About this episode
Published May 19th, 2026, 01:53 am
In this live-recorded episode of the Utah Business Magazine podcast, executive editor Catherine Bennett sits down with Gavin Christensen, the founder and managing partner of Kickstart—Utah’s premier seed-stage venture capital firm.
Gavin shares his journey from a "military brat" living in a double-wide trailer in New Mexico to becoming the first Utahn ever to chair the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). Gavin pulls back the curtain on the early days of Kickstart, reflecting on launching an $8 million fund right as the 2008 financial crisis hit, what he learned from a first fund that didn't quite hit the mark, and how those hard-fought lessons paved the way for massive future success.
This event was sponsored by Kiln and Northwestern Mutual.
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