Summary:
On this special bonus episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell sits down with Vance Reavie and Jigesh Vora live at the Startup Crawl in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Vance and Jigesh are both three-time founders who recently participated in the Fuel Accelerator with their companies, Junction AI and SwiftGo, respectively. The trio discusses their recent ventures, Fuel, Bentonville, and much more throughout the episode!Thanks for tuning in!
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Show Notes
(1:12) Introducing Vance Reavie and Jigesh Vora
(5:41) Participating in the Fuel Accelerator and Other Resources in NWA
(13:33) Initial Thoughts on Bentonville(18:45) Bentonville Stats
(22:10) What’s Next for SwiftGo and Junction AI
(25:23) Superpowers and Closing Thoughts
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‍Links:
JAMES BELL
VANCE REAVIE
JIGESH VORA
JUNCTION AI
SWIFTGO
FUEL ACCELERATOR

Quotes
‍“For me, [the Fuel Accelerator] was a pivotal moment for our company in understanding where we fit in, what value we can add, and how I can take advantage of [Bentonville’s] business community to propel forward.” Vance Reavie, (6:34)

“What impressed me about Fuel was the fact that the engagement from the community is amazing. I mean, everybody from mentors, advisors, corporate partners—everybody was very engaged in truly helping the startups get to where they wanted to go or where they need to be.” Jigesh Vora, (7:18)

“[Fuel] isn’t a program that teaches you how to pitch or how to go chase the VC model or any of those sorts of things. It’s about being enterprise-ready.” Vance Reavie, (11:49)

“I think the majority of the companies around here are small businesses, which is perfect from an ecosystem perspective for a startup. Even if it’s a growth-stage startup, it’s the perfect place to be because you have the top Fortune companies here, but you have this ecosystem of small businesses that you can partner up with and improve the overall value of your solution.” Jigesh Vora, (15:19)
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“The work-life balance here is—everyone talks about it, but [Bentonville] actually delivers it in a real way that you can appreciate every day.” Vance Reavie, (16:56)
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How the Fuel Accelerator Helps You Get Enterprise-Ready
‍On this special bonus episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell sits down with Vance Reavie and Jigesh Vora live at the Startup Crawl in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Vance and Jigesh are both three-time founders who recently participated in the Fuel Accelerator with their companies, Junction AI and SwiftGo, respectively. The trio discusses their recent ventures, Fuel, Bentonville, and much more throughout the episode!

Junction AI and SwiftGo
‍Vance’s current startup, Junction AI, recently completed Fuel’s 2021 program and is headed towards great things! The startup partners with growing businesses to curate and reveal valuable data-driven insights that assist growth and scalability. Jigesh’s startup, SwiftGo, also recently wrapped up Fuel’s 2021 program and is looking at a bright future. SwiftGo provides retailers with smart-carts to pair with their scan-and-go apps, improving the customer experience at every turn.

The Fuel Accelerator Program
‍Fuel is a 12-week enterprise-ready accelerator that matches growth-stage artificial intelligence and machine learning startups with key enterprise partners to accelerate the adoption of tangible technology solutions.
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“[Fuel] isn’t a program that teaches you how to pitch or how to go chase the VC model or any of those sorts of things. It’s about being enterprise-ready.” Vance Reavie, (11:49)
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For Vance and Jigesh, one of the highlights of Fuel was its enterprise-ready focus. Rather than prioritizing the funding treadmill and VC model, Fuel helps tech startups prepare for enterprise-level clients, prioritizing sustainable growth and development. The pair also enjoyed how the community interacted with the accelerator and its cohorts. Upon arriving in Bentonville, both entrepreneurs quickly realized how many relationships they could build that would prove valuable over time. 

“What impressed me about Fuel was the fact that the engagement from the community is amazing. I mean, everybody from mentors, advisors, corporate partners—everybody was very engaged in truly helping the startups get to where they wanted to go or where they need to be.” Jigesh Vora, (7:18)
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Why Bentonville
‍If you follow Bentonville, you’ve likely heard stories of visitors who send for their bags—they don’t even make it through their trip to Bentonville before deciding to move. Vance is a prime example. By the time he completed the accelerator program, he was ready put a deposit down on an apartment. For Vance, the work-life balance was one of the most significant selling points.
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“The work-life balance here is—everyone talks about it, but [Bentonville] actually delivers it in a real way that you can appreciate every day.” Vance Reavie, (16:56)

For Jigesh, he experienced the benefits of working and operating in a community full of other startups. With three Fortune 500 businesses headquartered in the area and countless vendors following suit, Jigesh understands the benefits of living and running a startup in Bentonville.

“I think the majority of the companies around here are small businesses, which is perfect from an ecosystem perspective for a startup. Even if it’s a growth-stage startup, it’s the perfect place to be because you have the top Fortune companies here, but you have this ecosystem of small businesses that you can partner up with and improve the overall value of your solution.” Jigesh Vora, (15:19)
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Get Connected!
‍Thanks for tuning in to this bonus episode of The Bentonville Beacon! Join us weekly for more stories from entrepreneurs and business leaders who are making a positive impact on Bentonville’s culture, community, and lifestyle. Don’t forget, Bentonville is a place where you can have more of what you want and less of what you don’t!