W. David Bayless - Principal

Dave focuses on building the company’s collaboration and product development capacities. He also manages many of the administrative aspects of the Company. Dave has extensive experience supporting entrepreneurs as a lender, private equity investor, and strategic advisor. Most recently, he was actively involved in the launch or reorganization of numerous businesses including PrintingForLess.com (a former member of the Inc. 500), RightNow Technologies (NASDAQ: RNOW), and Quris. Dave also founded the Pioneer Entrepreneurs project. Before returning to his home of Bozeman, Montana in 1996, he was a principal of Hoak Capital Corporation (the general partner of Cypress Capital Partners), a Dallas-based private equity firm. Prior to that, he was involved with the leveraged buyout and buildup activities of Citicorp in Dallas and Continental Bank in Chicago. Dave received a BS with highest honors from Montana State University and an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. Dave is an active blogger, an avid skier, and an enthusiastic, albeit aging, mountain biker.

John T. Funk - Principal

John is both a Principal and our Chief Product Scout. John has been involved with new product development, innovation, licensing and entrepreneurship for almost 15 years. John raised over $30m in venture capital across the 3 companies he launched over the past 10 years, and all 3 companies had successful exits via IPO or M&A transactions (over $500m in value creation for shareholders). In prior lives he has worked for Bell Atlantic and the law firm of Skadden Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. John has been a guest lecturer on marketing and open innovation at Harvard, University of Chicago and Kellogg. John received his MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, graduated cum laude from Northwestern School of Law (concentration in IP law), and received his Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University. John tries to read over 100 books a year and keep up with his family on the ski slopes, tennis court and golf course.

Vandy Van Wagener - Principal

Vandy is both a Principal and our Chief Marketeer. Van Wagener has 30 years of diverse experience in marketing, general management and new products. His experience and network have been built from working for Procter & Gamble for 22 years (ultimately as a Vice President in their Asia Pacific operations), followed by stints as CEO of multiple tech/service startups, and Director or Advisor to several consumer-oriented firms. Van Wagener has raised over $25m in venture capital, and his innovations across 14 countries have produced in excess of $1 billion in market value. Van Wagener received his MBA with distinction from the Tuck School at Dartmouth, and graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College. He lives in Denver with his wife; has three children; and enjoys golf, tennis, skiing, music and travel in those all too rare windows of spare time.

Gus Bigos - Product Scout and Relationship Director

Gus serves as both a Product Scout and our Relationship Director. Gus has a strong background in financial analysis, statistics and modeling. Over a career spanning several decades, he has forecasted asset values and risk exposure under various macro-economic and business-specific conditions. Gus has worked with Fortune 500 companies from the board level on down to the operating staff level, and specializes in the communication of technical information and the identification of key leverage points in financial models. During his 25-year career in management consulting, he worked for William M. Mercer, Inc. and the Saratoga Institute. Gus earned an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management and a BA from Shimer College. He lives in Vail, Colorado.

Mallory Abramson - Executive Assistant

Mallory is the Executive Assistant for the office. She recently moved to Colorado from Georgia, and loves the change of seasons! She attended the University of Georgia and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jewelry and Metalworking and her Bachelor of Arts in Art History. For five months she lived in magnificent Italy traveling and studying. She is passionate about designing and creating jewelry out of her home studio. In her spare moments Mallory enjoys travel, tennis, biking, and music.