Vishen Lakhiani CEO/Founder, Mindvalley
Vishen Lakhiani is the co-founder of Mindvalley — a ground-breaking company comprised of innovators, artists, technologist and dreamers from over 30 countries around the world. Founded in 2003, Vishen’s vision for Mindvalley was to build a company whose mission was to bring enlightenment and personal growth to the world in a scalable way using a hybrid of marketing and technology. Vishen works with authors, thinkers, authors and leaders who have pioneered new ways of doing traditional things: parenting, entrepreneurship, spiritual growth, self-development and more. Mindvalley’s team of programmers and marketers then work to build the systems to take these ideas mainstream. His goal was to bring his own passion of personal growth to the masses in hopes of creating a better world. The result is a new kind of publishing company; one that merges software, mixed media, video, mobile apps and social networks to put authors in the personal development movement in front of the internet generation while bypassing traditional media like printed books. Something special happens when you’re interacting with so many thought leaders, philosophers and business and personal development coaches. Their ideas tend to seep into your business and Mindvalley over the last few years has become a testing-ground of sorts for new and experimental ways of entrepreneurship and business. What happens when employees share in profits? Or are given an hour a day to spend on personal growth? What if company meetings are banned and replaced with “Awesomeness Reports”? The results have been a runaway success. Mindvalley has made it into the WorldBlu List of Most Democratic Workplaces for four consecutive years and is considered one of the top places in the world to work. It attracts people from some 30 countries and employees are put through a growth and learning process that is being duplicated by companies worldwide. Vishen is a highly sought speaker and consultant in the art of attracting top talent, growing employees and creating healthy work culture. This culture has now evolved into a string of companies. Mindvalley Technology, formed in 2011 has fast become one of the hottest tech incubators in Asia. In 2011, it spun off Dealmates.com, which now jousts with Groupon as the #1 or #2 social commerce site in Malaysia. In 2010 Intel Capital Ventures invested $2 million for a minority stake in Dealmates. Now in 2012, Vishen has started hiring many of the regions top programmers and Mindvalley is currently spinning off 4 different technology ventures. Vishen’s practice of turning employees into entrepreneurs has also become a success. In the last year alone employees have spun off Mindvalley Italy, India, Russia, Poland and a string of companies ranging from a publishing business in Argentina, to tech ventures across Asia. Now 2012, there is a Mindvalley business launching somewhere on the planet every four weeks. More recently, Vishen started a not-for-profit cause called Awesomeness Fest, an annual invite-only gathering of entrepreneurs in paradise locations like Hawaii or Costa Rica where entrepreneurs come together to speak, network, connect and share ideas on personal growth and contribution. All proceeds are donated to charitable causes. Awesomeness Fest is fast gaining momentum and turning into an international event with 2013 festivals planned in the Caribbean and South East Asia. As a highly successful entrepreneur, there is some method to his madness, making him one of the most sought after speakers in the world of internet business building and company culture. He’s shared the stage with Tony Robbins, Sir Richard Branson, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Noble Prize winner and former State President of South Africa, F. W. de Klerk, Stephen Covey and other luminaries. Vishen is driven by a desire to change the way business is run. Beyond being an advocate for Happiness in the Workplace and a focus on employee development, Vishen’s goal is to give away 1 billion dollars to social causes across the planet via the Mindvalley Foundation by the year 2050.