Investing in People & Places
Advances in technology have made it possible to interact with people and things across boundaries and distances, yet many people in communities all over the world are deeply rooted in and motivated by a deep sense of their local place. One such community is Telluride, Colorado, which is home to GAN Member Telluride Venture Accelerator and GAN Ventures portfolio company Western Rise.
TVA recently held its demo day in a theater full of a very diverse Telluride community there to support the teams. The scene was reminiscent of so many of the events that GAN members hold in their local ecosystems all over their world. And Will and Kelly, the founders of Western Rise, speak passionately about how their community — the people (investors, friends, employees, customers) and the places (coffee shops, offices, streets, rivers, mountains) — have indelibly shaped their company for the better. They’re so passionate about this that they have incorporated Telluride into the Western Rise logo and brand identity.
GAN’s mission is to help founders startup wherever they are. At GAN Ventures we’re proud to invest in teams who are participating in and actively building up their local communities. We believe that a strong sense of place helps ground founders so that they have the support they need as they take on the world.
As of now anyone in the GAN community can use the code GANNETWORK at check out for 20% off all full priced items at westernrise.com.
Check out this behind-the-scenes video during an afternoon on the water with Western Rise co-founders Will and Kelly Watters.
