Episode 072: ‘Impact Founder’ takes over the BTP to talk pivoting in this time of virus

Boulder Tech Podcast
Boulder Tech Podcast
Episode 072: 'Impact Founder' takes over the BTP to talk pivoting in this time of virus
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This episode is part of our 2020 Boulder Startup Week series. Because of the coronavirus, this year’s startup week takes place virtually. We won’t be doing as many interview as we have the past two years, and will miss seeing everyone in person, but look forward to catching as many of the online sessions as we can. For more info and a full schedule, visit boulderstartupweek.com.

We’ve got another podcast “takeover” in this edition, with the Boulder Tech Podcast combining forces with Impact Founder, a media company debunking the myth that entrepreneurship is sexy or easy. They tell the real stories of entrepreneurs so you don’t feel alone in your experience as a founder. 

For Boulder Startup Week 2020, Impact Founder’s founder, Kristin Darga, speaks with founders who pivoted or launched during the COVID-19 shutdown. In this episode, she speaks with two people who decided to change course so that their business could better serve their community during this critical time.

Our first guest is Rebecca Cranston, CFO of Amairify and Managing Partner of Four Corners Clean, a disinfecting service she started in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

They have been hard at work throughout the southwest and most notably in the Navajo Nation, spraying in the highest-risk community, residential, and tribal government spaces, where rates of infection have not stabilized and death rates are among the highest in the world.

And if starting one company wasn’t enough, the interest in Four Corners Clean led Rebecca to launch Amairify, a distribution company created to help provide disinfecting services nationally. 

Learn more at fourcornersclean.com.

Then, Kristin talks to Tommy Riley, Co-Founder of Handoff, a chat- and voice-based alcohol recommendation and delivery platform. 

When the coronavirus led to Colorado locking down in mid-March, Handoff took a tremendous risk to pivot and help Colorado breweries who do not have a retail presence. Their focus on local product has helped liquor stores, brewers and distillers across the state to remain afloat during a difficult time.

Find out more and download the app at handofftech.com.

To listen to more founder stories, please visit Impactfounder.com or find them on iTunes, Stitcher and most other podcast platforms. Follow on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @impactfounder.

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The Boulder Tech Podcast is made possible in part by Boulder StartUp Week platinum sponsors Honey, Name.com and the Downtown Boulder Partnership

We’re also supported by Glider, a Colorado-based Community movement and non-profit that produces Boulder’s Ignite and TedX events, as well as Boulder Startup Week. Learn more and consider a donation at glider.com

Our intro music is by Eccodek. Hear more at eccodek.com (that’s E-c-c-o-d-e-k).

Our outro music is by EarthRise SoundSystem. You’ll find them at earthrisesoundsystem.com

The Boulder Tech Podcast is produced by me, Joel Davis. Your feedback, criticisms, comments and guest suggestions are welcome. Reach me at joel@dojo4.com

Thanks for listening. We’ll see you back here for the next episode of the Boulder Tech Podcast.

Episode 058: John Schaefer & Matt Schaefer, Co-Founders, Radio Rethink

Boulder Tech Podcast
Boulder Tech Podcast
Episode 058: John Schaefer & Matt Schaefer, Co-Founders, Radio Rethink
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We have two guests for Episode 58: John Schaefer, co-founder and Creative Director, and Matt Schaefer, co-founder and Web App Developer, for Radio Rethink — a project conceived to move community and micro-community radio into the spotlight of the mobile media landscape.

Community radio and eclectic music programming are big passions shared by The Brothers Schaefer and myself, and thus we geek out about: 

  • the purpose and function of Radio Rethink
  • how community and public radio stations are already benefiting greatly from the service
  • what motivates the Schaefers to provide Radio Rethink at such a low cost
  • and how, for all their bells and whistles and billion-dollar budgets, titans like Spotify, Apple Music, etc. don’t compare to the deep crates and cultural knowledge of an adventurous, low-budget, volunteer-powered community radio station

All of that and more, as the Boulder Tech Podcast speaks with Radio Rethink’s John Schaefer and Matt Schaefer.

Follow Radio Rethink on Twitter @radiorethink.

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The Boulder Tech Podcast is supported by Glider, a Colorado-based Community movement and non-profit that produces Boulder’s Ignite and TedX events, as well as Boulder Startup Week. Learn more and consider a donation at glider.com

Thanks to dojo4 for providing space for our podcast studio, and to KGNU Community Radio for recording gear and studio usage.

Our intro music is by Eccodek. Hear more at eccodek.com.

Our outro music is by EarthRise SoundSystem. You’ll find them at earthrisesoundsystem.com

The Boulder Tech Podcast is produced by me, Joel Davis. Your feedback, criticisms, comments and guest suggestions are welcome. Reach me at joel@dojo4.com

Thanks for listening. We’ll see you back here for the next episode of the Boulder Tech Podcast.

Episode 046: Lisa Buffo, Founder/CEO, Cannabis Marketing Association

Boulder Tech Podcast
Boulder Tech Podcast
Episode 046: Lisa Buffo, Founder/CEO, Cannabis Marketing Association
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This is one of 20 interviews recorded in a popup backroom studio at dojo4 during the 10th annual Boulder Startup Week. When it started in 2009, Boulder Startup Week was the first event of its kind, anywhere. Now, Startup Weeks are held around the world. It’s a great example of Boulder’s position on the leading edge of tech — and the future.

Our guest for Episode 46 is Lisa Buffo, Founder and CEO of the Cannabis Marketing Association, a Denver-based organization focused on education and best practices for cannabis industry communications professionals.

We cover a lot of ground, including:

  • challenges to cannabis marketing, both legally and image-wise
  • the restrictive laws around marketing and how they disrupt basic commerce as well as efforts to destigmatize the substance
  • Colorado’s place in the pot pecking order now that legalization is spreading
  • the often forgotten point that cannabis is, at its most basic, a source of joy

Follow the Cannabis Marketing Association on Twitter @CannaMarketing and LIsa @LiBuff21.

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The Boulder Tech Podcast is made possible in part by Boulder StartUp Week platinum sponsors HoneyMatter and Zayo

We’re also supported by Glider, a Colorado-based Community movement and non-profit that produces Boulder’s Ignite and TedX events, as well as Boulder Startup Week. Learn more and consider a donation at glider.com

Thanks to dojo4 for providing space for our podcast studio, and to KGNU Community Radio for recording gear and studio usage.

Our intro music is by Eccodek. Hear more at eccodek.com (that’s E-c-c-o-d-e-k).

Our outro music is by EarthRise SoundSystem. You’ll find them at earthrisesoundsystem.com

The Boulder Tech Podcast is produced by me, Joel Davis. Your feedback, criticisms, comments and guest suggestions are welcome. Reach me at joel@dojo4.com

Thanks for listening. We’ll see you back here for the next episode of the Boulder Tech Podcast.

Episode 045: Vanessa Clark, co-founder/CEO & William Kowalski, co-founder/COO, Atomos

Boulder Tech Podcast
Boulder Tech Podcast
Episode 045: Vanessa Clark, co-founder/CEO & William Kowalski, co-founder/COO, Atomos
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This is one of 20 interviews recorded in a popup backroom studio at dojo4 during the 10th annual Boulder Startup Week. When it started in 2009, Boulder Startup Week was the first event of its kind, anywhere. Now, Startup Weeks are held around the world. It’s a great example of Boulder’s position on the leading edge of tech — and the future.

Our guests for Episode 45 are Vanessa Clark, co-founder and CEO, and William Kowalski, co-founder and COO, of Atomos, a Denver-based company building the railroad of space with spacecraft that move satellites from low Earth orbit to anywhere beyond our atmosphere. In our conversation, we get into:

  • the state of private space exploration
  • what sets Atomos’ last-mile services apart from their competitors, and their plan to disrupt and revolutionize how we operate in space
  • the space biz in Colorado 
  • and how, for all its ambitious projects and high-flying goals, Atomos is, at heart, a family-run company

Follow Atomos on Twitter @AtomosSpace.

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The Boulder Tech Podcast is made possible in part by Boulder StartUp Week platinum sponsors HoneyMatter and Zayo

We’re also supported by Glider, a Colorado-based Community movement and non-profit that produces Boulder’s Ignite and TedX events, as well as Boulder Startup Week. Learn more and consider a donation at glider.com

Thanks to dojo4 for providing space for our podcast studio, and to KGNU Community Radio for recording gear and studio usage.

Our intro music is by Eccodek. Hear more at eccodek.com (that’s E-c-c-o-d-e-k).

Our outro music is by EarthRise SoundSystem. You’ll find them at earthrisesoundsystem.com

The Boulder Tech Podcast is produced by me, Joel Davis. Your feedback, criticisms and comments are welcome. Reach me at joel@dojo4.com

Thanks for listening. We’ll see you back here for the next episode of the Boulder Tech Podcast.

Episode 043: Shail Mehta, Co-Founder/CEO, The Last Gameboard (a WILD interview by Stephanie Brady)

Boulder Tech Podcast
Boulder Tech Podcast
Episode 043: Shail Mehta, Co-Founder/CEO, The Last Gameboard (a WILD interview by Stephanie Brady)
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Episode 43 of the Boulder Tech Podcast is part of a special “WILD” series of interviews recorded during the 10th annual Boulder Startup Week. 

WILD (Women Inspiring Leadership Development) is a new track at Boulder StartUp Week 2019, and features candid conversations celebrating women’s startup success, diversity, power, mentoring muscle and leadership impact. 

For the WILD series, I’m pleased to hand off interviewing duties to Stephanie Brady, Managing Director at iFG Studios and Board Member of The WILD Council. who chats in this episode with Shail Mehta, CEO and Co-Founder of The Last Gameboard about :

  • How Shail started a tech venture without a tech background
  • Her inspiration to fuse the physical game board experience into the digital gaming world. 
  • And battling the bro-culture as a minority woman 

The WILD at Boulder Startup Week podcast series is supported by 1stBank, “banking for good” to help business customers achieve their goals and provide them the resources to succeed. 

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The Boulder Tech Podcast is presented by Boulder Startup Week 2019 Title sponsor, Techstars. At the core, Techstars is a company founded by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. With more than 300,000 alumni and 10,000 mentors across 150 countries, Techstars is a worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed. To learn more, go-to techstars.com

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The Boulder Tech Podcast is made possible in part by Boulder StartUp Week platinum sponsors HoneyMatter and Zayo

We’re also supported by Glider, a Colorado-based Community movement and non-profit that produces Boulder’s Ignite and TedX events, as well as Boulder Startup Week. Learn more and consider a donation at glider.com

Thanks to dojo4 for providing space for our podcast studio, and to KGNU Community Radio for recording gear and studio usage.

Our intro music is by Eccodek. Hear more at eccodek.com (that’s E-c-c-o-d-e-k).

Our outro music is by EarthRise SoundSystem. You’ll find them at earthrisesoundsystem.com

The Boulder Tech Podcast is produced by me, Joel Davis. Your feedback, criticisms and comments are welcome. Reach me at joel@dojo4.com

Thanks for listening. We’ll see you back here for the next episode of the Boulder Tech Podcast.