Startup Grind X - BCS Chapter Hosts Mark Bowles, ecoATM Founder, Venture Capitalist & TV Producer

Oct 24, 2019, 11:30 PM – Oct 25, 2019, 12:30 AM

Herschel's Speakeasy at The Stella Hotel, 4100 Lake Atlas Drive, Bryan, 77807

Startup Grind X - BCS Chapter hosts at least six Fireside Chats annually, from August - May each year. Founded in 2014 as a Startup Grind U Chapter at Texas A&M University, Startup Grind X is a spinout from campus to the greater Bryan-College Station community. Our single purpose is to bring startup founders to Brazos County so that town and gown can connect with the world of entrepreneurship.

In-person event

About this event

Meet Mark Bowles at our free Fireside Chat, conducted by Grant Weston. 

Mark has been creating start-ups for more than 25 years in the semiconductor, retail, life sciences, and cleantech industries. He has been involved in the formation and funding of six venture-backed technology start-ups and has successfully raised 18 rounds of venture capital financing totaling more than $250 million. He is currently an active angel investor in about a dozen San Diego based companies, and a board member of a variety of companies, universities, and non-profits. Mark has been part of some successful financial exits for his start-ups including the recent acquisition of ecoATM by Outerwall for $350M. Mark was the founder, inventor, CMO, and Board member for ecoATM.

Mark has 50+ patents issued or pending, all related to recycling and the environment. Mark has received a variety of environmental awards including a TechCrunch Crunchies Award, CONNECT’s MIP Award, INC Magazine Award, Popular Science Green Tech Award, IEEE Spectrum: Green Goddess Award, Tech America Award, San Diego Business Journal Innovation Award, and the GigaOm Earth2Tech Award. Mark no longer plays an active role in ecoATM but the kiosk network he created continues to collect and recycle millions of mobile devices annually. 

A popular guest lecturer on entrepreneurism, innovation, market research, and commercialization, Mark has lectured students at Duke, Stanford, UCSD, USD, SDSU, Point Loma Nazarene, Lamar, Texas A&M, Hult, Pepperdine, Wharton, and Harvard. Mark holds an undergraduate degree in Industrial Distribution from Texas A&M University, and a Master of Science in Technology Management from Pepperdine University. Mark is a member of the Pepperdine Board of Visitors and an Advisory Board member for the University of San Diego's Center for Peace and Commerce, a Senior Fellow with the LaJolla Institute and a former Entrepreneur-in-Residence with Texas A&M’s Startup Aggieland. 

Mark grew up in Southeast Texas and arrived in Silicon Valley in 1987 and then moved to San Diego in 2003 where he lives now with his wife and 3 boys.

Check out what happened

Speaker

  • Mark Bowles

    San Diego Venture Partners

    Investor

When

When

October 24 – 25, 2019
11:30 PM – 12:30 AM UTC

Hosts

  • Matt Lohstroh

    Giga Energy Solutions

    CEO Giga Energy & Former Associate Director of Startup Grind Aggieland

  • Grant Weston

    Startup Grind Aggieland

    Student Co Director

Organizers

  • Shelly Brenckman

    Startup Grind - Aggieland Chapter

    Chapter Director

  • David Smith

    Co-Director

  • Spencer Clements

    Team Member

  • Lauren Smith

    AmericaThinks

    Team Member

Global sponsor

Dell Technologies logo

Dell Technologies

Partner

William Cole Companies logo

William Cole Companies

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