Latest / A New Angle / Jenni Graff and Philip Brittan on Scaling Montana

Transcript

Jenni Graff and Philip Brittan on Scaling Montana · A New Angle

0:09
SPEAKER_02: This is A New Angle, a show about cool people doing awesome things in and around Montana.
0:15
SPEAKER_02: I'm your host, Justin Angle.
0:18
SPEAKER_02: This show is supported by First Security Bank,
0:20
SPEAKER_02: Blackfoot Communications and the University of Montana College of Business.
0:26
SPEAKER_02: Hey folks, welcome back, and thanks for tuning in.
0:28
SPEAKER_02: Today,
0:29
SPEAKER_02: I'm speaking with Jenny Graff,
0:31
SPEAKER_02: Executive Director of Scaling Montana,
0:33
SPEAKER_02: along with Philip Britton,
0:35
SPEAKER_02: who chairs the Scaling Montana board.
0:37
SPEAKER_01: Starting a company is really hard.
0:39
SPEAKER_01: It's really, really hard.
0:41
SPEAKER_01: And there are great days, and there are dark days, and there are a lot of challenges.
0:46
SPEAKER_01: A lot of it is just not knowing what to do or not knowing, should I do this or not?
0:54
SPEAKER_02: Scaling Montana works to accelerate Montana's technology innovation community.
0:59
SPEAKER_02: The annual Scaling Montana Summit is coming up on October 23rd and 24th in Bozeman.
1:06
SPEAKER_02: Jenny, Philip, thanks for joining me today.
1:08
SPEAKER_02: Thank you, Justin.
1:09
SPEAKER_02: It's great to be here.
1:10
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, Justin.
1:11
SPEAKER_00: Appreciate it.
1:12
SPEAKER_02: So we'll start like we always do.
1:14
SPEAKER_02: Tell us where did you grow up and what did your parents do?
1:17
SPEAKER_02: Jenny, let's start with you.
1:19
SPEAKER_00: I was born and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
1:23
SPEAKER_00: My dad was a commercial airline pilot.
1:25
SPEAKER_00: And so we spent a lot of time traveling.
1:29
SPEAKER_00: So got the travel bug pretty early.
1:31
SPEAKER_00: And that's how I discovered my love for Montana.
1:35
SPEAKER_00: We spent our summers out in Montana.
1:37
SPEAKER_00: And once I got out here for college and never turned back.
1:42
SPEAKER_01: Philip, how about you?
1:43
SPEAKER_01: I grew up in Montana.
1:44
SPEAKER_01: I was actually born in California at Stanford University.
1:49
SPEAKER_01: My father was just finishing his PhD, but we moved out here while I was very, very small.
1:55
SPEAKER_01: My grandparents had a ranch.
1:58
SPEAKER_01: in the Paradise Valley, where I live again today.
2:01
SPEAKER_01: But I love tech.
2:02
SPEAKER_01: I'd studied computer science in college, sort of randomly ended up in New York City.
2:08
SPEAKER_01: I had the chance to join a startup, which was rare.
2:12
SPEAKER_01: This is the late 80s.
2:13
SPEAKER_01: This was way before the whole tech startup scene had really taken off.
2:19
SPEAKER_01: And I ended up running and founding four tech startups,
2:25
SPEAKER_01: all based in New York,
2:27
SPEAKER_01: and had a couple of executive jobs as well in larger firms,
2:31
SPEAKER_01: including twice at Google,
2:33
SPEAKER_01: where I was most recently.
2:36
SPEAKER_01: Had always been the plan to move back to Montana for a variety of reasons,
2:41
SPEAKER_01: the kids having flown the coop and us being empty nesters.
2:45
SPEAKER_01: Plus,
2:46
SPEAKER_01: the catalyst of COVID kind of saying,
2:49
SPEAKER_01: hey,
2:49
SPEAKER_01: we can be anywhere,
2:50
SPEAKER_01: gave my wife and I the courage to just say,
2:54
SPEAKER_01: hey,
2:54
SPEAKER_01: let's just sell the house in New York and move full time back to Montana as planned.
2:59
SPEAKER_02: Jenny, why don't you give us a professional summary?
3:02
SPEAKER_00: I had always had a penchant for entrepreneurship and really felt like my,
3:07
SPEAKER_00: you know,
3:08
SPEAKER_00: the ticket to being able to survive and thrive in Montana was to be able to
3:13
SPEAKER_00: go out and start something on my own.
3:15
SPEAKER_00: So I went back and got my MBA.
3:17
SPEAKER_00: I needed some more time and more exposure to like the real kind of things that were
3:21
SPEAKER_00: really powering our economy.
3:23
SPEAKER_00: So I got into economic development and worked for Missoula Economic Partnership for a number of years.
3:29
SPEAKER_00: Worked with entrepreneurs even more and just realized like, you know, maybe my
3:34
SPEAKER_00: Maybe my strength is supporting and providing connections and some of my strengths
3:40
SPEAKER_00: to grow the entrepreneurial and tech ecosystem that way.
3:45
SPEAKER_02: So let's get into Scaling Montana.
3:47
SPEAKER_02: What is it and why does it exist?
3:49
SPEAKER_02: Jenny, let's start with you.
3:51
SPEAKER_00: We are a statewide nonprofit.
3:54
SPEAKER_00: Our goal is to build Montana into...
4:01
SPEAKER_00: one of the premier places to start and scale technology companies.
4:06
SPEAKER_00: And then we're also launching a startup resource guide that we're calling the Startup Resource Hub.
4:15
SPEAKER_00: That is an AI chatbot that draws a number of different resources that we believe
4:22
SPEAKER_00: are kind of the best advice that we've gathered and the best resources available
4:28
SPEAKER_00: here in Montana.
4:29
SPEAKER_00: to help startups entrepreneurs kind of get a healthy start.
4:34
SPEAKER_02: Super.
4:34
SPEAKER_02: And Philip, you're chair of the board.
4:37
SPEAKER_02: Why have you chosen to put your efforts into this organization?
4:41
SPEAKER_01: It's a
4:42
SPEAKER_01: a domain, let's say, an activity that is very near and dear to my heart personally.
4:48
SPEAKER_01: I love helping startups.
4:51
SPEAKER_01: I've been on a bunch of boards.
4:53
SPEAKER_01: I've done a lot of advisory work over time as well as running my own startups.
4:59
SPEAKER_01: I love sharing knowledge.
5:01
SPEAKER_01: And the idea of helping a
5:04
SPEAKER_01: really encourage tech industry in Montana and help entrepreneurs who've got great
5:11
SPEAKER_01: ideas and a lot of passion and want to do something amazing,
5:14
SPEAKER_01: but maybe need a little help,
5:17
SPEAKER_01: some advice,
5:18
SPEAKER_01: some connections,
5:19
SPEAKER_01: some education,
5:21
SPEAKER_01: and certainly encouragement.
5:22
SPEAKER_01: To help them do that is really, I find, very, very rewarding.
5:28
SPEAKER_01: And I had the chance just shortly after I returned to Montana full time,
5:32
SPEAKER_01: I was talking to Jenny and they asked me if I'd like to join the board.
5:36
SPEAKER_01: And I jumped at the chance and thought,
5:38
SPEAKER_01: wow,
5:39
SPEAKER_01: this is a really worthy mission and a great organization that seems to be having
5:44
SPEAKER_01: real impact.
5:46
SPEAKER_01: on our community here and on our state and has a big vision of true altruism.
5:54
SPEAKER_01: It's been a very rewarding journey.
5:59
SPEAKER_02: There is this groundswell of innovation,
6:01
SPEAKER_02: entrepreneurship,
6:03
SPEAKER_02: particularly in the technology space happening in various communities across Montana.
6:08
SPEAKER_02: Maybe give us the state of play and explain why scaling Montana is sort of a
6:14
SPEAKER_02: necessary force in catalyzing growth in this sector.
6:19
SPEAKER_00: In general, Montana has always been an extremely entrepreneurial and innovative state.
6:24
SPEAKER_00: We are
6:25
SPEAKER_00: I've been following this for a long time and I've seen,
6:29
SPEAKER_00: you know,
6:30
SPEAKER_00: that there's a number of different industries where we're kind of getting some
6:35
SPEAKER_00: traction or some clusters of activity.
6:37
SPEAKER_00: You know, easiest kind of sectors to point to are in Missoula, there's a
6:46
SPEAKER_00: kind of a groundswell of B2B SaaS companies that are serving small, medium sized business.
6:53
SPEAKER_00: And that's everything from,
6:55
SPEAKER_00: you know,
6:55
SPEAKER_00: advertising technology with the rise of,
6:58
SPEAKER_00: you know,
6:59
SPEAKER_00: Path Labs and formerly Luminad all the way to Onyx Maps got its start in in
7:06
SPEAKER_00: Missoula as well.
7:08
SPEAKER_00: Submittable kind of another like initially back office solution, if you will.
7:13
SPEAKER_00: And then also in Bozeman, there's more of a photonics sector.
7:20
SPEAKER_00: Photonics is the use of light technology and light waves technology.
7:26
SPEAKER_00: Bozeman is home to one of the largest clusters of activity,
7:31
SPEAKER_00: I believe over 30 companies call Bozeman the Gallatin Valley home.
7:36
SPEAKER_00: Billings seems to have a cluster of activity around like property technologies.
7:40
SPEAKER_00: There are some really promising startups in oil and gas that are serving that area and beyond as well.
7:48
SPEAKER_00: Whitefish and the Flathead Valley are seeing some really cool startups.
7:54
SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of activity happening in the state.
7:56
SPEAKER_00: And then,
7:57
SPEAKER_00: of course,
7:57
SPEAKER_00: there's the major industries that we have in the state,
8:01
SPEAKER_00: including health care and agriculture,
8:05
SPEAKER_00: forestry.
8:06
SPEAKER_00: We're seeing more and more innovations that are coming out of those main industries.
8:12
SPEAKER_00: And we feel as though the state is really well positioned to help.
8:16
SPEAKER_00: kind of tap into our innovative roots and become market leaders in innovation in those areas as well.
8:23
SPEAKER_00: And we're really excited about the opportunity for rural communities to rise with
8:28
SPEAKER_00: the advent of some of those innovations.
8:31
SPEAKER_01: Jenny talks about our entrepreneurial history.
8:35
SPEAKER_01: It goes back right to the beginning.
8:37
SPEAKER_01: If you think about entrepreneurship really as a mindset,
8:41
SPEAKER_01: as people taking their lives into their own hands and believing anything is possible.
8:49
SPEAKER_01: If you think about our earliest industries here of agriculture and mining,
8:55
SPEAKER_01: You know,
8:55
SPEAKER_01: you think about the homesteaders who came out here with 160 acre plot of land to
9:00
SPEAKER_01: try to make it on their own,
9:03
SPEAKER_01: or miners coming in at the time of the gold rush to come out and make it on their own.
9:08
SPEAKER_01: And fundamentally, it's about having that mentality.
9:12
SPEAKER_01: Areas like Silicon Valley and Boston and Waterloo, et cetera, that...
9:18
SPEAKER_01: have high concentrations of tech startups,
9:22
SPEAKER_01: the thing about those areas is not that they're inherently great for tech or something.
9:30
SPEAKER_01: They generally have a local university,
9:32
SPEAKER_01: as we do here,
9:33
SPEAKER_01: as sort of these foundational pieces,
9:36
SPEAKER_01: but it's also the community itself.
9:39
SPEAKER_01: In Silicon Valley,
9:40
SPEAKER_01: you go out to a bar and everyone around you is an entrepreneur and talking about
9:45
SPEAKER_01: the amazing things they're working on.
9:47
SPEAKER_01: And it inspires each other and it gives everybody,
9:50
SPEAKER_01: you know,
9:51
SPEAKER_01: encouragement and confidence that they can go out and do something amazing as well.
9:56
SPEAKER_01: And it's that concentration.
9:59
SPEAKER_01: And, you know, capital follows growth.
10:03
SPEAKER_01: the entrepreneurs, not the vice versa.
10:05
SPEAKER_01: It's not that people are starting businesses in Silicon Valley because there
10:09
SPEAKER_01: happened to be venture capitalists there.
10:11
SPEAKER_01: No, venture capital grew there because there were so many startups.
10:16
SPEAKER_01: And then it becomes just a virtuous cycle.
10:18
SPEAKER_01: It just supports itself.
10:20
SPEAKER_01: And in Montana, we are not a very densely populated area.
10:26
SPEAKER_01: People are quite spread out.
10:28
SPEAKER_01: We have a couple of pockets, of course, as Jenny said, in Missoula and Bozeman.
10:33
SPEAKER_01: But we have people doing interesting stuff across the state.
10:37
SPEAKER_01: And so part of what we're trying to do at Scaling Montana here is really help to
10:43
SPEAKER_01: bring that community together to try to get that critical mass of interaction together.
10:50
SPEAKER_02: And I would imagine a lot of that sort of critical mass and network effect and just
10:54
SPEAKER_02: concentration that you outlined there can be brought to life at the summit.
11:00
SPEAKER_02: And Jenny, talk about the summit.
11:02
SPEAKER_02: It's coming up in a couple of weeks.
11:04
SPEAKER_02: What is the summit about and what can people expect?
11:07
SPEAKER_00: The event is really designed to,
11:09
SPEAKER_00: uh,
11:10
SPEAKER_00: to bring together all these communities in a centralized location and share,
11:15
SPEAKER_00: share ideas,
11:16
SPEAKER_00: mindset,
11:17
SPEAKER_00: motivation,
11:18
SPEAKER_00: and really work together to,
11:20
SPEAKER_00: uh,
11:20
SPEAKER_00: launch scale and invest in Montana made technologies.
11:24
SPEAKER_00: So, um, we have recruited about six speakers right now.
11:31
SPEAKER_00: First of which that we just announced this week is, uh,
11:34
SPEAKER_00: David Cohen, he is the CEO and founder of Techstars.
11:40
SPEAKER_00: And then we'll also be bringing in Nicole Galeros,
11:45
SPEAKER_00: who is another technology ecosystem builder out of Colorado.
11:51
SPEAKER_00: She was, I believe, employee number one or two at Techstars.
11:57
SPEAKER_00: Then on the second day, we'll be talking about kind of where
12:00
SPEAKER_00: we're best positioned to solve problems in Montana.
12:04
SPEAKER_00: So, you know, we'll bring in some speakers that are talking about specific verticals.
12:09
SPEAKER_00: So,
12:09
SPEAKER_00: you know,
12:10
SPEAKER_00: sustainability technology will tie in the recent announcement of the Montana,
12:18
SPEAKER_00: the Headwaters Tech Hub Award that we just received $45 million from Montana.
12:23
SPEAKER_00: All that to say, we're really excited for this two-day event.
12:27
SPEAKER_00: We're also bringing in the first ever hackathon.
12:32
SPEAKER_00: So we're bringing in some hackers to work on some of the most challenging issues that are facing Montana.
12:40
SPEAKER_00: And First Interstate Bank is partnering with us to basically...
12:46
SPEAKER_00: support a 30-hour hackathon that will culminate and kind of be the end of this two-day event.
12:54
SPEAKER_02: We'll be back to my conversation with Jenny Graf and Philip Britton after this short break.
13:02
SPEAKER_02: A New Angle is proudly presented by First Security Bank,
13:05
SPEAKER_02: Blackfoot Communications,
13:07
SPEAKER_02: and the University of Montana College of Business.
13:09
SPEAKER_02: This show does not happen without these pillars of our community,
13:13
SPEAKER_02: and I'm so grateful for their support and encouragement.
13:16
SPEAKER_02: And speaking of support, have you checked out our new website yet, anewanglepodcast.com?
13:21
SPEAKER_02: There you can support our show directly with a variety of subscription options.
13:25
SPEAKER_02: Subscribers get access to bonus episodes, additional segments, writings, and other benefits.
13:30
SPEAKER_02: So check it out at anewanglepodcast.com.
13:33
SPEAKER_02: Hi, this is Steve Albini, and you're listening to A New Angle.
13:39
SPEAKER_02: Welcome back to A New Angle.
13:41
SPEAKER_02: I'm speaking with Jenny Graf and Philip Britton about Scaling Montana.
13:45
SPEAKER_02: Philip,
13:46
SPEAKER_02: you mentioned a few moments ago the importance of concentration and bringing people
13:49
SPEAKER_02: together and sharing knowledge.
13:52
SPEAKER_02: Do you have any stories to share from your deep experience in the startup community
13:56
SPEAKER_02: where these sorts of knowledge sharing events or relationships have been
14:00
SPEAKER_02: particularly meaningful in your development as an entrepreneur?
14:05
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
14:05
SPEAKER_01: And it takes many forms.
14:07
SPEAKER_01: So when I was running my startups in New York,
14:12
SPEAKER_01: I was part of an organization called the Young Entrepreneurs Organization.
14:16
SPEAKER_01: And literally all my friends were other startup CEOs for a number of years.
14:22
SPEAKER_01: And it was really inspiring and certainly very educational experience.
14:26
SPEAKER_01: to be connected and to be sharing these,
14:29
SPEAKER_01: you know,
14:29
SPEAKER_01: wisdom and just experiences,
14:31
SPEAKER_01: good,
14:31
SPEAKER_01: bad,
14:32
SPEAKER_01: indifferent,
14:34
SPEAKER_01: is very,
14:34
SPEAKER_01: very valuable.
14:35
SPEAKER_01: And that's a big part, obviously, of what we're trying to do here.
14:38
SPEAKER_01: Also having mentors.
14:41
SPEAKER_01: I put together advisory boards for several of my companies.
14:45
SPEAKER_01: And that's really, you know, as Jenny says, that's what the summit really embodies our mission, right?
14:52
SPEAKER_01: at Scaling Montana to engage with the community here,
14:57
SPEAKER_01: to encourage everyone and give them that confidence to educate people on what they
15:02
SPEAKER_01: need to know and how to get stuff done.
15:05
SPEAKER_01: And of course,
15:05
SPEAKER_01: to connect them with each other,
15:08
SPEAKER_01: to help each other,
15:09
SPEAKER_01: to catalyze ideas,
15:11
SPEAKER_01: to share experiences,
15:12
SPEAKER_01: to encourage and inspire each other.
15:15
SPEAKER_02: So Jenny,
15:16
SPEAKER_02: as you're putting the program together and trying to figure out how to meet the
15:20
SPEAKER_02: needs of the community,
15:22
SPEAKER_02: are there themes that emerge?
15:23
SPEAKER_02: I know you mentioned that the mission statement points and so forth,
15:26
SPEAKER_02: but are there themes of particular sorts of challenges that budding entrepreneurs
15:30
SPEAKER_02: face and what patterns have you observed?
15:33
SPEAKER_00: scaling a company is really hard.
15:36
SPEAKER_00: And I mean,
15:38
SPEAKER_00: I think in general,
15:39
SPEAKER_00: it's amazing to see kind of what happens at an event like this,
15:42
SPEAKER_00: where there's knowledge sharing,
15:44
SPEAKER_00: because I almost learn more by listening to,
15:47
SPEAKER_00: you know,
15:47
SPEAKER_00: a founder talk to another founder about what's really challenging them rather than
15:52
SPEAKER_00: when I talk to them.
15:55
SPEAKER_00: So, you know, it's everything from, you
15:59
SPEAKER_00: How do I make my first hire?
16:00
SPEAKER_00: How do I manage my board?
16:04
SPEAKER_00: Where are you finding really passionate investors who are interested in this vertical?
16:10
SPEAKER_00: Or how do I make payroll next month?
16:14
SPEAKER_00: I don't want to raise a round, but I do need to keep the doors open and the lights on.
16:19
SPEAKER_00: Yes, there are certainly patterns that are always emerging.
16:24
SPEAKER_02: And Jenny, the summit isn't just for startup entrepreneurs, right?
16:29
SPEAKER_02: It's for anybody interested in technology, seasoned vets of the industry and so forth.
16:35
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
16:36
SPEAKER_00: We've really designed this to be a melting pot and to bring together kind of all of
16:43
SPEAKER_00: the important stakeholders that make a technology ecosystem thrive.
16:48
SPEAKER_00: So we've designed programming for anybody that's interested in kind of developing
16:54
SPEAKER_00: investing in growing Montana-based technology companies, as well as corporates.
17:00
SPEAKER_00: You know,
17:01
SPEAKER_00: there's opportunities here for more mature corporates to get a glimpse at kind of
17:08
SPEAKER_00: some of the fast-moving innovators that might be coming into the space or who they
17:12
SPEAKER_00: might want to partner with.
17:14
SPEAKER_00: There's also a great opportunity for talent.
17:17
SPEAKER_00: If you're investing in growing a life here in Montana, you might want to know, like, who are the...
17:23
SPEAKER_00: Who are the fast movers?
17:24
SPEAKER_00: Who's growing in the state?
17:25
SPEAKER_00: What are the industries that I should start building out my skill set in?
17:31
SPEAKER_00: And we just feel as though all of those components are really important.
17:36
SPEAKER_00: And we've tried to make sure that we're appealing to each one of those different
17:41
SPEAKER_00: stakeholder groups through this event.
17:44
SPEAKER_02: So,
17:44
SPEAKER_02: Philip,
17:45
SPEAKER_02: if you were trying to make the pitch to an early stage entrepreneur who's considering,
17:50
SPEAKER_02: you know,
17:50
SPEAKER_02: freeing up the time to go to a summit,
17:53
SPEAKER_02: what would be the pitch?
17:54
SPEAKER_02: Why would it be worth the time investment and the opportunity cost to attend the summit?
17:59
SPEAKER_01: Coming to the summit, it should be a very holistic experience.
18:04
SPEAKER_01: And I think, as Jenny said, and I know from my own experience, starting a company is really hard.
18:10
SPEAKER_01: It's really, really hard.
18:11
SPEAKER_01: And there are great days and there are dark days.
18:15
SPEAKER_01: And there are a lot of challenges.
18:17
SPEAKER_01: And a lot of it is just...
18:20
SPEAKER_01: not knowing what to do or not knowing should I do this or not and being caught up
18:26
SPEAKER_01: in those doubts or those questions.
18:28
SPEAKER_01: And coming to a summit like this and seeing the speakers and hearing the wisdom that they have to offer
18:37
SPEAKER_01: And then at least as importantly,
18:40
SPEAKER_01: interacting with everyone else at the summit and talking about your idea,
18:45
SPEAKER_01: getting people's reactions to it,
18:47
SPEAKER_01: hearing their own experiences,
18:50
SPEAKER_01: understanding you're not alone.
18:52
SPEAKER_01: Everyone goes through the challenging times.
18:56
SPEAKER_01: Everyone has the ups and downs.
18:58
SPEAKER_01: and encouraging each other to push through.
19:01
SPEAKER_01: I don't think anyone would successfully start a business if they didn't have some
19:06
SPEAKER_01: kind of external encouragement from other people around them.
19:11
SPEAKER_01: And going out and seeking the one, the wisdom,
19:16
SPEAKER_01: and the knowledge of how to do things the right way,
19:19
SPEAKER_01: but also that encouragement from others is absolutely critical.
19:23
SPEAKER_01: And the summit is a great place to find like-minded people,
19:28
SPEAKER_01: to start and build some relationships,
19:32
SPEAKER_01: as well as to learn and just pick up the vibe of what's going on.
19:38
SPEAKER_01: That vibe itself, again, has been so important in those areas like Silicon Valley.
19:45
SPEAKER_01: And the more that we can get together and create that vibe and share in that vibe
19:50
SPEAKER_01: and absorb that vibe and then turn that vibe into action is really rewarding and
19:57
SPEAKER_01: frankly necessary.
20:00
SPEAKER_02: Excellent.
20:00
SPEAKER_02: So, Jenny, let's bring it back to your personal journey a little bit.
20:03
SPEAKER_02: At the head of the conversation,
20:05
SPEAKER_02: you mentioned that over the course of a variety of career experiences,
20:09
SPEAKER_02: you came to the realization that being in the support role and helping others bring
20:14
SPEAKER_02: their own ideas to life has been a positive place for you to be in.
20:20
SPEAKER_02: Now we've come full circle.
20:21
SPEAKER_02: We've got Scaling Montana off the ground.
20:23
SPEAKER_02: This is your second year of the summit.
20:26
SPEAKER_02: How does it feel?
20:26
SPEAKER_02: How does it feel to occupy this space of support and encouragement and education?
20:33
SPEAKER_00: Like there's a lot more work to be done.
20:34
SPEAKER_00: I guess that's the hallmark of an entrepreneur, right?
20:39
SPEAKER_00: We've proven that there is an interest and there's a demand and that we really
20:44
SPEAKER_00: brought value to people that joined us last year and the people that are engaging
20:49
SPEAKER_00: in our programs in general.
20:51
SPEAKER_00: It's unbelievably rewarding to get little notes from people that say, you know, that was a
20:57
SPEAKER_00: a great talk.
20:59
SPEAKER_00: And I've been referencing, you know, whoever the speaker was last year, three times.
21:04
SPEAKER_00: And I mean,
21:04
SPEAKER_00: I find that every time I join the speaker series,
21:07
SPEAKER_00: it's like,
21:08
SPEAKER_00: you know,
21:08
SPEAKER_00: some of the words of wisdom that were imparted,
21:11
SPEAKER_00: you don't really catch on kind of the first listen,
21:14
SPEAKER_00: but then you start incorporating it into,
21:17
SPEAKER_00: you know,
21:17
SPEAKER_00: kind of your day-to-day advising or how you're meeting with startups and you start
21:21
SPEAKER_00: to realize the wisdom of those things.
21:23
SPEAKER_00: And it's just like,
21:25
SPEAKER_00: it's,
21:25
SPEAKER_00: it's so rewarding to recognize that,
21:28
SPEAKER_00: that there is kind of a,
21:30
SPEAKER_00: uh,
21:31
SPEAKER_00: a network effect,
21:32
SPEAKER_00: as you say,
21:33
SPEAKER_00: that,
21:33
SPEAKER_00: that we're starting to create and,
21:36
SPEAKER_00: you know,
21:37
SPEAKER_00: we're not gonna,
21:38
SPEAKER_00: we're not gonna stop at year two.
21:40
SPEAKER_00: Uh,
21:40
SPEAKER_00: the network needs to grow beyond,
21:44
SPEAKER_00: um,
21:44
SPEAKER_00: kind of the,
21:44
SPEAKER_00: the,
21:45
SPEAKER_00: the centers of,
21:47
SPEAKER_00: uh,
21:47
SPEAKER_00: technology that we've built right now.
21:49
SPEAKER_00: And there's a lot more people that we need to bring up in, uh,
21:53
SPEAKER_00: in this transition to building a really healthy ecosystem.
21:57
SPEAKER_00: And so we're just, we're really excited about what the future brings.
22:01
SPEAKER_02: Philip,
22:01
SPEAKER_02: you described your personal journey,
22:03
SPEAKER_02: you know,
22:03
SPEAKER_02: growing up here on a ranch and then moving away,
22:06
SPEAKER_02: spending a lot of years in the big city,
22:09
SPEAKER_02: some of the most important tech companies on the planet.
22:12
SPEAKER_02: And now coming back to Montana,
22:13
SPEAKER_02: maybe summarize that sort of that journey and how you've seen the state and its
22:18
SPEAKER_02: community change in the years since you've been here.
22:22
SPEAKER_01: Montana, in many ways, it's exactly the same as it always was.
22:27
SPEAKER_01: Certainly, yeah, there are a few more houses, et cetera.
22:31
SPEAKER_01: But the landscape around here generally moves at the speed of geologic ages.
22:38
SPEAKER_01: The mountains are the same.
22:39
SPEAKER_01: The hills are the same to a large extent.
22:41
SPEAKER_01: The fields of the ranch look exactly as they did, frankly, hundreds of years ago.
22:46
SPEAKER_01: And I love that slowness.
22:50
SPEAKER_01: The other thing,
22:50
SPEAKER_01: and I mentioned this or touched on this earlier,
22:52
SPEAKER_01: the culture of Montana,
22:54
SPEAKER_01: it's a warm place.
22:57
SPEAKER_01: It's a place full of optimism and full of possibility.
23:03
SPEAKER_01: And I love that.
23:04
SPEAKER_01: And people are neighborly and people are supportive.
23:07
SPEAKER_01: And even with a large influx of folks coming in,
23:12
SPEAKER_01: which we've always had,
23:13
SPEAKER_01: let's face it,
23:14
SPEAKER_01: our state is largely made of people moving into the state over time.
23:19
SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
23:21
SPEAKER_01: That culture remains.
23:22
SPEAKER_01: And I see people coming in here who want to be part of that.
23:25
SPEAKER_01: They're not bringing their culture from wherever they're coming from.
23:28
SPEAKER_01: They're sinking into what makes Montana such a wonderful, wonderful place.
23:35
SPEAKER_01: And I really appreciate that.
23:37
SPEAKER_01: So those are some enduring things.
23:39
SPEAKER_01: On the other hand, it's growing.
23:42
SPEAKER_01: There's a lot of activity, a lot more activity going on.
23:46
SPEAKER_01: You feel the vibrancy, certainly in Bozeman,
23:51
SPEAKER_01: it's just palpable.
23:53
SPEAKER_01: It's going through a boomtown time and you can see that reflected in all the
23:57
SPEAKER_01: economic numbers and the growth
24:00
SPEAKER_01: of the population, but it has that, that boomtown sense of possibility and of, of opportunity.
24:07
SPEAKER_01: And I think that mix of a very healthy,
24:12
SPEAKER_01: stable culture and context with this overlay of,
24:18
SPEAKER_01: of growth and excitement and opportunity and possibility is,
24:22
SPEAKER_01: is really,
24:23
SPEAKER_01: Just a wonderful mix.
24:25
SPEAKER_01: And it's one of the things that makes, I think, Montana so appealing to people.
24:29
SPEAKER_01: And we see folks moving here or folks feeling,
24:34
SPEAKER_01: hey,
24:35
SPEAKER_01: I want to stay in Montana and start a business here versus I got to move to Silicon Valley.
24:41
SPEAKER_01: I got to move to New York City.
24:42
SPEAKER_01: I got to move to wherever to go and pursue my dreams.
24:45
SPEAKER_01: Like, no, it's possible here.
24:47
SPEAKER_01: And this is where I want to be.
24:50
SPEAKER_02: So, Philip, make the case for technology in Montana.
24:52
SPEAKER_02: Why is this an industry where Montana should be investing?
24:56
SPEAKER_01: We believe that tech is a wonderful industry to add into the mix of industries that
25:04
SPEAKER_01: Montana has and has had over a number of years.
25:08
SPEAKER_01: And why tech?
25:09
SPEAKER_01: Well, most obviously, of course, it's in very high demand today.
25:14
SPEAKER_01: You can't
25:16
SPEAKER_01: do anything in life without encountering tech and technological innovation,
25:21
SPEAKER_01: whether that's in our personal lives or professional lives.
25:24
SPEAKER_01: So we see tech just generally providing a huge amount of value to our society and
25:30
SPEAKER_01: to our economy in general.
25:32
SPEAKER_01: So that makes it valuable.
25:37
SPEAKER_01: It's also a very scalable industry, right?
25:42
SPEAKER_01: It can grow quite easily.
25:45
SPEAKER_01: Certainly,
25:45
SPEAKER_01: software technology doesn't have the kind of physical infrastructure that is needed
25:53
SPEAKER_01: for some more traditional industries,
25:55
SPEAKER_01: and so it can grow pretty fast and pretty easily,
25:57
SPEAKER_01: and it can be quite capital efficient.
26:01
SPEAKER_01: You know,
26:02
SPEAKER_01: as a society,
26:03
SPEAKER_01: we've become dramatically more aware of and focused on the impact we have on the environment.
26:09
SPEAKER_01: And tech is generally, generally, you know, more sustainable and less impacting.
26:15
SPEAKER_01: And we think,
26:16
SPEAKER_01: you know,
26:17
SPEAKER_01: that tech is a kind of industry that not only allows us to unleash the latent
26:24
SPEAKER_01: innovation and innovative ideas that people in Montana have and help
26:29
SPEAKER_01: you know, bring those to life and bring those to market.
26:32
SPEAKER_01: But it becomes a, you know, a virtuous cycle.
26:36
SPEAKER_01: And the more innovation that we demonstrate here and the more success that we have,
26:42
SPEAKER_01: and the more that our tech industry and the ecosystem that fuels that industry grow,
26:49
SPEAKER_01: the more that,
26:50
SPEAKER_01: you know,
26:51
SPEAKER_01: folks outside the state will want to interact with us.
26:55
SPEAKER_02: jenny what are the details what do people need to know about the scaling montana
27:00
SPEAKER_00: summit and that it will be held on the 23rd and 24th of october downtown at the
27:08
SPEAKER_00: kington armory uh just go to our website which is scalingmt.org and click on the
27:16
SPEAKER_00: summit tab it'll give you all the details we will release the uh
27:21
SPEAKER_00: the full agenda and that you can start signing up for all of the workshops within the next few weeks.
27:30
SPEAKER_00: Join us, come one, come all.
27:31
SPEAKER_00: We, uh, we're expecting about 500 people this year and, um, it's, you know, it's a, it's a better event.
27:39
SPEAKER_00: The more people that we have engaging and, um,
27:43
SPEAKER_00: excited about the opportunity and what's happening in Montana.
27:48
SPEAKER_00: So I'd love to see a great turnout.
27:52
SPEAKER_02: Well, thanks to the two of you for telling us all about it today.
27:54
SPEAKER_02: And more broadly,
27:55
SPEAKER_02: thanks for the work you're doing to support the state entrepreneurs in the next
27:59
SPEAKER_02: sort of phase of Montana's economy.
28:02
SPEAKER_02: It's been great to chat and best of luck with the summit and all the other endeavors you're into.
28:08
SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Justin.
28:09
SPEAKER_01: It's been a real pleasure here to have this conversation and really appreciate you inviting us on today.
28:16
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
28:16
SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Justin.
28:21
SPEAKER_02: Thanks for listening to A New Angle.
28:23
SPEAKER_02: If you like what we do and want to support us directly,
28:26
SPEAKER_02: please consider a subscription at anewanglepodcast.com.
28:32
SPEAKER_02: A New Angle is recorded at Studio 49.
28:34
SPEAKER_02: A generous gift from UMLM's Michelle and Lauren Hansen.
28:38
SPEAKER_02: Our presenting sponsors are First Security Bank,
28:41
SPEAKER_02: Blackfoot Communications,
28:42
SPEAKER_02: and the University of Montana College of Business.
28:45
SPEAKER_02: Kelly Larson is our producer.
28:47
SPEAKER_02: Maddie Jordan is our production assistant.
28:49
SPEAKER_02: VTO Jeff Ament and John Wicks made our music.
28:52
SPEAKER_02: And Jeff Meese is our master of all things sound.
28:56
SPEAKER_02: Thanks a lot, and see you next time.