Episode 16: Changing the World with Online Communities, with Michael Wilson

Michael founded Small World Labs, which is now Personify Community, with the goal of providing organizations with the collaborative technology and solutions necessary to better connect with and empower their constituents, in a manner similar to which Michael saw early Internet technologies empower his deaf parents and connect them with the outside world.

Prior to founding Small World Labs, Michael served as the Director of Product Management at Coremetrics, a leading provider of web analytics solutions (now a division of IBM). As head of the group, Michael’s responsibilities included delivering new products and services, evaluating new markets, and assessing partner technologies. Prior to that, Michael was a management consultant for R. B. Webber & Company (a spin-off of McKinsey and Boston Consulting Group associates) where he led projects for high-tech companies, including Hewlett-Packard, Sprint, FedEx, ReSound (a hearing assistance accessories provider), and several startups.

Michael holds a B.A. in economics with summa cum laude and departmental honors from Yale University and has completed studies in international economics at Oxford University. Michael also serves on the board of the Texas School for the Deaf Foundation.

What you’ll learn about in this episode from Jennifer Hoff: How Michael Wilson made the journey into entrepreneurship Different career moves that helped prepare Wilson to run a business The ideation process Wilson used to create his first company Hardships that he faced during the first couple years of running his business Wilson’s take on traits that define a successful entrepreneur Why Michael Wilson was drawn to partner with Personify The advantages and future of online communities Additional Resources: Website: https://personifycorp.com/products/personify-community Twitter: https://twitter.com/Personifycorp LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wilsonmichael Facebook: https://facebook.com/personifycorp