Startup Conversations in the Couve - William Simpson of Golden Grail Group
Startup Conversations is back after our short holiday break! And we are diving in with a great speaker to fire you up and help you grow!
William Simpson — Founder of Chalice Farms
William has spent more than two decades building and scaling businesses in highly regulated, fast-moving environments—where the rules shift, the stakes are real, and mistakes are expensive.
He’s built vertically integrated, award-winning companies. He’s taken underperforming assets and turned them into profitable operations. He’s worked across brand, team building, capital, and expansion. Along the way, he helped shape the industry itself—founding Washington’s first cannabis association, co-founding the Oregon Cannabis Association, and contributing directly to early regulatory frameworks through the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.
Then something rare happened.
William sold the company, and after the sale, it unraveled.
Instead of walking away, he came back. bought the company back and is rebuilding it with the benefit of scar tissue, clarity, and a deeper sense of what actually makes a business durable. Not the hype. Not the timing. The fundamentals.
https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2024/02/29/chalice-oregon-cannabis-william-simpson.html
William will walk through that arc candidly—the smart calls, the mistakes, and what it really takes to build a company that can survive changing rules, shifting incentives, and real risk. After his remarks, the conversation opens into a guided Q&A focused on what founders can actually take from his experience and apply in their own companies.
Following the conversation, we shift into intentional networking. Startup Conversations consistently draws founders, operators, investors, technologists, and community builders who are actively in the work. The goal isn’t surface-level introductions—it’s real conversations with people wrestling with the same problems you are.
This room exists for one reason: to help founders get better at the actual craft of building a company. Not inspired. Not entertained. Better.
It’s not about pitches. It’s not about panels. It’s not about polished origin stories where everything magically worked out.
We focus on what happens behind the headlines—real stories from founders who have built something meaningful, and the decisions, tradeoffs, and missteps that actually shaped their companies.
Startup Conversations is about founder skills. Not copying someone else’s path, but understanding the why behind the choices they made. Was what they did a repeatable skill—or just luck? We’re betting it’s a skill. Every event is designed to prove that.
Yes, there’s a bit of “fake it till you make it” in startup life. But that doesn’t mean guessing forever. It means committing to the work of learning. That’s the journey we’re here to support.
We’d love to have you join us. Registration is required—reserve your spot early.
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Is This for You?
Well, it's not here for you if you're just trying to network and sell your services. This room is filled with founders who are building their business and genuinely trying to grow as leaders.
So, If you’re tired of vague advice and inspirational noise, you’ll feel at home.
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About North Bank Innovations
North Bank Innovations is based in Southwest Washington and exists to build a serious early-stage startup ecosystem.
We value real conversations, real work, and real support. No selling. No posturing. If you’re building—or helping builders build—you’re in the right room.
More North Bank events: https://www.northbankinnovations.org/events
North Bank Coworking:
https://www.northbankinnovations.org/coworking