Ryan Holmes

A serial entrepreneur, Ryan Holmes started his first business in high school, ultimately opening a string of ventures—from a pizza restaurant to a digital media agency—before starting Hootsuite in 2008. As founder and now a board member, he has helped grow Hootsuite into the world’s most widely used social relationship platform, with 18 million-plus users, including more than 800 of the Fortune 1000 companies.

A supporter of socially conscious ventures, Holmes is proud to have steered Hootsuite to B-Corp status. In addition, his charity, League of Innovators, offers online and in-person programs for the next generation of entrepreneurs. He also recently launched LOI Venture (loi.vc), a $20m seed-staged fund focused on backing the smartest founders under 30.

Holmes is an active angel investor and advisor whose Maple Syrup Mafia syndicate is dedicated to accelerating Canadian startups. A future enthusiast and the inventor of a low-cost standing desk, he’s a tech optimist at heart — always looking for better ways to solve problems using technology.

Holmes is the author of "Saving Social: The Dysfunctional Past and Promising Future of Social Media," as well as the Amazon-best-selling guide to social media for leaders, "The $4 Billion Tweet." He shares his insights in Forbes, Fast Company and Inc. and ranks as a global influencer on LinkedIn and Facebook.