Meet Wade Foster: A Judge at Missouri Startup Weekend 2025

In 2011, Wade Foster and his co-founders walked into Missouri Startup Weekend with a simple but powerful idea—what if everyday people could connect their favorite apps without writing a single line of code? They called it Snapier (a name that didn’t last long), built a prototype, and won the competition. That win was a pivotal moment, validating an idea that would eventually become Zapier, the automation platform now used by over 2.2 million businesses and valued at $5 billion.

"Winning Startup Weekend in 2011 was an exciting moment because it gave us the confidence to take a leap of faith with Zapier," Foster says. "The most memorable moment was realizing that people outside our immediate circle believed in the idea and were excited about it—that validation sparked momentum that carried us through those scrappy early days."

Now, more than a decade later, Foster is back—this time as a judge.

Wade Foster’s story isn’t the typical Silicon Valley blueprint. Raised in Jefferson City, Missouri, he earned degrees in industrial engineering and business at Mizzou before taking on a series of roles that shaped his approach to startups. As a marketer at an ed-tech company, he taught himself SEO, email marketing, and sales but found himself pushing a product that wasn’t gaining traction. He later joined Veterans United as an email marketing manager, where he saw firsthand what a successful, fast-growing company looked like—one that scaled profitably without outside funding.

It was at Veterans United that Foster’s thinking around bootstrapping took shape. He saw how sustainable business models could grow through real revenue, not venture capital. So when he and co-founders Bryan Helmig (a mentor for MOSW 2025) and Mike Knoop started working on Zapier nights and weekends, they took the same approach: build, test, refine—then let customers decide.

"The first sign of product-market fit came when we got our first paying customer," he recalls. "We had hacked together an early prototype, and I reached out to a guy I found on Web Exchange who was looking for a PayPal-Highrise integration. After some back and forth, he asked, 'How much do I owe you to use this?' That was a great sign we were on the right path."

By 2012, they had 10,000 people on a launch list, 800 paying beta users, and a handful of Y Combinator startups using Zapier. That momentum got them into Y Combinator, and from there, they never looked back.

Today, Zapier connects over 7,000 apps, has a fully remote workforce of 700+ employees across 40 countries, and remains one of the most successful bootstrapped companies in tech.

For Foster, the biggest challenges weren’t technical—they were people challenges. "At a certain point, your company becomes the size of a small town. Things that happen in a small town, happen inside your company. And as the leader, you have to learn how to navigate those situations," he says.

This experience is what he’ll bring to Missouri Startup Weekend 2025, where he’ll be evaluating competitors based on execution, adaptability, and speed.

"I like to see a well-thought-through idea ferociously executed," Foster says. "The amount of progress in a short period of time is usually the sign of a great team."

And his advice to participants? “Prioritize progress over perfection.”

"Startup Weekend is about moving fast. Spend as much time talking to users and shipping product as you can," he says. "Don’t waste time on things you think you’re 'supposed to do.' The most impactful way to spend your time is talking to users and writing code. Do a lot of that."

A decade ago, Foster was on the other side of this competition—just another entrepreneur with an idea and a dream. Now, he’s here to help a new generation of founders take their first steps.

"Startup Weekend has a way of reminding you why you fell in love with building things in the first place," he says.

And if history is any indicator, this year’s event could be the launchpad for something just as big.

Q&A with Wade Foster

If you could go back to 2011 and give yourself 1-2 pieces of advice as a Startup Weekend participant, what would it be? "Don’t overthink it. The most important thing you can do is talk to users and write code every day. If that’s what 99% of your days are filled with in the first year of your company, you’re going to see some positive results."

What excites you most about Missouri Startup Weekend this year? "I’m excited to see how advancements in AI shape the ideas participants bring this year. AI is more accessible than ever, which means teams can prototype smarter, faster, and more ambitious solutions in just 54 hours."

If you had to pitch an idea at Startup Weekend again, what kind of problem would you want to solve now? "I’d probably focus on making AI more accessible for everyday people—something to demystify the tech and make it practical."

How has Columbia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem evolved since 2011? "Back in 2011, the ecosystem was still in its early stages. There were talented folks with great ideas, but there weren’t as many resources or a roadmap for what building a startup looked like. That’s part of why Startup Weekend was such a big deal—it brought people together, created momentum, and gave us confidence. Since then, the ecosystem has grown in some incredible ways."

You’ve accomplished so much professionally—what are you most proud of personally? “I’m most proud of being a dad. Watching my two girls grow and learn is the best reminder of what matters most.”

What’s a fun or unexpected hobby that helps you unwind from the demands of leading a company? “Lately I’ve been getting into rucking!”

Is there a particular book, movie, or song that has been a source of inspiration for you? Jazz in general has been a big source of inspiration for me. Not only is it how my co-founder Bryan and I met, but there’s something about the way jazz musicians improvise and collaborate. It’s all about listening, adapting, and building off each other’s ideas. That mindset reminds me a lot of entrepreneurship. You start with a structure, but the real magic happens when you’re flexible and open to new directions. It’s a great reminder to embrace creativity and trust the process.

What’s your favorite spot in Columbia, and why does it stand out to you? “Maybe cliche, but I'm partial to campus. I spent 5 years at Mizzou. There are a lot of great spots on and around the campus to study, work, catch up with friends, and enjoy yourself.”

Favorite ice cream flavor? "Cookies and cream. I liked it as a kid. I still like it now. Best there ever was."

Morning person or night owl? "Definitely a morning person—I always try to block out the first 2-3 hours in the day for focus time since it’s when I’m sharpest."

If you could automate anything in your personal life, what would it be? "Meal prep. Healthy meals on autopilot? Sign me up."

What’s your go-to productivity hack? "Keyboard shortcuts."