
Episodes

Thursday Jul 01, 2021
Turning Gas to Bitcoin
Thursday Jul 01, 2021
Thursday Jul 01, 2021
“We’re focused on aligning all of those computing resources with the future of the climate and the future of the planet.”
Chase Lochmiller, Crusoe Energy
Sometimes when I hear about something that seems strikingly unusual, I remark, “Wait – WHAT???” When I learned about Colorado-based Crusoe Energy it was one of those moments and I was curious to learn more. Chase Lochmiller, an MIT grad with a background in plasma physics and data science, and co-founder Cully Cavness with a background in oil and gas and geothermal energy, put their skills together to create a way to convert wasted and polluting natural gas “flaring” to power Bitcoin mining. Creative, inventive, and now well a well-funded and fast-growing company.

Thursday Jun 17, 2021
Ball, on Naming an Arena, Aluminum Cups
Thursday Jun 17, 2021
Thursday Jun 17, 2021
“We hired business to consumer experts to do this (launch Ball aluminum cups) and left them on their own, without being pulled and tethered to the other bigger businesses.”
Dan Fisher, Ball Corporation
I’ve been a huge fan of Ball Corporation for years – its leaders are the real deal when it comes to a commitment to sustainability. Two topics I wanted to discuss with Dan Fisher, President, were: 1) the naming of Ball Arena (and WHY), and 2) the invention, investment in, and marketing of a new, never-before disposable – scratch that – RECYCLABLE aluminum cup. You’ll hear Dan’s authentic enthusiasm in this interview.

Thursday Jun 03, 2021
No Bluetooth. Just Fabric and Elastic
Thursday Jun 03, 2021
Thursday Jun 03, 2021
“I didn’t want a product with Bluetooth components or software engineers on staff. I wanted something with fabric and elastic that I could bring to market in a very speedy way.”
Colin McIntosh, Sheets & Giggles
My guest Colin McIntosh wanted to create a company and when he was laid off, decided to do that. He didn’t know what that product would be, but he knew that had criteria: a massive and highly-fragmented commodities market where there was no strong brand loyalty, where products were sold mostly through traditional retail so that he could dominate online, and a market where existing brands were boring. You’ll love Colin’s excitement about the dynamic growth of Sheets & Giggles and the role that Colorado has played in its success.

Thursday May 20, 2021
Fishpond Brand Immersed in Cause
Thursday May 20, 2021
Thursday May 20, 2021
“We have a responsibility to be a shining star to other states...about how we do business in Colorado.”
Johnny Le Coq, Fishpond
Everyday more and more companies promote what author Simon Sinek calls their “WHY.” Some pretty famous companies position their companies as supporters of a cause. Colorado-grown Fishpond goes even further, fully integrating its dedication to river conservation into its brand. Johnny’s enthusiasm for his vision, the business, for product innovation, and for Colorado are infectious.

Thursday May 06, 2021
Every Entrepreneur Needs Help All The Time
Thursday May 06, 2021
Thursday May 06, 2021
“Every entrepreneur needs help all the time.”
Erik Mitisek, CEO, Highwing
You may know Erik Mitisek as a founder of Denver Startup Week, or as Colorado’s Chief Innovation Officer, or from his many other endeavors in the Colorado entrepreneurial community. This is a great conversation with Erik as we transition through several topics including Colorado as a home for startups, Erik’s current venture – Highwing, and lessons of entrepreneurship.

Thursday Apr 22, 2021
Solar-Powered Democracy at Work
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
“1 person, 1 share, 1 vote… how we spend profits is an important ownership decision.”
Jason Sharpe, CEO, Namasté Solar
Namasté Solar takes being a “B Corp” to a new level with what CEO Jason Sharpe calls a “Democracy” where employees can become owners by buying-in ($5,000). I explored with Jason how that could possibly work, and he explained that they run the business day to day differently from how they make Governance decisions. A really fascinating look inside an employee owned “democracy.”

Thursday Apr 22, 2021
Blossoming to Pop-Up Markets
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
“It’s a logistics challenge… we’re building a Garden Market every week for 5 weeks in a row.”
Jeremy Friedman, President, Plum Creek Garden Market and Brown’s Greenhouse
I like this episode for two reasons. First, I’ve always wondered about the greenhouse/nursery business, particularly about how and why quality varies so much. Second, I am fascinated by the whole “pop-up” business concepts – businesses that temporarily take space to meet seasonal niche demand like at Halloween, Christmas – and in this case, spring planting. I dove into both of those topics in this interview during which I was surprised to learn that Jeremy Friedman had no background in the business… he found the original greenhouse company for sale online!

Thursday Apr 08, 2021
The Powder that Powers Electric Cars
Thursday Apr 08, 2021
Thursday Apr 08, 2021
“You have to meet all of today’s performance requirements… then of course greatly outperform on others – that’s the justification for adoption.”
Doug Campbell, CEO, Solid Power
Solid Power is a “technology transfer” business with science that originated at CU. Solid-state batteries are 50% more efficient than current lithium-ion batteries used to power electric vehicles and other products.
I wanted to get a better understanding of Solid Power’s technology and learned that the battery business, even the newer solid-state battery business is more competitive than I’d realized, and even more wildly expensive to get into. Doug Campbell explains Solid Power’s focused strategy: develop and then manufacture the solid-state POWDER electrolyte that is the critical substance inside of solid state batteries, and sell that powder to the many companies building batteries for electric vehicles and other applications. Doug is a dynamic entrepreneur, and you’ll enjoy this interview.

Thursday Mar 25, 2021
Shedding a Bike Storage Problem
Thursday Mar 25, 2021
Thursday Mar 25, 2021
“That was the problem – we had too many mountain bikes… and I decided to build my own nice looking shed.”
Jeremy Nova, co-Founder, Studio Shed
Studio Shed is another Colorado example of a business started, not on purpose, but as the outcome of one person’s effort to solve his or her problem and not being able to find that solution on the market. Jeremy Nova was a professional mountain bike racer – an Olympic athlete – who needed a way to store his mountain bikes. His answer became the now thriving Studio Shed!

Thursday Mar 11, 2021
Fun & Fear Drives 30 Wheel Brands
Thursday Mar 11, 2021
Thursday Mar 11, 2021
“We had somewhat of a plan, we kind of knew where we were going… the truth is the basis for a plan didn’t even come close to what the business is today.”
Randy White, co-Founder & CEO, Wheel Pros
It took me a while to understand the impressive scope of Colorado-based Wheel Pros. I’d done my research and erroneously entered my interview with Randy White thinking that Wheel Pros was a distributor of many brands of custom wheels. No – Wheel Pros created and built 30 distinct brands of wheels that owners of Ferrari’s to lifted Jeeps to ATVs purchase for their vehicles. The story is bigger and more impressive than I’d realized!