VIRTUAL MONTHLY CHANCE MEETINGS
April 5, 2021, 5 - 6 pm Via Zoom—registration 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 virtual networking event. You never know...
Theme: Raising Capital 101
There’s simply no way around it — growing a company requires capital. And for many entrepreneurs, one of the scariest and most daunting tasks is deciding how, when and from whom to raise capital for their venture. Our experienced panel will try to demystify, in clear language, the options in, and dynamics of, the start-up capital markets.
This panel will be moderated by Leslie Schrock. Panelists include: Sam Heshmati, John Jenkins, and Alex Muromcew.
Sam Heshmati leads the banking team managing private equity at First Republic Bank , venture capital and startup company relationships. He has nearly 20 years of experience in the technology ecosystem, serving clients not only as a banker, but also as an advisor. He leads the programs to serve the tech community, cultivating and managing relationships with some of the West Coast’s top incubators, micro-VCs and entrepreneurs. Over his career, he has worked with more than 500 early-stage VC firms. and several thousand venture-backed startups. Prior to joining First Republic in 2012, he spent 10 years as a tech banker at Silicon Valley Bank and Square 1 Bank. He earned a bachelor’s degree from San Jose State University.
John Jenkins lives and breathes the start-up journey, having built companies in partnership with investors and by brute force bootstrapping. He knows where the landmines are, he knows the shortcuts and loves building high-quality companies who deliver amazing outcomes. John is expanding Dundee Capital’s presence in Healthcare IT, fintech, and insurance tech worlds, focusing on those three sectors, while also being a resource to all existing portfolio founders.
Alex Muromcew is Board Chair of Silicon Couloir and a Trustee. He is a private investor and is very active in the Rocky Mountain West start-up community as an angel investor, advisor, board member, and mentor. Alex spent twenty-five years as an institutional asset manager most recently as a Managing Director at TIAA where he managed $2bn in global equities. Alex has an MBA from Stanford and a BA from Dartmouth College.
After working in advertising with clients like (RED), Leslie Schrock joined the founding team of Rock Health, a globally-known startup accelerator that became a venture fund with over 100 portfolio companies and partners like the Mayo Clinic. I also cofounded a food startup introducing sustainable protein sources, and am on the Advisory Council at the University of Texas College of Communication. When I’m not writing, I spend my time with startups improving the way we live.
NEWS AND NOTES
MATT MURPHY STEPS UP TO SUPER TRUSTEE
We're pleased to announce that Silicon Couloir board member, Matt Murphy, is our newest Super Trustee! Thank you, Matt, for your service, generosity, and dedication to strengthening our Teton region entrepreneur ecosystem. We are so grateful.
Matt Murphy is President and Chief Executive Officer of Marvell Semiconductor. He has led the company since joining in July 2016 and also serves as a member of company’s Board of Directors. In his role as CEO, Matt is responsible for leading new technology development, directing ongoing operations and driving Marvell's growth strategy. Prior to joining Marvell, Matt worked for Maxim Integrated, where he advanced through a series of business leadership roles over two decades. Most recently at Maxim, he served as Executive Vice President of Business Units and Sales & Marketing, overseeing all product development and go-to-market activities. In 2018, Institutional Investor named him All-America Executive Team Best CEO in the semiconductor category. He also served as the Chairman of the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) in 2018. Matt earned a B.A. from Franklin & Marshall College, and is also a graduate of the Stanford Executive Program. He was appointed to the board of directors of eBay Inc. in March 2019 and serves on the boards of directors of the SIA and Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA).
SILICON COULOIR ANGEL GROUP RESUMES
On February 25, the Silicon Couloir Angel Group held its first meeting since the beginning of the pandemic. Two companies, Powwater and Cowboy Clean Fuels, delivered 15-minute pitches and held their own during a robust question and answer session before a virtual audience of 20+ investors.
Powwater, winner of the Panel Award at Silicon Couloir’s 2019 Pitch Day, recently closed a seed round, and this summer is competing for the second phase of a Gates Foundation grant that could award the B-Corp business another $1mm in non-dilutive funding. Powwater is currently in Mombasa, Kenya piloting its logistics technology to improve efficiency in water sales, quality, and distribution in emerging markets.
Cowboy Clean Fuels (CCF) is developing technology to capture carbon-negative natural gas from aging wells by injecting them with organic matter. Natural gas created by the resulting reactions is eligible for sale under various renewable portfolio standards, allowing CCF access to strong existing markets.
If your company is raising capital and you'd like to present to the Angel Group, please complete the application at this link.
AMBOY STREET VENTURES LAUNCHES
Amboy Street Ventures, the world's first venture capital fund currently in the market focused on Sexual Health (for all genders) and Women's Health Technology start-ups launched on March 24th.
Says Principal Carli Sapir, Silicon Couloir TEAMS participant, "We believe billion dollar companies will emerge in order to bridge the gap between the underserved Sexual and Women's Health Tech space and the needs of today's society. We are female investors who are living through the issues facing women. We know the potential to help drive the market and make genuine change happen."
TEAMS Mentor Launches Cirque Analytics
Gary Harvey, a Silicon Couloir TEAMS mentor, is the Founding Principle at Cirque Analytics. Cirque is a start-up that brings together a team with a unique set of cutting-edge consulting services and testimonial experts in the application of statistics and economics to litigation and challenges facing businesses worldwide.
Clients include Visa, JPMorgan Chase, Capital One, Barclays, PNC Bank, Wells Fargo, Major League Baseball, National Football League, National Basketball Association, Women’s National Basketball, Facebook, Google, Google Fiber, Monsanto, Allianz, BP, and other national and international clients.
Areas of expertise include credit and debit card networks and markets, epidemiology,
damage estimates in litigation, survey design and analysis, merger and agency competition review, antitrust matters involving claims of price-fixing, false advertising, unfair competition and monopolization, intellectual property litigation, consumer product performance, toxic torts, risk analysis, insurance claims analysis, health care costs analysis, technology policy consulting, data security (including evaluating and deploying security architecture and standards), data risk management, Internet policy, and the Internet domain name system.
Cirque headquartered in Jackson Hole, WY, and is expecting to add offices on the West Coast and East Coast this summer.
VERTICAL HARVEST ON THE SCREEN & IN THE NEWS
Greater Teton Community “Hearts of Glass” Virtual Film Screening & Panel Discussion
Stream the Film: 4/7- 4/17
Join the Discussion: 4/15 from 7-8 pm MT
You’re invited to stream “Hearts of Glass,” the award-winning documentary about Vertical Harvest Farms, our history-making hometown hydroponic greenhouse. Then, join us for a virtual panel discussion with the filmmaker, CEO/Co-Founder of Vertical Harvest, a graduate of Jackson Hole High School’s Transition Academy, and local educators focused on inclusion, food production, and sustainability.
We welcome community members from both sides of the Tetons. If you are interested in any or all of these topics — disability inclusion, sustainability, local food production, social entrepreneurship — watch the film and join the discussion.
Please watch the film at your convenience between 4/7 and 4/17. You can register for the panel discussion on 4/15 using the same link. Go under the "Q&A" tab and click the "REGISTER HERE" button.
Vertical Harvest Co- Founders, Nona Yehia and Caroline Croft Estay, were part of a Today Show segment celebrating International Women's Day on March 8.
PRIME MOVERS LAB CLOSES RAISE FOR
EARLY STAGE FUND
Prime Movers Lab, based in Jackson, invests in breakthrough scientific startups with the potential to transform billions of lives. "We are excited to announce we have raised $245mm for our second early-stage fund. Heliogen, a Fund 1 portfolio company, has begun a project with mining giant Rio Tinto to power a mine in Boron, California with Heliogen’s revolutionary concentrated solar technology. In Fund 2 news, Fort Robotics closed a $13mm funding round that we led. They will use the capital to accelerate their mission to make industrial robots safe. Our Partner Caleb Bell was recently featured in Longevity Technology discussing our investment in Elevian, a company curing aging and the diseases related to it."
ORCHESTRA PROVISIONS LAUNCHES PROTEIN POWDER
Orchestra Provisions announces the launch of a new protein powder line from the heart of Teton Valley. Available in Chocolate, Vanilla, and Chai, Orchestra Protein is produced sustainably in Idaho and is farmed with regenerative techniques. Crafted with 4 whole food ingredients to create the healthiest possible protein on the planet—for you and the natural world. As a superfood, Orchestra Protein delivers all of your daily protein demands, and is extremely rich in highly absorbable heme-iron, b-vitamins, prebiotic fiber, calcium, and delivers all essential amino acids. Add 1-2 scoops to your favorite smoothies, oatmeal, pancakes, and baking recipes for a supercharged nutrition boost. Orchestra Protein is a great substitute for those wanting to make conscious food decisions that protect the earth without sacrificing personal nutrition.
PERFECTUS BIOMED PARTNERS WITH JAGUAR
Local biotech company Perfectus Biomed (formerly Extherid prior to a recent merger) partnered with Jaguar Land Rover to test a cutting-edge cabin air purification technology that has been shown in laboratory tests to inhibit viruses and airborne bacteria by as much as 97 percent. Read more here.
ALEX YODER & OVERVIEW COFFEE FEATURED BY PATAGONIA
Jackson native, Overview Coffee Founder, and pro snowboarder Alex Yoder was recently featured in an article on the Patagonia website in which he recounts his journey from risking it all on the slopes to finding fulfillment in his new regenerative organic coffee venture.
Photo: Johnie Gall
LEARN MORE ABOUT SILICON COULOIR
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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.