The Kickstart Podcast

Jeron Paul is a 4x founder and a defining entrepreneur in the Utah ecosystem. Most recently, Jeron was the Co-founder & CEO of Spiff, the leading incentive compensation platform which he successfully sold to Salesforce in one of the most strategic acquisitions in the space. Before Spiff, Jeron founded and sold Boardlink, Scalar, and CapShare.-------00:00 Breaking into VC by selling a 401k and working for free.06:30 Learning what not to do from dysfunctional venture cultures.19:40 How to double your price when a giant tries to lock you up.26:50 Why "Founder Mode" requires being in the technical weeds.34:10 Identifying your acquirer on Day 1.44:30 Why a small first exit is the secret to a massive second home run.01:03:15 Why UX is a CEO-level concern, not a department.01:15:20 The "Infinite Scale" framework for evaluating your management team.01:21:40 The ultimate success metric.-------Gavin Christensen founded Kickstart in 2008, establishing the region’s first seed-stage venture fund.You can follow Gavin on LinkedIn.-------Kickstart is the Mountain West’s most experienced and active early-stage venture capital fund. Kickstart provides pre-seed & seed funding to ambitious tech founders across Utah & Colorado with a focus on AI, B2B SaaS, and frontier tech.See Kickstart’s full investment portfolio here.

Every entrepreneur is trying to solve a problem with their startup. To prove you're the person for the job, how do you become an expert yourself? We're talking with an entrepreneur who has accomplished just that. Join us in today's conversation with Alex Shamir, Co-Founder at Yofi, and investor Tanner Potter of Kickstart (a VC firm for startups in Utah, Colorado, and the Mountain West) as we bring you both sides of a Perfect Pitch. In this episode, we'll talk about:How Alex's experience at Nike and Apple drove her interest in tackling data integrity and policy abuse in e-commerceThe difference between understanding the problem your startup is solving and being obsessed with itWhy entrepreneurs should trust their gut, iterate quickly, and make hard decisions, like firing when necessary, to drive successIf investors consider the age of an entrepreneur when investingKickstart is the Mountain West’s most experienced and active early-stage venture capital fund. Kickstart provides pre-seed & seed funding to ambitious tech founders across Utah & Colorado with a focus on AI, B2B SaaS, and frontier tech.See Kickstart’s full investment portfolio here.

Running a startup is like building a car while you're driving. We're talking with an entrepreneur who does it all while staying buckled in. Join us in today's conversation with Wade Anderson, President and COO of Elements, and investor Tanner Potter of Kickstart (a VC firm for startups in Utah, Colorado, and the Mountain West) as we bring you both sides of a Perfect Pitch. In this episode, we'll talk about: Starters and joiners: why you don't need to be a founder to be an entrepreneur The steps Wade took to determine whether Elements had product-market fit How investors look at product retention and usage data when evaluating a company Details on Wade's feedback strategy and how it helps him remain self-aware

Startup sales—the phrase alone is enough to stress a founder out. We're bringing in two experts who will help unlock the secret to sales success. Join us in today's conversation with Aaron McReynolds and Ryan Harris, co-founders of Alysio, and investor Kat Kennedy of Kickstart (a VC firm for startups in Utah, Colorado, and the Mountain West) as we bring you both sides of a perfect pitch. In this episode, we'll talk about: How Alysio nailed down big customers early on in their startup journey and their advice to founders struggling with customer acquisition The components that make a good sales organization Common blind spots that trip up sales teams Why Kat is so excited about Alysio's financial model and how entrepreneurs can improve their company's model

Can VCs be founders too? We're talking with Kickstart's founding partners to understand how Kickstart…was kickstarted. Join us in today's conversation with investors Gavin Christensen, Alex Soffe, and Dalton Wright of Kickstart (a VC firm for startups in Utah, Colorado, and the Mountain West), as we bring you both sides of a Perfect Pitch. In this episode, we'll talk about: The slow grind of Kickstart's everyday life in the early days Why no one took Utah VCs seriously and why that has changed Low points in Kickstart's history and how the team survived What is next in Kickstart's story…

Join Taylor Margot, Founder and CEO of Keys, and Tanner Potter, VC investor at Kickstart, as they dive into thought-provoking insights for entrepreneurs. They argue that founders should ignore conventional investor advice, questioning the relevance of VC guidance. Taylor emphasizes the need for founders to list potential business risks in their pitches. Tanner reveals the importance of researching VCs, highlighting the preference for entrepreneurs deeply rooted in their industries over trend-chasers. It's a lively discussion that challenges classic fundraising wisdom!

Tanner Potter, Kickstart investor with a background in Vivint and Nike, discusses how product has impacted his career and investing habits. He also gives advice to founders on creating pitch decks and emphasizes the importance of storytelling. The podcast also explores the similarities between product management and venture capital, the evolution of the VC ecosystem, and the power of reading for professional success.

We talk a lot about how to grow your startup on this show. But once you've mastered the startup part, how do you ensure you don't get left behind as a leader? Join us in today's conversation with Dave Grow, CEO of Lucid Software, and investor Gavin Christensen of Kickstart (a VC firm for startups in Utah, Colorado, and the Mountain West) as we bring you both sides of a Perfect Pitch. In this episode, we'll talk about: Why Dave was compelled to apologize to the first person he managed at Lucid Software How Dave developed the habit to "give away his legos" When it's valuable to hire specialists versus generalists What mistakes Gavin has seen founders make that prohibit them from growing with their company

It's easy to get caught up in defining your startup with industry buzz words. We're speaking with a founder who is fighting against being placed in a box. Join us in today's conversation with Riley Hughes, Founder & CEO of Trinsic, and investor Dalton Wright of Kickstart (a VC firm for startups in Utah, Colorado, and the Mountain West) as we bring you both sides of a Perfect Pitch. In this episode, we'll talk about: Kickstart's announcement on opening an office in Denver this summer What digital identity means and how it impacts you and your privacy How Riley transitioned from a scooter handlebar startup to sovereign identity Why entrepreneurs shouldn't worry about being the "pioneer problem-solver" in a market Why many founders shy away from being labeled as a Web3 company

Among the difficult things founders have to face, layoffs may be the worst. We sat down with a CEO who draws back the curtain on a difficult but often necessary part of startup life. Join us in today's conversation with PJ O'Neil, Co-Founder and CEO of Elements, and investor Gavin Christensen of Kickstart (a VC firm for startups in Utah, Colorado, and the Mountain West) as we bring you both sides of a Perfect Pitch. In this episode, we'll talk about: What makes Denver and the Mountain West ripe ground for founders Why PJ's cold email pitch stood out to Gavin PJ's experience in making difficult layoffs at Nomad Layoffs: what you should and shouldn't do