Vango Founder and CEO to be Guest Speaker at e2e Laramie Meeting April 20

Ethan Appleby, the founder and CEO of Vango, will be the guest speaker of e2e Wyoming’s meeting in Laramie this month.

He will speak Wednesday, April 20, 5:30-7 p.m. at the University of Wyoming’s Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center, 222 S. 22nd St. The title of his talk is “The Art of the Start-Up.” Appleby will discuss creating Vango, an app and startup company with roots deep in Silicon Valley.

“He’s a good speaker for e2e because he’s developing an app that helps people learn how to buy original art,” says Jonathon Benson, CEO of the Wyoming Technology Business Center (WTBC). “He (Appleby) found that buying original art is one of the most terrifying things you can do, next to death and public speaking.”

Young software companies and college students with STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) backgrounds have shown interest in using this app, Benson adds.

Vango, selected by Apple as one of the top apps available on the App Store, is a platform that allows users to see how a new piece of art would appear in their home. By connecting emerging artists with novice art buyers, the app has become the fastest-growing marketplace for selling original art, according to an e2e flier. As a company, Vango is a graduate of San Francisco’s 500 Start-ups Accelerator, and has raised more than $1.6 million in its initial series of funding.  

E2e is an educational networking program with chapters in Laramie, Casper, Gillette and Sheridan. It is designed to improve the climate for the startup and growth of entrepreneurial companies. Each e2e chapter meets bimonthly for 45 minutes of networking, followed by a 45-minute program. The programs feature successful entrepreneurs telling their stories, panel discussion on relevant topics and advice from experts in specific businesses.

Administered by the UW Office of Research and Economic Development, the WTBC is a not-for-profit business incubator that provides entrepreneurs with the expertise, networks and tools necessary for success.

For more information on e2e, call the WTBC at (307) 766-6395.