Adam Mendler on Being a Portfolio CEO and the Fulfillment of Mentoring

Adam Mendler is the Chief Executive Officer of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries: Beverly Hills Chairs, a leading office furniture e-tailer; Custom Tobacco, a one-of-a-kind cigar customization e-commerce platform; and Veloz Solutions, a technology consulting and software development practice. Adam remains active in each portfolio company, providing strategic guidance and support. Adam also provides business thought leadership as a speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations; as the host of the leadership and personal / professional development podcast Thirty Minute Mentors; as an expert regularly cited in national media outlets; and as an advisor, consultant, coach and board member.

Adam utilizes his professional, entrepreneurial and managerial background developed through a unique set of experiences. Adam created both the Lessons in Leadership series in Thrive Global and the Thirty Minute Mentors podcast, where he regularly elicits insights from America's top leaders. Adam has conducted over 300 one on one interviews with leading CEOs, founders, athletes, celebrities, influencers and generals / admirals. Adam has also written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and The Huffington Post. Adam has worked for D.E. Shaw & Co., then the largest hedge fund in the world, and for Credit Suisse; for the strategic planning groups at William Morris Endeavor and Universal Pictures; at TWC Sports Management, a leading sports agency; and on a successful presidential primary campaign. Adam has served as the Executive Producer of Virtually Israel; as a Strategic Partner and Advisor to Here Media; and as a consultant to the LAUSD. Adam is an advisor to the accelerator Fusion LA and to several early-stage companies.

Adam graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Southern California, earning a B.S. in Business Administration and a B.A. in Political Science, and earned an M.B.A. from the UCLA Anderson School of Management, where he received the UCLA Anderson Fellowship Award. Adam serves as Chairman Emeritus of the USC Alumni Entrepreneurs Network; on boards for the USC Alumni Association and the UCLA Master of Applied Statistics program; and as a founding member of the UCLA Anderson CEO Forum. A Los Angeles native and lifelong Angels fan, Adam loves sports, classic movies and TV, politics, physical fitness and backgammon.