Beyond the Investment | with Steve Kirby
On the latest episode of Behind the Business, Founders in the 605, Marcus and Alexis Mahlen sit down with Steve Kirby, founder of Bluestem Capital, a venture capital firm featuring 450 plus investors investing in more than 20 funds, located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Born and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Steve attended Arizona State University to study Political Science and went to law school at the University Of South Dakota, following the footsteps of multiple generations of lawyers in his family. Steve started his career working as secretary and senior claims counsel for his family business, Western Surety Company.
As he explains in this episode, Bluestem started as a name and “not knowing much else”, but Steve and his partners knew there was a gap in the market regarding people not satisfied with options to invest. He explains how he invests in “anything he understands”, how to stay patient when selling, and the return Bluestem provides to its investors.
In addition to being the founder of Bluestem, Steve is a philanthropist, was the 35th Lieutenant Governor of the State of South Dakota from 1993 through 1995, and he was also a candidate for Governor of South Dakota in 2001-2002. He is also the cousin of previous Behind the Business, Founders in the 605 guests, Dan and Joe Kirby.
Click below to listen to this episode.
From left to right: Alexis Mahlen, Steve Kirby, and Marcus Mahlen.
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