A bit of Hollywood: Vistage member relishes Chelsea Handler app exposure

If you’ve seen Chelsea Handler’s new Netflix documentary series Chelsea Does, you will probably recognize Yeti as the San Francisco-based app developer that made her Gotta Go app idea a reality. What you may not know is that Vistage played a very important role by helping Yeti CEO and founder Tony Scherba build a stable company that was able to handle such an incredible opportunity.

The Yeti team works with leaders from robotics, Internet of Things (IoT) hardware development and virtual reality industries to create designs, prototypes and solutions to meet various needs. Past projects have ranged from creating websites for MIT to designing a video-sharing app. When someone from Handler’s production team posted on Facebook account that she was on the hunt for an SF-based app developer, a friend of Scherba recommended Yeti, and the rest is history. Just a couple of short weeks later, the comedian (plus an entire camera crew) was in the Yeti offices brainstorming with the team. The process may look quick on the television show, but it has been almost a year to date since Handler first stepped into the Yeti offices.

“It was collaborative. We bounced things back and forth with her and the producers,” Scherba says, adding that while the experience was different for them, since they’re used to working behind-the-scenes, getting to experience a little of Hollywood was a lot of fun. Though the app itself probably only took two months to actually create, the team at Yeti had to constantly break for production schedules and a year passed before the app was officially deemed complete.

Offering users a customized way to get out of awkward social interactions, Gotta Go has been doing incredibly well. Released to coincide with the documentary series, the app launched late last month and while Scherba was hesitant to give any numbers, he promises that the Yeti team is very happy with how it has been received.

Only 28, Scherba attributes much of his success to having a solid support system. When he joined Vistage in 2014 he was looking for some additional backup to help him through his first position as CEO.

“The big thing for me is we don’t have a board of advisors or an investor group. Getting an outside perspective and expertise is something we really needed. Vistage seemed like a good opportunity to get that insight,” he says, adding that his Chair John Adams was especially valuable. “He definitely helped contribute to where we’re at as a business and to me personally.”

Having such a knowledgeable team at his disposal early on was a driving force behind Yeti acquiring the Handler gig. Without Vistage, they probably would not have been quite as prepared. “Your business needs to be in a good and stable place in order to handle something like this appropriately. Being in Vistage helped me build the stability and professionalism in my business in order to be able to handle an opportunity like this.”

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