14 • Fall 2015

“it takes, among other things, a tremendous

amount of self-confidence, dissatisfaction

with the status quo, focus, dedication, passion,

patience, optimism, flexibility, resiliency and a

tolerance for ambiguity,” said Gould, who has

taught courses in entrepreneurship and finance

to more than 3,000 advanced undergraduates

since his days as a Stanford graduate student

of law and economics in the mid-’90s. “It’s not

enough to be smart or to have done well in

school – you have to have the right ‘innards.’”

Gould, who is married to fellow entrepreneur

Amy Andersen of matchmaking service Linx

Dating, spends about 80 percent of his time

outside of the classroom as co-founder and general

partner of the Valley Fund, a seed- and early-

stage venture capital firm focused primarily on

technology, with deep domain specialties in media,

traditional enterprise solutions, digital health,

finance, and general consumer internet and mobile

product management. Co-founded by serial

entrepreneur and angel investor Steve O’Hara,

the Menlo Park, California-based firm finances

aspiring business magnates who have at least

created a prototype of their product and can prove

that there is indeed a market for it. At work, Gould

remains in good company, surrounded by team

members who are credited with launching some of

Apple and Netflix’s most successful products.

Gould said that fledgling entrepreneurs can

and do get into trouble when they lose focus

on market need, customer experience and

investment capital. He offers up a textbook

example: “Could anyone have said that ‘social

networking’ was a market need before MySpace

and Facebook launched? Maybe not. But in the

case of Facebook, there was huge validation on

the Harvard University campus, and then other

college campuses, before the company really

grew and began scaling to the juggernaut that it

became. The last thing an entrepreneur needs or

wants is to build a product and then hear crickets

chirping in the silent market.” pC

Alex Gould OPC ’89Alex Gould, a lecturer in the Department of Economics and Senior Executive Leadership Program at Stanford University, is no stranger to these types of questions.

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The Start of Something GoodBy JaReD sCOtt tesleR

Behold the power of OpCs. Thinkers, collaborators, innovators and leaders in their chosen fields, they live lives that make a difference – the very quintessence found in those possessing an entrepreneurial spirit from an early age.

But what does it take to succeed as an entrepreneur in today’s hypercompetitive marketplace? Are certain skill sets or personality traits required? What are the common mistakes that always seem to trip up young entrepreneurs?

“Penn Charter influenced my commitment to social issues and to using my life, education and skills in the most meaningful way.”

– CaTherine griFFin oPC ’01, Managing Director, goodCompany ventures

15Fall 2015 •

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“i’m no techie,” said Rendell, who attended

Penn Charter before it had such a robust

technology department. (He also studied

American history at Penn.) “Luckily for me, a few

of my best friends taught themselves how to

build websites and smartphone apps!”

Scavify’s mobile app helps employers,

universities, tourist destinations, and

conferences and tradeshows create interactive

programs designed to engage their employees,

students, visitors and attendees. As director of

business development, Rendell uses his network

of contacts to supply meaningful business

opportunities for a long list of clients that

includes Google, Yale University, the Philadelphia

Zoo and the World Meeting of Families.

“Scavify provides customers with an easy, fully

customizable and cost-effective way to build,

launch and track interactive programs – and view

corresponding engagement analytics – all from

their desktop,” Rendell explained. “With each

program, users complete real-world challenges –

snap photos, scan QR codes, check in via GPS and

answer trivia questions – to accumulate points

and earn rewards as they explore, learn about and

interact with their surroundings in a fun way.”

Rendell works to customize the personal

experiences of his clientele in other ways,

too. As the owner of Rendell Management

and Consulting, he represents Philadelphia-

area sports media and radio and television

personalities, providing contract negotiation

and general business and marketing advisory

services. His law degree from Temple University

also comes in handy in his role as counsel for

Haines & Associates, where he assists clients

with the drafting

and negotiation of

contracts for film and

television productions.

“Being an

entrepreneur in and

of itself is a risk in that

you’re facing the daily

reality that you may

not achieve the goals

you have for your

business,” Rendell said.

“But when you achieve

the benchmarks you set

for yourself and start

to see something grow

that you and your

partners have created from nothing, there’s no

greater reward. We make mistakes every day,

whether it’s realizing we need a new pricing

model or a different marketing message, but we

learn something from each one, and it makes us

better at what we do.” pC

Jesse Rendell OPC ’98Jesse Rendell, co-founder of Scavify mobile scavenger hunts, didn’t set out to become a tech entrepreneur – his foray into the industry was a happy accident.

DiMarco would go on to earn a bachelor’s

degree in economics from Lafayette College and

become an equity trader on Wall Street. But that

job, he said, “didn’t satisfy the entrepreneurial

bug.” He finally got his first official taste of

tech in 2005 when he founded perfume and

cosmetics retailer FragranceUP.com.

DiMarco launched Lamps.com in 2010 and

since then has gone on to found two additional

e-commerce businesses: Payroll Shopping,

which allows employees to browse thousands

of premium products and purchase responsibly

through payroll deduction, and PerPay, a

seed-stage financial wellness, lending and

payment platform. He’s kept his Penn Charter

connections throughout the journey – PerPay

is backed by david hayne oPC ’96, chief

operating officer of Free People, and DiMarco

recently handed the Lamps.com reins to best

friend-turned-CEO anthony balsamo oPC ’95,

an early board member and original investor in

the company.

All three of DiMarco’s enterprises are housed

on the eighth floor of the Biddle Building in

Center City, and the corporate culture that

exists there is one of DiMarco’s proudest

accomplishments. “I’ve been able to build

a team that is not only a great culture but

great friends,” he said. “That camaraderie is

unbelievable, and to watch it grow and see

everyone succeed in their passion for their

career is really the most fulfilling thing.” pC

Chris DiMarco OPC ’94Chris DiMarco, founder, chairman and director of Lamps.com, was a serial entrepreneur even as a young boy peddling candy, but he said his venturesome ways really began to take shape in Edwin Marks’ 10th grade economics class.

16 • Fall 2015

a former management consultant and director

of business development for British fashion

designer Rebecca Street’s line of ethical

apparel, Griffin currently serves as managing

director of GoodCompany Ventures, a

nonprofit, early-stage tech-venture accelerator

that helps social entrepreneurs develop

innovative business models and financing, in

partnership with cities, government agencies,

nongovernmental organizations and financiers.

GoodCompany Ventures employs an intensive

12-week series of expert and investor panels,

tactical workshops, peer-to-peer critique and

one-on-one coaching to help a roster of clients

in education, government and health tech,

clean energy, sustainable apparel, and now

climate tech that have gone on to close over

$60 million in private capital, supported by

a network that includes the Wharton Social

Impact Initiative, the City of Philadelphia, the

White House, the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100

Resilient Cities Network, NASA and the United

Nations.

Often, social ventures’ business models are

not as straightforward as those of traditional

tech ventures, which is why GoodCompany

Ventures helps them determine what value

they’re creating, how to secure their market

position, and determine their valuation

and capital strategy.

“I’ve found that the risk of pursuing my

passion far outweighs the certain price of

acquiescing to a job I care little about,” said

Griffin, who sits on the board of directors of

Power Up Gambia, which strives to improve

health care delivery in the Gambia by

providing reliable and sustainable electricity

through solar energy. “I’m motivated by the

conviction that my work is pioneering new and

effective ways of addressing global challenges.

I also get to work with brilliant, visionary and

compassionate but intensely practical people

who question old ways of thinking and are

willing to make a start, if incremental and

messy, toward something new.” pC

“nineteen ninety-six was the early days of the

Internet,” Katzen said. “My idea was that you

called a main number and could get a fax of a

restaurant menu or hear what was happening at

a music venue. But I didn’t have an ad budget, so

I tried to partner with a local radio station. They

turned me down but thought it was a good idea,

so they took my idea and did it themselves.

“In only a few months, I had basically failed, but

I still had to pay back the loan from my grandma!”

So, he decided to sell used Apple computers

and placed an ad in the newspaper. “I had 200 calls

in one day,” he said. The sale of those used Macs

was the start of the “new” Springboard Media.

“Springboard was born from failure,” he said.

“I’ve learned far more from my failures than I

have from my successes.”

Springboard Media sold, and continues

to sell, exclusively Apple products. In 2001,

Springboard Media became Apple-authorized,

but only after being turned down twice by

Apple.

“In order to succeed as an entrepreneur,”

Katzen said, “you must be committed to

trying again and again and again. You must

have a good sense of humor, too, because

unpredictable things will happen and you can’t

get brought down by that.”

Catherine Griffin OPC ’01Another living example of Penn Charter’s vision, mission and philosophy, Catherine Griffin follows an entirely different approach to entrepreneurship.

Everett Katzen OPC ’92Everett Katzen founded Springboard Media in 1996, but the company then was

not at all what it is today. What originated as an ad agency, begun with a loan

from his grandmother, is now a diverse tech-support, product sales and

education company.

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On a recent visit to PC, Everett Katzen posed in front of his second grade cubbie.

17Fall 2015 •

Katzen knows about unpredictable. “On my

30th birthday, when I was feeling great and

Springboard was doing well, I got the call that

an Apple store would soon open four blocks

from Springboard and to get my affairs in

order,” Katzen said. “That was rough. But it was

the best thing that ever happened.”

The phone call prompted Katzen to

diversify Springboard Media. He began to

offer support to companies with business

solutions for hardware, software, tech support

and training. And, most notably, Springboard

Media now offers professional development for

teachers, helping them become more effective

educators. Springboard is the primary dealer

in Pennsylvania of Promethean interactive

whiteboards, used in classrooms, and the

company offers training for teachers to learn

how to use the technology.

Springboard Media is a partner of the Urban

Technology Project, which provides Philadelphia

youth with information technology tools and

education. Katzen mentors AmeriCorps digital

service fellows – an IT apprenticeship for recent

Philadelphia public school graduates who work

in the public schools while becoming Apple-

certified Macintosh technicians.

“I used to be really proud to be good at

selling,” Katzen said. “But now, I love to mentor

my employees to be better, to learn. It is fun to

watch a mentee take off and grow.”

Springboard Media is a Philadelphia company,

and Katzen and his wife, ophthalmologist

Amanda Lehman, and their two young children,

Heston and Jasper, live in Center City, as well.

“I love Philly, and I really encourage people

to stay here. I am intentionally investing in

Philadelphia’s future because it has given me so

much. I want people to stay here and join me to

help make Philadelphia great.”

Helping to improve education and investing

in Philadelphia brings a lot of job satisfaction

for Katzen. His primary piece of advice to

entrepreneurs centers here. “The biggest mistake

entrepreneurs make is that they don’t take time to

recharge. People sometimes think they’re doing

a better job if they work 18-hour days. But just like

your phone battery has to be recharged, so do you.

Take your family just as seriously as you do your job.

Maybe be more focused when you are working,

but make time for yourself. Find balance.” pC

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Does Your Company or Employer Pay Pennsylvania…• Corporate Net Income Tax

• Capital Stock Franchise Tax

• Bank & Trust Company Shares Tax

• Title Insurance Companies Shares Tax

• Insurance Premiums Tax

• Mutual Thrift Institution Tax

• Personal Income Tax of S Corporation Shareholderes

If so, the business may be eligible to

participate in two state tax-credit

programs that make it possible to

redirect tax dollars to Penn Charter

for financial aid.

The application process is easy, and the benefits to the school and to deserving students are significant.

In 2014-2015, 30 companies with ties to Penn Charter participated in the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) or the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs. Support from these programs alone provided financial aid to more than 10 percent of the student body.

EITC is designed to support private- and parochial-school scholarships to income-eligible children. OSTC offers further support for students living in neighborhoods with public schools that are low-achieving.

“Directing your company’s tax dollars to Penn Charter via EITC and OSTC is a win-win-win,” said Philip Consuegra, associate director development. “Penn Charter is able to provide financial aid to families who couldn’t otherwise attend, your company receives a tax credit, and the school is strengthened by the excellent students who join the community.”