HAYLEY 'Zap' Zapolski has gathered founders, brightened smiles, turned heads and probably tightened a few jaws in Nashville, since launching The Lighthouse, which promises founders to be their "first true believers, before traction, headlines, or hype."

Zapolski adds on her Lighthouse website, "We help you win first and when you're ready, we hope you'll take our check."

A year ago, VNC initiated coverage of The Lighthouse and its model.

Yesterday, we learned that in April, during Raleigh-Durham Startup Week, husband and wife Austin Armstrong and Austin Melonie Carroll formally launched their Bullhouse Ventures LLC, which operates with precepts similar to those of Zapolski's Lighthouse.

During a brief interview for this story this morning, Bullhouse's Armstrong told VNC that the path toward Bullhouse's launch actually began when, nearly a year earlier, Austin Carroll and Zapolski connected via LinkedIn.

Subsequent discussions spurred the Durhamites' deeper investigation of Lighthouse.

Responding to a VNC query yesterday regarding whether or not she would like to form or help others form Lighthouse derivatives or clones, Zapolski said she's not currently looking to scale her core business in that manner, because she wants to remain focused on the startup founders she can help scale themselves.

In the course of that work, some founders will trigger personal opportunities for Seed investments by her and other like-minded investors.

She also noted that she often publishes tips and insights via her LinkedIn, her newsletter and other channels, so she's clearly not protecting some "secret sauce."

She emphasized she hopes others will consider replicating her model in the interest of helping founders achieve their goals.

Though she must be increasingly protective of her bandwidth, she added that when she connects with someone she believes is building momentum in helping founders, then "hell yes!" she'll try to help. 

Austin Armstrong & Austin Carroll

Armstrong, 35, emphasized that he and Carroll have been "deeply inspired" by Zapolski's Lighthouse.

VNC notes that Carroll's other pursuits include being founder and CEO of Durham-based Warrant Inc., which provides "AI-powered marketing-compliance review and approval-workflow software...to organizations in regulated industries.

Warrant, a platform that represents an "audit trail for marketing," is a Fund I portfolio company of Chattanooga-based Brickyard. 

Carroll also has at least five years' experience in fintech pursuits, including her work with Brex, Mercury Technologies, and Capital One.

Armstrong other interests include being co-founder of AI Marketing World, a unit of Texas-based Video Marketing World LLC.

VNC understands AI Marketing World aims to convene a Q4 2026 "Micro-SaaS Lab" event in Nashville. They did a similar event here in May 2025.

This story and the corresponding VNC Calendar will be updated, as warranted. VNC

.last edited 1519 3 September 2026