June News

MONTHLY CHANCE MEETINGS 

Monday, June 5, 5 - 7 pm @ The Virginian ~ 750 West Broadway

Please register below 

Sometimes all you need is the right connection and a little inspiration. Well, what are you waiting for?  Find both at our free monthly networking event. You never know...

Theme: Start-Up Success Student Pitches

Join us on Monday, June 5th from 5-7 pm at The Virginian to hear graduates from the spring Start-Up Success cohort course share their elevator pitches and discuss key learnings and insights from the course. Network with these new founders and learn about their business ideas or plans to grow existing companies.  

Photo: Our wonderful 2023 SUS cohort and instructor Liza Millet. (Not pictured: Instructor Sandy Schultz Hessler.)

Here's what this year's students had to say about SUS: 

"This course helps provide structure, forces you to ask yourself hard questions, and gives you a clear path forward." 

"The best class I have ever taken on business."
 

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SC UPDATES MISSION, VISION, AND VALUES

On behalf of all of us at Silicon Couloir we are excited to share our updated Mission, Vision, Values statements as a key component of of our “Vision 2030” strategy initiative.
 
Our 2022 Silicon Couloir Board strategic retreat was the genesis for our “Vision 2030” strategic planning initiative. The driver for this was a realization that the world and Teton region has changed. While our service offerings remain relevant and in high-demand, we want to be sure Silicon Couloir is positioned to provide the highest value world-class services for entrepreneurs now and into the future. Our Mission, Vision, and Values drives everything we do, and updates reflect a greater emphasis on providing a broad range of services while building community with in the various sectors of our ecosystem. We look forward to sharing more about our Vision 2030 plans moving forward.   

—Tom Quantrille, Board Chair

OUR MISSION:

To empower entrepreneurship in the Tetons for a healthy, vibrant community. 

OUR VISION

To provide relevant, world-class programs and support for Teton entrepreneurs.

OUR CORE VALUES

• COMMUNITY

  We value community in all its forms, and strive to build community amongst empowered entrepreneurs. We celebrate diversity of people and thought while nurturing a diverse community of volunteers and servant leaders. Most of all, we value building a healthy and vibrant community that supports all socio-economic levels as well as the natural attributes that make the Tetons region so special. We believe ventures can do "good" by doing well and do well by doing "good".

• INTEGRITY

  Ethical and moral behavior is the foundation for everything we say and do. We value listening and learning. We believe open, honest communication and transparency are fundamental to achieving our service mission. We believe the Tetons-forged spirit of directly confronting risk and adventure is part of our region's secret sauce for success.

• COMMITMENT

  We value 360 commitment. We are committed to putting words into impactful action; to providing world-class programming and support to entrepreneurs and their ventures; to having fun while putting forth monumental effort. In return, we expect those in our ecosystem to commit to excellence and success.

CALLING ALL PITCH DAY APPLICANTS

Silicon Couloir is pleased to announce that we will accept entrepreneur applications for our 12th Annual Pitch Day beginning Monday, May 29th and ending Friday, June 16th. 

Pitch Day— “Like that Shark Show, Teton Style”—will be held at the Center for the Arts on the evening of Wednesday, October 4th. Our signature event of the year, Pitch Day features local entrepreneurs showcasing their innovative and creative businesses to a panel of esteemed judges and a live audience. Cash prizes will be awarded in three categories: the Panelist Choice Award, the Audience Choice Award, and the Bob Arndt Community Caretaker Award. Stay tuned for more information regarding increased prize money this year. 
 
To learn about applicant criteria, and program commitment, and how to apply, click on the button below. 

LEARN MORE

VISIONARY VENTURES: 
KEELYS’ CAMP: WOMEN IN SPORT FACILITATES BUSINESS SUCCESS

Of the women who hold C-Suite positions in business, 94% have a background in sport. There is an indisputable correlation between athleticism and business success. Attributes such as self-discipline, confidence and self-efficacy are born in sport and carried throughout life. But by age 17 more than half of girls — 51% — will have quit sports. These are statistics that Keely Kelleher, founder and director of Keely's Camp, shared with me immediately as we sat down on a spring evening in Jackson.

"Keelys’ Camp: Women in Sport Facilitates Business Success," Silicon Couloir's May Visionary Ventures column, is the story of how one athlete entrepreneur is changing the coaching dynamic and subsequent success for many girls in alpine and backcountry skiing, and thereby, is creating future leaders. 
 

READ THE COLUMN HERE

WELCOME TO NEW SC STAFF MEMBER

We're pleased to welcome Kristine Brandt to the team as our new Cowork Space and Administrative Manager. Originally from British Columbia, Canada, Kristine grew up in Upstate New York and has lived in Jackson off and on since 1992. Kristine has a BS in Psychology & Economics from St. Lawrence University and holds an MBA from the University of Denver.

After working with a couple of start-up companies in Jackson, Kristine’s subsequent finance degree took her to Manhattan, where she was a Private Equity investor with Invesco Private Capital for twelve years. Upon returning to Jackson, Kristine served as President of the Board of the Doug Coombs Foundation (now “Coombs Outdoors”) sparking her interest in the non-profit sector.

"I am enthusiastic about this position with Silicon Couloir for several reasons, but primarily because it brings together my past roles investing in venture capital and private equity firms, love for this town and respect and appreciation for the non-profit sector, states Kristine. "I hope my background in these areas proves valuable to Silicon Couloir."

TEAMS IS SEEKING MENTORS

TEAMS is seeking new mentors to join the program and support local entrepreneurs. Mentors are asked to volunteer approximately 4.5 hours per month, and mentor perks include a Monthly Mentor Luncheon with unique local presenters and networking opportunities with other mentors in the program. 

"After more than 20 years of visiting Jackson I was thrilled to land here full-time in 2021 and become a part of this vibrant, active community. I initially took some time to explore the many organizations in which to involve myself and happily discovered Silicon Couloir. I attended Pitch Day and was impressed by the quality of the presentations and variety of business representation. I was sold from that day forward! The framework and tools of TEAMS makes for a smooth entry to the business mentor role. Taking a break from my business career, I missed the tempo and solving problems in business day-to-day. Engaging in TEAMS and becoming a mentor is my joy. I currently mentor two teams, both of whom are smart, focused, coachable and driven to succeed. Attending monthly Chance Meetings and mentor luncheons connects me to an instant community of business peers and entrepreneurs. The time commitment for these events plus mentoring 2-3 teams is quite manageable (approx. 4.5 hours per month).  Jackson is incredibly fortunate to have TEAMS supporting the entrepreneurs and making a difference every day in our community.

-Kathleen Brown, TEAMS Mentor & Silicon Couloir Trustee

LEARN MORE & APPLY

THE COWORK SPACE OFFERS DAY PASSES

If you or a visitor need a clean, convenient workspace with all necessary office amenities, consider a day pass at The Cowork Space.  Located in the heart of Jackson, steps from the town square. The Cowork Space inspires creativity and productivity.
 

PURCHASE A DAY PASS

WELCOME TO NEW TRUSTEE

A warm welcome to new Silicon Couloir Trustee Michael Murphy. Thank you Murphy for your generous commitment to supporting entrepreneurship in the Teton region.

Murphy is the Founder & CEO of Siddha Privacy, Inc. and a lifetime technology entrepreneur. Murphy has been building companies for over two decades, and now his sole focus is building Siddha with a 20-year view to positively impact the future of humanity.

Prior to Siddha, Murphy founded and scaled high-growth companies across eCommerce, APIs, and artificial intelligence. Two achieved significant exits - one acquired by Overstock.com (Nasdaq: OSTK) and another acquired by (ERI), the largest cyber-security recycler in the U.S.

Murphy founded Siddha with a clear mission: to maximize human freedom. Central to this mission is empowering individuals through cryptocurrency's original promise of being censorship-resistant, decentralized, and trustless.

ILLA FINALIST FOR INSPIRATION AWARD

ILLA was recently named as a finalist for the 13th annual Outdoor Retailer Inspiration Awards. Presented to people, brands, and organizations, the awards recognize those dedicated to getting more people outside, supporting access, and improving the outdoor experience. 

Congratulations to Tana Hoffman, ILLA Founder, for her innovative work building community for women in the outdoors. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT SILICON COULOIR

HAVE NEWS TO SHARE?

As always, please feel free to send news of your company's press, events, successes, and milestones to Gary@siliconcouloir.com and we'll do our best to feature them in our newsletters!

ARE YOU A COMMUNITY CARETAKER?

Silicon Couloir strengthens our Teton regional community by empowering the entrepreneurial ecosystem. More than just business development, we believe in enriching our community character and enhancing our mountain town culture. Help us support business pioneers in the Tetons by becoming a community caretaker!

To offer your time or talent, please email us at Gary@siliconcouloir.com.
 

Keelys’ Camp: Women in Sport Facilitates Business Success

Keelys’ Camp: Women in Sport Facilitates Business Success

By Brittney Ziebell

Of the women who hold C-Suite positions in business, 94% have a background in sport. There is an indisputable correlation between athleticism and business success. Attributes such as self-discipline, confidence and self-efficacy are born in sport and carried throughout life. But by age 17 more than half of girls — 51% — will have quit sports. These are statistics that Keely Kelleher, founder and director of Keely’s Camp, shared with me immediately as we sat down for dinner on a spring evening in Jackson.

Kelleher is a retired World Cup Alpine ski racer who specialized in super-G and downhill, the fastest disciplines in the sport, oftentimes reaching speeds exceeding 80 mph. But when I sat down with Keely and asked her about her story, she doesn’t share anything about how she was ranked 38th in the world in super-G, or about how she was the 2010 super-G national champion after overcoming seven surgeries and being sidelined for three years during recovery. Rather than sharing a story about her comeback from injury and the accomplishments of her time as a World Cup racer, Kelleher focused on the fact that she was not coached by a female until she was 19 years old and approaching the pinnacle of her competitive career.

When Kelleher was assigned to her first female coach, she experienced a similar “Tough love, if you can’t keep up, you’re left behind” treatment that was exuded by the rest of the male-dominant coaching fleet at the time.

“Although I was building my mental fortitude, I didn’t realize how badly I needed someone to support me as a female athlete,” she said.

Kelleher continued to dedicate herself to the sport by building her strength and refining her technique, but she lacked the ability to see herself in role models that surrounded her.

“I had some incredible male coaches throughout my career, but there are moments when you need someone to relate to on a deeper level,” she said

We discussed how women coaching like men is not an empowering, modern-day tactic for girls.

“Female athletes can be tough, but they also need space to be their authentic female selves,” she said.

That is why, six years later at the age of 25, Kelleher founded Keely’s Camp, an all-women-led business for ski racing, backcountry skiing, mountain biking and kayaking, with a focus on empowering young girls ages 8 to 18 and bolstering female ski coaches ages 18 and up.

Since Keely’s Camp was founded in 2011 it has grown to host more than 400 campers a year and employ 30 female coaches, and its most popular camps have a 35-person waitlist. Camp locations have expanded nationally to Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Colorado and Wyoming, and internationally to New Zealand, Chile and Iceland. Campers learn self-discipline, grit and adaptability, and develop a “get up and try again” attitude.

The all-female coaching staff pushes one another and practices stepping into leadership roles. Kristin Waddle and Leanne Smith, for example, retired NCAA Division I ski racer and two-time Alpine ski Olympian, respectively, have coached at Keely’s Camp since its infancy.

Today they are the only two female Alpine program directors in the 67 certified ski clubs in the United States. The leadership skills practiced at camps gave them the space and the confidence they needed to step into larger roles in the industry.

Keely’s Camp also offers a Coach Internship Program, where women who were once young campers can coach the next generation, pay forward the skills and life lessons that they learned and develop their own professional leadership skills.

“They’re coaching with confidence and setting their own courses,” Kelleher said, “which is a big deal considering the first woman to ever set a World Cup Alpine ski course only took place five years ago, in 2018.”

As I sat with Kelleher and discussed ways her business is changing the culture of women in sport and business, she leaned forward.

“Without sports, I don’t think that I ever would have accomplished what I have,” she said. “Women in sport is a greater influence than we will ever realize. I’m so proud of what we have built.”

She is clearly passionate about this topic but spoke calmly and eloquently about small steps of tangible change happening at each camp. Her humility is striking. After we spent an hour together, she finally shared with me that she just returned from Alaska the day before, and that she skied and filmed some of the toughest, most intimidating ski lines of her life.

She quickly changed the topic, and her eyes lit up as she spoke proudly about her participation in Start-Up Success, a six-week foundational course for entrepreneurs hosted by Silicon Couloir, and about TEAMS — Teton Entrepreneurs And Mentor Services — a mentoring program offered by Silicon Couloir, which she recently joined. She told me that Start-Up Success is offering her the chance to revisit important fundamentals in running a business, and that her mentors have helped her to understand the needs of her audience and home in on a more refined marketing strategy for her camps.

That is Keely in a nutshell: someone consistently pushing herself to do better and to be better 12 years after retiring from World Cup ski racing and founding her business. She has a mindset of lifelong learning, which is an attribute that makes for a good athlete, business person and coach.

As I wrapped up my conversation with Kelleher, I asked her what can be done to create inclusive environments in sports and in business — environments where everyone has a seat at the table and equal opportunity to achieve greatness. She said that it all comes down to constant consideration and awareness. We must allow each other the space to hone skills, the space to speak up, the space to feel heard and occasionally the space to make mistakes, fall, get up and try again.

“This provides the tools and education to respond, advocate for yourself and to not settle for traditional gender roles,” she said.

A supportive, open-minded and patient team is a powerful force for change, Kelleher said.

To learn more about Keely’s Camp, visit KeelysCamp.com. To learn more about Start-Up Success, TEAMS and other programming and events that Silicon Couloir offers to entrepreneurs, visit SiliconCouloir.com.

Former U.S. Ski Team racer Keely Kelleher has expanded her camps nationally and internationally.

May News

MONTHLY CHANCE MEETINGS 

Monday, May 1, 5 - 7 pm @ The Virginian ~ 750 West Broadway

Please register below 

Sometimes all you need is the right connection and a little inspiration. Well, what are you waiting for?  Find both at our free monthly networking event. You never know...

Theme—Beyond Profit: Companies That Benefit People and Planet

Silicon Couloir's guiding principle of "Profit. People. Planet." means that we encourage and celebrate business models that work for more that just the bottom line by striving to have a positive impact on both society and the environment. Join us at Chance Meetings on Monday, May 1st from 5-7 pm at The Virginia as we explore the many company structures and strategies that result in a positive triple bottom line. Our esteemed panel include Colby Cox, Co-Founder of Roadhouse Brewing, a Certified B-Corp with a "Best in the World" designation for environmental practices; Steve Sullivan, Founder and CEO of Stio, which is 100% Climate Neutral Certified and focuses on sustainability and stewardship; and Nona Yehia, Co-Founder and CEO of Vertical Harvest, a company wholly committed to sustainable agriculture, food security, and inclusive employment.
 

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Learn more about our panelists...

Colby Cox is the Founder and a Managing Partner at Convergence Investments, a real estate private equity firm that specializes in transforming land into innovative residential Master Planned Communities. 

Cox is also the Co-Founder of Roadhouse Brewing, a Certified Benefit Corporation. that has committed itself to taking steps towards helping the environment. These steps have gained us an even more distinguished designation among B Corporations as “Best for the World” in the Environment category. that has committed itself to taking steps towards helping the environment. These steps have gained us an even more distinguished designation among B Corporations as “Best for the World” in the Environment category. 

Cox also serves on the board of several nationally affiliated non-profits, and has been active on boards and advisory panels for the US Green Building Council, and multiple privately held companies. He currently serves on the Resource Council and the Finance Committee for the Grand Teton National Park Foundation. He is also a Trustee of Silicon Couloir. Since starting his first company at 22, Cox has remained committed to the promotion of entrepreneurial leadership. He founded and continues to lead the Convergence Business Plan Panel, which provides coaching and scholarships to local high school students who have an interest in entrepreneurship. Cox is also a member of the Young Presidents Organization. 

Cox received a B.S. in Real Estate Finance and Construction Management from the University of Denver, where he was a four-year starter and Captain of their Division I lacrosse team. In 2009, he earned an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Cox is an avid homebrewer and paraglider pilot. He and his wife Blythe have three children and live in Jackson.

Stephen Sullivan is the Founder/CEO of Stio® a direct-to-consumer outdoor lifestyle brand based in Jackson, Wyoming. Sullivan was previously the CEO of Mountain Origins LLC, a consulting group with a focus in the Outdoor, Snowsports and Fly-Fishing industries and formerly the Co-Founder/President of Cloudveil®, an outdoor apparel manufacturer.  
 
Sullivan’s product, marketing and brand acumen has resulted in award-winning product and design communication creative including, among many, six Malden Mills Apex Awards for design excellence, three Outside Magazine “Gear of the Year” honors and awards from Advertising Age and US Ad Review. Sullivan’s resume of entrepreneurial accolades includes profiles in Inc., Entrepreneur, Mountain, Inspirato, Outside, Men’s Journal, Forbes, JH Style, Outdoor Retailer, Powder, Elevation and Sporting Goods Business. Sullivan’s company Stio® has been named one of Outside’s Magazines “Best Places to Work” for the past five years - 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022.
 
Sullivan is a frequent panelist and lecturer in the outdoor/snowsports/fly fishing space and serves as a business mentor to several local and national companies. He is a board member/treasurer of the Jackson Hole One Fly Foundation and Center Management, Inc. He was formerly Vice Chairman of The American Fly-Fishing Trade Association, and board member of both Jackson Youth Soccer and 1% for the Tetons. Sullivan holds a BA in Humanities from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado and lives in Wilson, Wyoming with his wife Anna and three children, Pryor, Stewart and Harriet. In his free time Sullivan is an avid skier, cyclist, fly fisherman, climber, trail runner, rancher and youth sports transportation specialist.
 

Nona Yehia’s great passion project has been the groundbreaking Vertical Harvest (VH) project in downtown Jackson Hole. Vertical Harvest, begun in 2009 by Nona and co-founder Penny McBride, is a stunning vertical greenhouse with a 1/10 acre footprint that produces over 100,000 pounds of produce every year. A working expression of form supporting function, VH addresses issues and values of great importance to Nona and our community: agricultural integrity, economic sustainability, accessibility and quality employment for the differently-abled, all addressed through a rigorous design-driven process.
 
Nona graduated from the University of Michigan and then earned a Masters degree in architecture from the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Previous to GYDE, Nona was privileged to work with Reiser+Umemoto in New York and 13 years with Jefferson Ellinger, her partner in E/Ye which eventually moved from New York to Jackson, Wyoming. Highlights from her work included recognition from the Museum of Modern Art as a finalist their Young Architects Program, the flagship Stio Mountain Studio in Jackson,Persephone Bakery, Picnic, and Orsetto Italian Eatery.

A mother and wife, Nona also serves on governing boards for the Center for the Arts and local radio station, KHOL, where she enjoys a loyal following as a DJ. Once introduced at the SHIFT Festival as “The Renaissance Woman of Jackson Hole”, Nona loves good books, new music, and great food.

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NEWS AND NOTES

VISIONARY VENTURES: VENTURE CAPITAL FUND WORKS TO HELP WOMEN

Our April column profiles Carli Sapir, Founder of Amboy Street Ventures, which, impressively, closed a $20M fund in April. Sapir was also named a Forbes "30 Under 30" this year. Amboy is the world's first venture capital firm that invests in women's health and sexual health technology startups. Read more about the groundbreaking work Sapir is doing by clicking on the button below. 

 

READ THE COLUMN HERE

WATCH OUR LATEST ENTREPRENEUR VIDEO STARRING IKSPLOR

We sat down with sisters Karissa Akin and Kailey Gieck, Co-Founders of Iksplor, to learn about how Silicon Couloir programs have helped the company grow from an idea to a highly successful all women business that is unique in their space.
 

WATCH HERE

PLANTING THE SEEDS TO PURSUE DREAMS

Executive Director Gary Trauner recently attended a pitch session at Summit Innovations School at Teton County School District. Roughly ten high school students presented their entrepreneurial business ideas to Gary and teacher Rick Gordon. Gary and Rick provided feedback and guidance to each student. In keeping with its community-focused mission, Silicon Couloir believes reaching out to younger generations is critical to their future success.

WELCOME TO NEW TRUSTEE

A warm welcome to new Silicon Couloir Trustee Kathleen Brown. Thank you Kathleen for your generous commitment to supporting entrepreneurship in the Teton region.

Kathleen Brown is the former CHRO of eviCore healthcare, a subsidiary of Cigna. She joined eviCore in August of 2010 to re-build the people & talent function. As a member of the executive team, she led the talent strategy for the organization amidst five acquisitions, worked with private equity investors, the re-branding of eviCore in 2015, the 2018 purchase of eviCore by Express Scripts and subsequent acquisition by Cigna. During her time with Cigna,she led the eviCore HR integration and as well as the HR integration of MDLIVE, a telehealth company acquired by Cigna earlier in 2021. Her prior experience includes serving as partner and engagement manager at Hewitt (later purchased by Aon). 

Kathleen received her Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) degree at Loyola University of Chicago. She holds the following professional designations: Certified Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP); Certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), by the HR Certification Institute; ATD and MMS coaching certificates, is a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and recently became certified in Mental Health First Aid USA through the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare. 

Kathleen is originally from the Chicago area, and after living in the southeast United States for more than 30 years, recently relocated to Jackson, Wyoming. She supports several local non-profit organizations including Becoming Jackson Whole, Jackson Historical Society, recently joined the Community Safety Network and Coombs Outdoors board of directors and is a business mentor to entrepreneurial start-ups within Silicon Couloir. 

T.H.R.I.V.E. EMERGING LEADERS REIMAGINED NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

 For the first time in the 15 year history of the program, the SBA will combine its Colorado and Wyoming training classes and hold in person sessions in both Fort Collins, CO and Cheyenne, WY. 

T.H.R.I.V.E. Emerging Leaders Reimagined is an executive-level training series intended to give ambitious small business leaders a challenging opportunity to accelerate their growth through targeted training led by motivating leaders in small business development. T.H.R.I.V.E. Emerging Leaders Reimagined revolutionizes the rich history of executive-level training for small businesses poised for growth.
 

LEARN MORE & APPLY HERE

LEARN MORE ABOUT SILICON COULOIR

HAVE NEWS TO SHARE?

As always, please feel free to send news of your company's press, events, successes, and milestones to Gary@siliconcouloir.com and we'll do our best to feature them in our newsletters!

ARE YOU A COMMUNITY CARETAKER?

Silicon Couloir strengthens our Teton regional community by empowering the entrepreneurial ecosystem. More than just business development, we believe in enriching our community character and enhancing our mountain town culture. Help us support business pioneers in the Tetons by becoming a community caretaker!

To offer your time or talent, please email us at Gary@siliconcouloir.com.
 

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VC fund works to help women

Venture capital fund works to help women

By Rebecca Reimers

In 2022 startup teams composed entirely of women received less than 2% of allocated venture capital according to TechCrunch.com. Discouragingly, that's down from 2.4% in 2021. Amboy Street Ventures is chipping away at the imbalance by funneling 70% of its own investments into women-led companies.

Amboy is the world's first venture capital firm that invests in women's health and sexual health technology startups. Such investments help ensure success for promising startups by providing capital in exchange for company equity.

The venture capital firm participates in Silicon Couloir Teton Entrepreneurs and Mentors Service program and uses the nonprofit's co-work space in downtown Jackson.

At Silicon Couloir we believe private business can perhaps have the largest social impact of the three main sectors: government, nonprofit and private business.

Amboy Street Ventures is an unequivocal illustration of this maxim.

Amboy, a mission-aligned investment fund, is changing the landscape of venture capital for women in four important ways: First, it's a women powered fund investing in companies, which are led by women. These women also use female founded portfolio companies, with capital from women.

Over 50% of Amboy's limited partner investors are women, many of whom are Jackson locals, in comparison to the 2% average of women limited partners across other venture capital firms. And, most importantly, Amboy is the world's first venture capital fund in the sector of sexual health and women's health.

From a business perspective, Amboy is a rising star. Just last month, Amboy closed a $20 million round and saw over one thousand deals in 2022. Founder Carli Sapir, a Jackson resident, was named as a Forbes 30 under 30 this year, an exclusive group of leaders under 30 years old across a range of industries.

"I don't think I could have started Amboy Street Ventures without Silicon Couloir," Sapir said. "I found a group of people that resonated with my work quickly and decided to lean in whether it was through mentorship in Silicon Couloir TEAMS mentoring program or through investment. It's a more helpful and tighter community than I have found anywhere else." For society as a whole, Amboy is changing the conversation about sexual health and women's health. "Our mission at Amboy Street is to destigmatize women's health and sexual health for all genders," Sapir said. "Every single one of our portfolio companies is doing that in some way. There is so much shame around these women's health and sexual health issues that should not be shameful. They're just part of everyday life and health care. Having these companies brand themselves as 'No shame, no stigma, and just immediate accessible solutions' has been changing the industry."

Key focus areas of Amboy are: maternal health and fertility, menstruation and hormonal health, menopause and aging, abortion access and contraception, LGBTQIA-plus health and gender-affirming care, and sexual health and pleasure.

Illustrating the need for greater conversation and change in these areas, Sapir points to a John Hopkins survey that found only 20% of obstetrics and gynecology physicians are educated on menopause. Amboy has two portfolio companies that offer specialized menopause services.

"The reason why these things are brushed under the rug and stigmatized is a lack of education," Sapir said. "And these companies are really bringing the solutions to the forefront of people's attention."

Sapir found an organic path to her current role. She began working in engineering and then a private equity firm after college and couldn't help but notice she was the only woman on the North American team. Seeking more women in the field, she joined networks and met women investors sharing opportunities to invest in early-stage female-founded companies. She also gained a group of female founder friends raising money for their own startups. When she saw promising opportunities, Sapir brought the startups to her investor network, which resulted in significant capital raises for the startups. Over time Sapir had increasing requests to assist with company fundraising. In 2019 she started the Female Founded Club, an online networking organization that has assisted over 1,000 female founders and raised capital from over 500 venture capitalists.

"And by the way," Sapir said, "I was still working a day job in private equity. I was doing this at night as a hobby. There was no business model."

Having found her sweet spot in investing and motivated by a desire to change the landscape, Sapir founded Amboy Services in May 2020. Since that time she has brought on two general partners and an analyst, all of whom are women. Her general partners came from the go-to consulting agency for women's health and sexual health companies. Sapir approached the team about consulting for her companies and they countered with becoming co-general partners.

The company name is inspired by the first birth control clinic in the United States, which Margaret Sanger opened at 46 Amboy St. in Brooklyn in 1916. At the time both birth control and abortion were illegal in the U.S., and simply publishing or circulating information on either topic was deemed obscene and illegal by the federal Comstock Act. Sanger was arrested at least eight times in her career, but persevered and founded the American Birth Control League, and served as its president until 1928. The league was one of the parent organizations of the Birth Control Federation of America, which in 1942 became the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

Like Sanger, Sapir and her partners are bold pioneers for equity by providing opportunities for companies with new ideas and approaches to women's health and sexual health to thrive.

April News

MONTHLY CHANCE MEETINGS 

Monday, April 3rd,  5 - 7 pm @ The Virginian Saloon ~ 750 West Broadway

Please register below 

Sometimes all you need is the right connection and a little inspiration. Well, what are you waiting for?  Find both at our free monthly networking event. You never know...

Theme—The Athlete Entrepreneur: Lessons from the Mountains

Grit, focus, determination, coachability...all of these qualities make for a superior athlete AND a successful entrepreneur. Our unique combination of mountain access, western spirit, and support for entrepreneurs has drawn and cultivated a notable crop of of athlete entrepreneurs in the Teton region. Join us on Monday, April 3rd from 5-7 pm at the Virginian Saloon for a conversation about how to apply lessons from our athletic lives to our professional lives. Panelists include former professional athletes turned entrepreneurs Mikey Franco, Founder of Franco Snowshapes, Keely Kelleher, Founder of Keely's Camp, and Sam Schwartz, Founder of Avant Delivery. 
 

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Learn a little more about our panelists...

Mikey Franco started teaching snowboarding in 1987 at Tussey Mountain, a small hill in PA. From there he began his path with the American Association of Snowboard Instructors. With a certification as a professional instructor, he was offered a job with
the Jackson Hole Snowboard School in 1990. Franco moved up the ranks, being one of the few instructors that was certified. In 1995, he took over the
job of running the school, managing a staff of 60 instructors, growing the school to become the premier snowboard school in the west. During
this time, he was on the AASI national team, a backcountry guide at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, and guided in Alaska for Alaska Rendezvous Heli guides.

After a season-ending injury in 2010, Franco's snowboard shaping pursuit
began at the Igneous Ski Factory. In June of 2020, he built his own
workshop in Victor, Idaho—The Franco Snowshapes Factory. With the new space, Franco and team continue to make the most innovative, exclusive and stunning custom snowboards in the world. And with the new factory, there are have unlimited possibilities, including OEM manufacturing for smaller, independent brands and maybe even skis some day!

As a Big Sky, MT native, Keely Kelleher, found her passion for the outdoors and skiing early. She started ski racing at five years old and pursued it for 20 years, eight of which were on the U.S. Ski Team. Kelleher raced competitively on the World Cup speed circuit and won the 2010 National Super G title. After racing ended she returned to her roots of skiing big mountain terrain leading to a two-time win of the Red Bull Rahlves Banzai Big Mountain Skier Cross tour, was a featured athlete in two Warren Miller Films, and Sweetgrass productions, and is a professional skier today. 

Post retirement from the U.S. Ski Team Keely earned her B.A. in Business Management at Westminster College in Utah and won the Opportunity Quest Business Plan competition to kick off Keely's Camp. In 2011, Kelleher founded the first ski racing camp for girls in North America, Keely’s Camp for Girls, based around the mission to empower, inspire, educate, and connect the next generation of girls in outdoor sports through female mentors, guides, and coaches. The camp has grown eleven times its initial size, has coached thousands of girls in skiing, mountaineering, whitewater kayaking, and mountain biking. Keely's Camp has been in operation for 12 years.

Outside of skiing you can find Keely enjoying the outdoors with her friends, her dog Olle, and family. She loves whitewater kayaking, mountain biking, kite surfing and climbing mountains!

Sam Schwartz is an entrepreneur and athlete. After 10 years as a professional big mountain skier he transitioned into entrepreneurship through his start up Avant Delivery, a tech enabled reusable packaging company. With a technical background in accounting Schwartz also works as an Investment Banking Associate at Yellowstone Capital Advisors. 

Schwartz is dedicated to solving important societal problems and giving back to the community. He believes in using private business to drive lasting societal change and gives his personal time to help mentor underserved high school students in the mountains. In his spare time he dives deep into 100 mile ultra races, ski mountaineering, bow hunting, and cooking.

NEWS AND NOTES

MENTORING PROGRAM FLOURISHES

Silicon Couloir's TEAMS (Teton Entrepreneurs And Mentor Services) Program currently serves 19 Ventures, 52 mentors, and 8 Mentor Specialists, and averages around 60 hours of cumulative volunteered time per month via mentor meetings. 6 Ventures in the program are based in Teton Valley, Idaho. 

We've welcomed 4 new ventures since January: Keely's Camp, Voices Jackson Hole, Teatonic Kombucha, and Mazzy Health. TEAMS continues to experience a high demand from local businesses with 7+ applicants in the pipeline. TEAMS has launched a nonprofit pilot program and encourages nonprofits based in the Teton Region who are seeking mentorship to apply.

TEAMS is also seeking experienced mentors to join our program. If you are interested, please click our "Mentor Application" on the TEAMS website to review requirements and to submit your application. 

WELCOME TO NEW TRUSTEES

A warm welcome to two new Silicon Couloir Trustees. Thank you to Brian Garrett  and Stephen Fronk for your generous commitment to supporting entrepreneurship in the Teton region.

Brian Garrett is originally from Michigan and has lived in San Francisco for more than 20 years. After studying business and earning his commercial/instrument pilot’s license, Brian worked with tenants at San Francisco International Airport. Brian also worked in architectural CAD software sales prior to real estate sales and is enthusiastic about architecture and design.

Brian is a founding partner at Side, Inc.  And real estate brokerage which is venture backed with over $24B in sales in 17 States in 2022

Brian works tirelessly for his clients by being in constant communication with them and by ensuring that they are very well informed from the initial meeting through to close of escrow. In addition, Brian is committed to his clients’ needs and listens very carefully to ensure that he is able to achieve their desired goals. Brian’s repeat business is a testament to these traits and the earnestness he brings to his dealings with his clients.

Stephen Fronk focuses his practice on technology and intellectual property transactions. In particular, he has deep experience advising clients on digital media-related transactions and for many years has negotiated digital entertainment content distribution deals with leaders in the movie, television, music, publishing and consumer electronics industries. Representative clients include Amazon.com, Churchill Downs, eBay, Hulu, Microsoft, PayPal, Splunk, Salesforce.com, Shape Security, Twitch, Vital Proteins, and Vessel.

Stephen advises emerging and public companies, venture funds, entrepreneurs and individuals on a wide range of intellectual property-related issues, including copyright, patent, trademark and trade secret licensing, protection and enforcement, software and hardware development and distribution, and the establishment and operation of Internet-based businesses and services. He also routinely counsels clients on the intellectual property-related aspects of mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs and strategic investments. 

BEYOND EFFICIENCY IS HIRING

SC TEAMS company Beyond Efficiency is hiring a product manager to successfully launch BuildingGenius. BuildingGenius is a B2B SaaS platform that layers a community network over a knowledge base for building industry professionals. 

Congratulations to the Beyond Efficiency team for making BuildingGenius a reality!  

For full details, please visit the Silicon Couloir Career Board. 

SILICON COULOIR TEAM ROCKED THE RIDE! 

Congratulations to The Silicon Couloir Rock the Ride Team for raising over $2K for local stroke and cardiac patients through St. John's Health Foundation! Thank you to Liza Millet, LizAnn Eisen, Siri Cosper, Caitlin Iseler, and Carli Sapir for caring for others through community, camaraderie and connection! 

ROCKY MOUNTAIN VENTURES CONFERENCE FEATURES SC ENTREPRENEURS

Three companies from the SC ecosystem —ILLA, happyly, and Highpoint Cider— have been selected to present at the Rocky Mountain Ventures Conference. The conference will be held on Thursday, April 6th at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Silicon Couloir is a proud sponsor of the conference. Details and registration HERE. 
 

LEARN MORE ABOUT SILICON COULOIR

HAVE NEWS TO SHARE?

As always, please feel free to send news of your company's press, events, successes, and milestones to Gary@siliconcouloir.com and we'll do our best to feature them in our newsletters!

ARE YOU A COMMUNITY CARETAKER?

Silicon Couloir strengthens our Teton regional community by empowering the entrepreneurial ecosystem. More than just business development, we believe in enriching our community character and enhancing our mountain town culture. Help us support business pioneers in the Tetons by becoming a community caretaker!

To offer your time or talent, please email us at Gary@siliconcouloir.com.
 

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March News

MONTHLY CHANCE MEETINGS 

Monday, March 6,  5 - 7 pm @ The Virginian Saloon (750 West Broadway)

Please register below 

NOTE NEW LOCATION @ THE NEWLY REMODELED VIRGINIAN SALOON

Sometimes all you need is the right connection and a little inspiration. Well, what are you waiting for?  Find both at our free monthly networking event. You never know...

Theme: Living your idea through your customers eyes with Sandy Schultz Hessler

We talk a lot about the power of elevator pitches to clarify and quickly message what we’re doing and why.  

But to truly understand how to build stickiness and loyalty to our products and services, we need to learn to walk in our customers’ shoes. When we learn how to speak in their language and understand their hopes / fears / desires and world view, we tap into creating community and loyalty beyond just buying a product — and that can make all the difference in how we show up to our employees, customers, and suppliers as well as opening up new ways of distribution, product design, pricing, and packaging.

Come and play with "living your idea through your customers’ eyes" and the expand your art of powerful story telling and the business that follows. 

Sandy is a passionate marketer, social entrepreneur and teacher. She spent the first seven years of her career in brand management at Procter & Gamble - learning to view the world through customers' eyes and building brands and programs that best meet their needs. She then switched her focus to the social and non-profit worlds. A member of the Imagitas founding team (a marketing services company that focused on public service through private enterprise), she led the build out of the organizational plan for a highly successful business. In 1998, Imagitas received a prestigious "Hammer Award" from then Vice President Al Gore for helping build a government that works better and costs less. In 2005, the company was acquired by Pitney Bowes.

Over the past twenty-eight years, Sandy has been an instructor at the college level in the fields of leadership, marketing, entrepreneurship and communications. Most recently, Sandy served as Assistant Dean at Harvard Kennedy School running the career services and internship office. Sandy was also the Co-Founder of Imagitas. She has also done significant leadership, teamwork, fundraising and strategy training in both the private and non-profit sectors - past clients include NASA, General Motors and the Center for Women & Enterprise. Consistently, Sandy is able to help people create a vision and make it happen, whether individually or organizationally.

REGISTER FOR CHANCE MEETINGS

NEWS AND NOTES

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR  START UP SUCCESS: FUNDAMENTALS

Do you have a business idea or want to take a new business to the next level?  Silicon Couloir is offering Start-Up Success: Fundamentals, our annual business intensive program, this spring with world-class instructors Sandy Hessler and Liza Millet. Don't miss this opportunity to gain business skills, strategies, and tools with a community of your peers. This year, we've added an additional week at no extra cost. 

Dates: April 14-16 (weekend), 5 Wednesday evenings following, May 19-21 (weekend), and Wednesday evening May 24.
 

"Start-Up Success came along exactly when I needed it. I had an idea, and the groundwork laid for how to approach bringing my idea to fruition, but there were holes I wanted to fill in my pitch deck, and I didn't know where to begin. Sandy and Liza provided a wealth of knowledge and guidance, as well as asked the hard questions other people may have avoided – and they forced me to get creative about finding the answers. I feel confident moving forward and pitching my business, but know that I can reach out for advice, or a reality check when I need it." 

— Megan LaTorre
    2020 Start-Up Success Graduate

APPLY NOW

Join the Teton region’s new economy & help support our thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem. Silicon Couloir is hiring a full-time Cowork Space & Administrative Manager.

JOB DESCRIPTION HERE

SWEET HOLLOW FARMS CSA REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN

One of our newest TEAMS companies, Sweet Hollow Farms is accepting customers for nutritions organic local produce this summer. Pick up is in Jackson or Victor. 

REGISTER HERE

LEARN MORE ABOUT SILICON COULOIR

HAVE NEWS TO SHARE?

As always, please feel free to send news of your company's press, events, successes, and milestones to Gary@siliconcouloir.com and we'll do our best to feature them in our newsletters!

ARE YOU A COMMUNITY CARETAKER?

Silicon Couloir strengthens our Teton regional community by empowering the entrepreneurial ecosystem. More than just business development, we believe in enriching our community character and enhancing our mountain town culture. Help us support business pioneers in the Tetons by becoming a community caretaker!

To offer your time or talent, please email us at Gary@siliconcouloir.com.
 

February News

MONTHLY CHANCE MEETINGS 

Mon, Feb 6,  5 - 7 pm @ The Snake River Roasting Cafe ~ 50 W. Broadway

Please register below 

Sometimes all you need is the right connection and a little inspiration. Well, what are you waiting for?  Find both at our free monthly networking event. You never know...

Theme: Raising Capital: Entrepreneur Strategies & Approaches

Growing a company requires capital. For many entrepreneurs, one of the scariest and most daunting tasks is deciding how, when, and from whom to raise capital for their venture. What, for example are the advantages / disadvantages for different strategies? When do you decide to take a deal that requires compromise so you can remain in business? What really resonates with investors? 

Join us at Chance Meetings on Monday Feb. 6th from 5-7 at Snake River Roasting Cafe to hear from a panel of successful regional founders as we explore these questions and more. 

Panelists include Caitlin Iseler of happyly, Caroline Fabacher of All Hands Craft Cocktails, and Tana Hoffman of ILLA. Annie Morita, Silicon Couloir Board Member and experienced fundraiser, will moderate. 
 

Caroline Fabacher is Cofounder and Chief of Staff for All Hands Craft Cocktails. To date, she has raised $10MM+ for her startup ventures.

Additionally, she is Senior Counsel at McGovern Law, PLLC where her practice centers on corporate law for venture startups.

Caroline made the leap to entrepreneurship as one of the three foundational partners of Canteen Spirits, an Austin-based canned cocktail company. After successfully launching the brand across more than forty states, she moved on to Springdale Ventures as Principal, where she invested in passionate, resolute founders of early-stage consumer brands to help them accelerate their vision while creating meaningful and sustainable value. Additionally, Caroline serves as the managing member of Spirit Bear Advising, which supports female founders across industries and entrepreneurs launching vice-industry businesses. She is also a member of the founding committee of BEAM, an Austin-based angel network dedicated to investing in female founders.

Tana Hoffman is a 3X founder, outdoor community leader, and Forbes Next 1000 lister who has been a part of the Silicon Couloir ecosystem since 2012. Most recently, she was selected to be one of the first Entrepreneurs in Residence at VF Venture Foundry (backed by VF Corporation: The North Face, VANS, Smartwool), where she secured funding to develop and launch ILLA: an adventure collective and friend-finding app enabling every outdoor woman to find adventure partners in their area, so that they always have someone to get outside with. 

Caitlin Iseler is the CEO and co-founder of Happyly, the corporate wellness benefit that powers a connected and balanced workforce. With innovative scheduling tools and curated events, the happyly app makes it easy for teams to plan, gather, and share experiences in healthy ways.

Annie Morita is a tech and media executive who now calls Jackson home. 

Before the global pandemic, Annie served as an executive with Apple, Inc. Based in Shanghai, China, she was business lead for the Internet Software & Services Division in Greater China, focusing on the App Store, and Apple Media Products (Apple Music, TV, iTunes, and Podcasts).  

Prior to Apple, Annie held several key leadership roles at DreamWorks Animation including as COO for Oriental DreamWorks, DreamWorks Animation's first-ever joint venture in China. Annie worked on the creation of the joint venture and moved to Shanghai to set up operations and launch the new company.

A marketing and new media veteran, Annie has held top leadership positions at Warner Bros. Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Electronic Arts.  Annie began her career with Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., as an assignment editor with CNN International before moving to Hong Kong as the head of marketing for Turner International Far East Ltd.
 

Annie holds a BA from Smith College and a master's diploma in patisseries and baking from Le Cordon Bleu.  She currently serves on the board of 1% for the Planet, Grand Teton National Park Foundation, and Silicon Couloir.  She is also a certified Wilderness First Responder (WFR) and a member of the Community Response Emergency Team (CERT).

REGISTER FOR CHANCE MEETINGS

NEWS AND NOTES

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR  START UP SUCCESS: FUNDAMENTALS

Do you have a business idea or want to take a new business to the next level?  Silicon Couloir is offering Start-Up Success: Fundamentals, our annual business intensive program, this spring with world-class instructors Sandy Hessler and Liza Millet. Don't miss this opportunity to gain business skills, strategies, and tools with a community of your peers. This year, we've added an additional week at no extra cost. 

Dates: April 14-16 (weekend), 5 Wednesday evenings following, May 19-21 (weekend), and Wednesday evening May 24.

“Silicon Couloir's Start-Up Success course program brings business school level insight to the convenience of our mountain town. Silicon Couloir's instructors and staff provide programming in marketing and business that provides students a realistic framework of what it takes to move a start-up from an idea to reality.”

— Robb Sgroi, Founder and CEO, Teton Bear Product

2021 Start-Up Success Graduate

LEARN MORE

 JANUARY VISIONARY VENTURES: LET’S THINK ABOUT REDEFINING ENTREPRENEURSHIP

"When most of us think of entrepreneurism, we think of certain defining traits of an organization or venture, among them: scalability, rapid growth, and big financial rewards. However, over time, Silicon Couloir has come to recognize that entrepreneurism comes in all shapes, sizes and forms...The Teton region is full of small businesses started by individuals who took enormous risk and invested their own capital to build a successful enterprise. We believe those individuals who create small businesses also fit within our definition of entrepreneurship."

Read more to learn about how SC can support your business in the Teton region in our most recent Visionary Ventures column.
 

READ THE COLUMN

WORK SMART FROM THE COWORK SPACE 

If you're looking for an affordable open office to work and collaborate, consider The Cowork Space. Full-time access to shared workspace and all amenities now available for $225 per month with no long-term commitment.

Located in the heart of Jackson, steps from the town square at 140 E. Broadway, The Cowork Space is an affordable communal work space inspiring creativity and productivity. We offer a workspace designed to create connections between the people who choose to work, live, and play in the Teton region.

Amenities include: 

• Fast, reliable internet

• Dedicated and shared desk space in an open space filled with natural light

• Phone booths for private calls

• 6-8 person conference room with projection and conference call capabilities

• Kitchenette

• 24x7 access for members

• Open 8 am - 5 pm, Monday-Friday for day pass holders

• After-hours access when space is not in use for events

BECOME A MEMBER

WELCOME TO NEW TRUSTEES

A warm welcome to new Silicon Couloir Trustees. Thank you to  Wesley Chan, Anya Kopyleva, and Matt Wielbut for their generous commitment to supporting entrepreneurship in the Teton region. 
 

Wesley Chan is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner at FPV Ventures, a $450M early stage fund that backs and serves mission-driven founders. He is an investor in five $10B+ "decacorns," his most notable being Canva where he is a member of the board of directors, led the Series A and C rounds, and is worth north of $40B. He founded Google Analytics and Google Voice and holds 18 US patents for his work in creating Google AdWords.

He was formerly a Managing Director at Felicis Ventures and one of the first General Partners at GV (Google Ventures). He led investments and/or held board seats in Xilis, AngelList, Opsera, Pendulum Therapeutics, ProteinQure, Okera, Ascend.io, Overture Life, TopFunnel, Spring Discovery, iPierian (exit to BMS), Transphorm (NASDAQ: TGAN) and Dialpad. Wesley also founded GV’s seed investing program and wrote first checks into RobinHood, Plaid, Gusto, RobinHood, Vungle ($750M exit to Blackstone), Lucid, Optimizely, DataPad (exit to Cloudera), Freshplum (exit to TWTR), Namo Media (exit to TWTR), and Parse (exit to FB).  He holds a Bachelors degree in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from MIT and completed his Masters degree at the MIT Media Lab.  As a fan of the arts, Wesley is also a board member of the Met Opera in New York City.

Anya Kopyleva is a founding partner of Latin Pay, a fintech focused on providing a better financial experience for people traveling and sending remittances to as well as companies operating in Argentina. 

Anya was a partner and portfolio manager at Gemcorp, an Emerging Markets focused fund based in London, from 2014 until 2020. She focused on the execution and management of investments across Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. 

She has spent most of her career prior to Gemcorp in Asset Management and Emerging Markets Trading at Goldman Sachs as an investment professional and trader in credit and macro and managing portfolios using quantitative strategies. Anya holds a B.S. in Math and a B.S. in Management (Finance) from MIT. 

Matt Wielbut is the Chief Technology Officer of Openly, a tech-forward insurance company he co-founded in 2017. Openly offers premium homeowners insurance in 21+ states by combining insurance expertise, actuarial science, machine learning and other modern technology to create something completely new within the insurance marketplace.  Some of Openly's earliest investors include Google (via their AI-focused fund, Gradient Ventures), Advance Venture Partners, Clocktower Ventures, and Obvious Ventures.

Prior to founding Openly, Matt spent four years as a Founding Partner at Elements Insurance, one of the fastest-growing property & casualty insurance agencies in Massachusetts, which he co-founded in 2013 and sold in 2020.

Matt began his professional career at Goldman Sachs as a Vice President in Engineering where he spent 8 years in New York and London

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT

Welcome to our newest sponsor, Amboy St. Ventures, led by Founding Partner Carli Sapir. Amboy St. Ventures is the world’s first venture capital fund focused on Women’s Health & Sexual Health Technology startups. Sapir founded Amboy Street Ventures to initiate a shift in the funding landscape that has stunted innovation, investing in eight leading startups. Her portfolio companies including Contraline, a company developing the first long-lasting reversible contraceptive for men, Dame, a product line for female-focused sexual pleasure and Aunt Flow, a company providing free menstruation products to schools, business and public bathrooms.

"I'm thrilled to find a way to give back to SC as I really believe I wouldn’t have been able to start Amboy Street without you all," says Sapir. 

In addition to being named to Forbes 2023 30 Under 30, Amboy St. is mentored by TEAMS. 

ANNOUNCING FEBRUARY SMALL BUSINESS CASH
FLOW CLASS 

Presented by Deliberate Dollars. Many people have a small business, passion project, side hustle or are an independent contractor but don’t know how much money they are personally making. What are your income goals? How much should be saved for taxes? Is your business working for you or owning you?

Deliberate Dollars’ Small Business Cashflow course will teach you simple financial systems to ensure that your business is serving you, paying your taxes and your cashflow can be easily summarized. Let’s make sure your business is working for you while you do what you love! No business is too small for this 3-week course!

Weekly group sessions (February 8, 15 & 22 6:00-7:30 PM) will be conducted online so people can join from anywhere. Individual sessions can be online or in person (Jackson, WY).

Interested? You can find all the details on the Deliberate Dollars website and specifically by clicking on Small Business Cashflow links. Space is limited to 4-6 people and the more accountability partners you recruit (aka participants) the greater your discount! Sign-up deadline to participate is Wednesday, February 1, 2023.

Any questions, please call or email Megan Smith, Chief Accountability Partner, megan@deliberatedollars.com, 307-699-0896.
 

LEARN MORE ABOUT SILICON COULOIR

HAVE NEWS TO SHARE?

As always, please feel free to send news of your company's press, events, successes, and milestones to Gary@siliconcouloir.com and we'll do our best to feature them in our newsletters!

ARE YOU A COMMUNITY CARETAKER?

Silicon Couloir strengthens our Teton regional community by empowering the entrepreneurial ecosystem. More than just business development, we believe in enriching our community character and enhancing our mountain town culture. Help us support business pioneers in the Tetons by becoming a community caretaker!

To offer your time or talent, please email us at Gary@siliconcouloir.com.
 

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Let’s think about redefining entrepreneurship

Let’s think about redefining entrepreneurship

By Gary Trauner

When most of us think of entrepreneurism, we think of certain defining traits of an organization or venture, among them: scalability, rapid growth, and big financial rewards. Historically, Silicon Couloir has focused on supporting such scalable ventures. However, over time, our organization has come to recognize that entrepreneurism comes in all shapes, sizes and forms.

Most people who study entrepreneurship would agree on a basic historical definition of that term. It is the act of creating a business or businesses while bearing the risks with the hope of making a profit. Merriam Webster’s definition is “one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise.”

Yet in recent years that historical view of entrepreneurship has — with increasing frequency and emphasis — been viewed as outdated and limiting. Alternative definitions have begun to be offered by various organizations. To wit:

• Professor Howard Stevenson, the “godfather” of entrepreneurship studies at Harvard Business School, succinctly defines it as “entrepreneurship is the pursuit of opportunity beyond resources controlled.”

• Babson Business School has broadened its view to “entrepreneurship is a way of thinking. It’s a mindset that is opportunity obsessed, holistic in approach and leadership balanced. This new definition of entrepreneurship is about innovation; about seeing problems as opportunities; and about changing the world.”

• Stanford differentiates between different kinds of entrepreneurship, from social entrepreneurs looking to solve world problems to scalable start-up entrepreneurs seeking to grow a venture into an investible entity to “intrapreneurs,” individuals who act “as internal entrepreneurs who work within the structures of an established company (they are the hardworking individuals who constantly find ways to innovate and improve their roles, the quality of work, and sometimes their entire entity).”

In addition, there seem to be several attributes that are universally associated with entrepreneurship, including: job creation, innovation, risktaking, creating change, creating value, and, yes, giving back to society through their venture creation.

Silicon Couloir, with its focus on the Teton region, and in line with its nonprofit service mission, has recently broadened and adapted its view of what entrepreneurship means in our neck of the woods. Simply put, if people are risking their time, capital and energy to start and build an organization, we believe they may fit into a broader view of entrepreneurship.

The Teton region is full of small businesses started by individuals who took enormous risk and invested their own capital to build a successful enterprise. We believe those individuals (and people acting as a team) who create small businesses that are unlikely to scale beyond our region also fit within our definition of entrepreneurship. This might entail a former athlete who starts a training gym, or a former outdoor gear employee who branches out into her own clothing accessories venture. These “localpreneurs” take risk, lead organizations, create jobs and encounter many, if not all, of the same issues that a more traditionally defined entrepreneur who is endeavoring to build a more scalable venture might face. Additionally, an entire industry has grown up in the Teton region around nonprofit organizations seeking to support worthy causes. In fact, Teton County has the highest per capita charitable giving of any county in the country, resulting in somewhere north of 200 local and regional nonprofit organizations promoting their respective missions.

Silicon Couloir views founders and executive directors of these nonprofits as mission-driven entrepreneurs in their own right. Again, they build organizations, create jobs, take risks, create change and contribute to society.

As in any endeavor, organization or community, keeping an open mind, being open to new ideas and holding a willingness to question preconceived ideas is a prerequisite for longterm success. Given this expanded definition of entrepreneurship, Silicon Couloir has actively moved to provide support for these additional categories of entrepreneurs. We recently commenced a pilot project within its TEAMS mentoring program for nonprofit organizations.

Silicon Couloir has accepted small businesspeople and those looking to start a more local endeavor into its recent Start-Up Success educational programming, and we welcome entrepreneurial focused folks of all stripes to attend our monthly Chance Meetings networking events.

In a society in which the private sector, whether one likes it or not, is perhaps the key force in shaping our economy and our culture, supporting entrepreneurs — whatever shape and size they may come in — is a vital endeavor. Combined with Silicon Couloir’s principle of “doing good by doing well and doing well by doing good,” this support is critical to the “success” and “health” of our community, region and country.

Finally, in the spirit of broadening our reach, Start-Up Success 2023 is accepting applications for its spring offering (April 14 through May 21) at SiliconCouloir.com/start-up.

January News

MONTHLY CHANCE MEETINGS 

January 9th, 5 - 7 pm @ Snake River Roasting Cafe (50 West Broadway)

Please register below 

Sometimes all you need is the right connection and a little inspiration. Well, what are you waiting for?  Find both at our free monthly networking event. You never know...

Theme: Brand Architecture — One Entrepreneur’s Approach to Brand Building with Lyons Brown

Savvy entrepreneurs know that successful companies build brands that customers associate with value, authenticity, and consistency. Strong brands generate positive emotions and build loyalty. They tell a story. Please join us for an insightful discussion with entrepreneur and branding expert Lyons Brown, Founder and CEO of Altamar Brands. Lyons will share his approach, story, and lessons of brand architecture.

W.L. Lyons Brown III is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Altamar Brands, LLC, a distiller and importer of artisanal spirits brands. Prior to starting Altamar, Lyons spent fifteen years in his family business at Brown-Forman Corporation serving as Marketing Director for Europe and Director of Sales for the United States. Since moving to Charlottesville in 2012, he has founded two more companies: The Elysium Honey Company, a social impact firm focused on the plight the honey bee and Mad Buffalo, LLC, a company managing a portfolio of investments focused on sustainable agriculture.

REGISTER FOR CHANCE MEETINGS

NEWS AND NOTES

DECEMBER VISIONARY VENTURES: 
VALUES GUIDE IKSPLOR

From an idea in 2018 and a successful Kickstarter for “adventure essentials” in 2020, Iksplor reached $1M in revenue in 2022. Co-founding sister Karissa Akin and Kailey Gieck credit their Silicon Couloir TEAMS mentors for helping them achieve such remarkable growth. “They have seen us from our infancy to our current state and have helped us identify future roadblocks to our growth,” says Karissa. 

Read more about Karissa and Kailey's success and the values that define Iksplor in our December edition of Visionary Ventures. 

READ THE COLUMN HERE

CHALLENGE COURSE OFFERS TEAM BUILDING

Bring a team of co-workers to participate in a customized program designed to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in the workplace at The Doug Walker Challenge Course.  Challenge course activities encourage group problem solving, communication, goal setting, leadership and cooperation. Participants can then transfer and apply their new strengths to improve workplace relationships and performance.

The Doug Walker Challenge Course, located at the Jackson Campus of Teton Science Schools, is a facilitated rope and obstacle course built to foster leadership and teamwork. The 25 element course course includes both belayed elements, which are 40-45 feet high, and low elements, 1-2 foot high physical obstacles and logic puzzles that require teams to collaborate.

Trained Teton Science Schools facilitators tailor programs for each group’s interests, goals, abilities, and budget, and prompt groups to draw out meaning from each experience. The flow of activities begins with a ground-based teamwork challenge, then moves to the low elements. Groups often culminate their experience by learning to belay their peers as a team on high elements.

The Challenge Course is a rewarding and joyful way to transform team culture, and is an excellent resource for businesses, nonprofit organizations, and youth groups. Contact Partnersales@tetonscience.org to start planning your Doug Walker Challenge Course program.
 

LEARN MORE ABOUT SILICON COULOIR

HAVE NEWS TO SHARE?

As always, please feel free to send news of your company's press, events, successes, and milestones to Gary@siliconcouloir.com and we'll do our best to feature them in our newsletters!

ARE YOU A COMMUNITY CARETAKER?

Silicon Couloir strengthens our Teton regional community by empowering the entrepreneurial ecosystem. More than just business development, we believe in enriching our community character and enhancing our mountain town culture. Help us support business pioneers in the Tetons by becoming a community caretaker!

To offer your time or talent, please email us at Gary@siliconcouloir.com.