These Founders Are Betting Cleveland Beats Silicon Valley

Rob Reznick (Beacon) and Anees Pretorius (Bean AI) walked away from San Francisco to build referral infrastructure and AI-powered accounting software right here in the Midwest, and they're not looking back. What happens when two founders, one building referral infrastructure, the other reimagining accounting with AI, both bet on Cleveland? In this episode of Marketing Moves, host Ashtyn Morris (VividFront) sits down with Rob Reznick, Founder of Beacon, and Anees Pretorius, Co-Founder & CEO of Bean AI, two builders who walked away from the coasts to build something real in the Midwest. In this episode, you'll learn: → How Beacon is turning your personal network into a revenue-generating machine → Why human referrals matter more, not less in the age of AI → How Bean AI is automating the workflows that bog down finance and accounting teams → What it actually takes to sell an AI product to risk-averse Midwest buyers → Why both founders made a deliberate bet on Cleveland, and what they think the city still needs → How to approach marketing when trust is your core currency If you're a founder, marketer, or operator building in the Midwest, or anywhere people keep calling a flyover city this episode is required listening.