Today's Entrepreneur is Charles Oppenheimer, CEO of Prizzm.

(Prizzm is one of the promising startups competing to be one of the top 10 finalists to present on stage at Vator Splash SF. If you want to see Kobs on stage, or another startup in the competition, vote for them here.) 

Vator’s community is the home to entrepreneurs who embrace their passion and follow their dreams. Our profiles allow members to express themselves by sharing their interests, lessons learned, as well as bits and pieces of their roller-coaster journey.

These profiles give entrepreneurs an opportunity to showcase themselves and tell their story. So if you are an entrepreneur, a serial entrepreneur, or even an aspiring entrepreneur, we'd like to hear from you.

I am a(n):
Entrepreneur

Companies I've founded or co-founded:
Recursive Technology, Prizzm

Startups I worked for:
Prizzm

If you are an entrepreneur, why?
I'm bursting with ideas!

My favorite startups:
Square

What's most frustrating and rewarding about entrepreneurship/innovation?
The most frustrating part is the effort it takes to build an organization. And idea, a product, even a business/revenue stream can be built more easily than a group of people who are working toward a common goal. And failure. Near constant setbacks.. inevitable and frustrating.

The reward is lack of limits, and efficiency. You got the stomach - do it. There is no committee meeting, nobody to stop you, no end if you keep trying.

What's the No. 1 mistake entrepreneurs make?
Believing you have something that will work before proving and testing it, with real demand. You can fool yourself and others for awhile, but markets don't like.. for long anyway.

What are the top three lessons you've learned as an entrepreneur?
Don't do it alone
Don't do it with the wrong people
Don't do what I did! Read a million articles of smug 20yr olds who have it all figured out.

(Want to be profiled? Just fill out your Vator profile and we'll find you! Or you can email [email protected])