Phillips Joins Leadership Team at Colorado Springs Start-Up
FoodMaven, an innovative tech-enabled marketplace that captures food otherwise lost in the U.S. food system, is proud to announce that Nancy Phillips, Executive Chair of the Board at Flexential, a leading provider of hybrid IT data center solutions, has joined the company as a member of the board of directors and investor.
Phillips, a longtime leader in Denver’s tech industry, co-founded ViaWest, which was acquired by Peak 10 in a $1.7 billion deal to form Flexential. After founding ViaWest in 1999, she successfully scaled the company to become one of the largest colocation and cloud providers in the industry and played an integral role in orchestrating its merger with Peak 10 and subsequent re-brand to Flexential. The depth and breadth of her 30+ years as an executive in the technology sector, from early stage to high growth, will add strategic insights to help guide FoodMaven into the future.
Patrick Bultema, CEO of FoodMaven, feels Phillips’ experience will be particularly valuable as FoodMaven readies to expand into out-of-state markets. “We have worked hard to establish FoodMaven as a successful brand in Colorado, and we are ready to introduce our company to the rest of the country. Nancy has been integral in growing her companies into national players and her steady hand will be invaluable as FoodMaven continues to grow and expand into new markets.”
“I am excited to join FoodMaven’s board and to support Patrick and the team in their mission to capture and make a market for food otherwise lost in the food system,” said Phillips. “I have built my career on solving big problems, and there is an opportunity here to apply innovation and technology to logistics to tackle food distribution challenges. FoodMaven’s mission resonates with the work that I have done throughout my career, and I am glad to use my expertise and investment to support their vision.”
Prior to ViaWest, Nancy held founder and strategic and operational leadership roles with companies including RMi.net, Intrepid, TSC and Confertech. She is a passionate supporter of the Colorado entrepreneurial community and furthering the advancement and participation of women in computer science. She serves on multiple boards in support of the industry, including the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT), where she is chair, Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network, National Cybersecurity Center, Startup Colorado and the University of Denver, where she serves on the Board of Trustees.
Phillips’ investment and addition to the board follows FoodMaven’s $8.6 million Series A funding round. Fueled by its plans to expand nationally later this year, FoodMaven plans to continue raising capital and executing on its rapid, year over year growth.