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6 | SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 NEWS FLATHEADBEACON.COM Goguen: Make a Dent in the Universe
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Prominent venture capitalist and philanthropist inspires prospective entrepreneurs at Glacier Startup Weekend
By DILLON TABISH of the Beacon
As a boy growing up in Bedford, Mas- sachusetts – the heart of New England and cradle of the American Revolution – Mi- chael Goguen was immersed in the history of the founding fathers and original patri- ots who fought for independence.
“I remember just being struck by how astounding that was, that these people be- came so passionate in what they believed and the way they wanted to change their society,” Goguen said.
“But it was against incredible odds. It didn’t make logical sense that they were going to be able to make this change.”
Yet their passion fueled them, through incredible hardship and chal- lenges, Goguen said, “and look at the dent they created in the universe – they created the greatest country the world has ever known.”
A similar ambition – to change the world for the better – has driven the prom- inent venture capitalist and philanthro- pist who today likes to echo one of Steve Jobs’ famous quotes.
“I want to make a dent in the uni- verse,” Goguen said.
In recent years, one of Silicon Valley’s technology magnates has become an icon- ic yet discreet contributor to the Flathead Valley. The part-time Whitefish resident has spent untold millions of dollars on the community he now cherishes.
“I fell in love with it here and I fell in love with the people, too,” he said.
His contributions include two world- class search and rescue helicopters, which have flown over 75 missions; helping fund the expansion of the North Valley Food Bank; and protecting nearly 2,500 acres of land known as The Whitefish Trail for the public to enjoy.
The list goes on. He continues to invest in cancer research, fixated on solving a disease that many people call unsolvable.
Goguen recently donated $2 mil- lion over five years to the state’s In- ternet Crimes Against Children task force in an effort to protect kids from online predators.
“It’s amazing. Mike is so plugged into our community,” said Mike Kazmier, the founder of Avail Media in Kalispell and lo- cal business advocate.
Kazmier introduced Goguen at the Sept. 19 kickoff to Glacier Startup Week- end, an event devoted to helping spur local entrepreneurialism. The inaugural event, hosted at Flathead Valley Community College over three days, drew more than 130 people on opening night.
Goguen inspired those in attendance to strive like he has to be a “dentmaker,” whether it’s by starting a new business or making a difference in the community.
“I actually believe there’s a high- er percentage than normal of potential dentmakers in Montana just by the na- ture of the personalities. Folks here are super hard working and passionate about anything they do,” Goguen said. “I think there’s all the right DNA.”
Goguen shared his experience over 18 years as a partner at Sequoia Capital, ar- guably the world’s most successful ven- ture capital firm. With its relatively small group of members based in Menlo Park, California, the firm has helped launch many of the world’s most prominent
Michael Goguen delivers the keynote speech at the Glacier Startup Weekend.
GREG LINDSTROM FLATHEAD BEACON
technology companies, including Apple, Google, Yahoo, Electronic Arts, Cisco Sys- tems and YouTube.
As Goguen noted, the founders of these massive companies all started out with “incredibly humble beginnings.” These successful entrepreneurs all share a few similar traits, he said, including “insane passion” and work ethic and con- stant perfectionism.
“I don’t know of a story of a com- pany that ended up very successful and the founders didn’t work insanely hard,” he said.
Instead of an impressive resume, suc- cessful entrepreneurs are usually fixated on thrilling their customers with an in- sanely good product. When that occurs, “good things happen,” Goguen said.
As a community, he recommended increasing infrastructure, such as high- speed Internet. He also recommend- ed increasing technology education at younger school grades to help future gen- erations succeed.
Looking across the crowd in Kalispell, Goguen said he saw a room full of poten- tial dentmakers.
“The passion it takes to start a compa- ny is the exact same passion and the same DNA that I think a huge percentage of you have in you, to do anything you want to do and make a big change,” he said.
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