analysis by creating a personalized AI Data Scientist for Education. I currently need help with fundraising and hiring.
My name is Max Dordevic. I am the CEO of NeuroX1. We help Pharma design novel therapeutics and identify targets for neurological disorders. I currently need help with partnerships.
My name is Eric Reinhardt. I am the CEO of Helio Home. We are helping 100 million homes in the US go all electric by creating a technology enabled marketplace that guides users down the most efficient path for their particular home. I currently need help with validating marketing channels on a budget.
My name is Mike Weber. I am the CEO of a new patented ad/mar-tech platform called Elteve. We enable the creation and application of targeted advertisements on the outside of a parcel. We help merchants increase revenue, retention, and post-sale experience by leveraging the unused real estate of their parcels packaging. I currently need help finding additional 3PL pilot partners and 3rd party advertisers.
My name is Gregarious Narain. I am the CEO of Zealous. We help time-strapped leaders and teams struggling to engage prospects by using AI and a network of human experts to ideate, generate, and market content that closes customers. I currently need help with connecting with internal teams and founders looking to start marketing.
My name is Faven Assefa. I am a college student and the CEO of Luxe coffee. We are creating a luxury subscription coffee service that elevates coffee lovers’ relationship with their favorite drink. I recently left my job and am looking for an awesome entry-level position so that I can continue investing in my company.
My name is Niki Sawni. I am the CEO of Gruvi. Gruvi support the transition to lower alcohol lifestyles through producing an incredible variety of award winning alc-free beers and wines. We are currently working hard to build out alc-free menus locally and are looking for warm intros in the Colorado hospitality space.
My name is Eric Reinhardt. I am the CEO of Helio Home. We are managed marketplace for whole home electrification. We make it easy for homeowner to remove fossil fuels and fully electrify their homes. We are launching our end to end sales experience would appreciate users with a keen product eye to give us feedback.
My name is Connell. I am the CEO of Enertiv. We help large Commercial Real Estate portfolios operate more efficiently by embedding real time energy data and analytics into traditional building management workflows. I currently need help transitioning from founder led sales to an independent and capable sales team.
My name is Kyle Shannon. I am the CEO of Storyvine. We help healthcare/pharma companies with telling their stories with an automated video storytelling platform. I currently need help with positioning my company to sell to strategics.
My name is Loren Kerr. I am the CEO of DEX. We are an esports data insights and analytics platform that is building tooling for players, coaches, and intramural and collegiate esports organizations. Over the last few months I've spent time working on getting letters of intentions signed across the community. We now have over 10,000 committed at launch, as well as a few potential enterprise clients and universities across Div 1 and Div 3 programs. Given the climate we decided to spend the summer getting people excited and committed with the intent to pitch in the fall. This is my first raise and I'm looking for any help to try and get all the ducks in a row before trying to pitch.
My name is Casey Lawlor. I am the CEO of UnVale, the home for character creation. Character creation has become a pastime that millions online love to do as a way of expressing their identity. We are the home for sharing, selling, and trading this growing content category, creating an ecosystem around identity exploration and creativity. Oh, and we've reached over 7000 creators. I am looking for strategic partners in the gaming, digital media, and entertainment spaces.
My name is Marcella Hall. I am the CEO of MascotxYou. We’re developing Personality Insights so higher education can address the mental health epidemic using a data-driven solution. We are currently looking for warm intros to collegiate Athletic Departments.
My name is Stephanie Cohen, I am the CEO of ModBox Builders. We help low and middle income families with housing solutions by building affordable modular housing out of shipping containers. I currently need help with uncovering opportunities to work with housing developers, attracting and closing customers, and finding the right investor ecosystem for my business.
My name is Eric McClure. I am the CEO of Mainn. We help local business communities promote online through a distributed partnership portal embedded on their website. I currently need help understanding technical limitations.
My name is Todd Hanford. I am the CEO of JobVyne. 7% of job applicants come from employee referrals, but make up 40% of hires. Referrals are by far the best way to get a job! We help connect job seekers with hiring managers and employees of the companies they want to work at. Right now we are focusing on product manager and human resources positions. If you know anyone looking for a job please connect them with me or send them to jobvyne.com.
My name is Dillon Baird. I am the CEO of RepMove. We help companies driven by field sales with achieving sales growth and customer retention through effective planning, successful daily execution, leadership support, accelerated new rep onboarding, and cost-efficient rep turnover handling. I currently need help with Growth & Marketing.
My name is Irete Hamdani, Founder and CEO at askBelynda. We are an ESG-driven product search and recommendation platform that helps businesses with sustainable workplace procurement. I am looking for design partners to help shape the solution.
I go by the name Jas. I am the CEO and founder of SmartHaul. We are a tech marketplace that allows freight to be delivered 2x faster while bringing truck drivers back home more often through a pony express relay model. We are testing the model with early customers and I'm looking for AI SMEs who can validate the product model. Email
My name is Katie Viehdorfer and I am the CEO of STR Linens. We bring hotel quality linens into short term rental (STR) properties eliminating the need for laundry between checkouts. By creating customized packages for each STR we cater to the individual needs of each property and host. We currently need help with our process and ensuring a smooth delivery for our customers.
My name is Daniel Valdez. I am the CEO of ALUM. We help early career professionals from underrepresented groups that lack opportunities by connecting them with professional mentors. I currently need help with expanding the founding team.
My name is Jess Ward. I am the CEO & Founder of Athinka and host of Firepower X. We train resilience in firefighters to eliminate firefighter suicides by 2026. We're launching a virtual community for firefighters (using a subscription model) and I'm looking to connect with fellow CEOs who have built thriving online communities, to harvest their learnings.
My name is Mike Hartman. I am the CEO of Vibransy (formerly FlourishAI). We are building a mobile application that combines conversational AI and a life-like digital avatar to address loneliness and mental wellness in America’s middle and high school youth. We launched our pre-seed round a couple of weeks ago with substantial traction and would love guidance on how to align disparate term sheets to common terms.
My name is Tom Kiss. I am the CEO of Ate. We help people looking to make a healthy lifestyle change to be more consistent on their journeys, with a primary focus on helping people understand their eating habits. I currently need help with navigating the world of bootstrapping and optimizing cash flow.
My name is Jake Buzaid. I am the founder of Curation Beverage Company. We are a canned alcoholic beverage company with cocktails, wine spritzers and seltzers. We launched one year ago this month in Colorado and have experienced great success so far. I am looking for help and guidance on how to more effectively manage our field sales team during our critical "building phase".
My name is Kevin Wysocki. I am the CEO of Sentinel Insights. We are a virtual consultant for data-driven marketers, ensuring they collect accurate and consented data across their digital channels. I currently need help with deciding on financing options and introductions to seed-stage investment networks.
My Name is Zach Garfias. I am the CEO of eGent. We are a real estate eContract and Transaction Management software that recently launched in CO with plans for national expansion. We compete against an antiquated monopoly to streamline the real estate transaction and contract process with helpful tools that have never been done before. I currently need help with making the right hiring decisions and developing additional connections with real estate brokerage firm owners.
My name is Auburn Meisner, LCSW, CST. I am the CEO of Intimate Inquiries. I help people improve their sexual health and overall wellness by providing online communities and specific sequential tools that raise awareness on sexual attitudes, thoughts, urges, and behaviors to create meaningful change. I will be launching an app in the next couple of months that will make the systems, tools, communities, and materials more accessible and anonymous to a larger audience.
My name is Zac Garthe. I am the CEO of Sigil. We are making eCommerce honest, starting by protecting brands from people illegally stealing their online sales using AI to identify and take down the sellers. I currently need help practicing my fundraising pitch, as we’re about to go out and raise our Seed round.
My name is Topher Deutschman. I am the CEO of Jombine. We Source, Evaluate, & Connect people and companies. Through our proprietary 'Combine' evaluation program, tech-enabled recruiting platform, and a network effect with our Agents (recruiters), we help candidates land jobs and companies land people based on culture, hiring goals, and team dynamics. I currently need help with our overall Sales/Marketing approach and differentiation models as we look to disrupt a broken and dated industry.
I'm Nickholas Doty, CEO of Artdrop. We liberate artists by showcasing their work and stories through our 3D Art scanning/printing app ecosystem and NFC connected Gallery Hang Tags. Seeking assistance in Finance and Fundraising.
My name is Tore Nilsen. Founder of iBOS. We create AI software robots that create business software. I'm looking for founders that see software as a tool to scale and automate business processes.
My name is John Tredennick. I am the CEO and Founder of Merlin Search Technologies. Merlin leverages GenAI and cloud computing to re-engineer legal investigation and discovery workflow, supplementing manual efforts with machine learning algorithms to make the process faster, easier, and far less expensive. We will be rolling out our GPT integration this fall and I will be looking to build an international sales force. I need to figure out how to find the right sales leader who doesn't need a half-million dollar salary at the beginning. The trick is that they need to understand and be comfortable with highly-educated and opinionated legal professionals.
