In the evening, attendees gathered for Michael’s talk on Founder Performance: The Hidden Leverage for Changing the World. After some welcoming words by the Berkley Center’s Executive Director, Cynthia Franklin, Michael was introduced by Antonio DiMeglio (Stern, ’20), entrepreneur and past winner of NYU Entrepreneurs Challenge’s Social Venture Competition. His latest venture, Coeus Collective, is a media company that aims to elevate the next generation innovators.

With palpable excitement in the room, Michael took the podium for an insightful and inspiring talk. He shared his journey into entrepreneurship and his experience building and scaling multiple ventures, including Splunk and the lessons he’s learned from raising capital. Throughout his talk, he spoke to the value of entrepreneurship, and the hard work that goes into being a founders, but he emphasized the importance of balancing that ambition with your own well-being. Michael shared how his experience helped inspire his mission at the YOPE Foundation to uplift founders aiming to make a real difference in the world, and foster an approach that supports the whole founder. He broke down Founder Performance into three pillars. Learn how to: 1) Optimize your state to weather the good time and the bad. 2) Learn how to maximize the success of your idea and company. 3) Be a purpose driven leader in how you approach your venture.

The conversation was honest,  practical and packed with real-world insights, leaving the audience of entrepreneurs inspired to push forward with a clearer vision and strategy. After the presentation, Michael engaged in a dynamic Q&A with audience members.