Game Changer Profile

Steve Hoffman, Co-Founder & Captain at Founders Space Read insights

Steve Hoffman is a virtual midwife to the future of humankind at Founders Space. “Captain Hoff” doesn’t just predict a world in which computers replace accountants and IOT chairs automatically adjust to your personal dimensions, but he actively selects and empowers the tech innovators who are shaping these kinds of revolutions. Named a Top 10 incubator in its first year of active mentorship, the Silicon Valley-based and globally focused accelerator is helping to mature hyper-innovative tech companies which could change our lives. One of them is developing an augmented reality contact lens; another is writing a new version of MPEG to make 4K video mainstream; another is revolutionizing the world of diagnostics – and security – by chemically analyzing human sweat.

In addition to grooming an in-house “class” of elite start-ups each quarter, Founders Space is also helping thousands of entrepreneurs and dozens of incubators around the world via its online program. Recognizing that 6 months is simply too much time to wait before pitching to venture capitalists, Hoffman and his partners are changing the game for business owners by slashing the time-to-demo by two months. Speaking with the pride of a foster parent, he talks about the rapid growth of graduating start-ups, thanks largely to the brilliance of their innovations – but also to mentorship tweaks to their business plans or go-to-market strategies, which have often sparked key venture capitalist funding.

The father-of-two presents start-ups with the benefit of an extraordinarily varied personal experience: he has been a Hollywood filmmaker; a computer engineer; a serial entrepreneur; a game designer; an educator; a TV voice actor; and an angel investor to startups like Videopixie and Tablelist. Like a top Hollywood story-teller, he helps start-ups to rapidly identify the “unique story” behind their offerings – and to have the courage to discard merely good ideas in favor of great ones.