Aaron Sylvan

Entrepreneur, Inventor, Photographer, Technologist

Bits: I like making things with technology. From my the first graphics software I sold as a child, to the business I created selling optimization solutions to Fortune 500s, to the toolkit for entrepreneurs I’m presently developing, I have always been passionate about software. As a programmer, I’ve created data compression algorithms, transformative graphics tools, stock trading systems, strategy games, and online communities. For my undergrad degree, I set out to study music at Bennington College… but I still couldn’t resist the siren call of the digital world, so my course of study became Electronic Music. An overview of my project portfolio is at AaronSylvan.com/tech. Business: There came a time for the transition from programmer to executive. By the time I was 24, my software and clients became large enough that it needed a team. So, back in 1995, my first “real” company, One Technology, was born. Two years later I hired my first full-time employee, and another year later I raised my first round of outside funding. In total, that business eventually raised ~$3.5M. It operated successfully until 2002, when market conditions led to its close under terms favorable to myself and the investors. For the years following, I served as CEO, CTO, or Interim CEO to numerous tech startups and family businesses, until taking time to earn my Executive MBA from the IMD Business School in Switzerland. I graduated in the end of 2009, and then began work on my next project: Author: Lemonade Heroes is a series of portraits and stories, about how the founders of companies take the personal challenges of entrepreneurship, and turn them into victories. It has been an absolute labor of love. Much has been written about the “best practices” of superstar companies with zillion-dollar exits, but I feel little attention has been given to the everyday courageous individuals who undertake to go out on their own and create something new. While I don’t consider my own story to be extraordinary, I’ve been deeply moved by the dozens of people I’ve interviewed and the hundreds I’ve photographed. The book is scheduled for hardcover release in 2014. Consultant: Over the years, many people have asked for my help, either with raising funding, or with building the technologies they require. On the funding side, I’ve advised Angels and Venture Capitalists about the technology and business viability of many prospective investments; for entrepreneurs, I’ve helped them to strategize their operations and write their business plans in a way to be fundable. While not my primary occupation, I enjoy “the startup lifecycle,” and I still accept such engagements from time to time. I’ve also been asked to build technical solutions, so often over the years that in 2010 I made myself and my team available to select clients. Under the name Sylvan Social Technology, we create custom software for businesses that use social media, mobile devices, and good old-fashioned web sites to connect. Pixels: As an aside, I’m also an avid digital photographer. When I was 15, I reviewed the world’s first autofocus camera for 35mm film (Minolta Maxxum 7000), in an article which was published nationally. My photojournalism has also been published, and I’ve sold gallery pieces for thousands of dollars. More recently, I was commissioned to photograph a piece of high-end real estate, and after my re-shoot the final sale price was $3.85M higher than the previous best offer. Presently, I’m writing a book about entrepreneurs, which will feature many of my original portraits. But I digress, the photography is just a hobby. Origins: I am self-trained in software engineering, which I have taught in college. During my time at Stuyvesant High School in NYC, my writing and photography were published nationally. I have also earned money as a print shop manager, amateur auto racer, and competitive pool player. I held a ladder ranking at StarCraft for over a year, but never found a way to monetize that luxury. I hold a BA in Electronic Music and Classical Composition from Bennington College, and an Executive MBA from the IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland. Affiliations: My memberships have included the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, NFTE, where I’ve helped inner-city youth to develop business plans; YEO (1999-2002), a young entrepreneurs’ peer group; Carnegie Hall, where I have been a ‘notable’ and a patron; The Morgan Library, where I have been a ‘young associate’, The Electronic Music Foundation, where I am a founding patron, Sugarbush Soaring, where I fly sailplanes; The Aspen Institute, and its group of young thinkers, the Socrates Society; and I am a 12x attendee of the invitation-only TED Conferences, which bring together the great innovators of technology, entertainment, and design.

Creating digital things (mostly software and photographs). Helping tech startup businesses to flourish.

digital photography, Event Management, Graphic Design, Software - Development, television production

TED has been a big part of my life, ever since I first attended one in 1997. Back then it sold out more than a year in advance, and even as a young CEO the ticket cost more than double my rent. It was a leap of faith to make that investment before the speakers had even been announced… but my times there have always the best four days of my year. I have attended a handful of independent “TEDx” events, and the main conference twelve times.