March 6, 2025 @ 9:30 am - 11:00 am PST
FreeRaised $70M and Exited: Why Product-Market Fit Outweighs Early VC Pursuit
Book Now For FreeTom Coburn, co-founder of Jebbit, will share his entrepreneurial journey from dropping out of Boston College in 2013 to building Jebbit into the world’s first declared data platform. Jebbit helps marketing and sales teams capture critical consumer data directly from users, bypassing unreliable third-party sources. With major clients such as Cathay Pacific Airways, LifeLock, and the New England Revolution, Jebbit was recognized as one of CNBC’s Top 25 Most Promising Companies and earned accolades for its culture and innovation.
Tom will reflect on his journey raising $70M from Vista in 2020, and eventually selling Jebbit to a Vista portfolio company in 2022. He’ll share pivotal lessons learned, including the challenges of chasing VC funding and CMO buy-in over focusing on the end-user experience. After enduring a difficult period in 2019 that included layoffs and customer churn, Tom shifted focus to product-market fit, an approach he’ll adopt for his next startup. This event will provide valuable insights for founders and investors on scaling companies, navigating growth challenges, and the importance of aligning product strategy with user needs.
Opening Remarks @ 9:30am PT
Join us for opening remarks with Dina Fattom, Member Success Manager at Founders Network, to get the latest updates from the Network and opportunities for getting involved.
Keynote Speaker @ 9:40am PT
Tom Coburn is the co-founder and CEO of Jebbit. He is also a General Partner at Soaring Startup Circle Venture Partners (SSC Venture Partners). Tom co-founded Jebbit while studying at Boston College, dropping out to pursue his entrepreneurial ambitions full-time.
He has been recognized with several prestigious honors, including Forbes 30 Under 30, the Upstart 100, and as an EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist. Tom is passionate about mentoring and has co-founded two non-profit organizations. His work continues to inspire startups in the tech and venture space, blending his expertise in marketing technology with a focus on helping emerging companies scale.
Stage-Based Roundtables @ 10:30am PT
Complimentary Ticket:
Are you a full-time tech founder? Be our guest! We’re making our events available to tech founders everywhere. Enjoy a complimentary ticket to come learn from fellow tech founders, partners and investors. Already used your complimentary guest pass? Request an invite to see if you qualify for membership.
About Founders Network:
Founded in 2011, Founders Network offers lifelong peer mentorship to over 600 tech startup founders globally. Our platform, programs and high-touch service facilitate authentic experience sharing, warm introductions and long-term professional relationships. Additional benefits include over $500k in startup discounts and promotion to 2,000 newsletter readers. Members are located in San Francisco, New York City, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Toronto, London and other tech hubs. Each month our Membership Committee admits a new cohort of full-time tech founders who are nominated by an existing member. Learn more about us here
Confidentiality Policy
All information shared within Founders Network is strictly confidential. We are built on a foundation of trust, and the community takes confidentiality seriously. Investors, members, and staff all share experiences and opinions off the record. In this roundtable forum, we continue to model our fnValues of Reciprocity, Humility, Authenticity and Inclusivity. Read more about our Privacy Policy here.
Testimonials
"If you don't have a cohort group in something like Founders Network that you can develop long-term relationships with and discuss the same topics that come up with people that you already know, you're probably missing out on something very important."David Plonsky
"The number one advantage is the law of compound interest. The longer you stay in a very high-quality network the strong and more authentic relationships you build."Chaitanya Vaidya
"We know each other's business and we know each other's struggles. Having a personal relationship with other founders that is completely confidential and completely authentic gives you a lot of great advice."Doug Lessing
"FN manages my network for me by connecting me with other founders in my specific industry sector. I've been able to explore business development opportunities, partnerships, etc."Becky Splitt
"We just saw the first Mexican unicorn come to life this same week which is a fantastic idea. Being part of the Founders Network makes a lot of sense. We see that the Mexico City chapter is growing substantially."Max Linares
"There's a lot of great stuff going on even now in San Francisco. I've found Founders Network has been a great resource for me and for all of the founders I know during these tough times."Jarie Bolander
"It allowed me to meet people who had done this before that had the experience. I was able to explain an issue very briefly and they were able to give me a very detailed response on how they addressed it."Terence Finn
"I've used the platform to discover advice, connections, resources, discounts, on important services, connections to investors, and practice on how to pitch. The kind of conversations you can't get anywhere else on youtube or google searches."Alexandra Greenhill
"I see Founders Network as one of those necessary resources in the Chicagoland area."Jason Jacobsohn
"The Black Founders initiative allows me to shape this program where we can inspire, engage, and support Black Founders."Khiry Kemp
