Earlier this week, I took the opportunity to sit down and talk with someone that I was personally thrilled to interview: Gordon Whitten, CEO of Sojern, Inc.
Gordon is something of a serial entrepreneur. Originally from central Nebraska, he started founding companies when he was young and has continued to do so throughout his life, all while staying here in the Midwest. Although he started humbly, he quickly moved on to much bigger things.
Personally, I find Gordon’s story to be a particularly interesting one for a variety of reasons. For example, many people that stay up-to-date on startup news know about Intuit‘s recent acquisition of Mint.com. Well, Gordon knows a few things about what it’s like to start something that would later be acquired by Intuit, having done so himself with his company Income Dynamics and their product, It’s Deductible. It’s Deductible began life as a book, which was then adapted into a software package around 2002. Shortly after that, the company was sold to Intuit.
Since the Mint.com acquisition is still relatively fresh news, I asked him for his thoughts on the subject. One lesson that can be learned from his experience: you don’t have to be on one of the coasts to start a company that can get the attention of major players.
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Interestingly, Gordon seems to have shifted gears with his current company, Sojern, moving from personal finance to advertising. He was kind enough to describe what Sojern does in his own words. In addition to that, he told me a bit more about some of the other things he’s worked on, what’s coming up for himself and Sojern, and his advice for other entrepreneurs, both in Omaha and beyond.
I hope you enjoy hearing what he had to say as much as I did. If you want to hear more from him, check out Infotech 2010 in April, he’ll be one of the keynote speaker.
