Category: Baylor Angel Network

Jacob Kehoe, Baylor Angel Network

kathy_carrBaylor Angel Network

“It’s rewarding to be back on campus
in a position where I can assist and support
entrepreneurially-minded Baylor students.“

-Jacob Kehoe

Think about a time when a mistake actually turned out to be a good thing. The time you made a wrong turn, and as GPS recalculated, you stumbled upon the best off-the-beaten-path oasis, hole-in-the-wall coffee shop. Or the time you missed your shuttle and ended up in a ride-share with your future soulmate. Or that time you unintentionally enrolled in an entrepreneurship class that actually changed your entire career path.

Jacob Kehoe was the high school student who landed in an entrepreneurship class by mistake. Growing up, he wasn’t the kid who came up with the money-making gigs. You didn’t see him around the neighborhood washing cars, mowing lawns or selling lemonade. He was the kid in his parents’ garage trying to build things with scrap metal and his grandpa’s old tools. Entrepreneurship wasn’t even really a blip on his radar. But Jacob stuck it out in the entrepreneurship class he wasn’t supposed to be in. Then something happened. During the class there was clarity. Jacob found inspiration in Steve Jobs and Sam Walton as his career aspirations started to completely change course. Jacob had the spark, that entrepreneurial spark that ultimately turns into a fiery passion. Could this class mistake actually turn out to be a good thing?

No mistakes were made when it was time to decide on higher ed. Baylor University was always the top choice for Jacob. The class sizes were a plus, but what ultimately swayed the pendulum is Baylor’s unabashedly Christian foundation.

While at Baylor, Jacob had no intention to let this new-found entrepreneurial spark fade. He teamed up with management professor Wayne Hampton and co-founded Aerial Intelligence and Reports (AIR). What initially began as a school project, evolved into a real business venture. AIR utilized drones to capture roof images, which were processed through a machine learning program to identify damage, generate cost estimates, construct 3D models of buildings and even produce bills of materials.

Jacob firmly believes that Baylor’s small class sizes and the countless campus opportunities are some of the University’s biggest assets for students. He feels students absolutely need to soak up all the expertise and knowledge from their professors. For Jacob, Professor Hampton and Entrepreneurship Professor Shaun Limbers had impactful influences on his journey. He explains, “I think all students should dig deep into all the resources that Baylor has to offer, both in programming and personnel.” He continues, “I spent countless hours in professors’ office hours picking their brains and absorbing their knowledge.” 

Jacob graduated Baylor with a BBA in Marketing and soon after landed a full-time entrepreneurial gig at Startup Waco. Startup Waco is a hub for the entrepreneurial ecosystem for the Greater Waco community. By creating a culture of entrepreneurship, Startup Waco is a conduit of support for local businesses. 

At Startup Waco, Jacob was responsible for programming initiatives that provide crucial resources, mentorship and networking opportunities to early-stage startups in the Waco community. He also worked to create opportunities for economic growth and creation through  strategic partnerships and initiatives that strategically positioned Waco as a premier destination for businesses seeking to establish or expand operations.

In 2023, Jacob had the opportunity to come back to Baylor as staff with the Baylor Angel Network (BAN). BAN is a unique opportunity that provides students with outside-the-classroom experiences that allow them to engage with businesses, people and capital. With BAN, student analysts are immersed in a deep understanding of startup funding and private company investing. 

As the BAN Associate Director, Jacob is typically the first point of contact for most of the involved entrepreneurs. He oversees BAN operations by encompassing deal sourcing and assessment, investment and communications strategies. In this role he is also actively engaged with the student analysts. He says, “Returning to Baylor and interacting with both entrepreneurs and students has been an incredible experience.” He continues, “It’s rewarding to be back on campus in a position where I can assist and support entrepreneurially-minded Baylor students.”

What started out as a perceived mistake certainly turned out to be a good thing for Jacob. This entrepreneurial gig is a very, very good thing indeed. Sic ‘em, Jacob!

For more information on Baylor Entrepreneurship, please visit our website at baylor.edu/business/entrepreneurship/.

Tristen Darmodihardjo, Baylor Student

kathy_carrBaylor Angel Network

“Our failures teach us so much more about
entrepreneurship and life than our successes.“

-Tristen Darmodihardjo

Tristen Darmodihardjo learned early on that earning his own money was so much more empowering than receiving an allowance. Bitten by an entrepreneurial bug at a very young age, Tristen’s first self-employed gig was selling candy. Certainly not to be shown up by the likes of notable entrepreneurs like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos or even Walt Disney, candy soon became ho-hum. As soon as Tristen could drive, he created a landscaping and junk-hauling business. And as the business grew, Tristen hired friends to help meet the demand. Not one to blow his hard-earned cash on frivolous purchases, Tristen saved his earnings and learned the art of investing.

Tristen had a VIP, front-row seat on the ins-and-outs of investing. He learned from his stock broker dad the importance of building a client base, developing investment strategies and adapting to market changes. Mostly focusing on stocks and cryptocurrencies, Tristen also invested in his older brother’s company. When the company was ultimately acquired, that investment proved to be quite fruitful.

Growing up in a private school setting, Tristen had an appreciation for smaller class settings that foster deeper connections with professors. As Tristen received affordable collegiate offers from notable public universities, Baylor wasn’t even on his radar. However, because of Baylor’s unabashedly Christian foundation, Tristen’s mom was persistent, to the point of insisting, on a trip to Waco to visit Baylor’s campus. Baylor’s close-knit community and overall inviting atmosphere not only put the University on Tristen’s radar, but ultimately positioned Baylor as the final destination.

Deciding on a major wasn’t a lengthy, drawn-out process for Tristen. His past experiences, passions, skills and interests led him to pursue a double major in entrepreneurship and finance. This strategically chosen double major combination proved to be the perfect funnel for Tristen’s involvement as a Senior Analyst in the Baylor Angel Network (BAN).

One of Tristen’s most impactful experiences while studying at Baylor has been in his Entrepreneurial Finance class taught by Professor Steven Diedrich, who also happens to be the BAN Director. In class, Diedrich often brought in experienced and successful business professionals to share their real-world expertise. Tristen relished in those moments, soaking up every bit of the knowledge and insight. Tristen feels that networking and seeking out mentors is the best way to navigate through the processes of pursuing both academic and professional goals.

While Tristen admittedly shares that entrepreneurship has the potential to be a risky field, he does feel that his experiences at Baylor will transcend quite well into the business world. Plus, he adds, “Our failures teach us so much more about entrepreneurship and life than our successes.”

Tristen will graduate in spring 2024 and his goal is to start off working in private equity or venture capital. Ultimately, he plans to start his own VC firm or business. 

Keep investing in your dreams, Tristen. Sic ’em!

For more information on Baylor Entrepreneurship, please visit our website at baylor.edu/business/entrepreneurship/.

Ryan Snitzer, Campus Crates

kathy_carrBaylor Angel Network

“There are so many opportunities out there. You’ll never know if you can succeed unless you try.”

–Ryan Snitzer

It’s moving time!

Three words that can conjure up just about every conceivable emotion within a mere minute.

Excitement – It’s a new home and a new adventure.
Nervousness – The unknown is, well, unknown.
Anxiety – There’s just so much to do.
Dread – Packing and unpacking are about as enjoyable as a root canal.

Rest assured, there are loads of online resources with tips and suggestions to make packing and unpacking less of a pull-out-your-hair-in-a-frenzy experience and more of a…more of a… Oh, let’s face it, you’re never going to have a lollipop and rainbow day while packing and/or unpacking, but there are tips to definitely make it a little easier.

TIP 1: Before you box up electronics, grab your phone and take a quick picture of how everything is hooked up and connected — BEFORE you disconnect.

TIP 2: Designate a different colored duct tape for each room and use the colored duct tape as a way to tape boxes shut but also as a way to label the boxes.

TIP 3: Pack the essentials that you will need right away in a clear plastic tub.

And the most important tip if you’re a Baylor student is TIP 4: Contact Campus Crates!

Never heard of Campus Crates? It just happens to be an incredibly innovative and ingenious business launched by a couple of Baylor students to help ease the moving frustrations that parents and students experience, especially with a May end-of-lease move.

Ryan Snitzer created the business with his previous partner, Ryan Robinson, during their sophomore year at Baylor. The idea of Campus Crates came about as they discovered the need for summer storage after having previous troubling move-out experiences at the end of their Freshman year. 

It was in that moment the two realized that there had to be a convenient, yet affordable, alternative for Baylor students. And as any Entrepreneurship major would do, they put the “had-to-be” thought to work.

The budding entrepreneurs utilized a stockpile of amazing resources within the Baylor Business School to make the “had-to-be” thought become a reality, and they relied on the guidance and advice of Mary Abrahams and David Reid. Snitzter also fell back on the example and leadership of his entrepreneurial father.  

The initial goal was to conquer the world of storage and moving – to be the McDonald’s of the storage and moving industry. Admittedly, it was a lofty dream, but over time they realized that a leaner and more narrow approach would help produce an initial success.

It was also understood that a rigid business plan would not work with the harried schedules of fellow students. Going into this venture with adaptable and open mind was a necessity, and ultimately the key to Campus Crate’s success.

Here’s how the Campus Crates on-demand storage services work:

  • Customers register with Campus Crates and pay.
  • Campus Crates schedules a time.
  • Campus Crates delivers boxes to customer’s front door.
  • Customer packs boxes at their convenience (see tips 1-3 to make it easier).
  • Campus Crates stores belongings in a secure facility during the summer.
  • Campus Crates returns belongings to customer in the fall.

Campus Crates has moved out and stored over 200 students belongings in less than two years. That means Campus Crates has saved 200 students from the pull-out-your-hair-in-a-frenzy packing and/or unpacking experience and maybe, just maybe, also helped those students have a lollipop and rainbow day.

Snitzter says, “If you don’t create that product or service, someone else will.”

Students all over campus are mighty glad that “had-to-be” thought of an easy, convenient and flexible moving experience became an actual reality with Campus Crates.

Snitzer recently merged the business with The UPS Store in Waco and plans for the business to continue to assist students in moving, shipping, and storing their belongings for years to come. 

For more information about Free Enterprise at the Baugh Center, please visit our website at baylor.edu/business/freeenterprise/

Gib Reynolds, Urban Produce

kathy_carrBaylor Angel Network

Gib Reynolds

“It makes me laugh thinking how a guy who grew up in the suburbs of Dallas now owns a farm…but I love what I do.”
~ Gib Reynolds

Salads have become the epitome of healthy eating these days. There’s nothing quite like digging into a big  bowl of veggie-filled goodness. Toss in some grilled chicken and even the carnivorous can reap the health benefits of the bountiful greens.

But with recalls becoming more prevalent, there’s an understandable lack of trust in the safety of supermarket produce. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way for farmers to safely grow leafy greens without harmful pesticides and exposure to all of the unhealthy yucks that make people sick?

Gib Reynolds and his dad have done just that with Urban Produce. Together, this father-son duo have founded a large scale hydroponic lettuce farm where everything is controlled and grown indoors. The greens are grown “under glass” on floating rafts in nutrient rich ponds. This method provides a pesticide-free environment, and also eliminates the possibility of toxins and other environmental junk from making their way to the growing greens.

It’s quite an innovative idea. The funny part is that Gib grew up a city-boy in Richardson, Texas. He’s an Eagle Scout who flew model rockets competitively all around Eastern Europe. When Gib came to Baylor in 2008, he did study Entrepreneurship as an undergrad, but farming wasn’t his end goal.

Gib was interested in developing a portal that could connect investors and entrepreneurs, something similar to the Baylor Angel Network (BAN) where investors provide early-stage capital to entrepreneurs with business plans. Gib was highly involved in BAN as an undergrad and even became an analyst, so this seemed like a perfect fit.

After his Baylor undergraduate work, Gib continued his studies in the MBA program at Acton. He tossed around a couple of business ideas, but as he researched controlled environment agriculture and food production Gib realized there was a unique opportunity. And the idea for Urban Produce became a reality.

Gib’s long-term goal with Urban Produce was to build a huge lettuce company. Go big or go home is an underlying motto for all entrepreneurs, but with ninety-eight percent of lettuce in the US coming from California building a dominating lettuce company is a daunting mission. But with his self-proclaimed stubborn nature, Gib dug in his heels for the long haul.

Before any produce could even be sold, it was imperative for Urban Produce to receive certification for GAP/GMP (Good Agriculture Practices and Good Manufacturing Practices). The certification provided a layer of accountability to help customers trust this new startup company.

One of the initial challenges Urban Produce  faced was finding those trusting customers and ensuring that distribution processes were in place to get the greens to customers in a timely fashion. Careful not to bite off too much too quickly, father and son built a loyal customer base one customer at a time. Confident in their product, the duo simply lets the lettuce do the talking. And the lettuce has been talking…a lot. So much so, that  Urban Produce has expanded distribution beyond the confines of the Waco area. With regular deliveries to San Antonio and Houston, this lettuce is outright screaming.

Urban Produce trudges through the normal layers of regulations and inspections that come with being a food producer. Inspections and annual audits from the USDA help ensure proper growing and handling techniques. Gib feels that food safety is a paramount concern, so while the regulations may be at times be an annoyance, they’re all necessary in order to keep food safety on the front burner.

All-in-all, the proof is in the pudding… or maybe it’s better said, the proof is in the lettuce. No herbicides – no insecticides – no pesticides, but loads of tasty deliciousness. Gib’s hopes of putting Waco on the map as the “Lettuce Capital of Texas” may not be too far off.

Click here for a great article about Gib Reynolds and his success with Urban Produce.

For more information about Free Enterprise at the Baugh Center, please visit our website at baylor.edu/business/freeenterprise/.