Regardless of a recent Gallup Poll suggesting that American entrepreneurship is dead I believe quite the opposite. Yes, we rank 12th in the world for entrepreneurship and more businesses are closing than opening, but that doesn't mean the spirit of entrepreneurship is dead by any means. At the end of 2013 entrepreneurship increased by 14% in the United States and that number doesn't look like it's going down anytime soon.
At our core we're looking for those non-technical folks who have a passion or want to solve a challenge/problem but don't know where to start because they're not technical, they can't code, and/or they don't have any idea where to even start. We've searched the Internet for entrepreneurs who, no matter where they started or their experience, had a dream and vision for a company, but like our audience, are all non-technical founders of tech products.
The purpose of this list is two-fold. We want to show those who attend ProtoHack that no matter your job title, whether you're the VP of Finance at a major bank, or you're a student; if you have a dream, determination, and passion you too can start a business and build a tech product without having any knowledge of code. The second part of the list is to highlight non-technical founders who have dug themselves in for the long haul and came out on top doing excellent work and building amazing tech products.
Since there are hundreds of non-technical entrepreneurs in tech we've decided to limit the list to those who have raised at least a million dollars whether through private funding, seed, series A, etc. or those companies how have successfully taken their company public. This list is in no particular order.
Top 50 Non-Technical Founders in Tech
Stephanie Tilenius (LinkedIn)
- Founder and CEO of Vida Health Inc.
- Vida is a next generation continuous care platform and health marketplace for both consumers and businesses.
- Funding Received: 5 million
Walker Williams (LinkedIn)
- Founder and CEO of Teespring.
- Teespring is a commerce platform that empowers anyone to design and sell products that people love.
- Funding Received: 56.9 million
Sheri Atwood (LinkedIn)
- Founder and CEO of SupportPay.
- Only payment platform for parents sharing child expenses and managing child support.
- Funding Received: 1.3 million
Nirav Tolia (LinkedIn)
- Founder and CEO of Nextdoor.com
- Nextdoor is a private social network that enables members to communicate with neighbors.
- Funding Received: 100.2 million
Nancy MacIntyre (LinkedIn)
- Founder and CEO of Fingerprint.
- Fingerprint is an edutainment app enabling kids and grown-ups to connect and share information across mobile devices and the web.
- Funding Received: 20 million
James Beshara (LinkedIn)
- Co-Founder and CEO of Tilt.
- Tilt is a group-funding platform allowing users to start fundraising campaigns for non-profit organizations and activities.
- Funding Received: 37.1 million
Jessica Scorpio (LinkedIn)
- Co-founder and VP, Marketing of GetAround.
- Getaround is a mobile application and a peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace that enables car owners to rent out their cars.
- Funding Received: 43 million
Sean Rad (LinkedIn)
- Co-founder and CEO of Tinder.
- Tinder is an online dating app which offers its users an opportunity to meet new people for dating, friendship, or networking.
- Funding Received: Undisclosed
Kelsey Falter (LinkedIn)
- Founder and CEO of Poptip.
- Poptip analyzes and synthesizes social conversations in real-time to enable brands to understand people's opinions.
- Funding Received: 2.4 million
Scott Langmack (LinkedIn)
- Founder and CEO of ConnectUp Corp.
- ConnectUp makes it easy to reach the people who matter, whether a business associate or a personal friend.
- Funding Received: 1.2 million
Melody McCloskey (LinkedIn)
- Founder and CEO of StyleSeat.
- StyleSeat is an online destination that connects beauty and wellness professionals with clients.
- Funding Received: 10.2 million
Micheal Dell (LinkedIn)
- Founder and CEO of Dell.
- Dell is a multinational technology company that develops, sells, repairs and supports computers and related products and services.
- Funding Received: Dell is a private company that has raised well over the 500K necessary.
Jamie Wong (LinkedIn)
- Founder and CEO of Vayable.
- Vayable is an online marketplace enabling people to discover, buy and sell unique travel experiences, activities and extended trips.
- Funding Received: 2.1 million
Brian Chesky (LinkedIn)
- Co-founder and CEO of AirBnB.
- Airbnb is an online community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book accommodation around the world.
- Funding Received: 794.8 million
Alexa von Tobel (LinkedIn)
- Founder and CEO of LearnVest
- LearnVest is a program for your money. Our mission is to make financial planning affordable, accessible, and even delightful.
- Funding Received: 69 million
To see the rest of the list of 50 Non-Technical Founders in Technology visit ProtoHack's website.