MarkHi my name is Mark Johnson, the founder of FIRST GLANCE and PLATFORM CODE TURKEY. I would like to say that words cannot describe the experience that I’ve had and continue to have with Founders Space. It may sound strange, but I have lived in the Bay Area all of my life and up until September of 2014, I have never truly known what Silicon Valley was really about.

From the first day I stepped into Founders Space, everything that I thought I knew about business and being an entrepreneur went out the door. Founders Space somehow has found a very unique formula between their instructors, investors and experience, meaning the two instructors Scott Grey and Steve Austin are polar opposites when it comes to instruction.

Scott the motherly figure who sometimes misplaces things but always seems to find the right things to say when it comes to getting your business on track, and Steve Austin, the ten million dollar man, is the tough, straight-shooting, extremely knowledgeable instructor that can get a Bill Gates elevator pitch on point.

Steve Hoffman, the man behind the program ,offers his weekly video segments that kept me in awe because every time I had a question or was contemplating things, an email would pop up with the daily sessions that would answer my questions and give me direction at the same time. It was almost like magic, until I figured out that they were all communicating in order to help each individual in achieving their own business goals.

Founders Space is like an fraternity, very personal, a family. If you will, it’s not for everyone. You have to be someone that appreciates the opportunity to get the most from it. You have to appreciate all of the investors, marketing, advertising people, lawyers and life coaches. People you read about in Techcrunch and Crunchbase, who come to speak with you strictly for the love they have for the two Steves, Scott and Naomi (the catalyst of the group).

The class dynamics in each session are special. My September 2014 class has produced 3 out of 5 extremely successful companies and the other two are close behind. Simply to coming to the city every day right next to AT&T Park and all of the surrounding tech companies is a pleasure in itself (a networkers heaven). So if you’ve got the heart and the determination to succeed no matter the cost and will never give up on your vision, and you truly want to learn the SV Hustle, Founders Space may be the place for you.

Mark Johnson
CEO of First Glance
San Francisco