Year One in the Books
One year. Nine dinners. Nearly 400 founders shining the spotlight on themselves and then asking for help. We’re building something powerful, y’all.
Thanks to the 50+ people who came out to dinner last Thursday. I know I promised this email would come out Friday and, straight up, I. Am. A. Slacker. I have a lot to say, so please read the bullet points and I’ll keep it brief.
Thank you to our panelists for dropping some serious knowledge about non-dilutive funding options. Leah Spielberg would love to help you with grant writing and strategy. Megan Holcomb wants you to apply to LabStart and build the next great climate startup. Brian Parks can provide loan facilities to growing startups with revenue traction. Caleb Polley would love to give you a slightly outdated list of state and national pitch competitions. Take advantage of their generous help.
We are NOT throwing a dinner in January. Our next dinner is February 1st and I’m looking forward to seeing you there.
Starting next year, we’re going to set aside a block of tickets each month for returning CEOs and VCs that doesn’t require the whole signup process. Look for our next email in early January with a direct link to purchase tickets.
We are looking for a handful of volunteers to join the team and help out both during the month and at each dinner. If you know how to use Gmail and Google Docs and have an hour or two a week, I’d love to give you free access to the dinners next year for being a part of the Thunderview Team. Reach out directly to me at eric@marcoullier.com.
Since we’re off next month, you have plenty of time to sign up for February’s dinner. But you don’t need to wait! Sign up now, and use the extra time 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. And, you can always just suggest us directly to your favorite startup CEO.
Team shoutouts:
Joe, who has taken the most badass portraits and event photography I’ve ever seen for us for the past year;
Megan, who can help with any of your PR or content marketing needs;
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!
And please, follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn!
Happy holidays. See you in 2024!
Eric!
Asks
My name is Arezou Zarafshan. I am the CEO of Call Emmy, the only care-connecting platform that parents 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 Ben Dodson. I am the CEO of Doowii. We are an AI data scientist assistant for education data, helping administrators in K12 and Higher-Ed. We are building out our engineering team and I'm looking for a senior/staff-level engineer to join us.
My name is Brad Paz. I am the CEO & co-founder 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 a demo. I love what sports performance data can do for athletes!
My name is Cheryl Kellond. I am the CEO of Play Money. We are the deal flow and engagement platform Taylor-Swifting the angel economy. Play Money enables communities to harness their capital, connections, and collective impact to become the most clutch investors on the cap table and the go-to co-investor for closing out pre-seed and seed stage rounds led by the most exciting emerging fund managers. If Angel List and TikTok had a baby, that’s Play Money. I am currently looking for someone who can help us build out our ambassador program and up-level our social media game.
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 to talk with product folks who have incorporated ChatGPT's algorithm into their product, and if you've seen a revenue bump because of it.
My name is Casey Lawlor. I am the CEO of UnVale. We are an ecosystem for the earliest creators organize their written and visual content, grow and audience, and pursue their goals of creating the next great fandom. I currently need help with performance marketing specifically Instagram and Tiktok paid ads.
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 Chris Oltyan. I'm the CEO of Compliable. If the rate that you acquire licenses and permits is preventing your business from growing, we can remove that bottleneck. I'm looking for anyone who has negotiated or been part of a Sale of Asset versus a reverse triangular merger to learn more about how the process works.
My name is Chris Alto. I'm the CEO of Zipper. We help wellness and fitness business grow with AI. I'm looking for help with product design.
My name is Christine Lum Lung. I am the CEO of Origin Healthcare. We help employers and value based provider organizations save money and improve healthcare outcomes by enabling patients to receive advanced medical care at home, instead of the hospital. We are building out our tech platform and I am looking for introductions to anyone interested in a Head of Tech position.
My name is Danielle McCusker. I am the founder and CEO of Peer Brands. We are a SaaS company that monetizes unused space for our hosts and matches the unused space with small businesses and nonprofits so they can have an affordable place to start. We specialize in commercial kitchen access. Just think air bnb of unused space. I have launched and have grown the company. We are preparing to scale and I am looking for individuals with a financial background, marketing, or experience with scaling a SaaS company.
My name is Dave Loftis. I am the CEO of Devious Panda. We make mobile apps solving problems that (maybe only) I have experience with - consumer-friendly CRM and salmon fishing in Alaska - by building innovative and visionary solutions. I currently need help with adding more time to each day and testing/exploring use-cases of the apps.
My name is Derek Liston. I’m the founder of dijjoo. We are a consumer app in the personal productivity and social spaces. Dijjoo is an AI-assisted personal journaling and sharing app. We turn your life adventures into forever memories. I want to have a conversation with anyone who has ever produced a personal photo book.
My name is Eric McClure. I am the CEO of Mainn. We are a Community-Driven Marketing platform that facilitates collaboration within local business communities to help SMBs reach online audiences easier and more cost effectively than traditional marketing channels. I'm looking for guidance on non-dilutive funding sources.
My name is Faven Assefa. I am the founding CEO of LuXe Coffee. My mission is to craft coffee pouches that not only embody the essence of exceptional taste but visually mirror it as well. I will be launching the new product design in the first quarter of next year, and I am looking for people interested in giving their opinions and feedback on the design.
My name is Gregory Menvielle. I'm the CEO of Okaya where we do AI driven mental health assessments. We help detect people's risk of depression and fatigue. The new version of our algorithm is live and I'm looking for people to use it and give us feedback on what we need to improve.
My name is Jennifer Simpson. I am the CEO of Integrated Work. We are a pro-Justice leadership training and consulting firm that is rapidly scaling our product and platform offerings. We are developing a suite of interactive and engaging learning tools to help leaders and teams build JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) principles into their culture and day-to-day practice. I'm both looking for people who would be willing to test beta-versions of our on-line course and provide feedback and to connect with people who have successfully scaled their digital courses and products to broad global audiences.
My name is Josh Allan Dykstra, I am the CEO of #lovework. I'm currently looking to make a big life change and join an exec team to help them scale their life-changing mission through innovative people and culture strategies. In other words = Chief People Officer, probably for a company that's in the 50-150 person range. I'd love to meet any badass CEOs who don't want their HR department to look like the 1950s.
My name is Justin Snair. I am the CEO of Prepr. We specialize in helping hard-to-reach community groups and governments better prepare for emergencies and disasters. Our innovative product will offer AI-integrated simulation and scenario development, streamlined information sharing, and enhanced learning experiences. I am currently seeking collaborators and feedback to refine and enhance our prototype.
My name is Kevin Goehl. I am the CEO of KBO Systems. We are changing how clinicians monitor sedation and paralytic medications given to a patient in a hospital. This a 155 billion dollar a year problem, and it increases the risk of death 5x. There is no reliable technology solution available to clinicians! We have built a medical device monitor that uses non-invasive disposable sensors to interpret brain waves, this allows clinicians to guide how much medication a patient will need. We currently need guidance with Med device FDA 510k approval and any individuals who have experience with successfully writing NIH SBIR grants.
My name is Loren Kerr. I am the CEO of DEX Esports. We are making Intramural Esports more accessible for everyone regardless of their elo rankings by empowering leagues and tournaments with white labelled tooling needed to recruit, schedule, track statistics, and administer their leagues. We are expecting to launch in fall of 2024 with over 15,000 initial users but not yet funded. We are looking for some early founding members to help us develop the rest of our MVP for launch.
My name is Mackenzie Langley. I am the founder and CEO of Lighthouse. Lighthouse is a social network that makes it easy for nonprofit leaders to develop strategic partnerships and share resources to enhance their impact & efficiency. I am interested in connecting with founders who have experience securing contracts with local government agencies. If that's you, please reach out!
I'm Maggie Gannon, the CEO of HAVEN, a SaSS platform that facilitates medical organizations in delivering clinically-proven Legacy Therapy to elevate standards of care, improve quality metrics, and boost revenue generation. I need help with marketing, sales and fundraising.
My name is Mason Hays. I run iBOS.cloud. We help mid-market businesses regain control of their business with tailored business software powered by AI robotic tailoring so that your software fits your business perfectly. We will be launching our Beta in a few months and need outside unbiased feedback for how we can provide the best value for the market.
My name is Mathias Gran. I am the CEO of Flaunt Apps. We help parents reward the awesome choices their kids make every day, while building autonomy and financial literacy for kids, through our digital sticker chart called Awesome Points. I'm looking for parents to interview and/or try the product. I'd also like to speak with marketers who might know how to segment and reach this audience.
My name is Monica Norder and I am the CEO and co-founder of Trumee. We are a video-based storytelling app that's an alternative to a LinkedIn profile for the younger workforce and brings job candidates to life. We have launched an MVP and looking for companies to pilot the product when hiring to better define our atomic network.
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 Aaron Palumbo. I am the CEO of Big Blue Technologies. We are scaling a sustainable process technology to produce magnesium metal. We currently have the only operational facility in North America. We've hired three people in the last couple months and I could use help with rules of thumb for equity incentive plans.
My name is Paul Traficanti. I am the cofounder 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 to for our demo day and raise in q1 of next year.
My name is Vilas Tulachan, CEO of JobsGuru.ai. We specialize in Human Capital Management, using the latest Generative AI to help job seekers get employed fast and help HR teams quickly identify top candidates.
My name is Dr. Sam Monson. I am the founder and CEO of We Hate Exercise. We are an app that helps gyms and other fitness businesses re-engage “at risk” members before they cancel and bring back members who have already cancelled. We are all-in on product-market fit, currently running pilots and looking for introductions to fitness business owners and product-market fit mentors.
My name is Schuyler Van Sickle. I am the CEO and Founder of XR Goods Company. We help brands stand out from competition by utilizing immersive marketing and augmented reality strategies. I currently need help with (1) meeting angel investors and (2) meeting more marketers who are in immersive marketing strategies.
My name is Scott Kiere. I am the CEO of Urban Green Development. We are a B Corp Sustainable Real Estate Development firm. We are in the final phase of fund raising for our next project in the LoHi neighborhood of Denver. The name of our project is Raha, which is Arabic for Rest. This is our third airbnb type hotel in Denver. Our portfolio includes Espadín LoHi as well as RiNo Art Lofts. Raha is our premier hospitality project to date. I'm looking for valued aligned and like-minded partners prior to breaking ground early in Q1 2024. Your listening, referrals and introductions are appreciated in advance.
My name is Stephanie Cohen, I am the CEO of ModBox Builders. We build shipping container homes and commercial buildings with a commitment to long term affordability, quality and efficiency. After building a successful commercial project for Amazon, we have recently sold and are building our first two homes and I am looking for advice on raising working capital, I need to hire a team so I can scale, tap into the multitudes of government funding opportunities and start building more affordable homes to help address the housing crisis.
My name is Tani Gann, but I go by Tegan. I am the CEO/Founder and Head of Product at EcoVerse & Minted Moments. We are a next Gen martech platform that is disrupting the 2T Live Events industry authenticating brand sponsorship ROI and community participation. Brands are faced with a world & social ecosystem of INAUTHENTICITY. Minted Moments is the new once source of truth social media content aggregator tracking the impact of a brand's entire, life long community outreach or events. Participate to earn, collect and reward as well as authenticated data are at the core of our gamified authentication tools. Minted Moments’ digital memories or awards are embedded with multitudes of authenticated data & have a personal connection to the collector. Our tools and platform help events live on and have pre, intra and post engagement tools that help attendees relive their favourite moments.
My name is Tom Kiss. I am the CEO of Ate. We are holistic food and health tracking platform helping people improve on their food, exercise, and sleep habits. My question this month is more admin/accounting/tax related. We are a DE C-corp currently registered in California. But other than an address, we don't really have anything down there. Want to move our official address to Colorado. If you have done that before and have expertise or horror stories to share, I would love to chat with you.
My name is Arielle Evano. I am the CEO of PTTRN. PTTRN is an emotional IQ platform that allows individuals to log their day to day thoughts feelings & experiences to help find trends in their emotions & thus behaviors. We are doing user research and would love help with feedback on user priorities for our MVP & MVS.
My name is David Solomon. I am the CEO of Defense.Industries. We help SOC Analysts and Security Engineers with Red Team Hacking & Botnet, Malware & Anomaly Detection by Deep Learning Models to Network & File Data. I currently need help with Security & AI Research & Product Testing.
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'm interested in learning more about and hearing success stories of non-dilutive funding and other non-traditional funding methods.
