Gary A. Bolles
[Mentor]
Co-founder of eParachute.com
Gary A. Bolles is co-founder of eParachute.com, which helps individuals find the work they’ll love, and helps employers find the workers they’ll love. Based on the work of “What Color Is Your Parachute?”, the most popular career guide in the world with 10 million copies in print, eParachute intends to fundamentally change the dynamics of the work market, creating an “eHarmony for work.”
Bolles has been a Silicon Valley entrepreneur for the past 30 years, serving as a co-founder of software startups, technology magazines, and industry conferences, and is a frequent lecturer on topics such as innovation, entrepreneurship, and the Silicon Valley ecosystem. He is a frequent adviser to early-stage startups.
Previously, Bolles was an executive in a variety of early-stage software companies, including serving as COO for Evolve Software and VP Marketing for Network Products Corp. He has also consulted on innovation strategies with organizations such as Sony, Intel, Nokia, and Silicon Valley Bank, and has advised non-profits such as the Dalai Lama Foundation.
In the events arena, Bolles has served for the past seven years as consulting producer of Google’s annual partner conference, Zeitgeist, bringing together a wide range of people from the world stage. He is the co-founder of SoCap, the conference for “impact entrepreneurs” and investors, at socialcapitalmarkets.net, and was co-producer Silicon Valley Meets the U.N., and of DGREE.org, a conference on the future of higher education. He has served as consulting producer of TED Corporate Events, Google Atmosphere, and Nokia IdeasCamp, and coordinates Silicon Valley Innovation Day for the London Business School.
In the media arena, Bolles was the editorial director of publications such as Interactive Week, Yahoo! Internet Life, and Network Computing, as well as the on-screen host of TechTV’s “Working the Web.”