Sam Hayes
19 Splash Points
120 followers
1 vote
3 companies followed
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Sam Hayes


Palo Alto, California, United States
Accredited investor
Member since June 29, 2009
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Credentials Accredited Investor
I am a(n):

Vator.TV early adopter

If you are an entrepreneur, why?

Paraphrasing Drucker: Customer is my inspiration (and keeps me busy).

My favorite startups:

Sun (circa 1984), AOL (Circa 1994), Amazon (Circa 1998), SharesPost (Circa 2011)

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

Delighting the customer (in a profitable way).

What's the No. 1 mistake entrepreneurs make?

Losing sight of the customer's needs

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

Be humble. Be forward-looking. Be focused. All at the same time!

Full bio

Sam Hayes is co-founder and executive vice president of marketplace development for SharesPost, the leading online marketplace for private investments. Sam has worked for emerging growth companies, three of which were funded by Kleiner Perkins, at key stages in the entrepreneurial lifecycle, from pre-launch to dynamic expansion to exit through acquisition. Sam most recently led corporate development, including M&A and investment, for Java-related businesses at Sun Microsystems and has led business development for startups that were acquired by Akamai and Wine.com. Sam was also part of the launch team at America Online's ClassifiedsPlus service, a pioneering marketplace. Sam received his MBA from Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business and A.B. with honors & distinction from Occidental College. 

 

Sam has been interviewed by leading publications, including BusinessWeek, Wall Street Journal and The Economist, and he has spoken at industry events including the Montgomery & Company Growth Conference, Founder's Institute, Tuck-Dartmouth Private Equity Forum and Plug and Play Tech Center Forum.