I’ve been a longtime supporter of TechStars, the #1 startup accelerator in the world. I’m a mentor to the teams, investor in the program and we’ve funded five companies that have completed the Bolder program. I believe with all my heart that the companies that graduate from Techstars have a significant competitive advantage over their competitors, not […]
Archive for the ‘Start-Up’ Category
Feb
23
Jan
13
A Successful Pivot
I vividly recall a night in September 2008. I was having a beer with Pete Gombert, CEO of Balihoo, one of our portfolio companies. We were celebrating the recent stretch of good fortune that the company was enjoying. The company was on the verge of closing multi-million dollar relationships with a couple of the largest […]
May
10
Searching For A Co-Founder
An ad for a co-founder? Yes, that’s what this is. We have a close (and long) relationship with a very talented entrepreneur who is planning to launch an online startup in the global remittance industry and if possible, headquarter the company here in Boise. This founder has significant experience in global banking and is looking […]
May
03
Federal Grants
Did you know that 1 of every 8 companies that applies for a federal grant is endowed with one and each year the federal government sets aside more than 2 billion dollars for small business funding? Locally (Boise), a grant-writing workshop is being held on May 18th. The course is being led by Mark Henry, a nationally […]
Apr
24
OK Boise: Now What?
Last week, I was invited to speak at develop.Idaho 2011, the first annual gathering for Boise’s software community. From my perspective, the event was terrific as these things go. I saw lots of old friends and I was very encouraged by how many new (and younger!) faces I saw as 250 people showed up for […]
Apr
12
Why Should I Apply To BoomStartup?
Ever heard of BoomStartup? It’s a mentorship-driven startup accelerator in Salt Lake City similar in structure to the renowned TechStars program of David Cohen and Brad Feld. In fact, BoomStartup recently became one of the first members of the newly formed TechStars Network (which essentially means if you’re accepted to BoomStartup, you can gain improved […]
Mar
02
GutCheck Steals the Show (and $1 million)
A few months ago I posted a blog titled “5 minutes with Matt Warta, CEO of GutCheck“. You can check that out, if you want to learn more about Matt and the vision for GutCheck. At the time, Matt and the GutCheck team were busy gathering feedback on their beta, incorporating the changes into their […]
Feb
22
TechStars Boulder Early Application Deadline - Feb. 24th
The early application deadline for TechStars Boulder is rapidly approaching. The deadline is February 24th, 2011 and you can apply here. Over the years, Highway 12 Ventures has invested in a number of TechStars graduates and based up the terrific performance of these companies, we strongly believe that this program gives startups a tremendous advantage […]
Feb
22
Carefx Acquired by Harris Corporation
Eight years ago, we invested in the Series A financing (Fund I) in Carefx, and we and our limited partners are about to reap the benefits of the just announced acquisition by Harris Corporation for $155 million. Today’s announcement represents the culmination of almost a decade of hard work by all of the people who […]
Jan
13
Do Something
My partners and I at Highway 12 Ventures are in a two day planning offsite, so in between big thoughts and bad jokes I have been catching up on a little reading. This morning I came across a recent TechStars blog that reminded me of a quote from a childhood idol of mine. His simple […]