Silicon Slopes announces acquisition of Deseret Business Watch

Lehi, Utah — August 3, 2021 — Silicon Slopes today announced it has acquired Deseret Business Watch, a leading publication on startups and business in Utah. In connection with the acquisition, David Politis (founder, CEO and Editor of Deseret Business Watch) has been named Publisher and Editorial Director of Silicon Slopes.

Formed in 2016 as a 501(c)(3) corporation, Silicon Slopes is the voice, hub, and heart of Utah’s startup and tech community. Its three-part guiding mission — Learn. Connect. Serve. — has allowed the nonprofit to create a collaborative community mindset rarely seen in competitive business circles, one that extends beyond the borders of the state.

“I have been a fan and supporter of Silicon Slopes since its earliest days, watching its tentative initial efforts grow into this all-encompassing organization and philosophy,” Politis said. “Case in point, the annualSlopes Summit has exploded in just five short years to arguably become both the largest and most important business event within Utah, with close to 30,000 people attending its early 2020 confab. So the opportunity to help shape and lead the editorial voice of such an amazing organization, to help identify and craft the important stories behind and within this unfolding miracle within the State of Deseret, well … let’s just say it was a chance I could not pass up.”

During his career of over 35 years, Politis has worked in Silicon Slopes, Silicon Sound, and Silicon Valley as a consultant serving hundreds of clients across multiple industries to help them

• Launch new companies,
• Introduce new products and services,
• Grow revenues,
• Take firms public on Wall Street, and
• Overcome various challenges along their business journeys. 

In addition, Politis is an author, journalist, and tech industry commentator, having

• Written and self-syndicated the weekly Utah Tech Watch column from 2003—2013, which (at its height) reached close to 250,000 readers/week;
• Published the book 66 RULES for Publicity Success: Boost Your Company’s Value for Pennies on the Dollar; and launching
• Deseret Business Watch in early 2021 as an online media property focused on uncovering and reporting on the top stories in Utah’s business community.

“David and I have known each other for several years, and I was pretty familiar with Utah Tech Watch and his “OG role” within the greater Silicon Slopes community, one that dated back to the mid-1980s,” said Clint Betts, CEO and Co-Founder of Silicon Slopes. “But when he launched Deseret Business Watch earlier this year and we watched the depth, breadth and quality of the business reporting he was producing, we were very impressed, and I knew we wanted to find a way to work together. 

“When we started talking, however, we soon realized that David carried the same passion and vision for how the potential of Silicon Slopes might be expanded to serve even more of the organizations and individuals within the state of Utah. Helping to identify and capture and frame that voice, to tell those untold stories, to elevate Silicon Slopes and the businesses and people of Utah — that’s what we were looking for. And that’s why David is now part of the Silicon Slopes organization.”

Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. 

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