How Ian Collins Built 7 Startups by Solving Real Problems

Common startup wisdom suggests startup founders should focus less on chasing the next big idea and more on identifying a problem worth solving. For 30 years, serial entrepreneur has taken that guidance to heart. Across his impressive career, each of the seven tech startups he's founded has stemmed from a single, powerful source: a real-world problem that needed a solution.

In a fireside chat with Founders Network Founder and CEO Kevin Holmes on August 27, Ian will dissect his entrepreneurial journey, revealing the fascinating stories behind each of his successful ventures. From navigating the early days of mobile networks to developing solutions for the burgeoning chatbot revolution, Ian will showcase his ability to identify critical customer pain points across diverse industries.

Join us for opening remarks with Dina Fattom, Member Success Manager at Founders Network, to get the latest updates from the Network and opportunities for getting involved.

is a seasoned entrepreneur with a passion for innovation & problem solving. Ian was most recently the founder and CEO of Wysdom.AI, one of the first AI evaluation solutions for the enterprise. Through his career Ian has founded 7 tech companies over the past 30 years by focusing on solving real problems in large markets.

After starting his career as an engineer in the telecom industry Ian’s entrepreneurial journey started in the 90s when cellular networks were emerging as a new technology and there was demand around the world for talented engineers. Then he applied that domain expertise to the emerging internet and founded a company to take the internet from the desktop to mobile phones. After that he solved a problem that the telecom industry had supporting smartphones as they took over the mobile device market. The next challenge was helping the mass market avoid the loss of digital photos and music before cloud storage was cheap and plentiful. Then most recently Ian saw that AI was going to need an independent evaluation framework and solved that problem for the enterprise contact center industry.

Ian invests in, mentors and sits on the boards of startups and is currently working on his next company.

Stage-Based Roundtables @ 10:30am PT

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About Founders Network:

Founded in 2011, Founders Network offers lifelong peer mentorship to over 600 tech startup founders globally. Our platform, programs and high-touch service facilitate authentic experience sharing, warm introductions and long-term professional relationships. Additional benefits include over $500k in startup discounts and promotion to 2,000 newsletter readers. Members are located in San Francisco, New York City, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Toronto, London and other tech hubs. Each month our Membership Committee admits a new cohort of full-time tech founders who are nominated by an existing member. Learn more about us here

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Event Venue

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