Summary
In this special two-part series on The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell kicks off the first episode with an engaging discussion featuring members of Fuel’s 2023 AI/ML Accelerator cohort. Joined by Fuel’s Director, Darian Harris, and Entrepreneur in Residence, Tom Douglass, they spotlight Fuel’s 12-week enterprise-ready accelerator program, which pairs seed and growth-stage tech startups with key enterprise partners to fast-track the adoption of practical technology solutions. The program emphasizes operational value training over traditional venture capital pitch coaching. This episode highlights innovators from around the globe in the AI and ML sectors, along with their companies from various industries. Conversations with Somya Munjal of Youthful Savings, Keith Fix and Brent Blecha of Retail Aware, and Kannan Udayarajan of Siemba highlight their companies, experiences at Fuel Accelerator, and their #BecauseBentonville stories, painting a vibrant picture of entrepreneurial growth and community connection.
Show Notes
(0:56) Introducing Darian Harris, Tom Douglass and Fuel’s AI/ML Cohort
(8:49) Darian’s #BecauseBentonville Story
(12:21) Introducing Somya Munjal and Youthful Savings
(15:16) Somya’s Experience with Fuel and Bentonville
(19:20) Somya’s #BecauseBentonville Story
(21:43) Introducing Keith Fix, Brent Blecha and Retail Aware
(29:12) Keith and Brent’s Experience with Fuel and Bentonville
(35:01) Keith and Brent’s #BecauseBentonville Story
(39:16) Introducing Kannan Udayarajan and Siemba
(41:06) Kannan’s Experience with Fuel and Bentonville
(47:46) Kannan’s #BecauseBentonville Story
(51:06) Closing Thoughts
Links
Bentonville Economic Development
Quotes
“I really think art is a very powerful tool for innovation and creativity, and I think the influx of art [in Bentonville] is really going to bring those creative minds to this area and really provide an opportunity for growth.” – Somya Munjal, (17:20)
“Bentonville has just been so fun, and it’s been a little bit of a surprise in terms of the community aspect of it. The ability to do business here and connect with folks on a personal level, as well as just on an accessibility level, has been great. I think that tied with the entire Fuel team—they’ve made great connections and gone to bat for us, and the programming is great, and the people are great. It’s been a good experience for me.” – Keith Fix, (30:31)
“It’s the ecosystem that makes Fuel very unique. The curriculum is one part of it, but the ecosystem around it—the people who are delivering the courses or the mentors that have been put around the program or the general networking events that have been established so that startups who come here get the ability to go out, mingle with these people and build their own authentic, genuine one-on-one relationships—that is just amazing. I haven’t seen that kind of effort in any other program that we’ve been a part of.” – Kannan Udayarajan, (44:41)
Blog
In this special two-part series on The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell kicks off the first episode with an engaging discussion featuring members of Fuel’s 2023 AI/ML Accelerator cohort. Joined by Fuel’s Director, Darian Harris, and Entrepreneur in Residence, Tom Douglass, they spotlight Fuel’s 12-week enterprise-ready accelerator program, which pairs seed and growth-stage tech startups with key enterprise partners to fast-track the adoption of practical technology solutions. The program emphasizes operational value training over traditional venture capital pitch coaching. This episode highlights innovators from around the globe in the AI and ML sectors, along with their companies from various industries. Conversations with Somya Munjal of Youthful Savings, Keith Fix and Brent Blecha of Retail Aware, and Kannan Udayarajan of Siemba highlight their companies, experiences at Fuel Accelerator, and their #BecauseBentonville stories, painting a vibrant picture of entrepreneurial growth and community connection.
Youthful Savings
Somya has always been interested in economic change and all things related to economics and geopolitics, which ultimately led her to create Youthful Savings with the goal of using education to create change. Youthful Savings is a tech-powered learning ecosystem dedicated to socioeconomic empowerment, which they define as mental wellbeing, economic empowerment and community development. The business provides accessible education for youth through programs centered around personal finance, sustainability, technology and AI, arts, entrepreneurship and more.
“I really think art is a very powerful tool for innovation and creativity, and I think the influx of art [in Bentonville] is really going to bring those creative minds to this area and really provide an opportunity for growth.” – Somya Munjal, (17:20)
Retail Aware
While Retail Aware provides in-store shopper data and analytics for retailers and their partners, Keith and Brent want to make something clear: Retail Aware is not merely a data and analytics company. As Brent noted, no change is made when you present information. Change is made when you decipher the data and take informed action based on your findings, and this is what Retail Aware is founded on. The company tracks real-time in-store shopper data related to product displays and placements, allowing its partners to gain insights that compare to those gathered from ecommerce shopping data.
“Bentonville has just been so fun, and it’s been a little bit of a surprise in terms of the community aspect of it. The ability to do business here and connect with folks on a personal level, as well as just on an accessibility level, has been great. I think that tied with the entire Fuel team—they’ve made great connections and gone to bat for us, and the programming is great, and the people are great. It’s been a good experience for me.” – Keith Fix, (30:31)
Siemba
In Kannan’s words, Siemba exists to help protect B2B organizations that have customer-facing IT landscapes, which could include web and mobile applications, cloud networks, infrastructures and more against cybersecurity threats. Siemba’s service enables its partnering organizations to test their cybersecurity defenses in a repeatable and scalable manner, also known as pentesting. Through Fuel, Kannan has found a unique ecosystem that sets its participating companies up for success through direct access to industry leaders and mentors.
“It’s the ecosystem that makes Fuel very unique. The curriculum is one part of it, but the ecosystem around it—the people who are delivering the courses or the mentors that have been put around the program or the general networking events that have been established so that startups who come here get the ability to go out, mingle with these people and build their own authentic, genuine one-on-one relationships—that is just amazing. I haven’t seen that kind of effort in any other program that we’ve been a part of.” – Kannan Udayarajan, (44:41)
Get Connected!
Thank you for tuning into this episode of The Bentonville Beacon! Join us weekly for more stories and advice from the entrepreneurs, business executives and community leaders who are sparking the rise of the Greater Bentonville area. If you are interested in discussing whether your business should have a presence in Greater Bentonville or would like to discuss this podcast, please contact James Bell. You may reach James at jbell@greaterbentonville.com or (479) 273-2841.
Additional Links
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
