In this episode of The Bear Roars, Dan sits down with Isaiah Chavous and James Paul, co-founders of Noctal, to unpack their journey from student government and film sets to launching one of the most ambitious sound design startups in the creator economy. Isaiah, a former CU Boulder student body president, and James, a Hollywood producer turned community builder, share how their shared grit and deep bond became the foundation for Noctal.
In this episode of The Bear Roars, Dan sits down with Frank Louthan, Managing Director at Raymond James and longtime telecom analyst, to unpack the wild rise and fall of the telecom and fiber industry during the dot-com boom and bust. Frank covered many of the era’s biggest players—WorldCom, Level 3, Global Crossing—and brings a rare, unfiltered perspective on what really happened behind the scenes.
In this episode of The Bear Roars, Dan sits down with Jeff Williams, CEO and CTO of Exum Instruments, to explore how his company is transforming materials analysis with its groundbreaking Massbox™ technology. Exum’s innovation allows for rapid, precise elemental analysis, making advanced scientific tools more accessible across industries like aerospace, battery technology, and national security.
In this episode of The Bear Roars, Dan sits down with Greg Keller, CTO and co-founder of JumpCloud, a cloud-based platform that helps businesses securely manage user identities, devices, and access across IT environments.
In this episode of The Bear Roars, Dan sits down with Linda Rottenberg, co-founder and CEO of Endeavor, the global organization that has helped scale thousands of high-impact startups across 45 countries. For over 27 years, Linda has been at the forefront of entrepreneurship—championing founders in emerging markets and proving that bold ideas can come from anywhere.
In this episode of The Bear Roars, Dan sits down with Ryan Heckman, a former Olympic athlete turned private equity leader and entrepreneur. Ryan shares his incredible journey from growing up in Granby, Colorado, to competing in the Olympics at just 16 years old, and how his relentless drive to win—rather than just train—shaped his mindset in both sports and business.
In this episode of The Bear Roars, Dan sits down with David Cohen, co-founder and CEO of Techstars, the startup accelerator that began in Boulder with a $250,000 investment and grew into a multi-billion-dollar investment firm backing thousands of startups worldwide.
In this episode of The Bear Roars, Dan sits down with Hunter Newby, a visionary in the telecommunications and data center industries, to discuss the evolution of network infrastructure and the forces shaping its future. From his early experiences with Telex to his work with ColoATL and Neutrality, Hunter has been at the forefront of connectivity, helping to build the foundation of modern digital interconnection.
In this episode of The Bear Roars, Dan sits down with Chuck Morris, a legendary music promoter, manager, Chairman Emeritus and former President/CEO of AEG Presents Rocky Mountains, and the driving force behind some of the most iconic moments in live music. From booking local bands at The Sink in Boulder to managing the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band for 25 years, Chuck has worked with legends like Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Elton John, U2, and Bruce Springsteen.
In this episode of The Bear Roars, Dan sits down with Gregg Spiridellis, a digital media pioneer who went from Wall Street to reshaping online entertainment. Gregg co-founded JibJab, the viral content studio behind This Land and Elf Yourself, which dominated the early internet era with political satire and personalized videos. After two decades of innovation in digital storytelling, he and his brother launched StoryBots, a modern-day Sesame Street that became a Netflix hit and featured celebrity guests like Snoop Dogg, Jay Leno, and Scarlett Johansson.
