On this special bonus episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell sits down with Vance Reavie and Jigesh Vora live at the Startup Crawl in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Vance and Jigesh are both three-time founders who recently participated in the Fuel Accelerator with their companies, Junction AI and SwiftGo, respectively. The trio discusses their recent ventures, Fuel, Bentonville, and much more throughout the episode!
Thanks for tuning in!
Show Notes
Show Notes
(
1:12) Introducing Vance Reavie and Jigesh Vora
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5:41) Participating in the Fuel Accelerator and Other Resources in NWA
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13:33) Initial Thoughts on Bentonville
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18:45) Bentonville Stats
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22:10) What’s Next for SwiftGo and Junction AI
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25:23) Superpowers and Closing Thoughts
Links
Quotes
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For me, [the Fuel Accelerator] was a pivotal moment for our company in understanding where we fit in, what value we can add, and how I can take advantage of [Bentonville’s] business community to propel forward.” Vance Reavie, (
6:34)
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What impressed me about Fuel was the fact that the engagement from the community is amazing. I mean, everybody from mentors, advisors, corporate partners—everybody was very engaged in truly helping the startups get to where they wanted to go or where they need to be.” Jigesh Vora, (
7:18)
“
[Fuel] isn’t a program that teaches you how to pitch or how to go chase the VC model or any of those sorts of things. It’s about being enterprise-ready.” Vance Reavie, (
11:49)
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I think the majority of the companies around here are small businesses, which is perfect from an ecosystem perspective for a startup. Even if it’s a growth-stage startup, it’s the perfect place to be because you have the top Fortune companies here, but you have this ecosystem of small businesses that you can partner up with and improve the overall value of your solution.” Jigesh Vora, (
15:19)
“
The work-life balance here is—everyone talks about it, but [Bentonville] actually delivers it in a real way that you can appreciate every day.” Vance Reavie, (
16:56)
What is The Bentonville Beacon ?
https://www.bentonvilleeconomicdevelopment.com/
On the Bentonville Beacon podcast, host James Bell brings you stories from the entrepreneurs, business executives and community leaders who are sparking the rise of the Greater Bentonville area. You'll hear how one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic cities and economies in the United States helps businesses grow and helps people live their best lives. Tune in, subscribe, and get excited to embrace Greater Bentonville with us!