TIA Ventures July Newsletter

It’s the People x New Podcast Episode!

How Steelhead Is Digitizing the Backbone of American Manufacturing

This month on our It’s the People interview series, we sat down with Jeff Halonen — CEO of Steelhead Technologies — to talk about building software for one of the most overlooked segments of the American economy: small and midsized job shop manufacturers. Think metal finishing, powder coating, fabrication… the kinds of services that make your car, your hip implant, or your office chair possible.

🛠️ So what is Steelhead Technologies?

Steelhead is a full-stack ERP system purpose-built for job shops and contract manufacturers. These businesses often run on paper and legacy systems (some go through 20 printers a month!), and Steelhead brings their operations online — from quoting and order entry to shipping and profitability tracking — all in one modern platform.

🧍‍♂️ Who is Jeff Halonen? Jeff’s story isn’t your typical SaaS founder tale…

• Grew up in a family of 10 kids in rural Michigan. No structured resume-padding childhood. Just 4-wheelers, snow plows, and side hustles to earn gas money.

• Studied mechanical engineering, then joined General Motors — until a conversation about a 2% raise and a 40-year corporate path left him restless.

• Started a scrappy technical sales firm with his brother and close friends, selling everything from AI sensors to ERP systems.

• One day, a customer in Toronto asked them to build something that didn’t exist yet — a true digital operating system for job shops. They did. That’s how Steelhead was born.

💡 What makes Jeff’s leadership and the Steelhead Culture stand out?

1. Relentless Iteration

Jeff doesn’t wait for perfect answers. Steelhead’s pricing model has gone through five major iterations. New onboarding strategies (like their in-house “Steelhead Hatchery”) were built in weeks and are now core to customer success.

2. Extreme Ownership

When customers are confused or stuck, Jeff doesn’t blame them — he looks inward. The team studies customer behavior to identify how they might have mis-set expectations or failed to communicate clearly.

3. Family at the Core, Accountability at Scale

Steelhead was co-founded by six people across three small firms — many of whom are family. But hierarchy doesn’t rule. Roles evolve, responsibilities shift, and the best idea wins, regardless of who says it.

4. Mission-Driven, Not Market-First

Jeff didn’t start with a massive TAM slide. He started with a shop floor, a problem that wouldn’t go away, and a belief that the people powering America’s supply chain deserved better tools. “These businesses were surviving before Steelhead. Our job is to help them compete and win. They create the value — we’re just building the wiring harness.”

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Today, Steelhead is 80+ people strong, backed by top-tier investors, and quickly becoming the digital backbone for U.S. manufacturing.

🧠 One of our favorite lines from the interview: “To be curious, you also need to be insecure. We didn’t start with all the answers. We just listened, iterated, and kept showing up.”

Portfolio Company News

Open 👩🏽‍💻 Roles

🚀 Hot Jobs Alert!

Here are some open roles from our portfolio companies that just closed fresh rounds of funding 💸—meaning now’s the perfect time to join them on their next chapter. Whether you’re into product, growth, or engineering, there’s something here for every builder 🔧

👇 Check out the roles and apply before they’re gone!