Utah entrepreneurs unite! One of our own is in trouble.
When bee rustlers recently stole $12,000 worth of bees and honey from 24 beehives owned by 15-year-old Utah entrepreneur Bryce Bunderson, at first we couldn’t get past our unique connection to this kid. The name of our organization is Beehive Startups; Bryce runs a literal beehive startup. We had to do something.
While our organization typically covers Utah tech startups, we think being an entrepreneur brings about enough pain and despair, no matter the industry, without having to endure the added agony of having some low-life thieves steal all of your hard work.
This campaign began with a simple rallying cry: “Utah entrepreneurs unite! One of our own is in trouble.” We reached out to our friends within Utah’s startup and tech community, many of whom appear in the above video, to help support our efforts.
It was remarkable how quickly this thing came together. Everyone we reached out to about Bryce’s predicament wanted to help. In fact, we didn’t have a single person decline to support the campaign in some way. Miraculously, it took just three days to put together a filming schedule and shoot the video itself. We were feeling pretty good about ourselves and Utah’s startup and tech community.
Then, toward the end of our first day of filming, we finally met Bryce. Suddenly this campaign’s mission took on a whole new meaning.
Bryce is a shy, humble kid who comes from a working class family. He started working the beehives to help his family make ends meet, and to start saving for life after high school. Bryce’s father is currently working 18-hour days doing a variety of labor-intensive jobs — pest control, mowing neighbors lawns, working the beehives for a local honeymaker, and anything else that comes his way.
After spending some time with Bryce and his father it was clear they were the type of people who shunned the spotlight, believing there are others more deserving of the kindness of strangers. They’re not afraid to put their heads down and work their way out of a jam.
But everyone needs a little help from time to time. And fate recently decided it was the Bundersons’ turn to grasp the outstretched hand of a friend and feel the love of a community rallying behind one of its own.
Bryce Bunderson and his family need our help. Our goal is to raise $12,000 to replace the bees and honey that were stolen.
We’ve already seen an outpouring of support from Utah’s startup and tech community. Now we need you to turn that support into action by donating whatever amount feels right to help this family and fellow Utah entrepreneur.
Thank you in advance.
Special Thanks To The Following Individuals And Companies For Helping With The Campaign’s Video:
(We were rushed for time on some of these shoots, so I wasn’t able to get a picture with everybody. I apologize — or you’re welcome. However you want to look at it.)
Bryce Roberts**, **OATV
Aaron Skonnard**, **Pluralsight
Davis Smith**, **Cotopaxi
Ryan Westwood**, **OutboxSystems
Karl Sun and Ben Dilts**, **Lucid Software
Kreg Peeler**, **SpinGo
Gavin Christensen**, **Kickstart Seed Fund
Joe Wilson**, **Made With Studio
Cheri Sanguinetti**, **Cotopaxi
Brandon Rodman**, **Weave
Austin Craig**, **Pocket Film Fest
Josh Little**, **Qzzr
Justin Bott**, **Grow Utah
Brandt “Bubba” Page**, **QuotaDeck
Sara Dansie Jones**, **Women Tech Council
Jon Bradshaw**, **Tiny Torch
Jeff Burningham**, **Peak Ventures
Eli Kerr**, **Gnarly Nutrition
Tammy Bowers**, **Lion Heart Innovations
Trent Mano**, **Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce
Cahlan Sharp** and Colt Henrie, **DevMountain
Austen Allred**, **Grasswire
Ryan Holdaway**, **Mastery Connect
Dustin Haggett**, **Impact Hub
Stephen Walter**, **Shumway Van & Hansen
Jordan**, Gabe, and Luke Gunderson, **Izeni
Michael Dalton**, **BYUtv
Bevan Weed**, **Wasatch Beekeepers Association
Martin James**, **Slide Ridge Honey
Donations received through the GoFundMe campaign will be dispersed by Salt Lake City law firm Shumway Van & Hansen. At the completion of this campaign, all of the money raised will go directly to the Bunderson family.
For More Information Contact:
Clint Betts
Published 8/25/2014
