Archive for Mentorship – Page 2

What the Hecht?

Jared Hecht is a millennial entrepreneur that changed the way the world communicates and made a significant impact in the startup space. In 2009, he graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Political Science. Straight out of Columbia, at the ripe age of 22, the young entrepreneur founded startup messaging platform GroupMe. A little over a year after its official launch, GroupMe was sold to Skype in 2011 for $80 million and Hecht began working for Microsoft, who later acquired Skype. In 2015, Hecht was named to the Forbes “30 under 30” list for his entrepreneurial impact.

Though extremely rewarding, it wasn’t always easy for the young entrepreneur to see the light at the end of the startup tunnel. “Some nights you are on top of the world and think you’re building the best thing ever, and then other nights you think that some horrible competitor is going to knock you off the face of the earth,” says Hecht.  However, even with the inherent risk, he confirms that developing ideas and changing the way people communicate is “the best feeling ever.”

Alongside his laundry list of impressive commercial accomplishments, Jared Hecht is vastly changing the social entrepreneurship game. Hecht is the current founder and CEO of Fundera, a start-up investment agency that provides loans and financial planning for entrepreneurial ventures. He has invested and advised successful startups such as Codeacademy, SmartThings, and TransferWise. He also currently sits on the advisory board of the Columbia University Entrepreneurship Organization and is a guest blogger for prestigious business sites like entrepreneur.com and Forbes. Jared Hecht is not only a man with good ideas, but he’s willing to take risks for ventures that he believes in, making him one of this generation’s greatest entrepreneurs.

An ELITE Millenial Mentor

“Life is a journey, not a destination.” Although this saying arguably lands at the top of the “cliché list”, its meaning rings true for millennial entrepreneur Gerard Adams. Adams has accomplished many successful things during his time as an entrepreneur. His first big endeavor was co-founding millennial news platform EliteDaily, which was bought by Daily Mail in 2015 for $50M. Since then, he’s invested in, built and backed 9 seven-figure companies, established a mentorship non-profit organization, and developed his own online show: Leaders Create Leaders. While all of these things are remarkable, for Adams, the journey has been the most fulfilling part of his rise to success.

Adams claims that his purpose is to, “inspire other Millennials to leverage their passions to create the successful lifestyles they dream of.” It wasn’t without an abundance of passion, hustle, and failure that he was able to reach his goals. The unique thing about what Adams currently does is that through his various social channels, he takes the ups and downs of his own journey and mentors future entrepreneurs along theirs. It is this two-pronged approach to millennial entrepreneurship – success alongside mentorship – that is revolutionizing the way today’s most successful businesspeople are developing more leaders and expanding industries.

Gerard Adams is the perfect example of someone who cares not only about their own personal successes, but also about the growth and development of other entrepreneurs. His nickname, “the Millennial Mentor” is a fitting description for how he is trailblazing the entrepreneur’s attitude and journey.