December 2024
Welcome back to First Chair: Your rundown on Vermont’s startup scene brought to you by your friends at VCET. Today’s gems:
?? The Road Not Taken
?? Female Founders: Economic Power
?? Say hi to Geoff Robertson
?? Spotlight on Chroma Technology’s Janette Bombardier
Life is mostly defined by the choices we make or don’t make daily and their impacts over time. The same holds true for knowing when, or when not, to start a business. This entrepreneurial leap is scary, lonely, costly, exhausting, and above all else uncertain in outcome. But, starting a business is also full of discovery, invention, problem solving, ego and reward. Only about 16% of the US adult workforce are entrepreneurs according to Babson College’s Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Report. New business creation remains among the top paths for creating new wealth, income, and economic power.
For Vermonters, this startup journey of yours need not be alone. Today, so many high quality, no cost resources and professionals at places like the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI), StartUp Rutland, LaunchVT, DoNorth, VCET’s StartHere Podcast, UVM’s BioLab and the Center for Women in Enterprise are available. Additionally, there are now more active early stage venture funds and high risk lenders in Vermont than ever before. But, all the capital and support organizations in the world do not matter unless this 16% dare to start and build these new main street and high tech businesses. Our brave little state so badly needs you to start and succeed in order to grow Vermont’s population and sustain its economy. It’s that simple. We need you more than ever to take the career path less mainstream and less certain. Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken describes the choices we make and their compounding effects on our journeys. What path will you choose in 2025?
The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves, no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
-Robert Frost
Happy Holidays!
Our team wishes you and your families a happy, healthy, and peaceful holiday season. Be kind to each other, folks.
See you in 2025! ????
Drumroll please…Get your tickets today!
Thanks to all who attended November’s two SOLD OUT events: the Burlington Hardware Meetup at Beta Technologies (left), and Female Founders: Outdoor Products (right)!
We thought this piece was really, really good. We hope you do too.
Make Decisions with a VC Mindset
by Ilya A. Strebulaev and Alex Dang
“VCs realize that sometimes just a single person at the table may understand the potential of a big idea—and that person must be heard.”
领英推荐
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Perks: unlimited Brio coffee, tea, high speed internet, located in the heart of Downtown Burlington.
We require 7 days advance notice.
A moment of gratitude!
Special thanks to our incredible sponsors:
In case you missed it, the smart, fun, and easy-going Geoff Robertson (far left) joined our squad! If you haven’t met Geoff yet, you’re in for a treat!
????Faraday announces new additions to the team, board, and financing
?? Fluency Ranked Number 211 Fastest-Growing Company in North America on the 2024 Deloitte Technology Fast 500
Vernal Appoints Jim Petrilla as CEO and Board Director
Janette Bombardier / Board Member
Janette Bombardier is an accomplished engineering manager and community leader with experience at IBM, GlobalFoundries, Green Mountain Power, and now, Chroma Technology Corp. / 89 North. In this Q&A, Janette reflects on her journey from an aspiring engineer in high school to becoming Vermont Citizen of the Year in 2015. She also discusses her commitment to Vermont’s workforce development through the State Colleges System and her role on the VCET board.
Stories by VCET Marketing Associate, Blaise Siefer
Prefer to listen to stories? Check out our latest Start Here episodes
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Growing high-paying jobs in the state of Vermont is central to VCET’s purpose. Check out these sweet gigs with some of our portfolio companies.
KORE Power (Waterbury)
NOMAD Power (Waterbury)
Benchmark Space (Burlington)
GPMS (Waterbury)
Fluency (Burlington & Remote)
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