Dear Founders,
You trusted us with your time, doubts, hopes and startup journeys this past year once again and we are deeply thankful. Looking back, 2025 was a year of gathering. From a new Founder’s Table series to anniversary parties, we hugged old friends and met new ones from all around the country and across our brave little state. Over and over again, I was reminded how everyone has nuggets of knowledge; you just need to be present and listen. These IRL collisions create alpha in life and business.
Sitting down with you is what we did in familiar and new ways from releasing 12 Start Here podcasts (video added!) to hosting 3 Founder’s Table dinners, 4 female founders events, 6 Hardware & Creative Meetups, 313 one-to-one businesses & clients advised (no cost), investing into 10 companies (see Fund 2 portfolio below), hosting 6 recurring student clubs, and providing downtown workspace for 217 professionals & students (no cost) from 5 different institutions, we heard hundreds of stories and learned.
Looking ahead, it’s time to search and go out. It’s nice to gather in familiar places, but where else can we go? Sure, we have real estate in Burlington’s downtown, but there is so much more to Vermont than 05401. We want to find the founders along river valleys, the ones building in their barn or shop night and day. What do they need? How can we hear their voices and share our startup platform advantages with them? Let us know.
With love,
Dave
P.S. If heading to SXSW, come see Nicole and the other organizers of the first-ever Boston/New England House. A great spot to mingle with our New England ecosystem partners, founders and investor syndicates. Giddyup in #Austin
