Tye and Courtney Caldwell have a sneaking suspicion about where their son learned the type of work ethic that helped get him chosen in the NFL draft in April. The co-founders of past 43North-winning startup ShearShare have for years gone through the triumphs and tribulations of running businesses and assuming leadership roles, and Trey Taylor has had a front row seat to see all of their efforts. Taylor, the 2023 Jim Thorpe Award winner, was chosen in the seventh round of the 2024 draft by the Las Vegas Raiders and became the first safety ever selected from Air Force Academy.
It has taken a significant commitment to his craft for Taylor to get to this point, similar to what his parents have been doing for three decades – Tye Caldwell working in the barbering and beauty industry and operating an award-winning salon in Dallas, and Courtney Caldwell in leadership positions for early- and late-stage tech organizations and in brand sales and marketing. Using their experiences, the couple spawned entrepreneurial endeavor Shearshare, an on-demand salon and barbershop space rental app, which now operates out of Buffalo. “He’s always been around that kind of mentality,” Tye Caldwell said.
“The whole commitment to excellence and expectation of what excellence should look like. He already had that embedded in him.” Tye and Courtney Caldwell make their pitch for ShearShare in the 43North competition.
Since coming to Buffalo in 2022, ShearShare’s revenues have doubled, and it.