In this episode of the Startup Ignition Podcast, Tyler and John sit down with Dan Caffee, a veteran entrepreneur, investor, and the current CEO of Voiso. Dan shares his incredible journey through the Utah tech scene, from his early days bootstrapping companies to the massive success of Teem, a conference room scheduling platform he sold to WeWork for over $100 million in an all-cash deal. Beyond the business wins, Dan challenges the "startup as a baby" mentality, discusses the importance of solving problems for industrial sectors rather than just other "tech bros," and opens up in a deeply moving segment about the tragic loss of his wife, Elise, offering profound insights on grief, resilience, and the vital importance of living life without delay.
(00:00:00) Teaser: Selling to WeWork and the reality of loss
(00:02:06) Introduction to Dan Caffey: The Swiss Army Knife of startups
(00:05:14) Founder’s Firsts: The worst pitch that still got funded
(00:08:22) The first "Oh Crap" moment: Layoffs and near-bankruptcy
(00:10:24) Validation: Discovering Twitter was using their side project
(00:13:33) Learning the hard lesson of firing a friend too late
(00:23:09) Dan’s origin story: From industrial recycling to tech
(00:29:01) Driver Careers and the pivot to Neutron Interactive
(00:35:44) The birth of Teem: Turning a skunkworks project into a company
(00:37:46) The Entice Labs story: Failure, acquisition, and meeting John
(00:47:42) The Entrepreneur’s Dilemma: Why your company is not your baby
(00:52:51) Handing over the CEO reins to co-founder Sean Ritchie
(00:57:12) Monetization strategies: From free downloads to SaaS
(01:00:27) The Exit: Selling Teem to WeWork for $100M all cash
(01:06:42) Starting Voiso: Why tech ignores the industrial sector
(01:14:59) Addressing tragedy: The accident in Mexico and losing Elise
(01:19:05) The most important lesson: "Don't wait" to live your life
(01:23:25) Choosing resilience: Taking the family trip to Egypt
(01:29:49) Dan’s final advice: It always comes down to the people
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1 hr and 32 mins