Come ready to meet strangers or learn new things about people you already know. And come ready to see how you can help others! It can be as simple as boosting a Facebook post someone wants to publicize or helping someone solve a problem they have or find a good employee. Come, join us for some food and drink and great conversations as we grow our startup community!
This month it's a very special guest, perhaps Georgia's most successful startup founder. George Arison (born "Irakly Areshidze" ) is a Georgian-born entrepreneur in San Francisco who founded Shift Technologies which has raised over $110,000,000 in investment and is poised to raise more this year for expansion.
Shift is an online, peer-to-peer, marketplace for buying and selling used cars. Prior to Shift, in 2007, he co-founded Taxi Magic, today known as Curb. This was a ride-hailing app even before Uber! He worked at Google as product manager where he gained knowledge and contacts, and also at Boston Consulting Group.
George brings a wealth of experience and connections from Silicon Valley and roots here in Georgia!
Shift
Founder & CEO
George Arison co-founded Shift in 2013, when he saw an opportunity to use technology, machine learning, and operational excellence to create a transformative way for how cars are sold built around an exceptional customer experience.
George is passionate about building companies and technology products because they allow him to prove out his strongly held view that impossible things are a…
George Arison co-founded Shift in 2013, when he saw an opportunity to use technology, machine learning, and operational excellence to create a transformative way for how cars are sold built around an exceptional customer experience.
George is passionate about building companies and technology products because they allow him to prove out his strongly held view that impossible things are actually possible. In addition to Shift, George co-founded Taxi Magic (now known as Curb), which invented the use of mobile devices for on-demand services. He is an investor and mentor to numerous startups and founders, including Zero, Shipper, Carrot, TravelBank, Eden, Fathom, and Pulsar AI. He has twice been named to Goldman Sachs’ 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs, and has worked at Google and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
Born in Georgia, a republic in the Soviet Union, at the height of Communism, George came to the United States on his own in 1992, fortunate to receive a scholarship to attend a prep school in Maine. Afterwards, he studied political philosophy at Middlebury College. In addition to entrepreneurship, George has a deep interest in politics and policy-making. He has started a think tank and ran a political campaign in his native Georgia, and authored a book about Georgia’s democratic transition.
Vinocorn & Georgian Wine Finder
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