Jordan Epstein

Founder, Stroll. I design and build custom solutions for the Fortune 500.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinjordan
San Francisco, California, United States
Member since November 26, 2014

About

Education

2010 Carleton College , BA , Geology

I am a(n):

Entrepreneur

Companies I've founded or co-founded:

Stroll Health

Companies I work or worked for:

NICE Systems, KECK Consortium, Elevar, Merced Systems, Fugro Consultants

Achievements (products built, personal awards won):

At Merced Systems, I led the development of a new line of enterprise SMB big data SaaS products used today on five continents. After founding Stroll in Q4 2013, the team I assembled was the Wellmark BCBS Ignition winner, including an LOI. I also participated in Steve Blank's Lean Launchpad for Life Sciences and Healthcare at UCSF, and was accepted into the Prebacked Incubator, Startup Leadership Program, and NEXT.

If you're an entrepreneur or corporate innovator, why?

I want to change the world.

My favorite startups:

Actimator, Flatiron Health, BioFuelBox

What's most frustrating and rewarding about entrepreneurship/innovation?

I'm consistently astounded by the level of inertia present in today's economic systems. Change is hard, bureaucracy is entrenched, and attempts to bring a revolutionary idea up through the conventional channels of power can be frustrating. The upside is, entrepreneurship has never been more highly valued, and if you can achieve success and gain traction on your own, chances are good you'll be able to change the world in a meaningful, sustainable way.

What's the No. 1 mistake entrepreneurs/innovators make?

Accepting failure. Allowing one investor's gloomy prognosis to represent the judgement of the entire market - I see this attitude as the graveyard of hundreds of earth-shaking ideas every year. Entrepreneurial success means persisting in the face of adversity and never giving up.

What are the top three lessons you've learned as an entrepreneur?

1) My product is only as inspiring as the team with which I surround myself.
2) The world is moving faster than ever before, and my time is incredibly precious. I have to be ruthless in choosing which opportunities to pursue.
3) I can never be afraid to fail; every bump in the road is an invitation to learn and grow.

If you had to join a completely new industry, what would it be?

I'm incredibly excited by the changes taking place in the financial inclusion sector. In the next 25-50 years, India and Africa will experience tremendous economic growth, and upward mobility requires that the world's poor have access to basic financial products that Americans take for granted - things like savings accounts and access to credit. I'd love to get involved with microfinance or international development somewhere down the road.