Raised $70M and Exited: Why Product-Market Fit Outweighs Early VC Pursuit

, co-founder of Jebbit, will share his entrepreneurial journey from dropping out of Boston College in 2013 to building Jebbit into the world’s first declared data platform. Jebbit helps marketing and sales teams capture critical consumer data directly from users, bypassing unreliable third-party sources. With major clients such as Cathay Pacific Airways, LifeLock, and the New England Revolution, Jebbit was recognized as one of CNBC’s Top 25 Most Promising Companies and earned accolades for its culture and innovation.

Tom will reflect on his journey raising $70M from Vista in 2020, and eventually selling Jebbit to a Vista portfolio company in 2022. He’ll share pivotal lessons learned, including the challenges of chasing VC funding and CMO buy-in over focusing on the end-user experience. After enduring a difficult period in 2019 that included layoffs and customer churn, Tom shifted focus to product-market fit, an approach he’ll adopt for his next startup. This event will provide valuable insights for founders and investors on scaling companies, navigating growth challenges, and the importance of aligning product strategy with user needs.

Join us for opening remarks with Dina Fattom, Member Success Manager at Founders Network, to get the latest updates from the Network and opportunities for getting involved.

Tom Coburn is the co-founder and CEO of Jebbit. He is also a General Partner at Soaring Startup Circle Venture Partners (SSC Venture Partners). Tom co-founded Jebbit while studying at Boston College, dropping out to pursue his entrepreneurial ambitions full-time.

He has been recognized with several prestigious honors, including Forbes 30 Under 30, the Upstart 100, and as an EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist. Tom is passionate about mentoring and has co-founded two non-profit organizations. His work continues to inspire startups in the tech and venture space, blending his expertise in marketing technology with a focus on helping emerging companies scale.

Stage-Based Roundtables @ 10:30am PT

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About Founders Network:

Founded in 2011, Founders Network offers lifelong peer mentorship to over 600 tech startup founders globally. Our platform, programs and high-touch service facilitate authentic experience sharing, warm introductions and long-term professional relationships. Additional benefits include over $500k in startup discounts and promotion to 2,000 newsletter readers. Members are located in San Francisco, New York City, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Toronto, London and other tech hubs. Each month our Membership Committee admits a new cohort of full-time tech founders who are nominated by an existing member. Learn more about us here

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