At Groover Labs, you’ll find members with experience ranging from deep hardtech to SaaS startups. In our early years, we actively sought successful, local tech founders and recruited them to join.

Today, these founders are active members of our community. Many serve as volunteers and mentors in CAMPFIRE, our springtime startup course modeled off Stanford University’s and Y Combinator’s startup class.

One of those founders and mentors is Mark Janzen. We sat down with Mark to talk about entrepreneurship, first-time founder mistakes, the value of mentorship, and the importance of tech hubs like Groover Labs.

To rub shoulders with experienced founders like Mark, see our 2025 membership discount, which provides a hotseat membership for just $50/mo. for the first three months of the new year. Learn more here.

As a CAMPFIRE Mentor, what expertise do you offer those who attend? a.k.a. What is your connection with the startup community and/or entrepreneurship?

I’ve been a lifelong entrepreneur who’s created multiple tech companies in Kansas since I was in college. I’ve been fortunate to have successful exits of some of those startups. And just as importantly, I’ve had unsuccessful startups, too. Beyond that, I’m an active startup investor and mentor to founders.  I’d like to believe I’ve developed some wisdom along the way that will be valuable to Campfire attendees. When deciding to move back to Wichita in 2020, a key item in favor of the decision was the ability to live near Groover Labs and contribute to Wichita’s burgeoning startup ecosystem. I want to give back to the community that was part of my own founder journey.

What's a common mistake you've noticed first-time founders make?

First time founders think they need to immediately raise venture capital or be ready for Shark Tank-like conversations. My advice is to just start building. Start selling a minimum version of your product or service as quickly as possible. Spend lots of time talking to potential customers. If people start buying, then that is the strongest possible signal for the success of your startup. Be profitable as soon as possible. Eventually, if you’re getting more sales than you can finance, it will be easier to get the attention of investors to grow your business.

What's something you wish you knew before starting your professional career?

That there is such a tremendous difference structurally and culturally between small businesses and large businesses. Working in startups and working in large enterprises are two very different career paths, and each will be more rewarding to some people. I’m at my happiest when crafting new enterprises with people I admire. But it took me a few lessons in life to be really clear on that.

Did you have any mentors in your life? If so, when did you realize you needed one, and why? What should someone look for in a mentor?

Early in my career, in my early 20s, soon after creating my first business, a very successful retired entrepreneur took an interest in me and my business. He took me out to lunch once a month and was an invaluable source of hard-earned wisdom, clarity and someone who gently restored my entrepreneurial enthusiasm when I met moments of uncertainty. With great gratitude to him I do the same now every month with local founders, many of them CAMPFIRE alumni. 

What makes the community at Groover Labs unique?

One of the hardest parts of my early career was not having peers to talk to, especially peers in tech. Now there is a place for those peers to work side by side with each other. Groover Labs has created a gravity well at the center of the Wichita startup ecosystem that pulls founders, entrepreneurs and builders into orbit around its community and creates a unique place where aspiring business creators can rub shoulders with each other every day.