Derek Andersen is the founder and CEO of Startup Grind, our 200+ cities community designed to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs. In 2016, Startup Grind hosted 1,000,000 entrepreneurs at 1,200 events in 98 countries --- all from the first event being attended by 9 people in 2010.  We get to hear the story of just how this prolific worldwide community came to be. Derek is a big fan of cities that rally together and create a startup community. He is passionate about helping those outside of the bay area understand how to get noticed by the right people so they can accelerate their success.  His entrepreneurial career consists of mostly failures and occasional successes. Previously he worked at Electronic Arts in marketing roles on games like Burnout Paradise, Mirror's Edge, Sims 3, Need For Speed, Battlefield, and others. He lives in Palo Alto with his wife and three children.