Trailhead, a Boise nonprofit dedicated to helping Idaho entrepreneurs start and scale their businesses, has named Jacob Grinwis as its fourth executive director. Grinwis, a CTMBA student at Boise State University, also previously served as the organization’s director of operations.
Originally from Belgrade, Montana, Grinwis moved to Boise in 2017 to attend Boise State University, where he ran on the men’s track and field team. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in business and managerial economics in 2021, followed by a Master of Business Administration in 2023.
As executive director, Grinwis aims to increase access to practical resources, mentorship and education opportunities for founders, expand and strengthen Trailhead’s program portfolio, deepen partnerships with business leaders and ecosystem partners across Idaho, and grow Trailhead’s visibility beyond Boise as a regional hub for entrepreneurship in the Mountain West.
“I’m incredibly excited to step into this role and continue building on Trailhead’s mission of making Idaho a fertile place to start and grow a business,” Grinwis said. “I’m humbled by the trust placed in me by our CEO Tiam Rastegar, our Board of Directors and the many partners and entrepreneurs who make this vital work possible. Idaho’s entrepreneurial momentum is undeniable, and I’m energized for what’s next.”
Grinwis joined Trailhead as an intern in 2022 while pursuing his MBA and was promoted to director of operations in 2023. In this role, he helped expand Trailhead’s programming, launching initiatives such as Idaho Startup Lab, a two-month incubator helping early-stage businesses validate their ideas, and Tree City Trailblazers, a nine-month accelerator designed to support established businesses as they grow and scale. He also partnered with Pegasus Tech Ventures to bring a regional qualifier of the Startup World Cup, the world’s largest startup pitch competition, to Boise.
Grinwis has also served as co-chair of Boise Entrepreneur Week, Idaho’s largest entrepreneurial event, and as an adjunct professor in information technology management at Boise State University.
“Jacob has been a driving force behind Trailhead’s growth and stability over the past several years. His leadership, operational excellence and commitment to our mission have strengthened our programs, our team and the entrepreneurs we serve every day,” said Tiam Rastegar, CEO of Trailhead. “Promoting him to executive director reflects both the impact he has already made and the confidence we have in his ability to help lead Trailhead into its next chapter. I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done together and excited to see Jacob continue building momentum for Boise’s entrepreneurial community.”
Trailhead is a nonprofit organization based in downtown Boise. Since its founding in 2015, it has awarded more than $1 million in funding to startups and generated $1.4 billion in economic impact by providing educational programming, community events, co-working space and mentorship to entrepreneurs and innovators across Idaho.