Every successful venture has a high performing team that makes the difference between landing on the moon and getting stuck on the launch pad.

Ever since I can remember, I have been drawn to people that take their own path, the outsiders – the people willing to think differently, willing to break free of the norms because they see what others cannot. These outsiders are the people that over time emerge as leaders and innovators.

Over two decades in my work, I have surrounded my self with these people, learning how they work, the intricacies of the teams they build, and the cultures they create. I have witnessed them build new industries, sometimes fail, and often times pivot and succeed once again.

A product of my generation, I was coding in elementary school on a TRS80 and at night in my basement on a Commodore 64. Through high school and college, I sought multiple jobs to learn as much about business as possible and created a few of my own along the way. As I left college and sold my first ‘real’ business, I wanted to learn from some great entrepreneurial leaders.

It was the 90s, software and this new internet thing was like plastic in the 80s – everyone wanted to be a part of it. I jumped in head first and had the opportunity to work with great people, teams and together built multiple growth companies.

In the early 2000's, with the belief together we can drive more change and innovation, I founded Collective Genius to focus on helping CEOs, founders and investors build unstoppable growth teams. Over the past two decades, I have had the opportunity to work among hundreds of venture backed growth teams, learning, and curating what has made them successful.

Today, I am grateful to continue this journey of learning, curating, and sharing these best practices online with Rucksack. Thank you for joining the journey.

- Jeff Martin | Founder and CEO