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John Chisholm, Venture Investor & Author

John Chisholm has three decades of experience as entrepreneur, CEO, and investor. In 1997 he founded and for a decade served as CEO/Chairman of CustomerSat (now part of Confirmit), a leading provider of enterprise feedback management systems.

A pioneer in online marketing research, in 1992 John founded and for five years served as CEO/Chairman of Decisive Technology (now part of Google), publisher of the first desktop and client-server software for online surveys. Earlier he worked for or consulted to GE, HP, Xerox, GRiD Systems, Pyramid Technologies, Ventura Software, and Network Appliance.

He is president and chairman of the worldwide MIT Alumni Association and a trustee of MIT and of the Santa Fe Institute. He is a member of the Global Partners Council of the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET) and serves on the advisory board of the Gruter Institute for Law & Behavioral Research. He advises entrepreneurs through the MIT Venture Mentoring Service, the Thiel Foundation 20under20 Fellowship, and the Plug and Play Tech Center. Read More...

Michael Volpatt, Brand & Marketing Strategies

Michael Volpatt brings 20 years of agency and client experience to Larkin/Volpatt communications. He has played a crucial role in the development of consumer and business-to-business brand and marketing strategies for clients including Draper University, Arkadium, Hearst Magazines Digital Media, Dstillery, Yieldex, Satellogic, YouNoodle and many other early to mid stage startups and larger companies.

His work has helped companies and non-profit organizations frame their competition, better understand the markets they operate in and develop key messaging platforms that serve to differentiate and resonate with their target audiences.

Most importantly Michael is an expert at marketing and PR implementation. Michael’s clients have been featured in numerous print publications including the Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, New York Times, Bloomberg, Fortune, Inc., AdAge, AdWeek and other trade and business publications. You can also see and hear his clients on both local and national television and radio stations – CNN, Bloomberg Radio, MSNBC, CBS and many more. Read More...

Roberto Bustillos, CEO of Outdover (USA)

I was a bit skeptical about participating in the Founder Space Program mainly because I thought that a short program will not provide us with the necessary value to take Outdover to the next level; however, Founders Space proved me wrong.

The program was a wake up call for me. Thanks to their mentors and classes, I soon realizad that we were not quite ready to market our product, which eventually pushed me to change my focus on creating value for our customers before raising capital.

I learned a lot from their mentors, particularly from Steve Austin. They’re not there to complement everything about your company but to point out your flaws and how to improve them. Read More...

Ali Ashkanani, Cofounder of iProperty Network (UK & Kuwait)

Founders Space is not just a turning point for our startup, it’s a life changer.

As a startup, we always seek to be lean by applying the minimum viable product strategy. The ultimate goal for us is to grow and be a network of talented team players, who create wealth for our stakeholders in a competitive environment by reacting quickly and cost-effectively to changing markets. Founders Space applies the same strategy and mindset to its incubator and accelerator model.

From the very first step, which is applying to Founders Space, until the very end, you feel in-touch with the entrepreneurial spirit. Founders Space wastes no time putting you right in the action. Based on Forbes research, Founder Space and other accelerators, such as Y Combinator and 500 Startups, are some of the best accelerators in the world. We experienced that during Founders Space’s short and effective program. We were accelerated in almost 26 days, and we now have full access to Founders Space and its benefits for an entire year, which is impossible to find in any other accelerator/incubator. Read More...

Yatit Thakker, CEO of Omninox Corp (USA)

Founders Space is a truly international educational experience. It is not just an accelerator. It condenses all of the knowledge required to build a company in today’s GLOBAL era down into one month. Then, provides continued follow-on support for an additional 11 months.

The knowledge and network you gain is not just limited to the current company you start, but is something you take with you throughout your entrepreneurial journey. This way, it maximizes your chances of success in the multiple ventures that you will hopefully be a part of.

This knowledge is not just about fundraising. You learn how to build a startup business. Through the multiple hour-long workshops that you can be a part of, you learn from experts in the field, ranging from SEO, marketing, sales, idea generation, validation, bootstrapping, and storytelling. And you learn together with other founders from around the world. Read More...

Job Spotlight: Hiring a Startup CEO

We’re looking for a CEO / General Manager to run the US operations of a promising South Korean startup.

This South Korean startup offers wearable devices for mind-to-machine computing and is expanding its operation to the US. It is looking for a seasoned leader to join, lead and grow the company. This position is ideal for a business savvy person with leadership skills, passion, energy, startup experience, an entrepreneurial spirit, an innovative nature, and exceptional written communication skills.

The ideal candidate is an experienced entrepreneur who has worked with Asian companies, has experience in fund raising through angels, super angels, venture capitalists and managing investor relationships. Read More...

Founders Space in Korea with Steve Austin

Steve Austin from Founders Space visits Korea and gives the startups some loving!

Kardzee is Live!

The startup of the month is Kardzee:

http://kardzee.com/

KardZee loves real physical cards – sending them and receiving them – knowing that they are brightening someone’s day. They also value the charm and warmth of a handwritten message on a card. Read More...

Gabe Seo, CTO & Co-founders of HICS Company (KOREA)

I’m from Korea, and I can tell you that Founders Space’s accelerator program has made my startup, HICS Company, more attractive than before.

Two weeks after completing the program, I’m getting strong interest from potential investors.

Also, Founders Space’s program has helped me not only create a perfect story for introducing our technology to investors, but has also developed my ability to execute on my vision. Read More...

David Melichar, Founder of OneSoft Connect (Czech Republic)

I am proud that OneSoft Connect was selected and accepted as one of Founders Space’s startups. As a top accelerator, Founders Space carefully chooses its participants. We did not know that Founders Space was in the Top Ten Bay Area Accelerators. That fact has greatly heightened our pride.

I have thought that 17 years of my experience as a business consultant working for top-tier companies was enough, but I was wrong. There is always a lot more to learn, and the program here convinced us of this. We have learned, we have stimulated new ideas, and we have pivoted old ones during on-site intensive lessons, mentoring, coaching or pure feedback. I especially love more than 70 video lessons with Steve, which we have access to.

But, above all, is the opportunity to stay in the heart of Silicon Valley – to feel the spirit is something that is worth it. Being in such a vibrant environment always brings a lot of new ideas and inspirations. It can help to change your mindset and enables you to look at your product from a different perspective. To see your own pitches, presentation and the whole product from different angles helps to pivot, or at least reconsider, your strategy. These beliefs derive mainly from the outcomes from lessons with Scott Gray, Steve Austin … and from talks with captain Hoff. Read More...