Built companies. Hit real
problems. Built the solution.
Started from scratch.
Not a theorizer, not an advisor — someone who shipped products, hacked growth, and figured out how to make money. Six companies. Three exits. Including DevMountain, which grew into one of the most respected code schools in the country before being acquired.
I saw the same patterns everywhere.
Founders building before validating. Chasing venture dollars instead of revenue. Scaling prematurely. Dying quietly by wasting time, effort, and resources. I realized I know more than I thought.
So I built Startup Ignition.
My dad and I teamed up after our exits to teach what we'd figured out: validate before you build, and build businesses that actually work. We started with a bootcamp to pressure-test ideas and teach the fundamentals. Now, with over 1,000 ventures having gone through it, we've seen consistent success from disciplined founders who apply these principles early.
Teaching became a multiplier.
Today, I also teach at universities like BYU (CS 405), helping technical founders become better entrepreneurs. As the bootcamp grew and spread across the country, we expanded the Startup Ignition ecosystem—adding tools that force validation, and eventually, a venture fund.
Enter Startup Ignition Ventures.
The capital extension of that system. For the past 7 years, my dad and I have been angel investing together, backing disciplined founders who follow the same methodologies—and seeing consistent success. As more people took notice, it evolved into something bigger. Today, as a VC fund, we invest in early-stage founders focused on building real businesses—revenue over hype, validation over assumptions, discipline over wishing. We don't chase hype narratives. We back companies that become elephants: profitable, durable, and built to last.
