Eric Ries

Eric Ries is a senior advisor at Upstock and the CEO and founder of Sovolve. Eric has also worked as the director of internet strategy at Tony Knowles for US Senate.

Ries has been involved in the technology industry for over two decades. Eric programmed the original website for Couchsurfing, writing nearly a million lines of code. Eric also launched one of the world’s most expansive ambassador programs, mobilizing thousands of people across the world to spread the Couchsurfing ethos in their communities. As a result of the site’s traction and cultural relevance, “couchsurfing” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2008.

Ries has used their experience in the technology industry to build Upstock, a company that is dedicated to activating people’s positive potential. Eric has raised over $2.1 million and led a team of dozens of dedicated workers to test their hypotheses in real-world conditions.