
A failed software search gave the Minneapolis founder his opening. Now he is trying to make freight's paperwork move as quickly as the freight itself.

Before Solsten could model an audience, its founder had to connect psychotherapy, powder days, Fortune 500 UX and one consequential cold email. The result is a career-long argument for looking past the click to the person making it.

The former venture capitalist knew every fashionable way to fund a software company. He chose customer revenue, plain text messages and patience instead - then spent more than a decade turning small service moments into a durable Minneapolis business.