Summary
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
In this episode of Startup Junkies, Jeff Amerine, Caleb Talley, and Davis McEntire sit down with Vance Reavie, founder and CEO of Junction AI. Vance is a multi-time founder, and he recently completed Fuel, a Northwest Arkansas-based accelerator that helps growth-stage artificial intelligence and machine learning startups become enterprise-ready. Throughout the episode, Jeff, Caleb, Davis, and Vance discuss Junction AI, Vance’s journey to Northwest Arkansas, building a launchpad for corporate innovation, and much more!
Shownotes
(1:26) Introducing Vance Reavie and Junction AI
(6:35) Allowing Yourself to Pivot
(9:19) What Does Winning Look Like?
(11:27) Vance’s Background and Transition to Arkansas
(14:59) Building the Junction AI Team
(19:40) Why Vance Is Excited to Be In NWA
(27:20) Advice for Young Talent
(30:56) Building a Launchpad for Corporate Innovation
(36:14) Advice for Vance’s Younger Self
(40:41) Closing Thoughts
Links
Quotes
“We had to understand, does what we do matter to the enterprise, and if it does, how are we going to get in there and sell it and make a success of it? So that’s why we wanted to [be a part of Fuel], and I was blown away by the program.” Vance Reavie, (6:24)
“They say the top three things that typically cause new ventures to fail is number one, you’re building something that no one wants. Two is you’ve hired wrong—you’ve got people in the wrong seats. And the third one is a lack of focus. And all three of those can be equally deadly.” Jeff Amerine, (8:34)
“…You get quite addicted to that idea that things can move this fast, and that’s a lot of fun. And it draws people in. People want to be part of it when they see this happening because, seriously, none of us want to do nothing or just be bored at work or whatever it is. We see something exciting happening and you’re drawn to those people or that project…” Vance Reavie, (32:26)
Better Retail, Ecommerce, & Marketing
In this episode of Startup Junkies, Jeff Amerine, Caleb Talley, and Davis McEntire sit down with Vance Reavie, founder and CEO of Junction AI. Vance is a multi-time founder, and he recently completed Fuel, a Northwest Arkansas-based accelerator that helps growth-stage artificial intelligence and machine learning startups become enterprise-ready. Throughout the episode, Jeff, Caleb, Davis, and Vance discuss Junction AI, Vance’s journey to Northwest Arkansas, building a launchpad for corporate innovation, and much more!
Junction AI
Vance originally founded Junction AI in 2015 as an app that focused on travel and delivering unique local experiences based on what users like to do when they are out of town. Artificial intelligence and machine learning would gather user data and create personalized recommendations, allowing users to make the most of their travels.
In 2020, COVID-19 forced Vance to consider a new direction. With travel severely limited across the globe, Junction AI lost its purpose. As Vance looked around and evaluated the situation, he considered the massive amount of data his business had gathered. The data held significant value, but it was sitting there purposeless.
Vance contemplated a shift towards advertising and marketing, a place where data’s value is wholly recognized, but there was one major problem. How could they possibly make sense of the mass amounts of unstructured data that had been collected? It would be unrealistic to have an e-commerce manager or marketer scan through thousands of images and other data, but the AI platform that Junction AI had built was the perfect solution.
Today, Junction AI helps businesses harness data for optimized decision making, allowing for better retail, e-commerce, and product marketing success.
Vance’s Journey to NWA
While Vance is a passionate advocate for Northwest Arkansas, he is actually new to the area. Originally from Saskatchewan, Canada, he’s lived all over the world, including New Zealand, Australia, and most recently, Austin, Texas.
In 2021, Vance traveled to Bentonville to participate in the Fuel Accelerator Program, and he was shocked by what he found. After a rural drive from the airport to the downtown apartment he had rented, he couldn’t help but wonder what he had gotten himself into. The following day, the friendly Arkansans he encountered during his short walk from the apartment to the offices brought a new sense of excitement about his stay.
Throughout the accelerator program, Vance found Northwest Arkansas to be home to a community full of business-minded people that encouraged entrepreneurialism and wanted to help at every step along the way.
By the time he finished the program, Vance was ready to sign for a long-term apartment and move the Junction AI headquarters to Northwest Arkansas.
“We had to understand, does what we do matter to the enterprise, and if it does, how are we going to get in there and sell it and make a success of it? So that’s why we wanted to [be a part of Fuel], and I was blown away by the program.” Vance Reavie, (6:24)
Connect with Us!
Do you consider yourself a startup junkie? Join in the conversation by following us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter! Startup Junkie wants to come alongside these entrepreneurs every step of the way. Want to learn more about our services?
English 
Spanish 
Korean