Ross McConnell talks about building a global influencer network at LaunchPad Fireside Chat, Friday, December 7

Ross McConnell

Join Ross McConnell, co-founder and CEO of Blinder, for a Fireside Chat at the Blackstone LaunchPad on Friday, December 7 at 3 pm.  Fireside Chats are in-depth intimate conversations with top entrepreneurs and Syracuse student founders that dive deep into the startup landscape. They are also open to the community.  McConnell’s topics will be his journey as a New Zealand entrepreneur who built Blinder, a call scheduling and recording platform that high-profile teams use to promote and protect their talent. The system is used by Olympic champions, Grammy winners and teams from the NCAA to the Premier League of English football. McConnell will be sharing tips on customer acquisition, and secrets that every entrepreneur wants to know — how to connect with influencers.

McConnell is a New Zealander (or “Kiwi”) by birth and by choice, with an undergraduate degree in Engineering from the University of Canterbury in NZ and an MBA from UC Berkeley.  Ross started his global entrepreneurial journey in 1999, when he left the employment of New Zealand’s largest company and went to the United Kingdom on his “OE” (overseas experience).  He is now based in New Zealand with his wife Hollie and their three sons, but continues to indulge his passion for OE by driving Blinder’s international growth.

Blinder is a call scheduling and recording platform that teams use to promote and protect their talent. Using Blinder, PR managers can schedule calls, which their athletes/coaches/executives can receive on their personal mobiles without sharing any personal contact details. And PR managers can record or join any call.

Because privacy and time are respected, and the accuracy of conversations is preserved, Blinder brings all-new levels of professionalism to media engagements. It also unlocks a world of ‘golden ticket’ possibilities for sponsors and fans. And the system removes the grind of call arrangements for PR managers by automatically sending call notifications and reminders, capturing recordings, and keeping a record of everything.

Blinder could is easy for talent, who simply receive a call at an agreed time from a number they trust. That’s one of the key reasons the system is used by Olympic champions, Grammy winners and teams from the NCAA to the Premier League of English football.

You can see how Blinder works here, and hear from some of those using the system here.  Or better yet, come meet McConnell, and learn the art of building a venture powered by a global influencer network.