I'm Dan Moyers and Stryde Ventures is my platform for 3 things I love, have deep expertise in, and experience doing successfully.
FRACTIONAL & CONSULTING SERVICES
I work as a fractional functional area executive in an embedded immersive way for startups and scale-ups to deliver significant impact by building or transforming functional areas such as Customer Success, Product, or Operations.
I'm also able to work as a fractional venture/operating partner for investing organizations such as VC firms, Private Equity (PE) firms, Accelerators, Startup Studios, Family Offices, Corporate Development departments, or Corporate Venture units. |
FRACTIONAL for startup and scale-up companies
For startups and scale-ups, my functional area primary focus is on customer success (CS), and additionally I'm able to work in the areas of product management and/or operations. My emphasis is on building or transforming functions and I operate my practice within a newly formed firm called GrowthJen as GJ's Customer Success Practice Founder.
Here is a 2-pager where you can learn more about my experience in each of these functional areas.
My current clients include companies such as scale-up 120Water.
Here is a 2-pager where you can learn more about my experience in each of these functional areas.
My current clients include companies such as scale-up 120Water.
fractional for larger mature companies
For large more mature companies I'm able to serve as a fractional area executive to transform existing functions to meet new and/or changing market opportunities and conditions.
fractional for investing organizations
For organizations such as venture firms, private equity (PE) firms, family offices, corporate development departments, or corporate venture units, my focus is on serving as a fractional venture partner or operating partner. In this role I am able to help expand deal flow, conduct founder/deal screening and vetting, execute holistic cross-functional diligence, support principals if/where needed in their investment decisioning, and provide portfolio company support and involvement post-investment.
For PE firms I'm able to serve as an operating executive/partner to support in deal diligence/execution and/or in post-deal operational execution within portfolio companies.
For accelerators I'm able to serve as a program director, shared services functional area expert, and for startup studios I'm able to support new ventures in the areas exploration/analysis/vetting/founder-matching, leadership, management, and/or execution.
For corporate development departments I'm able to serve as an operating executive/partner to support in deal diligence/execution and/or in post-deal operational execution within acquired companies. Additionally, I'm able to serve in a fractional capacity to create/lead/manage internal technology oriented innovation or "intrapreneurship" initiatives.
For corporate venture units I'm able to serve as a venture/operating partner to support in deal diligence/execution as well as portfolio company support and involvement post-investment.
For PE firms I'm able to serve as an operating executive/partner to support in deal diligence/execution and/or in post-deal operational execution within portfolio companies.
For accelerators I'm able to serve as a program director, shared services functional area expert, and for startup studios I'm able to support new ventures in the areas exploration/analysis/vetting/founder-matching, leadership, management, and/or execution.
For corporate development departments I'm able to serve as an operating executive/partner to support in deal diligence/execution and/or in post-deal operational execution within acquired companies. Additionally, I'm able to serve in a fractional capacity to create/lead/manage internal technology oriented innovation or "intrapreneurship" initiatives.
For corporate venture units I'm able to serve as a venture/operating partner to support in deal diligence/execution as well as portfolio company support and involvement post-investment.
Consulting projects
I am open to executing strategic consulting projects that will have a material impact on a business. Examples are functional area 360 style functional area assessments, functional area process and org design, market and/or product research and analysis, and operations optimization.
Catchflo
Catchflo is fishing's first and only fishy casual footwear brand.
Catcha
Catcha was fly fishing's first and only digital playbook company. It was a fun and rewarding user generated content (UGC) marketplace based business that I ran for 4 years (retired it in Jan 2023) in which I learned a lot but ultimately decided to retire the business due to challenges of scalability. Catcha was much like a blend between Substack and Patreon for fly fishing knowledge holders and those seeking knowledge.
Basecamp
Basecamp is a turnkey RV "glamping" experience that I own and operate for guests using Hipcamp and through strategic partnerships I've created with private land owners. Basecamp operates in the San Juan mountains of southwest Colorado during the summer and fall and in the The Driftless Region of Wisconsin in the spring.
STARTUP INVESTING & ADVISORY
I invest in seed-stage B2B SaaS tech and tech-enabled startups in various spaces and also advise first-time founders building B2B or B2C companies who are in the pre-seed stage.
I seek to invest in and/or advise compelling founders building scaleable companies solving real problems in markets where the timing is right for innovation and impactful new products. |
direct investments
My direct investment portfolio includes 120Water, Clear Software (exited to Microsoft in 2021), PivotCX, and Groundwork.
Limited partner (LP)
I am an LP in M25's Fund III and am excited about all of the investment activity as M25 is the most active seed stage venture firm in the Midwest.
zworks
I was the co-founder, Board President and Executive Director of zWORKS and led all aspects of its formation, sponsorship and crowdfunded founding membership fundraising, space selection/design/buildout, and its finance and operations.
zWORKS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and is Zionsville Indiana's entrepreneurial and co-working center. zWORKS has become a "notable node" in Indiana's startup ecosystem serving 150+ members, "graduating" nearly 20 startup companies who've created 70+ jobs and raised $25M+ in Seed and Series A capital.
I have also invested in four (4) zWORKS startup graduate companies: 120Water, Clear Software (acquired by Microsoft in 2021), PivotCX and Groundwork.
zWORKS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and is Zionsville Indiana's entrepreneurial and co-working center. zWORKS has become a "notable node" in Indiana's startup ecosystem serving 150+ members, "graduating" nearly 20 startup companies who've created 70+ jobs and raised $25M+ in Seed and Series A capital.
I have also invested in four (4) zWORKS startup graduate companies: 120Water, Clear Software (acquired by Microsoft in 2021), PivotCX and Groundwork.
Advisory
I serve as a strategic advisor to select first-time founders who are in the pre-seed stage. I typically work with one (1) founder at a time for 6-12 months in a highly focused way. I structure my advisory efforts with founders through a FAST Agreement to ensure alignment and impact. At present I'm serving as a strategic advisor to the college athlete sponsorship tech startup Vertikal X