SOMO club & lounge : A super exclusive look on a founder’s real story

SOMO club & lounge 2nd Intimate Founders talk series

A super exclusive look on a founder’s real story

On Monday June 19 in the SOMO lounge, we held the second ever Founders Talk, a series for founders to discuss openly on their experience, challenges, wins and defeats with other founders.

We were honored to welcome Dan Wise , founder of RealEats , speaking in an intimate setting since the company he spent 7 years and $30M building had to close unexpectedly only three months ago. And with Andy Nulman , co-founder of Just For Laughs / Juste pour rire and Dan’s good friend, hosting the night, we knew even before it started that it would be a true moment.

Two outstanding guests?

Dan Wise is a serial entrepreneur and investor with a passion for social impact, innovation, sustainability, and food. He currently runs CroJack Capital Group which provides solutions to major consumer brands, and makes investments in early-stage companies. Earlier in his career, Dan blazed a trail with LiquidXS.com , creating the first-ever business-to-business marketplace for surplus consumer product inventories. That was before creating RealEats, a company that aimed to make a positive impact on an economically underserved agricultural community, making it simple for people to enjoy the nutritional benefits of real food with delivered prepared meals.

Dan is also a member of the Young Presidents Organisation . He has served on various philanthropic boards, including a current Advisory Council role at Teen Cancer America .

Dan was interviewed by Andy Nulman who’s a Montreal-based entrepreneur, author, teacher and public speaker. He is best known as the co-founder of the Just For Laughs comedy festival. Renowned for his innovative and creative approach to marketing and branding, he has experienced many euphoric highs and punishing lows throughout his 47-year career and that’s why he was the perfect host.?

Authentic open discussions

At the SOMO lounge on the night of the event the ambiance was intimate and authentic, as Andy interviewed Dan.

The discussions turned around the experience of having to unexpectedly close a company after putting so much work into it and the resilience it takes to keep going. Dan also talked about how and when he realized that was it. Because as founders, we always want to think that there’s a solution. Dan very generously shared all the thoughts he had when he realized that there was no solution, not an easy thing to accept. Do founders bounce back after the bubble bursts?? Dan’s message was about resilience. It may take time, but step by step, everything is possible. A founder is still and will always be a founder.?

The talk was full of honest and inspiring insights not only from the speakers but also from the guests, who, as founders too, took part in the exchanges.

To be continued

That evening was everything the SOMO lounge is about : genuine connections between founders. That’s why we call it the second home for those who dare to think differently and boldly.?

More events are coming and since the Founders talk series, as most SOMO events, is exclusive to SOMO members and their guests, it's the perfect time to discover the club and become a member.

Stay tuned to read our recap of another great evening in the SOMO lounge, the Startupfest After-Hours Exclusive SOMO experience, a unique night of celebration, networking and tequila with Randy Smerik , startups advisor, entrepreneur specialist and tequila producer that took place on July 13.