Robert Seolas

One realization we've made at Convoi is if we hear something 50+ times we need to build it for the Utah Startup Community. We've built three things so far, and just about to launch number 4 in a couple of weeks. First, we started Convoi Ventures to bring more capital to the earliest stage of startups. ~2.5 years in, we've backed 40 companies, 2/3 that are pre-revenue and 50% are first-time founders. Second, we started Utah Tech Week to create a grassroots event that will be forever focused on Utah and it's early stage startup community. The first year there was 114 events, and this past January, there were 197 events and 15k attendees. Third, we started a program for early stage founders that we think is going to be the flagship program for early stage founders in Utah. Our alpha program was a big success, and beta this summer will be even better. We'll announce after we're out of beta. :) Fourth, we constantly hear of folks at the largest companies we have in Utah that want to support our early stage startups. We're going to be pretty quiet about this one #IYKYK, but if you're a VP or above at a tech company (public, or Utah based series A/B) company, please DM if you'd like more details. Thank you for letting me interrupt my social media fast for this post. Back in my cave for a couple of months.

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Reality Engagement —— I started PHX Ventures because I want to help founders in Arizona build high-growth software companies that achieve venture scale. I can handle the good, bad, and ugly of company building. I’ve lived it. I can handle losing money. I don’t like it, but I can handle it. I can handle bad news and disappointment. Company building is a roller coaster. I can handle a changing market and new competitors. Market opportunity and market dynamism go hand in hand. I can handle co-founder breakups and key team member departures. It’s not great but it’s fairly normal. I can handle bad quarters and product problems. Stuff happens in startups. What I can’t handle is a lack of engagement with reality. Willful ignorance or disregard for data won’t make your business better. If the math of your business is telling you something is broken then it means something is broken. Let’s just fix it. And let’s fix it right now. Let's at least try. I love optimism. But I love realism even more. Broken things tend not to fix themselves. In my experience, the best founders have the highest engagement with reality. Just tell me what about your current reality is giving you angst. Tell me the problems in the business. Just tell me. Don’t sell me. Tell me. I can handle it. And maybe I can help. #founders #startups #b2b #saas

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Every Monday, the team here at Bearhug Recruiting aggregates, researches, and publishes a recap of the prior week's fundraising activity within the early and growth-stage Environmental Technology & Enterprise Software startup ecosystem. Here’s the startup funding recap for 7/29/24: 1. Cowboy Clean Fuels, led by Ryan Waddington, has raised approximately $13 million in Series B funding round. 2. Star Catcher, led by Andrew Rush, has raised a $12.25 million Seed funding round. 3. Mytra, led by Chris Walti, has raised a $78 million Series B funding round. 4. Micropep Technologies, led by Thomas LAURENT, has raised a $29 million Series B funding round. 5. Sojo Industries, led by Barak Bar-Cohen, has raised a $10 million Series A funding round. 6. Code Metal, led by Peter Morales, has raised a $16.5 million Seed funding round. 7. TigerBeetle, led by Joran Greef, has raised a $24 million Series A funding round. 8. DocketAI, led by Arjun Pillai, has raised a $15 million Series A funding round. 9. Lakera, led by David Haber, has raised a $20 million Series A funding round. 10. Splight, led by Thomas Vadora, has raised a $12 million Seed funding round. 11. SirenOpt, led by Jared O'Leary, has raised a $6.6 million Seed funding round. 12. Uplimit, led by Julia Stiglitz, has raised an $11 million Series A funding round. 13. Momentum.io, led by Santiago Suarez Ordoñez, has raised a $13 million Series A funding round. 14. rift, led by Fil Twarowski, has raised a $5 million seed funding round. Watch our Google NotebookLM podcast summary on YouTube here: https://lnkd.in/eE-pDcCr To get more detail on each featured startup in this and our other weekly recaps, visit: https://lnkd.in/eg2Sk8aA #startups #startuplife #startupstory #startupfunding #startuptips #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #entrepreneurlife #marketing #sales #technology #tech #fundraising #venturecapital #venturecapitalist #investors #founder #recruiting #hiring #career #jobhunt #jobsearch #kraigward #bearhugrecruiting #cowboycleanfuels #starcatcher #mytra #micropep #sojoindustries #codemetal #tigerbeetle #docketai #lakera #splight #sirenopt #uplimit #momentum #rift

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Friends.com was purchased for $1.8m and whether that investment or the strategy behind investing significant sums of money in a startup's domain is subject to debate. On the one hand, you are locking in the most valuable domain associated with your brand, preventing it from being purchased and then resold to the company at an even higher premium. Owning a premium TLD also adds legitimacy to your business. On the other hand, if you want to pivot and rebrand later, investors and stakeholders may not be satisfied with the fact that they have to choose between using a brand name they are no longer satisfied with because of the upfront domain name investment or having to purchase another premium domain and write off the loss. Investors may also be concerned about having funds available for product development. If you have spent significant money on a domain name and have less money to spend on product development, then how valuable is the domain name?

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Catch another episode of This Week in Startups where Upfront Managing Partner Mark Suster interviews Max Altman and Ben Braverman, two of the three co-founders of Saga Ventures. With Saga’s new $125 million fund, the trio talk about: ➡ Fundraising challenges the co-founders faced as a first-time fund and the playbook of how referrals can be the best leads for increasing the chances of success ➡ Nuances of determining a fund size to maintain competitive advantages in deal strategies ➡ Ben’s learnings from working with Ryan Peterson at Flexport as well as Max’s experience and unique advantages working with his brothers Jack and Sam Here's a short clip below about the attributes of successful founders that they look for, including those willing to take unconventional risks 👇

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Every Monday, the team here at Bearhug Recruiting aggregates, researches, and publishes a recap of the prior week's fundraising activity within the early and growth-stage Environmental Technology & Enterprise Software startup ecosystem. Here’s the startup funding recap for 11/4/24: 1. LuxWall, Inc., led by Scott Thomsen, has raised a $51 million Series B funding round. 2. Third Wave Automation, led by Arshan Poursohi, has raised a $27 million Series C funding round. 3. Matter Intelligence, led by Vishnu Sridhar, has raised a $12 million Seed funding round. 4. Bifrost AI, led by Charles Wong, has raised an $8 million Series A funding round. 5. CREW Carbon, led by Joachim Katchinoff, has raised a $5.3 million Seed funding round. 6. Avina (YC S22), led by Ron Fisher, has raised a $3.2 million Seed funding round. 7. Latii, led by Santiago Bueno, has raised a $5 million Seed funding round. 8. Andium, led by Jory S., has raised a $21.7 million Series B funding round. 9. Spot AI, led by Rish Gupta, has raised $31 million in equity funding. 10. Decart, led by Dean Leitersdorf, has raised a $21 million Seed funding round. Watch our Google NotebookLM podcast summary on YouTube here: https://lnkd.in/e-sfe44R To get more detail on each featured startup in this and our other weekly recaps, visit: https://lnkd.in/eg2Sk8aA #startups #startuplife #startupstory #startupfunding #startuptips #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #entrepreneurlife #marketing #sales #technology #tech #fundraising #venturecapital #venturecapitalist #investors #founder #recruiting #hiring #career #jobhunt #jobsearch #kraigward #bearhugrecruiting #luxwall #thirdwave #matter #bitfrost #crewcarbon #avina #latii #andium #spotai #decart

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Every Monday, the team here at Bearhug Recruiting aggregates, researches, and publishes a recap of the prior week's fundraising activity within the early and growth-stage Environmental Technology & Enterprise Software startup ecosystem. Here’s the startup funding recap from 4/15/24: 1. Archetype AI, led by Ivan Poupyrev, Dr., has raised $13m in Seed funding. 2. Cyera, led by Yotam Segev, has secured a $300 million Series C funding round at a valuation of $1.4 billion. 3. Symbolica AI, led by George Morgan, has raised $33 million in funding. 4. Cobot - Collaborative Robotics, Inc, led by Brad Porter, has raised a $100 million Series B funding round. 5. PETE Learning, led by Jacques Fu, has raised a $2 million Seed funding round. 6. MODE, Inc., led by Gaku Ueda, has raised a $8.75 million Series B funding round. 7. Oden Technologies, led by Willem Sundblad, has raised a $28.5 million Series B funding round. 8. Tabs, led by Ali Hussain, has raised a $7 million Seed funding round. 9. Captura, led by Steve Oldham, has raised a $45.3 million Series A funding round. 10. CleanFiber, led by Jonathan Strimling, has raised a $28 million Series B funding round that also includes a $31.5 million project financing facility. 11. Abre, led by James Stoffer, has raised a $24 million Series A funding round. Watch our Google NotebookLM podcast summary on YouTube here: https://lnkd.in/e4HFg5VW To get more detail on each featured startup in this and our other weekly recaps, visit: https://lnkd.in/eg2Sk8aA #startups #startuplife #startupstory #startupfunding #startuptips #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #entrepreneurlife #marketing #sales #technology #tech #fundraising #venturecapital #venturecapitalist #investors #founder #recruiting #hiring #career #jobhunt #jobsearch #kraigward #bearhugrecruiting #archetypeai #cyera #symbolicaai #sprinto #collaborativerobotics #petelearning #mode #odentechnologies #tabs #captura #cleanfiber #abre

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AMPLE update : Juniper Ventures Signs up to AMPLE Marketplace AMPLE : B2B Marketplace for Fresh Food. Impact Investment. See http://buff.ly/3W32D7p Steve Thomas - CEO/Co-Founder of AMPLE provides an update on a most recent business partnership: "...Juniper Ventures, which supplies over 23,000 meals daily to students in the London Borough of Newham, has become a keen buyer on the Ample Marketplace. Incorporated in April 2018 from the council’s catering and cleaning service, Juniper aims to operate with the social aspects of the local authority but with the business acumen and autonomy of the limited company that it is. Michael Hales, chief executive of Juniper Ventures and vice-chair-elect of LACA, said: “It is shocking that in the UK we waste 13m tonnes of food every year. As a hospitality business we are determined to do all we are able to help reduce this figure....".   Read the full update. https://buff.ly/3WnGEar REMINDER Ample Marketplace is a new B2B channel for unsold fresh food integrating e-commerce, logistics, and digital marketing. Ample is the UK’s first smart marketplace for wholesale food (with expansion plans for the US, EMEA and APAC). Ample creates value by shortening the supply chain, giving more control to sellers and value for buyers.  AMPLE is a portfolio company of XSS Capital. Join us on this investment journey? DM me for more info. #e-commerce #logistics #Impact Investing

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AMPLE update : Juniper Ventures Signs up to AMPLE Marketplace AMPLE : B2B Marketplace for Fresh Food. Impact Investment. See http://buff.ly/3W32D7p Steve Thomas - CEO/Co-Founder of AMPLE provides an update on a most recent business partnership: "...Juniper Ventures, which supplies over 23,000 meals daily to students in the London Borough of Newham, has become a keen buyer on the Ample Marketplace. Incorporated in April 2018 from the council’s catering and cleaning service, Juniper aims to operate with the social aspects of the local authority but with the business acumen and autonomy of the limited company that it is. Michael Hales, chief executive of Juniper Ventures and vice-chair-elect of LACA, said: “It is shocking that in the UK we waste 13m tonnes of food every year. As a hospitality business we are determined to do all we are able to help reduce this figure....".   Read the full update. https://buff.ly/3WnGEar REMINDER Ample Marketplace is a new B2B channel for unsold fresh food integrating e-commerce, logistics, and digital marketing. Ample is the UK’s first smart marketplace for wholesale food (with expansion plans for the US, EMEA and APAC). Ample creates value by shortening the supply chain, giving more control to sellers and value for buyers.  AMPLE is a portfolio company of XSS Capital. Join us on this investment journey? DM me for more info. #e-commerce #logistics #Impact Investing

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AMPLE update : Juniper Ventures Signs up to AMPLE Marketplace AMPLE : B2B Marketplace for Fresh Food. Impact Investment. See http://buff.ly/3W32D7p Steve Thomas - CEO/Co-Founder of AMPLE provides an update on a most recent business partnership: "...Juniper Ventures, which supplies over 23,000 meals daily to students in the London Borough of Newham, has become a keen buyer on the Ample Marketplace. Incorporated in April 2018 from the council’s catering and cleaning service, Juniper aims to operate with the social aspects of the local authority but with the business acumen and autonomy of the limited company that it is. Michael Hales, chief executive of Juniper Ventures and vice-chair-elect of LACA, said: “It is shocking that in the UK we waste 13m tonnes of food every year. As a hospitality business we are determined to do all we are able to help reduce this figure....".   Read the full update. https://buff.ly/3WnGEar REMINDER Ample Marketplace is a new B2B channel for unsold fresh food integrating e-commerce, logistics, and digital marketing. Ample is the UK’s first smart marketplace for wholesale food (with expansion plans for the US, EMEA and APAC). Ample creates value by shortening the supply chain, giving more control to sellers and value for buyers.  AMPLE is a portfolio company of XSS Capital. Join us on this investment journey? DM me for more info. #e-commerce #logistics #Impact Investing

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AMPLE update : Juniper Ventures Signs up to AMPLE Marketplace AMPLE : B2B Marketplace for Fresh Food. Impact Investment. See http://buff.ly/3W32D7p Steve Thomas - CEO/Co-Founder of AMPLE provides an update on a most recent business partnership: "...Juniper Ventures, which supplies over 23,000 meals daily to students in the London Borough of Newham, has become a keen buyer on the Ample Marketplace. Incorporated in April 2018 from the council’s catering and cleaning service, Juniper aims to operate with the social aspects of the local authority but with the business acumen and autonomy of the limited company that it is. Michael Hales, chief executive of Juniper Ventures and vice-chair-elect of LACA, said: “It is shocking that in the UK we waste 13m tonnes of food every year. As a hospitality business we are determined to do all we are able to help reduce this figure....".   Read the full update. https://buff.ly/3WnGEar REMINDER Ample Marketplace is a new B2B channel for unsold fresh food integrating e-commerce, logistics, and digital marketing. Ample is the UK’s first smart marketplace for wholesale food (with expansion plans for the US, EMEA and APAC). Ample creates value by shortening the supply chain, giving more control to sellers and value for buyers.  AMPLE is a portfolio company of XSS Capital. Join us on this investment journey? DM me for more info. #e-commerce #logistics #Impact Investing

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AMPLE update : Juniper Ventures Signs up to AMPLE Marketplace AMPLE : B2B Marketplace for Fresh Food. Impact Investment. See http://buff.ly/3W32D7p Steve Thomas - CEO/Co-Founder of AMPLE provides an update on a most recent business partnership: "...Juniper Ventures, which supplies over 23,000 meals daily to students in the London Borough of Newham, has become a keen buyer on the Ample Marketplace. Incorporated in April 2018 from the council’s catering and cleaning service, Juniper aims to operate with the social aspects of the local authority but with the business acumen and autonomy of the limited company that it is. Michael Hales, chief executive of Juniper Ventures and vice-chair-elect of LACA, said: “It is shocking that in the UK we waste 13m tonnes of food every year. As a hospitality business we are determined to do all we are able to help reduce this figure....".   Read the full update. https://buff.ly/3WnGEar REMINDER Ample Marketplace is a new B2B channel for unsold fresh food integrating e-commerce, logistics, and digital marketing. Ample is the UK’s first smart marketplace for wholesale food (with expansion plans for the US, EMEA and APAC). Ample creates value by shortening the supply chain, giving more control to sellers and value for buyers.  AMPLE is a portfolio company of XSS Capital. Join us on this investment journey? DM me for more info. #e-commerce #logistics #Impact Investing

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AMPLE update : Juniper Ventures Signs up to AMPLE Marketplace AMPLE : B2B Marketplace for Fresh Food. Impact Investment. See http://buff.ly/3W32D7p Steve Thomas - CEO/Co-Founder of AMPLE provides an update on a most recent business partnership: "...Juniper Ventures, which supplies over 23,000 meals daily to students in the London Borough of Newham, has become a keen buyer on the Ample Marketplace. Incorporated in April 2018 from the council’s catering and cleaning service, Juniper aims to operate with the social aspects of the local authority but with the business acumen and autonomy of the limited company that it is. Michael Hales, chief executive of Juniper Ventures and vice-chair-elect of LACA, said: “It is shocking that in the UK we waste 13m tonnes of food every year. As a hospitality business we are determined to do all we are able to help reduce this figure....".   Read the full update. https://buff.ly/3WnGEar REMINDER Ample Marketplace is a new B2B channel for unsold fresh food integrating e-commerce, logistics, and digital marketing. Ample is the UK’s first smart marketplace for wholesale food (with expansion plans for the US, EMEA and APAC). Ample creates value by shortening the supply chain, giving more control to sellers and value for buyers.  AMPLE is a portfolio company of XSS Capital. Join us on this investment journey? DM me for more info. #e-commerce #logistics #Impact Investing

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