The Investor Story

Treasury4, and its team, represents the bullseye of the criteria I target for the companies I invest in and the people I back. After my initial meeting with the team, I knew Treasury4 was a company I wanted to support. Treasury4 also serves as an outstanding representation of the capital and other resources available to startups in the Spokane region.

My investment criteria focuses on people, ideas, and markets. I seek teams who have an innate passion for the product or service they are developing, have relevant experience, and are creative, tenacious, and ethical. I look for new ideas that are novel, proprietary, and will support a profitable business model. Lastly, I target markets that are new, expected to grow rapidly, and are uncluttered with competition.

Treasury4 checked all these boxes! It was clear to me the value proposition is unique, the team has the skills and experience to execute successfully, and the company has the opportunity to become an industry leader.

"Treasury4, and its team, represents the bullseye of the criteria I target for the companies I invest in and the people I back."

I subsequently arranged for Treasury4 to present to the Spokane Angel Alliance and introduced the team to the Ignite Northwest loan committee. The company raised ~$1.5 million from members of the Spokane Angel Alliance and secured a $500,000 loan from Ignite. Kick-Start, a seed fund I manage, also invested. Spokane stepped up to support Treasury4! In 2022, Treasury4 received the Best New B2B company award at the annual Ignite 25 + 5 celebration.

Following my initial investment, I have served as an informal advisor to the team and more recently as a board member. I am delighted with the performance of the company in all regards; product development, customer traction, and team building. Treasury4 also shines in terms of its inclusive, transparent, and empowering culture and its timely, thorough reporting to investors. Steve, Ed, and Nathan are experienced, savvy leaders and know what it takes to build a business for the long term.

"I am delighted with the performance of the company in all regards; product development, customer traction, and team building."

The company’s prominence and potential has gained broad awareness. The team regularly receives inbound inquiries from potential, marquee partners, customers, and investors from throughout the country. Some are not a good fit, many are too early, and a few are very timely. Focus is a key, albeit challenging, attribute of a startup and I have been impressed by how Treasury4 filters through, prioritizes, and follows up with potential opportunities.

I welcome WestCap as the newest investment partner of the company. WestCap has incredibly relevant domain expertise that will be highly strategic to Treasury4. In my discussions with them, it is clear the interests of their partners are closely aligned with those of Treasury4; they are committed to working closely with the company.

Going forward, I envision Treasury4 becoming one of Spokane’s largest and most successful companies, offering well-paying employment opportunities, supporting the community, and spinning off new companies.?

Tom Simpson has over 35 years of experience as an investment banker, venture capitalist, angel investor and entrepreneur. Tom was co-founder and Executive Chairman of etailz, an innovative eCommerce company which grew to $120 million in revenues and 175 employees prior to being acquired in 2016.

He is currently CEO of Ignite Northwest with focuses on funding, accelerating and mentoring explosively growing companies in the Spokane region. He is also President of the Spokane Angel Alliance, a 100 + member angel investment organization, and Managing Member of five angel funds. Tom currently serves on the boards of Collabra, Game Plan Apps, Kaspien, Litehouse Health, Medcurity, Sportscope, Treasury4 and Vaagen Timbers.

Previously, he had been Managing Partner of NWVA, a family of venture capital funds. NWVA invested over $125 million in emerging companies throughout the Northwest. Prior to forming NWVA, Tom was a Managing Director in Dain Bosworth's Seattle-based investment banking group and managed public offerings, private placements and mergers and acquisitions for multiple companies in the region. He began his career as a CPA for Deloitte, Haskins + Sells.

He has a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Washington, an MBA from The Wharton School and has served as an adjunct professor in Gonzaga University’s Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership Program.

In 2018 Tom was inducted into Spokane's Citizen Hall of Fame for his contributions to Economic Development and Business in the region.

In 2022 he received the Downtown Spokane Partnership’s Legacy Award, which recognizes an individual who has left a mark on Spokane by creating exceptional contributions to the business community and downtown vitality. Tom is married, has completed five IronMan triathlons, and is a private pilot.

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