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Last weekend I had an amazing conversation with my friend Dan Andrews. He is an Alaska native who worked at RightNow and Oracle in Bozeman, Montana before moving to Boulder and working as a Software Developer at Techstars. We discussed everything from dancing and public speaking to technology and venture capital.

“To say it’s about hype, I think really misses the point. Venture capital (VC) is what allowed companies like Apple to get their start. Hype helps in the short-term, but a successful VC in the long-term has their eye on value.”

Dan admires many people here in Boulder, but the first person who came to mind was Birdbox CTO Kevin Cawley. Hopefully we will have a chance to meet with Kevin at some point in the future! Dan also mentioned his predecessor at Techstars, Jeremy Frazao.

“Here in Boulder, the person I would consider a friend and a mentor is Jeremy Frazao. When I am stuck on something, if he is around, I will ask him what his thoughts are. I look up to him a lot.”

Dan had some interesting thoughts on the similarities and differences between Anchorage, Bozeman, and Boulder. While the competitive athletic vibe here is new to him, the collaborative tech community here has made him feel right at home.

“In terms of the tech scene, I think Boulder is special. I just thrive here. I feel like I am lucky to be right in the middle of it.”

We are really grateful that Dan would take the time to speak with us. Cheers to all of the readers and listeners who tuned in!