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12 Innovative Founders To Watch And Learn From

Forbes Technology Council
POST WRITTEN BY
Ben Lee

I meet a lot of inspirational people. In fact, I meet so many that it can feel inundating sometimes — but some stand out.

As of 2017, these are the top 12 most inspirational, innovative founders I know of. They’re all prime examples of how growth hacking, innovation and technology can turn industries on their heads. Reading and learning about their accomplishments helps fuel my fire to achieve even more. Perhaps it’ll fuel yours as well.

Avani Patel, Director Of The Harvard Business School Startup Studio

With the launch of the Harvard Business School Startup Studio, headed by Avani Patel, HBS has created an incubator for alumni business ventures — which already include the likes of Birch Box, Blue Apron and Oscar. In addition to leading the Startup Studio, Patel founded TrendSeeder, a company that helps early-stage fashion startups grow and succeed in the industry.

Gustavo Caetano, CEO Of Samba Tech

Called the “Brazilian Mark Zuckerberg” by Business Insider, Gustavo Caetano’s company Samba Tech is upending the video distribution and monetization model in South America, building a robust platform that helps creators make money from video content. And it's gained major traction: The platform generates over 500 million views a month and hosts more than 100,000 creators, placing them among the largest players in LATAM video content.

Pedro Waengertner, Co-Founder Of ACE Startups Accelerator

ACE has quickly risen to become the the leading startup accelerator in Latin America, providing soup-to-nuts support for early and growth-stage startups as well as consulting to established corporations. Focusing on startups that use technology to disrupt consumer goods production, ACE already has over 130 successful startups under its belt and has grown to be a preeminent fixture in the South American startup and tech scene.

Abgar Barseyten, Co-Founder Of Tentamus Group

Abgar is the founder of Tentamus, a quality assurance company that operates a global network of laboratories that test the safety and quality of food, chemicals, cosmetics and other vital consumer goods. Its aim is to harness tech to offer quality assurance testing where it’s most needed — particularly in emerging life science fields like nutraceuticals, agrochemical and biomedical.

Rebecca Paoletti And Cara Vas Dias, Co-Founders Of CakeWorks

Rebecca and Cara are geniuses for video marketing. As co-founders of CakeWorks, they’ve helped brands ranging from Complex and Billboard to Martha Stewart and Omnicom excel with branded video content, overseeing millions of dollars in video campaigns and content. And, with locations in San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles, they bring together Silicon Valley, Silicon Alley and Silicon Beach: the three biggest startup hotbeds in the nation.

Josh Fechter And Houston Golden, Founders Of BAMF Media

BAMF Media has earned its name: Co-founders Josh Fechter and Houston Golden have honed growth hacking down to a science, creating a company that’s effectively productized stardom. Offering an influencer-as-a-service program, BAMF Media is one of the only companies out there that has nailed a growth hacking formula for rapidly building an audience and creating influencers through viral content marketing.

Brian D. Evans, CEO Of Influencive

Influencive is a leading digital media publication among millennials, reaching an audience of nearly 700,000 on Facebook alone. But Brian Evans is more than just the founder of Influencive — he’s an influencer in his own right, and he used his personal brand as a successful marketing writer to growth hack the publication.

Chris Davis And Matthew Arevalo, Founders Of Loot Crate

Together, Chris Davis and Matthew Arevalo co-founded Loot Crate, the fastest-growing company in America last year according to Inc.com. Built on a subscription model for geek-themed novelty boxes, the secret to their success was their understanding of how to growth hack a community. By focusing on a strong social presence and engaging content, they created a loyal community of subscribers — in fact, there are nearly a million fan-made Loot Crate unboxing videos on YouTube.

Katelyn Gleason, Founder Of Eligible

Healthcare is going to be one of the largest markets for tech to influence in the coming decades, and Katelyn Gleason is leading the charge. In founding Eligible, she’s using technology and software algorithms to accurately determine patient eligibility and cost-share at the time of service, saving patients and providers time and money. Eligible’s software is already integrated into the likes of ZocDoc, Medicaid and 2,000 other insurance companies that cover more than 90% of the U.S. population.

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Michael Keriakos, Founder Of Curacity

Michael Kerakos is the founder and CEO of Curacity, a company that’s bringing the travel industry into the 21st century by creating partnerships that turn lifestyle content publishers and influencers into virtual travel agents. Essentially, it's created a platform that lets hotels measure the revenue impact of content marketing, digitally modernizing the travel industry.

Jonathan Hills, Founder Of DOMANI

Jonathan Hills founded DOMANI back in 2001, and he was one of the earliest digital marketers to understand that the real metric isn’t eyeballs: It’s engagement. Since then, DOMANI has grown into a leading digital creative and technical studio, helping brands ranging from Playstation and (RED) to the White House execute creative campaigns. Jonathan was a visionary when he founded DOMANI, and he’s continued to lead innovation in the digital advertising space.

Mona Patel, Founder Of Motivate Design

Mona Patel was one of the earliest players in the UX space, innovating in the field before user experience was even a concept, let alone an acronym. Her early experience led her to found Motivate Design, a UX design shop that’s worked with Fortune 500s like Capital One, BlackRock and Equifax. It even worked with Walmart-buyout Jet before their public launch, helping it hone its UX through user research.

Taynaah Reis, Founder Of Moeda

Taynaah Reis, founder of Moeda, is using blockchain technology to revolutionize microfinance. Moeda is a marketplace that allows peer-to-peer payments, microfinancing of digital loans and crowdfunding through fiat-pegged digital tokens, all based on blockchain technology. Moeda has yet to launch publicly but has already secured a position as a UN sustainable development partner and partnered with the likes of IBM.