If you've spent a minute in the startup, tech, or entrepreneurial scene in Utah, you know that it's growing at a rapid pace. Big ideas, savvy people, and a great quality of life make Utah a breeding ground for success stories. One of those success stories is Park City resident Julian Castelli, who was recently added to the Entrepreneurs Council for the Austin-based company Next Coast Ventures (NCV).
Next Coast’s involvement in Utah is a huge asset to entrepreneurs. Their theme, “Built for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs” rings of their enthusiasm for new ideas and up and coming companies.
“Next Coast Ventures was born in 2015 with a simple vision to create a different kind of venture capital firm focused on ‘Next Coast’ businesses. We believe venture capital is best performed by a team that has experience in entrepreneurship. We know that being an entrepreneur is really difficult — one of the most challenging jobs there is — but also one of the most rewarding. And we are here to help our entrepreneurs in any way we can.” (nextcoastventures.com)
This spirit of camaraderie is where Julian Castelli comes into the picture. Castelli is Chief Financial Officer of Voxpopme and chairman of Utah-based NCV portfolio company Chargeback. With quite a few other tech and media companies under his belt, Castelli has a lot of experience to share with local entrepreneurs.
Next Coast Ventures has seen the growth and potential in Utah, and is happy to have Castelli close to the hub of the startup scene there. In a recent press release, Michael Smerklo, co-founder and managing director of Next Coast Ventures was quoted, saying,
“Julian is the definition of a glass-eating, butt-kicking entrepreneur who shares our vision for what is possible outside the coasts. Julian is intimately familiar with the ups and downs of the entrepreneurial journey and has successfully scaled numerous technology companies in rising innovation hubs like Salt Lake City and Atlanta. At NCV, we are steadfast in our commitment to sourcing and supporting the best entrepreneurs in these rising markets and the addition of Julian to our Entrepreneurs Council is at the core of that mission, as well as our commitment to expanding our footprint on the ground in these markets.”
Dagney Pruner, Marketing Director for NCV, spoke about Julian as being an extension of NCV in Utah. He’ll be on the ground, in Utah’s unique ecosystem, finding out what entrepreneurs need. Thomas Ball, NCV Co-Founder, agreed, saying that their Entrepreneurs Council members are diverse, but share the same vision and commitment to help companies succeed.
Next Coast Ventures and Julian Castelli are just another addition to the growing and thriving startup scene in Utah. Thomas Ball said, “[We’re] honored to be part of the Utah community to the extent that we are right now, and [we’re] excited to hopefully be a bigger part of it in the future.”
Find more information on Next Coast Ventures here.
