Mark Goldenson

Mark Goldenson is a highly experienced serial entrepreneur with a track record of founding and leading multiple successful startups, including Breakthrough.com, an online therapy service acquired by MDLIVE, Woosh! (acquired by HP), and Stanford Bazaar (acquired by Stanford). He has demonstrated an ability to navigate complex markets, raise capital ($27M across three startups), and achieve exits, even learning from ventures like PlayCafe that did not achieve its full potential. His entrepreneurial journey is characterized by a strong drive to build and innovate, often taking on significant challenges such as securing insurance reimbursement for online therapy. venturekit+3

Beyond founding, Mark is an active investor and advisor in the startup ecosystem, contributing his expertise to companies like Regrello, Fluence, HistoWiz, and Motivo. He also served as a Network Leader at Village Global and Entrepreneur in Residence at 500 Startups, where he mentored numerous founders. Through VentureKit, he furthers his commitment to supporting entrepreneurs by providing free, actionable guides on startup execution, reflecting a dedication to fostering innovation and sharing his vast experience with the next generation of founders. venturekit+4

Mark possesses a strong background in product management, having served as an early Product Manager at PayPal and currently holding Group and Senior Product Manager roles at Google, with a focus on AI products. His career trajectory highlights an evolution from hands-on entrepreneurship to leading product development in a major tech company, demonstrating adaptability and continued engagement with cutting-edge technology. venturekit+2

Educated at Stanford University with a background in Human Biology and Symbolic Systems (neuroscience concentration), Mark's academic pursuits included four years of neuroscience research on lucid dreaming. This interdisciplinary foundation, combined with his entrepreneurial spirit (stopping out of Stanford twice for startups), underscores his unique blend of scientific curiosity and practical application in technology and health. goldenson+4

Mark is deeply interested in leveraging technology for social good, particularly in areas like healthcare reform, voter engagement, and combating misinformation. He actively writes about these topics on his personal blog and Medium, proposing innovative solutions like a 'TurboTax for IDs' to address barriers to voting and exploring the potential of psychedelic medicine. This indicates a commitment to improving society through technological solutions and thoughtful engagement with public issues. goldenson+1