Meet Brent Beshore: Judge at Missouri Startup Weekend 2024

Behind the Judge

In the vibrant heart of Columbia, Missouri, the stage is set for the 2024 Missouri Startup Weekend, and at the forefront of the judging panel is none other than Brent Beshore – a multi-faceted entrepreneur, investor, author, family man, and surprisingly, a yogurt parfait aficionado (or so his daughter says).

Beshore's journey into the world of business began in college and shortly thereafter when he started a couple of small businesses, but things didn’t really take off until 2007 when he founded Adventur.es, later rebranded as Permanent Equity. Ranked #28 on the 2011 Inc. 500 list, Permanent Equity is a Columbia-based long-term private equity firm, currently with 700 full-time employees and nearly $350 million in annual revenue. What sets them apart is their commitment to investing out of ~30-year funds with a focus on long-term sustainability, rarely resorting to debt.

Reflecting on his entrepreneurial roots, Beshore humorously labels himself the "Forrest Gump of private equity," having started with a few less-than-stellar ventures in marketing and advertising. He ended up selling his first events and branding company to an employee and followed this by establishing a more successful ad agency. With a Bachelor's degree in politics and an emphasis in poverty studies from Washington and Lee University, Beshore's unconventional journey draws attention to his lack of formal business education. Yet, he bought his first business in 2007 at 25 years old. This led to a series of acquisitions that formed the foundation of Permanent Equity. As he puts it,

Now Brent’s outlook on private equity is much more polished; he even wrote a book in 2018, The Messy Marketplace: Selling Your Business in a World of Imperfect Buyers, to demystify the process of selling a company.

Beyond the boardroom, Beshore embraces his role as a father and active community member. Recently expecting his fourth child, a son, he shares a love for racquet sports and has taken up running and cycling to stay active. Involved in his church, The Crossing, Beshore emphasizes the importance of relationships and hospitality.

In the Columbia community, Beshore, along with his team, envisions content as a means to scale conversation and events as the best way to scale relationships. Main Street Summit and Capital Camp have become pillars of the Columbia business community. He strives to create opportunities for strangers to become friends, learn from one another, and grow together.

Speaking about the origins of the Missouri Startup Weekend, Beshore traces it back to an unexpected conversation with Brant Bukowsky and a chance encounter with Marc Nager, the founder of Startup Weekend. The event took root in Columbia, with Beshore's big building on Buttonwood Drive providing the perfect venue. Since its inception, Startup Weekend has grown wildly, with over $15K in cash prizes, and Beshore says “It has been fun to see it grow and change. I’m excited to be back and try to be helpful however I can.”

Q&A

Can you share your top 3 pieces of advice for competitors/participants?

1. Build something you need, so you know that at least someone wants it.
2. Be humble and seek a multitude of advice.
3. Sell something and generate revenue ASAP.

What inspired you to build in Columbia?

I never intended to live in Columbia, but I started here and life got momentum. About seven years in, my wife and I said to each other, “Well, I guess we live here?” We fell in love with Columbia and plan to live here for the rest of our lives. We believe we’re called to a place, and we want to be people from somewhere as opposed to being from anywhere.

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?

Either hazelnut or pistachio!

In your opinion, what’s the must-have restaurant and must-see spot in Columbia for those traveling from out of town?

My favorite restaurants are Bud’s BBQ, Cherry Street, and Kampai. All three are so different and gifts to Columbia.

As he takes his seat at the judging panel of the 2024 Missouri Startup Weekend, Brent Beshore brings not only his wealth of experience and business acumen but also a sense of humor, humility, and a knack for making the best yogurt parfaits – truly embodying the spirit of entrepreneurship and community in Columbia.