dream. understand. grow.
Simple Startup was founded BY entrepreneurs FOR entrepreneurs.
about us
At one time or another, we’d all been entrepreneurs ourselves and had also spent years working with hundreds of entrepreneurs at a variety of accelerators including The Unreasonable Institute, Singularity University and the Nike sponsored Girl Effect Accelerator.
Time and again we saw incredible startups with mind-blowing vision and drive fail miserably or not scale as fast as they could because they lacked a good handle on their finances. They were making most of their decisions based on gut feel rather than hard data, and weren’t able to raise enough money because they hadn’t been able to translate their vision into numbers.
This made us sad and we don’t like being sad.
You’re kind of a big deal.
These amazing, world-changing ventures weren’t getting to change the world because no one was giving them the proper support they needed.
So we created Simple Startup where we help entrepreneurs simplify their finances, truly understand their numbers and make smart, informed business decisions.
In short, we take care of the boring sh&t so you can focus on what you do best – growing your business!
best team
Finance Experts
Lorne
Head Honcho
Lorne loves finance so you don’t have to (seriously, he plays with Excel sheets on vacation!) He spent 12 years in corporate London as an investment analyst then made the jump to Boulder, Colorado to act as finance mentor to high impact companies at The Unreasonable Institute, Girl Effect Accelerator and Singularity University.
He has an MBA from IE business school in Madrid, Spain (ranked 8th in the world) and is a Quickbooks Pro Adviser with a certificate in Advanced Financial Modelling from London School of Business and Finance.
He used to be a professional ski racer, hates mushrooms and adores his two little girls, Amber and Lyla.
Verity
Fun Manager
Verity makes finance fun. From jargon buzzers to funny ice-breaker games, she’s on a one-woman mission to make sure you’re never bored.
She also started a company in London that won the Yahoo! Finds of the Year 2009 and subsequently she was named one of the top 100 in the Courvoisier Future 500, ‘an elite network of the rising stars in the UK’ so is intimately familiar with the struggles of being an entrepreneur.
She then spent 3 years at the Unreasonable Institute as their VP of Operations supporting incredible entrepreneurs, before joining Simple Startup where we also support incredible entrepreneurs!
She has an MBA from IE business school in Madrid, Spain (ranked 8th in the world), loves to ski, kitesurf, bike, hike, dance….. (I know, we’re exhausted just reading it) and most of all, adores going on mini-adventures with her kids.
Mykaela
People Ops Pro
Mykaela is a Boston native whose parents spared her (robbed her of?) the accent by moving to Illinois when she was a tween. She attended college in Pittsburgh and Boston before settling in Boulder and graduating from CU with a degree in sociology and business. This led her to Simple Startup, where she keeps everything but the numbers in tip top operating shape!
She loves good food, good wine, and good sports teams (read: Boston sports teams), her favorite pastime is going on adventures big or small, and a venn diagram of her and Leslie Knope is just one big waffle.
Bert
Accountrepreneur
Bert is a serial entrepreneur. He started multiple successful business ventures ranging from control room and furniture sales to real estate investments to movie theater operation. Due to the accounting complexity of dealing with such diverse ventures, he went back to school, earned his Master’s degree in accounting, and then passed the CPA exam, becoming a licensed Certified Public Accountant who could deal with it all himself.
Bert is passionate about using his incredible experience to help other entrepreneurs succeed.
He is both a morning person AND a night owl, loves every kind of outdoor sport imaginable, is still happily married to his high school sweetheart (awwww) and has 5 incredible kids, many of whom are entrepreneurs themselves
Bryan
Accountrepreneur
Bryan brings a quarter century of finance & operations experience to his role with Simple Startup. He grew up in Lake Charles, LA where he received a bachelor’s in accounting from McNeese State University. He then received a master’s degree in accounting from Louisiana State University.
He began his professional career with Deloitte & Touche during which time he passed the CPA exam. After his tenure there, he started a long and successful career in healthcare including several entrepreneurial ventures which allowed him to:
- Develop a healthcare staffing and human resource organization specializing in the placement and retention of medical professionals;
- Develop 7 medical diagnostic imaging center through joint ventures with physicians and hospitals;
- Acquire a home health agency that doubled in size and profitability within the first 6 months;
- Develop the accounting system methodology for all owned entities
- Serve in all accounting roles (payroll, accounts payable, financial statement preparation)
Bryan recently relocated from Louisiana to Loveland. He’s a lifelong LSU Tigers fan, enjoys backcountry hiking and skiing, and spending time with family.
Justin
Growth Guru
Justin is a Midwest native who arrived in Colorado from Nicaragua, where he was living for the better part of a decade. He found himself in Nicaragua after completing his International MBA from IE Business School. While in Nicaragua, he built a community center network for the United States Embassy, evaluated the social and economic impact of footbridges for flood prone villages, and guided university groups on sustainability treks through the lakes and volcanoes which epitomize the Nicaraguan countryside.
Justin is passionate about numbers, sustainability, and innovation. When he’s not working on poverty solutions or summiting a volcano, he enjoys using his accounting super powers to turbo charge our client’s businesses and impact on the world.
Viswa
Support Head Honcho
Nick
Money Maestro
Nick has a dual degree in finance and accounting and is heavily involved in the local startup scene in Boulder. He is passionate about helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses and one day hopes to become a venture capitalist. He is a Quickbooks ProAdvisor and is currently a CFA level 1 candidate.
At the age of 14, Nick placed 8th in the United States games of America for the 100m butterfly. In addition to being a competitive athlete, Nick also practices classical guitar. He has performed on stage with many professional guitarists including William Kanengiser, Audra Vigil and Peter Li.
In his spare time, he enjoys snowboarding with his friends and making independent films with his dad.
Dominique
Money Maestro
Dominique is a Colorado native who was raised in the metropolitan city of Taipei, Taiwan. She has traveled to over twenty countries including Israel, France, Scotland, Ireland, England, Thailand, Bali, Singapore, Australia, China and Japan.
Alongside her jetsetter lifestyle, she enjoys binge watching Chopped, Cupcake Wars, and Forensic Files and is always up for a good dare. One time she ate a whole stick of deep fried scorpions at the Forbidden City in Beijing, and jumped off a thirty-foot cliff at Paradise Cove.
She graduated from the Leeds School of Business with her degree in accounting. If accounting wasn’t difficult enough, she also has a minor in Chinese and is proficient in not only speaking, but also reading and writing Chinese characters! Oh, and she plans on getting her CPA. What a rock star!
Ariel
Numbers Ninja
Ariel is an Austin, TX native who is majorly happy to be escaping the Texas heat in Boulder for the summer. She is currently studying finance and economics at Texas State University's McCoy College of Business.
Ariel worked in accounting in the multifamily industry before joining the Simple Startup team to help awesome entrepreneurs grow their business and gain wider industry experience. She's an accounting whiz and plans to take the CPA after going to graduate school.
In her free time, she loves hiking and taking her adorable dog to the lake to beat the heat.
Meena
Cash Accounting Queen
Meena received her graduate and post-graduate degrees in Kolar - the Golden City of India - and has been involved in accounting for many different types of industries in several different countries since 2011. She has gained experience not only in day to day accounting and bookkeeping but in sales forecasting and financial analysis as well. She prides herself in thinking like an owner - one of our core values here at Simple Startup.
Meena lives in Bangalore with her husband and two daughters. She loves playing around with her kiddos, cooking, and making DIY home decor. She’s a social butterfly and is always learning something new - she aims to be an expert in everything she does.
Santosh
Support Team Manager
Santosh has over 9 years of experience of working in diverse financial positions with multiple companies. His key accounting and financial competencies include maintaining financial records and end to end accounting. He is highly organized and self-driven, and super passionate about developing his career in the field of accounting! He received his graduate degree from Mangalore University.
When he’s not killing it in the finance and accounting field, Santosh loves travelling, playing cricket, and hanging out with friends new and old.
Rachael
Ops Support Whiz
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Rachael joined the ranks of the many “non-natives” in Colorado looking for adventure and an exciting career. Following a deep passion for small business, she’s had the opportunity to work with companies in architecture, property management, managed services, business brokerage and now financial services. With Simple Startup, Rachael helps maintain smooth sailing for the firm by providing support across a variety of functional areas and being game for all projects thrown her way.
Rachael is a big fan of the three C’s (chocolate, coffee & cats) and most enjoys time spent reading, in the kitchen, or exploring the neighborhoods of Colorado with her husband. Rachael has a Master's Degree in Global Interactions and a Bachelor's Degree in Humanities from Cleveland State University and John Carroll University respectively.
Taylor
PR Pro
It took Taylor's family five years to understand that her career boils down to telling journalists about the wonderful things businesses are doing so they'll be inspired to talk about it! Taylor has worked in media relations and marketing for over ten years in varied spaces including not-for-profits, professional services, restaurants, nightclubs, luxury resorts, gaming and spas like Gordon Ramsay, Bobby Flay, Michael Mina, Jimmy Buffett, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Floyd's Barbershop, Wynn Las Vegas and Caesars Entertainment. For her clients, she has secured multiple placements in USA Today, San Francisco Chronicle, LA Times, Forbes, Travel + Leisure, Esquire, Robb Report, The Chew, The Talk, Entertainment Tonight, and ESPN among others.
Taylor earned her Bachelor of Arts and Sciences from Washington University in St. Louis with a double major in Psychology & Brain Sciences, and American Culture Studies. To further boost her business acumen -- and better understand when Lorne starts to dig deep -- she earned her Certificate in Business Fundamentals from Harvard Business School. A Colorado native, Taylor enjoys hiking, exploring mountain towns, playing tennis, dining out, and prides herself on being able to pack for a two-week trip in a carry-on.