Pictured left to right: Todd Gagne and Mike Vetter
Can you envision a future in which the Black Hills are home to a thriving and innovative tech industry? Founders of Wildfire Labs, Todd Gagne and Mike Vetter sure can. In fact, they and many others say that this transformation has already begun. Mike and Todd, with help from Elevate Rapid City, wanted to throw some accelerant on the growth of the tech sector in the region — Wildfire Labs was created with this vision in mind.
Wildfire Labs offers leaders of start-up companies a unique opportunity to receive mentorship and encouragement from fellow entrepreneurs with the goal of getting their startup from idea to revenue. “We’re not finance people or industry leaders trying to build a program; we’ve actually been in software,” Todd said. “We always talk about ourselves as entrepreneurs, helping entrepreneurs, because all of us have done this.”
Accelerating and de-mystifying the process of starting a software company is the name of the game for the Wildfire team. “There’s a lot of people with ideas or the desire to start a company, but they don’t know what the pathway is,” Mike said. “That’s a big reason why we decided to start Wildfire — we’ve seen a lot of great ideas out there dying on the vine.”
For Mike, Todd and the rest of the Wildfire team, leaving a lasting legacy that centers around people is paramount to their work. This proven and always-evolving process of mentorship has already taken root in the area by galvanizing local entrepreneurs and even attracting out-of-state leaders to plant their businesses here. “You can’t build something that is great without people investing in each other,” Mike said. “There’s a lot of work left to do, but it’s possible.”
605 Quincy Street
Rapid City, SD 57701