fnGlobal Keynote & Roundtables with Jeff Ready (January 15, 2026)

Across three decades and multiple companies, the founder’s journey is rarely linear, and Jeff Ready’s career proves it. From navigating the dot com collapse to early-stage exits, and ultimately building Scale Computing into a global competitor that reached $100 million in revenue before its exit, his story offers rare insight into the decisions founders face when markets shift, products evolve, and timing determines success.

In this session, Jeff will share how he learned when to persist and when a fresh start can accelerate growth. He will explore the challenges and opportunities of serving mid-market customers, how long-term journeys shape brand perception, and the ways market timing shapes strategic outcomes. He will also reflect on the realities of leading as a marketing and product-driven CEO in the earliest stages and how those instincts influenced every company he built.

For founders, this session is a window into the real decision-making behind growth, pivots, exits, and staying power. Jeff’s experience is proof that resilience, strategic timing, and a willingness to rethink your path often make the difference between stagnation and breakthrough.

Opening Remarks @ 9:30am PT

Join us for opening remarks with Dina Wagner, Head of Member Success at Founders Network, to get the latest updates from the Network and opportunities for getting involved.

Keynote Speaker @ 9:40am PT

Jeff Ready is a repeat founder and longtime CEO who has spent more than twenty five years creating and scaling technology companies. He began his career launching one of the earliest internet service providers in the Midwest before founding Radiate, one of the first online advertising platforms. His next company, Corvigo, pioneered AI based anti spam technology and was acquired after raising funding from Sequoia Capital.

Jeff later founded Scale Computing and led the company from four people to more than two hundred employees and one hundred million in revenue. Scale became a leading alternative to VMware before its acquisition in 2024. Jeff is known for his product intuition, marketing driven leadership style, and ability to guide companies through long market cycles and complex strategic decisions.

He is a frequent speaker on entrepreneurship and has presented frameworks on fundraising, company building, and the founder mindset to audiences ranging from universities to industry conferences. Jeff holds a degree in computer science from Rose Hulman Institute of Technology.

Stage-Based Roundtables @ 10:30am PT

Community Partners:

Jeff Erickson

Jeff leads the Partnerships Team at Forecastr — a leading FP&A software company that helps startups create kick-butt financial models to impress investors, confidently raise capital, and effectively run their businesses better.

Jeff serves on the advisory boards of several startup companies and is an active angel investor. He's passionate about startups and enjoys working with founders and mentoring entrepreneurs.

Jeff is an experienced entrepreneur and was the founder and CEO of a successful consumer goods company that he rapidly grew from $1M in sales its first year to over $40M in annual revenue in its fourth year of operations and was ranked #138 on the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing companies.

Prior to founding his own company, Jeff was a partner at Beanstalk Partners where he led the sales and business development activities. He also served as the National Sales Director for a venture-backed tech startup where he generated over $45M in client contracts and developed the company’s channel partner program.

Jeff has a degree in accounting and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Utah. After receiving his MBA in Finance from the University of Utah he served as the Vice President of Investments for Sentry Financial Corporation.

Blake Caldwell

Blake Caldwell is the CEO & Founder of FoundersBoost. He has 350 alumni, 100 new startups a year, 8k newsletter readers. He's driven by his passions to create and build community. He's also the founder of 2332 Collective (music production & festivals with the goal of bringing music to West LA) & The MoGuard (consumer product cup attachment protecting glorious mustaches).

FoundersBoost is a free pre-seed & seed stage mentorship driven pre-accelerator helping promising tech-startups with accelerators, investment, and revenue.

Guests Are Welcome!

Please bring a guest! Every member can bring one (1) guest to each event. Each guest must be a full-time tech startup founder so they can bring new perspectives, skillsets, and experience to your chapter.

All guests must be full-time tech startup founders and you can register them directly on this function page. See How to Register a Guest here.

Confidentiality Policy:

All information shared within Founders Network is strictly confidential. We are built on a foundation of trust, and the community takes confidentiality seriously. Investors, members, and staff all share experiences and opinions off the record. In this roundtable forum, we continue to model our fnValues of Reciprocity, Humility, Authenticity and Inclusivity.