Summary
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell had the opportunity to introduce listeners to Cyrus Sigari, a man who wears many hats in the arena of the show’s second season topic: Mobility. Cyrus is an aviator, entrepreneur, and investor, as well as the cofounder and managing partner of Up Partners, serves as the chairman of The Future Mobility Council in Arkansas, and sits on the board of Game Composites. James and Cyrus took a deep dive into the future of mobility and Bentonville’s unique role in building it.

Thanks for joining us!
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Show Notes:
(2:07) Introducing Cyrus Sigari
(3:35) Deep Dive into Up Partners and Everything They Do
(18:21) All about Flying Cars
(24:40) Future Mobility Council of Arkansas
(32:59) Arkansas as a Major Player in the Future of Mobility
(42:37) Because Bentonville
(46:05) Cyrus’ Favorite Lesson Learned this Year and Closing Thoughts
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‍Links
JAMES BELL
CYRUS SIGARI
UP PARTNERS
FUTURE MOBILITY COUNCIL OF ARKANSAS
GAME COMPOSITES
FLY OZ

Quotes
“We believe that we’re at this really unique point of the existence of humanity where mobility is changing very rapidly and in such a way that it can really increase the quality of life for humanity.” Cyrus Sigari (3:59)
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“[We ask the question] ‘Is it needed? Is this something that’s going to make the world a better place?’ I’m not interested in investing in another social media company or something else that’s just trying to steal peoples’ eyeballs to try and sell them something. Deeply in our hearts, we want to be supporting entrepreneurs and companies that are creating technologies that are increasing the quality of life for humanity.” Cyrus Sigari, (11:22)
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“Mobility, and in particular aeromobility, makes the world a lot smaller. It brings people together and it makes borders disappear.” Cyrus Sigari, (21:47)

“[We need to move in the] right direction when it comes to educating our children around things that really matter, [like not] telling them to go sell stuff instead of go build stuff and create a future that’s worth getting up and excited about. That’s pretty darn important, and I’m really excited to see the outcome of that set of initiatives.” Cyrus Sigari, (30:20) 

“Silicon Valley is no longer a place, it’s a headset around innovation and disrupting what was in the past for a greater future. It’s no longer a thing that is completely monopolized by the coasts anymore. The heartland is really getting the opportunity to be a home for innovation and technology and support humanity in a very different way.” Cyrus Sigari (33:59)
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Exploring the Future of Mobility with Cyrus Sigari
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell had the opportunity to introduce listeners to Cyrus Sigari, a man who wears many hats in the arena of the show’s second season topic: Mobility. Cyrus is an aviator, entrepreneur, and investor, as well as the cofounder and managing partner of Up Partners, serves as chairman of The Future Mobility Council in Arkansas, and sits on the board of Game Composites. James and Cyrus discussed the future of mobility and Bentonville’s unique role in building it.
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‍Cyrus Sigari, Up Partners, and the Future Mobility Council
‍“[We ask the question] ‘Is it needed? Is this something that’s going to make the world a better place?’ I’m not interested in investing in another social media company or something else that’s just trying to steal peoples’ eyeballs to try and sell them something. Deeply in our hearts, we want to be supporting entrepreneurs and companies that are creating technologies that are increasing the quality of life for humanity.” Cyrus Sigari, (11:22)

Cyrus Sigari is a man who focuses on his “why” in every step he takes. He co-founded his company with a mission to be early stage investors in companies who are creating ways to move people and goods in cleaner, safer, faster, and cheaper ways. Many who enter into the VC world struggle to stick with their “why” and not simply follow the money, but Cyrus and his partners continue to shake things up with their investment choices.

“[We need to move in the] right direction when it comes to educating our children around things that really matter, [like not] telling them to go sell stuff instead of go build stuff and create a future that’s worth getting up and excited about. That’s pretty darn important, and I’m really excited to see the outcome of that set of initiatives.” Cyrus Sigari, (30:20)

Part of making the world a better place is investing in the innovators of the future. Cyrus impresses the importance of putting the right tools into the hands of the next generation and prioritizing what is dragging humanity down less. As a kid who wanted to be an astronaut and went on to become one of the youngest pilots in the country, he knows that his dream of seeing a world with better access to mobility that tears down borders only comes by equipping people to build it.

“Mobility and in particular aeromobility makes the world a lot smaller. It brings people together and it makes borders disappear.” Cyrus Sigari, (21:47)
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‍Why Bentonville?
‍“We believe that we’re at this really unique point of the existence of humanity where mobility is changing very rapidly and in such a way that it can really increase the quality of life for humanity.” Cyrus Sigari (3:59)

Cyrus praises Arkansas’ commitment to keeping up with the future of mobility and how people live and grow using it. In Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas in particular, companies like Walmart, JB Hunt, and Tyson are already power players in the world of transportation and continue to push the industry forward. The leaders in states, cities, and regions constantly have a choice of whether to maintain what is or take the (sometimes terrifying) leap into the future, and Arkansas just keeps jumping.

‍“Silicon Valley is no longer a place, it’s a headset around innovation and disrupting what was in the past for a greater future. It’s no longer a thing that is completely monopolized by the coasts anymore. The heartland is really getting the opportunity to be a home for innovation and technology and support humanity in a very different way.” Cyrus Sigari (33:59)

It is noted that Northwest Arkansas moves more things than any other region of the world, and as Cyrus points out, innovation in moving things comes before innovation in moving people, so Northwest Arkansas and Bentonville in particular are at a unique advantage to set the bar for the rest of the world. Never before has the heartland been at such an advantage, and Bentonville is up the challenge of having the world watch it grow.
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Get Connected!
‍Thanks for tuning in to this episode of The Bentonville Beacon! Join us weekly for more stories from entrepreneurs and business leaders who are making a positive impact on Bentonville’s culture, community, and lifestyle. Don’t forget, Bentonville is a place where you can have more of what you want and less of what you don’t!