Jeff Eckerle’s journey with MESA has come full circle—from startup founder and mentee to dedicated mentor. In this spotlight, Jeff shares insights from both sides of the table and what keeps him committed to growing people through business. Tell us a little about your background, Jeff. My path into software [...]
Scott Brown has built and scaled companies through some of the biggest tech trends of the last two decades. As a MESA mentor, he brings invaluable operator perspective to Minnesota startups, sharing the wisdom gained from a career on the front lines of innovation. Tell us a little about your [...]
Derek Borkowski, a pharmacist turned tech entrepreneur, created Pyrls, a digital platform revolutionizing how healthcare professionals access and utilize drug information. Born and raised in Winona, Minnesota, Derek Borkowski witnessed firsthand the impact of community businesses on local life through his mother's work in a pharmacy and his family's towing [...]
Founded in 2016, Wise IT Consulting specializes in providing tailored IT solutions and recruiting top-tier talent. The company focuses on delivering key resources for critical projects and roles, ensuring that clients receive the exact support they need. Whether it's sourcing developers, network engineers, or fractional CIOs, Wise IT Consulting has [...]
Rob Juncker’s journey in the tech world is as impressive as it is inspiring. Starting as a young hacker he developed a passion for software development and has climbed the ranks to become a seasoned industry leader with a mission to build the next generation of leaders. Tell us [...]
Imagine a world where hospitals can shave significant costs off their budgets while ensuring surgeons have the tools they need for optimal patient care. That's the driving force behind DOCSI, a Minnesota-based software company leveraging data analytics to streamline surgical supply chains. The $25 Billion Problem "The amount of waste and opportunity [...]
Minneapolis, MN – October 10, 2023 Minnesota Emerging Software Advisory (MESA), a non-profit, pro bono mentoring organization inspired to make Minnesota’s software economy rank among the most vibrant and respected in the nation, is announcing its seventh foundation partner – O8. This is the third new foundation partner to date [...]
At Minnebar 17, Jim Moar, a MESA co-founder and current president, spoke in a well-attended session on MESA learnings from over 12 years of mentoring 76 startups. MESA’s five critical startup business needs have shown to repeat themselves, and Jim shared these to help emerging businesses understand what it takes [...]
Tell us a bit about your background, John. I often say that I’ve had two careers. I have an electrical engineering degree and worked as a process engineer for Texas Instruments when I first got out of college. I did spend quite a bit of time in manufacturing and was [...]
Tell us a bit about your background, Jason. Early in my career I wrote software, and while software is in my blood, I found that coding was not. I started my first business when I was 24 – a consulting firm doing software development, and then another software business focused [...]
With a growing need for rapid last-mile delivery, Dispatch is solving a critical business need through a combination of delivery management software and its on-demand last-mile delivery marketplace. Dispatch founders Andrew Leone and Ryan Hanson’s nascent idea in 2016 is now transforming the traditional courier space for B2B industrial and [...]
There’s an old saying that great minds think alike, and at MESA, we’re fortunate to have such a like-minded advocate in RSM US LLP. RSM has a long tradition of supporting the communities in which they live and work. One of the ways they do this is by staying close [...]
Tell us a bit about your background George. I’ve been in software and the cloud for about 25 years, back when it was all starting, working with small emerging companies as the head of sales and marketing. One of my most interesting experiences was with Enstratius where I was one [...]
A smart idea from the early 2000s takes flight in 2010. Today, When I Work serves over 200,000 workplaces in 80 countries, and is focusing its plans for continued growth. Chad Halvorson’s very first job was bagging groceries and stocking shelves in a grocery store. As an hourly employee, he [...]
Founded in 2012 with support from the National Science Foundation, Pivot Interactives develops cloud-based science activities and lab experiments that allow students to explore scientific phenomena without costly lab equipment. In late August 2022, the company was acquired by Discovery Education and its parent Clearlake Capital Group. The acquisition brings [...]
HelloIgnite, an idea generation and implementation software platform, empowers companies to collect, share and manage innovation ideas from employees to improve experiences for customers. Working with global organizations and Fortune 100 clients, HelloIgnite helps foster innovation and help identify opportunities for company growth, organized through a centralized technology platform that [...]
Omnia Fishing has seen rapid growth since their founding in 2018. In 2019, founder and CEO Matt Johnson realized there were significant opportunities and milestones ahead to achieve the kind of success he was looking for. In 2019, he began a mentoring relationship with two MESA mentors, Dan Kinsella, former [...]
Carving out an entrepreneurial path is not for the faint of heart. Founders and CEOs need to demonstrate conviction to their teams and investors. But no founder or CEO has all the answers, and that’s where mentoring comes in. On September 21, MESA mentors and mentees came together to share [...]
Achieving Real Impact In his column in the Star Tribune Business section, Isaac Cheifetz captured MESA’s contributions and its continuing goal of helping CEOs of emerging Minnesota software companies get to the next stage of growth and success. More than 70 emerging software companies in Minnesota have been mentored.Thirty-five companies [...]
Being the CEO of an emerging software company can be incredibly challenging. MESA mentors have been there and can offer you unbiased guidance to help your business flourish.
There’s no substitute for experience. If you are a seasoned software industry executive, local early-stage software companies could benefit from your knowledge and expertise.
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