Kickstart Fund

We are thrilled to see Claravine, Lucid Software, Nursa, Pura, and Rad AI named among the Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 winners! This list consists of 500 fastest-growing companies across technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences, fintech, and energy tech in North America, celebrating its 30th year. We love to see some familiar companies!

Big congratulations to Verl Allen and the entire Claravine team for being named on the 2024 Deloitte Technology #Fast500 list! ??

We’re incredibly excited to share that Teal Drones has been selected as the winner of the U.S. Army’s SRR (Short Range Reconnaissance) program! After years of rigorous competition, Teal will now move into production of its next-generation UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System), including the newly announced Black Widow and WEB systems. This significant achievement underscores Teal's innovation and dedication to advancing defense technology. Congratulations to George Matus and the entire Teal Drones team on this remarkable milestone!??As George said, this is an American dream moment. Learn more in the The Wall Street Journal's article here. ?? https://lnkd.in/gDUKU94c

?? Exciting news from Rad AI! ?? Rad AI has been recognized as a 2024 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 winner, ranking an incredible #19 among the fastest-growing tech companies in North America. This milestone reflects their groundbreaking work in healthcare AI and the impact they’re making on radiology practices across the country. A huge congratulations to Rad AI’s team and Doktor Gurson for this well-deserved recognition. Here’s to continued growth and innovation! ??

This is one of my favorite moments from our conversation with Alex Shamir, Co-Founder of Yofi: learning how she went from working on a growth team at Nike to discovering her calling of battling bots. ?? Huge thank you to Alex for being our first video podcast guest! Catch the full episode on YouTube (link below) or search for Perfect Pitch wherever you find your podcasts! Alex, Tanner Potter, and Karen Zelnick discuss: ?? How Alex’s experience at Nike and Apple drove her interest in tackling data integrity and policy abuse in e-commerce ?? The difference between understanding the problem your startup is solving and being obsessed with it ?? Why entrepreneurs should trust their gut, iterate quickly, and make hard decisions, like firing when necessary, to drive success ?? If investors consider the age of an entrepreneur when investing Let us know what you think!

??? “Always listen to your gut. The more you ignore the red flags, the harder it’s going to be.” In our latest episode, Alex Shamir, Co-Founder of Yofi, shares a powerful reminder for entrepreneurs: trust your intuition. Whether it’s deciding to pivot, let go, or pursue a new path, Alex highlights the importance of staying true to what feels right—because forcing something that isn’t working will only make the journey harder. This conversation is full of raw, real advice for anyone navigating tough decisions in their career or entrepreneurial journey. Catch the full episode to hear more from Alex's conversation with Tanner Potter and Karen Zelnick. Search for Perfect Pitch wherever you find your podcasts. Bonus! Perfect Pitch is now on ?video?! You can watch the entire conversation on YouTube—check out the link below.

?? Utah’s unique entrepreneurial spirit, the rise of AI, and the evolution of tech events—this Silicon Slopes episode with Gavin Christensen covers it all. From the future of SaaS vs. AI agents to building authentic connections post-pandemic, it's the perfect listen for anyone navigating today’s startup ecosystem. Check out the full episode on the Silicon Slopes App or their YouTube channel for valuable insights on innovation, networking, and Utah's growing tech scene! ???

We're honored to be along for the ride! HappyDoc is a veterinarian AI scribe that allows vets to focus less on paperwork and more on care. ??

Last night Kickstart Fund hosted an incredible event and I got to hear from Mike Maples, Jr and Gavin Christensen!?? They talked about so many cool things that I found very valuable as someone who is trying to learn new things every day. Here’s some points I thought were most valuable: ???? Breaking Patterns for Startup Success: Mike shared insights from his book Pattern Breakers. He emphasized the power of inflection points and pattern-breaking ideas that redefine industries. Startups aren’t just about competition, they’re about creating a whole new game. ?? Living in the Future to Build the Future: Mike also challenged us to see from a “future-unique” perspective, exploring ideas that might seem ahead of their time but are grounded in upcoming realities. ?? FAVORITE QUOTE: ??“Don’t be the best, be the ONLY.”?? Being the ONLY means creating something truly unique and defining your own category rather than competing within existing ones. I was so inspired by everything Mike shared that I went out and get his book this morning! Grateful for these opportunities to learn from the best. Thank you Tyler Jennings for opening doors I never even knew existed! ???? Thanks Renato V. for the sweet hat and for sponsoring the event! It was amazing to see so many of my fellow Sandbox students there learning from the best of the best! LETS BUILD UTAH?? Elijah Taylor Collin Shill Caitlyn Palsson Kyla Allan Probst Andrew Chandler Garrett Calaway Jacob Willson

Thank you to everyone who showed up to learn from the incredible Mike Maples, Jr! If you haven’t snagged yourself a copy of his new book, Pattern Breakers, now is the time. Thank you, Mike! Big thanks to Renato V. and Parallel for sponsoring!