PROCO360 | Best Podcast for Entrepreneurs and Business Owners

Dragons eat Unicorns!

Re customer experience: “We are the ultimate arbiter of truth.”

Mario Ciabarra, Quantum Metric

My interview with Mario Ciabarra of Quantum Metric was tons of fun.  Mario is a high energy entrepreneur who built a few very small businesses before hitting on something BIG with Quantum Metric – in its last round of funding, Quantum Metric was valued at over $1 Billion.  Now bestowed with “unicorn” status, I asked Mario how he feels about that.  We talked lots about the problem the company solves, and the challenge of even explaining what they do to early customers who needed a solution they’d never seen before. 

Health Care That Comes to You

“We decided to tackle the hard stuff… which nobody’s replicated – and that’s because it’s really hard.”

Dr. Mark Prather, DispatchHealth

I begin this episode stating, “I thought that house calls disappeared in the 1950’s!”  As it turns out, Dr. Mark Prather and the DispatchHealth team have figured out how to bring two technicians to a patient at their home more cost effectively, and with better outcomes, than if that patient had gone to a medical facility.  During the interview I was struck by how Mark began the business, and with what looks like become an extremely fast-growing Colorado company! 

Turning Gas to Bitcoin

“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.

Ball, on Naming an Arena, Aluminum Cups

“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. 

No Bluetooth. Just Fabric and Elastic

“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. 

Fishpond Brand Immersed in Cause

“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. 

Every Entrepreneur Needs Help All The Time

“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.   

Solar-Powered Democracy at Work

“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.”

Blossoming to Pop-Up Markets

“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! 

The Powder that Powers Electric Cars

“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.