fnGlobal Keynote & Roundtables with Thejo Kote (May 21, 2025)

Thejo Kote is a serial entrepreneur who has built and successfully exited two companies, Automatic and Airbase, for a combined total of $440M. His journey from an aspiring founder to a seasoned entrepreneur provides valuable insights into the complexities of scaling, securing funding, and building high-performing teams. In this session, Thejo will discuss the key lessons he learned while navigating the challenges of growing a hardware startup with Automatic, which was sold to SiriusXM for $115M, and later transitioning to enterprise software with Airbase, which was acquired by Paylocity for $325M.

He will share his experiences in developing a strategic approach to business growth, balancing financial discipline with bold decision-making, and shaping company culture to support long-term success. Thejo's insights into fundraising, market positioning, and leadership will provide attendees with actionable strategies to tackle the common pitfalls faced by early-stage founders. From overcoming operational hurdles to embracing intellectual honesty and adaptability, Thejo’s story serves as a playbook for entrepreneurs looking to build scalable and successful businesses.

Join us for an in-depth conversation where Thejo will offer practical advice, candid reflections, and strategic frameworks that can help founders at any stage of their entrepreneurial journey.

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

Thejo Kote is the Founder and former CEO of Airbase, a spend management platform designed for mid-market and enterprise companies. Prior to Airbase, Thejo co-founded Automatic, a connected car platform acquired by SiriusXM in 2017.

He also co-founded NextDrop, where he served as co-founder and advisor from 2009 to 2016. Earlier in his career, he was a senior engineer at Netcore Solutions and a software engineer at Infosys Technologies.

Thejo holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University (2000-2004). He later pursued a Master’s degree at University of California, Berkeley, in the School of Information (2009-2011), which provided him with the technical and analytical skills that have been instrumental in his successful career in the tech industry.

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.