From Two Ropes and a Drill: Anthony Teen’s Geovert Story Join us this week on Unlocking Moves, the show that dives into the pivotal moments in a leader’s journey that unlock their true potential. Many leaders love to tell their “glory” stories, but host Kurt Wilkin believes we learn more from the “gory” ones. On this episode, Kurt sits down with Anthony Teen, founder and CEO of Geovert, for a conversation about risk, adventure, near-death moments, and building a business that takes on the jobs most people won’t touch. Anthony’s story begins in New Zealand, where climbing, skiing, mining, and a good amount of naivety all came together. After university, he worked in mining in Western Australia, then spent years climbing and skiing around the world. Yosemite, Pakistan, El Capitan, Camp Four, sleeping out of bounds, hiding from rangers—it wasn’t the usual path to founding a global engineering company. But that unusual path laid the groundwork for Geovert. Anthony and his climbing friend Josh saw a chance in a market that hardly existed: managing and reducing natural hazards like rockfalls, slope instability, debris flows, and other tough terrain problems. They started with two ropes, two harnesses, and a battery drill. No polished business plan. No perfect timing. Just enough courage, curiosity, and a bit of recklessness to say yes before they knew all the reasons not to. Kurt and Anthony talk about the wild work Geovert does around the world, from stabilizing rock walls and protecting mines to working on tunnels, dams, water infrastructure, and famous sites like Hoover Dam. Anthony shares stories from tough projects in Kazakhstan, New Zealand, and Santa Fe, where the stakes were high, the conditions were rough, and the team had to find a safe way forward when the job seemed impossible. They also have an honest conversation about what happens when things go wrong. In Anthony’s world, safety isn’t just a corporate slogan—it’s the difference between getting home and not getting home. He explains how incidents became turning points, how mistakes pushed the company to get better, and why the toughest projects often bring the team closer together. The heart of this episode is Anthony’s key insight: sometimes, not knowing too much is what lets you get started. Looking back, he admits that if he knew then what he knows now, he probably wouldn’t have taken those risks. But a mix of courage, naivety, luck, great people, and never giving up helped turn Geovert into a global company. This episode is for anyone who has ever started something before feeling ready, taken on a challenge that seemed too big, or learned that the impossible only stays impossible until the right team starts breaking it down. About Anthony Teen Anthony Teen is the founder and CEO of Geovert, a global specialist in complex geotechnical solutions, natural hazard mitigation, rockfall protection, mining services, and infrastructure safety. Founded in New Zealand, Geovert grew from a small rope-access team into a global company working across some of the toughest terrain and highest-stakes projects in the world. Anthony’s background in climbing, mining, and adventure shaped the way he built Geovert: practical, bold, team-driven, and focused on solving problems others step back from. About Kurt Wilkin Kurt is a connector of dots, ideas, and people. For over 30 years, he has advised high-growth companies, starting his career with Ernst & Young and today serving as Founder of BusinessEarth and Managing Partner of Bee Cave Capital. He’s a serial entrepreneur with multiple successful exits and has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and CEOs build their companies. --- Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unlocking-moves Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unlockingmoves #UnlockingMoves #AnthonyTeen #Geovert #Entrepreneurship #FounderStory #GeotechnicalEngineering #RockfallProtection #Leadership #RiskManagement #KurtWilkin
