Kickstart Seed Fund's Dalton Wright, partner, left, Alex Soffe, administrative partner, Gavin Christensen, managing partner, and Curt Roberts, partner, pose for a photo at Kickstart's office in Cottonwood Heights on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018. What names could come up in the search for Utah State football’s next head coach? But that was before the explosion of the state's tech sector and the rise of the still-burgeoning Silicon Slopes. Grow LinkedIn, Rebecca works closely with Kickstart Collective to compose content pieces, assists in executing awesome events, and manages social media. Boards Board Members and Advisors. B.A. Number of Board Members / Advisors 8. Dalton also assisted in founding Mexico’s first early-stage tech fund. from Brigham Young University (with Honors) Education & Affiliations Education & Affiliations B.S. Vutiliti (Observer) "So we decided to creat an initiative...to recognize that these companies are going through very similar experiences. Tyson Andrus Board Member. MBA from the Kellogg School of Management Owens retakes lead from McAdams in 4th Congressional District, Republican challenger up 688 over Democratic incumbent. Claravine At least from an in-state perspective, there are several intriguing names for the now-vacant position. in Accounting from Brigham Young University He loves watching WWE wrestling with his twin boys, attending his daughter’s dance concerts, and enjoying a good show with his wife. Education & Affiliations Chatbooks Estify Vence VidAngel All Rights Reserved, Utah's Kickstart launches state's richest seed investment fund. While the company has earned its stripes with investment successes, the path it traveled while getting there was more typical than not for any startup effort, aka, full of challenges and unexpected curves. Education & Affiliations "When we first started, nobody cared about it," Christensen said. BigSquid He is passionate about helping Rocky Mountain entrepreneurs build, especially in consumer, edtech, and B2B SaaS. Biden’s path to victory born in unlikely places, including on a March day in Salt Lake City. Boards B.A. "We were always going to be a different kind of fund," Christensen said. "People were like 'Seed funding in Utah? Education & Affiliations See others named Brandon Beck Add new skills with these courses. "They not only have the ability to attract and scale seed-stage venture companies, but the firm has also become a platform for knowledge, relationships and community.". Show More . G. Michael Alder Board Member. Boards B.A. in Economics from Brigham Young University (with Honors) in Business Strategy from Brigham Young University Board Member, Invest Southwest Join Facebook to connect with Brandon Beck KY3 and others you may know. Kickstart Seed Fund associate Brandon Beck works at Kickstart's office in Cottonwood Heights on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018. B.S. Tanner also loves the Jazz, Twitter, and trying to keep up with his wife running, hiking, or skiing. Start your day with the top stories you missed while you were sleeping. Here, Karen creates learning experiences and interactions where time-strapped leaders leave with actionable insights and having developed valuable lifetime connections. Kickstart helps companies by helping them do a lot with a little. Brandon Beck Principal at Kickstart. President, BYU Business Strategy Program RackWare Christensen also faced unabashed cynicism from venture capital veterans who, when they heard back in 2008 that he was focusing on launching a seed-dedicated fund specifically aimed at ventures in Utah and the Mountain West, were something less than supportive. She originally discovered her interest in startups when she worked at EY auditing financial institutions and has applied that fervor as she actively works on diligence projects on top of controller responsibilities. If given the opportunity, Bri would dance every day. "He's made it easy for companies to not have to go to 'venture vultures.' M.A. Brandon Beck KY3 is on Facebook. JSK Therapeutics) LinkedIn. B.S. in International Studies from Lauder Institute As a Washington native, Kristin enjoys outdoor activities, gardening, and has a deep passion for animals and rescues. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Earning B.A. "They're gritty, have a deep conviction about what they're doing and a passion to be successful. Brandon Beck Investor. B.A. Sign up for the "If you are starting a company that is within the realm of reason a possible candidate for venture capital funding, you’ll get your day in the sun. The Saturday decision for Biden will not be the end of the election fight: President Donald Trump released a statement Saturday morning vowing to continue. And that may be why the company has drawn its own investor interest from the font of Utah's homegrown tech mega-companies. They can teach others what to anticipate and where to watch for mistakes so they can avoid them.". MarketDial (Observer) University of Utah announces plan to test all students in effort to stem COVID-19 surge. Education & Affiliations MBA from Harvard Business School (with Honors) Graphite Rags After a stint in management consulting, Sydnie joined the Kickstart team full time. CPA License Copyright © 2020 Deseret News Publishing Company. Brandon Beck Principal at Kickstart Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area. Member of the Kauffman Fellows Society View Brandon Beck’s profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. Skip Sondermind AdWallet "One of things that’s been a hallmark of our culture is trying to maintain a very open door," said Kickstart partner Curt Roberts. Trilumina (Observer) She discovered her interest in venture capital as she worked on the administrative team at Peterson Partners. "Treating entrepreneurs with respect and recognizing that it's all about them was a pretty different way of approaching things in this arena.". Andrus, who before taking over the 30-year-old Traeger Grills and quadrupling profits in just four years had turned Utah's Skullcandy headphones into an industry giant, lauded Kickstart for both its success and its approach. Gavin is the founding visionary at Kickstart. Carine Clark, veteran entrepreneur and current CEO of Banyan, a Utah tech patient-experience platform company, said Kickstart has distinguished itself both for its business approach and what happens after an investment is made. in Public Relations & Minor in Art from Utah State University Outside of Kickstart, Gavin can be found spending time with his family, multitasking while riding his Onewheel, and playing tennis. CloudApp His superpower is making friends with anyone and he’s a true family man. Now, with a fund that is nearly double the value of its last round, Kickstart is poised to go build its investment portfolio even deeper and wider, and Christensen said the company will be doing more of what it's been doing well and keep doing it in a style he says may be unique to the Beehive State. Brandon's latent super powers are thought to be vast but still unknown even to himself. LinkedIn, From IT to swag management, Bri keeps things running smoothly and making sure the fund has the resources it needs. LinkedIn, Alex loves working with entrepreneurs and is actively involved in Kickstart’s investment process when not managing financial reporting, tax compliance, and other back-office items. Mobilize (Observer) B.S. Kickstart Seed Fund announced Wednesday the state's largest ever seed-dedicated venture capital fund and, at $74 million, the company is poised to add considerably to the slate of 100-plus companies it's helped. Gary Herbert met with other officials for an emergency meeting Saturday to decide on additional measures to fight the surge. LinkedIn, Tanner’s diverse interests have led him to creating smart home cameras, operating a safari company in Tanzania, and helping craft the NikePlus product strategy. in Writing and Rhetoric Studies from the University Of Utah Bryan Ritchie Board Member. LinkedIn, Curt is a consultant-turned-CEO-turned-Nike exec. The Aggies are looking for their 28th head coach in program history with Gary Andersen’s departure. Boards Aaron Skonnard of Pluralsight, Jeremy Andrus of Traeger Grills and Ryan Smith of Qualtrics are all investment participants in the new fund. The concept of specializing in seed-stage venture capital funding was hatched while Christensen was working on his MBA at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, but timing, and the Great Recession, would become one of the first obstacles to address. 197 others named Brandon Beck are on LinkedIn. Zeroing in on that character profile has helped Kickstart build an investment portfolio that reads like a who's who of up-and-coming Utah companies and includes wavemakers like Cotopaxi, Podium, Lucid Software, Homie, Chatbooks, Blyncsy and numerous others. Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area. Boards BrainStorm, Inc. Education & Affiliations Brandon Beck VC at Kickstart. Greater Salt Lake City Area. As Utah’s COVID-19 case counts continue to skyrocket, Gov. Reaction Data Omadi (Observer) "The financial crisis hit right in the middle of the effort to put our first fund together," Christensen said. Idaciti Looking forward, we’re going to continue to back the best entrepreneurs in Utah and the Mountain West.". Chargeback He’s crazy about cycling, skiing, photography, and rare and antiquarian books. MBA from Harvard Business School LinkedIn, Karen manages our portfolio community, which we call Kickstart Collective. Before paving the way for seed funding in the Intermountain West, Gavin was an analyst, associate, and principal at vSpring Capital (now Signal Peak). Roberts noted one program the company launched, Kickstart Collective, is leveraging the "collective" knowledge of its large stable of companies in an education network that facilitates more mature ventures sharing knowledge with those new companies that have learned fewer lessons. Student Body President at Brigham Young University When not working with Utah’s best and brightest entrepreneurs, Brandon spends time on the ski slopes, lakes, and soccer pitches of Utah. LinkedIn, Brandon is passionate about helping entrepreneurs build meaningful businesses in any industry, but finds excitement in the areas of fintech, proptech, mobility, productivity, and automation. "We're looking for founders that do a lot with a little," Christensen said. in Business Strategy from Brigham Young University eVisit Janiis (Observer) in Accounting from the University of Utah Education & Affiliations Tanner Potter Investor. CPA License in Advertising & Marketing from Brigham Young University (magna cum laude) You’ll have the opportunity to come in and meet our team and tell us about it.". Clarke Miyasaki Venture Partner. Suralink "Entrepreneurs in Utah are fortunate to have access to a fund like Kickstart," Andrus said in a statement. See others named Brandon Beck Add new skills with these courses. DSCO Huckabuy (Observer) See the complete profile on LinkedIn and discover Brandon… Artemis Health (Observer) Education & Affiliations Lucid Software Pura Photopharmics