EPISODE · May 7, 2026 · 31 MIN
From Toilet Seats to Tee Times: How Evan Teshima Built and Sold a Golf Tech Empire
from Silicon Slopes | Leaders Interviewing Leaders · host Silicon Slopes
What does it take to bootstrap a SaaS company from a broke college student's dorm-room idea to a successful acquisition with barely $50K in real outside capital?In this special Silicon Slopes Podcast, guest host Adam Stoker, President and CEO of Brand Revolt, sits down with Evan Teshima, investor and Co-Founder of foreUP golf software, to find out.Evan co-founded foreUP as a BYU senior after a pivotal entrepreneurship class taught by John Richards sparked a realization: golf courses were running their entire operations on archaic, CD-based software that belonged in a museum. So he and his co-founders built a cloud-based point-of-sale system from scratch and spent the next decade turning it into the industry's go-to platform, powering over 2,300 courses across the country before being acquired by Clubessential Holdings.But the path there was anything but linear.In this candid conversation, Evan walks through seven major pivots, a near-death convertible note crisis, years of rock-bottom salaries, and the legendary chess match against investor John Richards that nearly made or broke the company. He also shares the counterintuitive philosophy that kept foreUP alive in those early years: stop chasing elephants and go for the rabbits.In this episode, you'll hear:Why Evan's first business idea involved a self-opening toilet seat and what came nextHow losing multiple business plan competitions actually pointed him toward his real opportunityThe moment he realized golf courses were the customer, not golfersWhy "our customers are our investors" became the founding mantra of foreUPThe chess match with John Richards that decided $400K in equityHow staying small, scrappy, and focused on the lower-end of the market built the foundation for a massive exitWhat Evan has learned since selling and what he's up to now (besides being an unpaid Uber driver for his four kids)About the GuestsAdam Stoker is President & CEO of Brand Revolt, a full-service marketing agency known for bold, innovative destination marketing strategies. With over 17 years in advertising, Adam is also the host of the Destination Marketing Podcast and author of Touchpoints: A Destination Marketer's Guide. He was recognized as a Utah Business 40 Under 40 honoree and is a fellow investor in John Richards' Startup Ignition Fund.Evan Teshima is the Co-Founder and former CEO of foreUP Golf Software, the first 100% cloud-based point-of-sale and management platform built specifically for golf courses. After co-founding foreUP in his BYU senior year and growing it over a decade with minimal outside capital, Evan led the company through its acquisition by Clubessential Holdings in 2021. He is now an investor and advisor — and a devoted father of four.Both Adam and Evan are investors in John Richards' Startup Ignition Fund, which continues to back promising Utah-based founders.
What this episode covers
What does it take to bootstrap a SaaS company from a broke college student's dorm-room idea to a successful acquisition with barely $50K in real outside capital?In this special Silicon Slopes Podcast, guest host Adam Stoker, President and CEO of Brand Revolt, sits down with Evan Teshima, investor and Co-Founder of foreUP golf software, to find out.Evan co-founded foreUP as a BYU senior after a pivotal entrepreneurship class taught by John Richards sparked a realization: golf courses were running their entire operations on archaic, CD-based software that belonged in a museum. So he and his co-founders built a cloud-based point-of-sale system from scratch and spent the next decade turning it into the industry's go-to platform, powering over 2,300 courses across the country before being acquired by Clubessential Holdings.But the path there was anything but linear.In this candid conversation, Evan walks through seven major pivots, a near-death convertible note crisis, years of rock-bottom salaries, and the legendary chess match against investor John Richards that nearly made or broke the company. He also shares the counterintuitive philosophy that kept foreUP alive in those early years: stop chasing elephants and go for the rabbits.In this episode, you'll hear:Why Evan's first business idea involved a self-opening toilet seat and what came nextHow losing multiple business plan competitions actually pointed him toward his real opportunityThe moment he realized golf courses were the customer, not golfersWhy "our customers are our investors" became the founding mantra of foreUPThe chess match with John Richards that decided $400K in equityHow staying small, scrappy, and focused on the lower-end of the market built the foundation for a massive exitWhat Evan has learned since selling and what he's up to now (besides being an unpaid Uber driver for his four kids)About the GuestsAdam Stoker is President & CEO of Brand Revolt, a full-service marketing agency known for bold, innovative destination marketing strategies. With over 17 years in advertising, Adam is also the host of the Destination Marketing Podcast and author of Touchpoints: A Destination Marketer's Guide. He was recognized as a Utah Business 40 Under 40 honoree and is a fellow investor in John Richards' Startup Ignition Fund.Evan Teshima is the Co-Founder and former CEO of foreUP Golf Software, the first 100% cloud-based point-of-sale and management platform built specifically for golf courses. After co-founding foreUP in his BYU senior year and growing it over a decade with minimal outside capital, Evan led the company through its acquisition by Clubessential Holdings in 2021. He is now an investor and advisor — and a devoted father of four.Both Adam and Evan are investors in John Richards' Startup Ignition Fund, which continues to back promising Utah-based founders.
NOW PLAYING
From Toilet Seats to Tee Times: How Evan Teshima Built and Sold a Golf Tech Empire
No transcript for this episode yet