Start Up

Lorena grew up eating her mother, Maria's, homemade empanada's, but she never thought that the savory snack would help her achieve her version of the American dream. From being homeless in Argentina, to owning five of Denver's hottest restaurants, Lorena's story is heartfelt, inspiring and will leave you salivating!

In 2007, Steven and Remy Sedylmayr were enjoying the good life in Arizona, retired with two kids in college. When Steven decided to pursue building a water purification system and re-mortgaged the house, he had no idea that they'd soon lose everything. The story of Divinia water is about family, overcoming hardship, and the quest to create the cleanest bottled water on the planet.

Stewart King has been actively involved in archery for over 32 years. As a tournament target archer, he's practiced at several different facilities over the years. When he decided to switch careers and start Rocky Mountain Archery, he had a clear vision of the archery destination that he wanted to create. This family business story is about perseverance and creating a life around what you love.

Woodward Throwbacks is a passion project developed by Detroit residents, Bo Shepherd and Kyle Dubay as a way to furnish their apartments and clean up Detroit streets. From riding their bikes around the city searching for reusable materials to operating a nationwide brand that now employs several Detroit locals, this story is about recognizing opportunity and believing in yourself.

Thaine Fischer is a social entrepreneur with an extensive background in real estate acquisitions, development, and management. His latest startup "The Monarch" is a collaborative environment where artists, creative businesses and makers of all types can connect, inspire and create together in Ogden's creative district. This is a story about fearlessly going all-in, despite adversity.

Patrick Bultema is a true industry-maker whose mission is to eliminate food waste. Growing up on a farm, he saw how much food was thrown away, so he addressed the problem at the source. Food Maven sells high-quality, oversupplied or imperfect food from distributors and producers to restaurants and institutional kitchens at a discount. This is a story about doing well, while doing good.

When Kevin Oswald's father told him that he would have to leave the family auto repair shop because there wasn't enough revenue, he saw it as an opportunity. His father sold him the business and Kevin grew it to two locations with more on the way, transforming Oswald's into a successful business. This is a story about vision, forward-thinking, and always putting family first.

Stitch People was founded by Lizzy and Spencer Bean, born out of Lizzy's need for a creative outlet. Originally focused on making handmade cross-stitched family portraits, they quickly saw that people wanted to make them themselves. Today Lizzy's book is the new industry standard in cross-stitched portraits. This is a story about believing that anything is possible and creating your best life.

When the auto industry left Flint, followed by the Flint Water Crisis, the city had to reinvent itself. The resilient spirit of Flint inspired resident Oaklin Mixon to create GoodBoy Clothing. GoodBoy offers multiple apparel and accessory collections developed in-house and through collaborations with artists, designers and seamstresses.

Parker Lichfield was working a job he loved doing photography and video for a local Utah company when he was unexpectedly laid off. He had two choices, find another job and risk the same thing happening again, or put his future in his own hands and start making high quality leather goods. This is a story about risk taking, the power of Youtube and quality craftsmanship.

Daniel Scott and Josh Christiansen met while working for a local plumbing company and hit it off. They decided to start their own plumbing company focused on customer service, family connections, and second chances for all. Today, they employ more than 50 people are ranked one of the top plumbing companies in Utah. This is a story about recognizing opportunity, perseverance and timing.

Risë Jones and her husband opened TeaLee's after five years of planning and hard work. Before the doors opened and the first pot of tea was brewed, Jones was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. Fortunately, she beat it - and after she recovered, her husband asked what she wanted to do with her life. "I want a tea house," she said. This is a story about second chances.

Tim Price is a chiropractor, outdoorsman and dog lover. Tim's first dog and hiking partner, Ruger, forced him to ask some tough questions. He feared that Ruger, a large dog, could get injured and he wouldn't be able to carry him to safety. Tim created a lightweight rescue harness for dogs and started a business. This story is about following your heart and creating something you believe in.