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Jonathan Sposato

What Fuels You

Jonathan Sposato

Serial entrepreneur, Jonathan Sposato, was the first person in history to sell two companies to Google. Since then, he's become chairman of Geekwire and PicMonkey and has recently made waves in the Seattle community by announcing he will only invest in female-founded companies moving forward. Hear from Jonathan firsthand on how he’s always felt like an…

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Notes

  1. Jonathan Sposato is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and CEO. Currently a chairman of GeekWire and Pic Monkey. Full answer

  2. Shauna Swerland opens What Fuels You by introducing Jonathan Sposato as the first person to sell two companies to Google, and as the Seattle investor who made… Full answer

  3. At the opening of his What Fuels You interview, Jonathan Sposato tells host Shauna Swerland that helping other people is the top answer, and that it took him… Full answer

  4. Shauna Swerland tells Jonathan Sposato, on What Fuels You, that he is an open book, comfortable being vulnerable and owning who he is. Full answer

  5. Jonathan's parents were Chinese and Korean, and at the time, his parents were not allowed to get married; it was seen as a very shameful thing. Full answer

  6. He wondered, "Will I like him?" or "Will I see him as a complete drag?" and considered many other questions. Full answer

  7. Absolutely. With a Chinese mom and Italian father who adopted him when he was young, there was no escaping it. Full answer

  8. On What Fuels You, Jonathan Sposato says he was born in London to a single Chinese mother and did not meet his own father until about eighteen months before… Full answer

  9. Jonathan figured out that other kids were just insecure, and if he could get good at various activities, like sports and music, and could become a popular… Full answer

  10. Jonathan looked all over for schools. He applied to Harvard, Stanford, and many other Ivy League schools and was rejected. Full answer

  11. Relationally, he had friends from all over and found it very fulfilling. Full answer

  12. During his senior year, his parents divorced. Full answer

  13. He wanted to get a high ROI on his efforts. Full answer

  14. On What Fuels You, Shauna Swerland asks Jonathan Sposato whether Microsoft is where he met his wife, Heather. He says yes. Full answer

  15. Jonathan Sposato tells What Fuels You that he joined Microsoft in Redmond at the end of 1992 and stayed until 2004, about twelve years. Full answer

  16. He likes renaissance people who like to color outside the lines. Full answer

  17. On What Fuels You, Jonathan Sposato tells Shauna Swerland that an entrepreneur or investor does not have to be great at the thing they back. Full answer

  18. Only 2.7% of venture capital funding is allocated to female-founded businesses. He believes this must be remedied. Full answer

  19. Relax. It's all ok. Full answer

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