In this episode Jeremy Toeman sits down with Mark Ely.
Mark Ely’s journey from answering support calls to founding a consumer streaming startup shows that endurance outlasts perfect plans. Over two decades at Sonic Solutions he moved into leadership by mastering the technology product and strategy then applied those lessons to SimpleTV’s hardware and software pivots. Along the way he discovered that true innovation starts with loving the work not just chasing funding and that mentoring via Score.org keeps the spark alive for both mentor and mentee. This conversation offers practical takeaways on building skills patiently, knowing when to scale and why giving back is part of every founder’s toolkit.
Mark shares how he:
Climbed the ladder at Sonic Solutions over 19 years from tech support to president of strategy
Used early business school lessons to speak the language of investors and run global product teams
Founded SimpleTV in his 40s to stream free broadcast television to any device and the pivots that followed
Learned why you must love what you build and how to decide when to raise money or stay scrappy
Mentors small business owners through Score.org and why giving back keeps curiosity alive
Tune in for honest stories about career persistence the joy of deep technical curiosity and what it really takes to turn a sideline hobby into a startup.
And if you’re playing the drinking game at home, this week’s word is “tinkering”.
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