A Closer Look At This Tech Mogul’s World
It’s Friday, it’s finally Friday! You know what that means — time to kick back, relax, and uncork that bottle of wine that’s been taunting you in the cabinet all week, if you’re anything like me.
Welcome to Feature Friday’s where we highlight one spectacular individual from the Entice community each week. These individuals will range from Entice team members to Entice influencers, to everyday users of the platform and their networks.
So without further ado let me introduce you all to Vernell Anthony! Vernell, or as his friends like to call him, “Vern”, is one of the founders of Entice and when I hopped on the phone with him, I was expecting someone cold, calculated, and stuffy. In my mind, founders of silicon valley tech companies are usually foreboding old white men seated in scary, high back chairs.
To my surprise, Vern was the exact opposite of what I pictured a tech founder to be. Even though I was the one interviewing him, he expressed genuine interest in me and the unique part I was playing in making Entice tangible for the masses. He allowed me to pick his brain, reminiscing fondly on his upbringing as an African American in the Bay Area, his college years in LA, and the time he spent overseas in Spain. With over six years of experience in tech sales and executive recruiting, Vern is a true master in his field. He’s worked for start up companies, Survey Monkey, The Collective Search, and now Entice. He is passionate about the area he lives in and its contribution to tech as a whole. As we laughed in between questions, something he said really stood out to me.
“A lot of people move to the Bay Area from the East Coast. But to be a native here…I kept looking across the bridge and seeing people coming for the tech scene. This is my backyard. I wanted a piece of that pie.”
The drive to remain in the Bay Area is what fuels Vern forward. That same drive is what allowed him to (incidentally) become friends with Jin Lee. And this is where his Entice story begins. According to Vern, “Jin turned out to be such a cool guy that we just made this friendship. And it was so funny.” After about a year of going back and forth, Jin brought the idea of Entice to Vern which he said was “genius.” And the rest is history. Currently, Vern is excited for Entice to continue growing and in five years hopes that “this is the one and only platform that people flock to.”
Towards the end of our interview, Vern opened up about his interests which included travel, music, and plant based living. I dug a little deeper into his music interests and found that he is currently listening to Snoh Aalegra and claims that she is an “absolute treat.” Not only is Vern a listener of music but he is also a creator. He just recently came out with a cover of Somewhere Only We Know by Keane, and to be honest I listen to alot of music from a lot of different people. I have too way too many starving artist friends that it’s sad. But that’s just between you and me. Anyways! I expected Vern’s music to be subpar. BUT I WAS WRONG! Please go check it out because wow. Just wow. Not only is this man technologically talented but musically as well.
Check out his cover below!
The one question that did have Vern stumped was when I asked who his role models were — he couldn’t think of one! But we will extend grace because if I was one of the founders of Entice, I’m sure I would be far too busy (sitting in my fancy high back chair) to think about such things. We talked for a few minutes after the interview was over before parting ways with a laugh and well wishes. I was so relieved that Vernell Anthony wasn’t the man I expected him to be. The lesson for today is: don’t judge a book by its cover, kids.
Rapid-Fire Questions: Halloween Edition
- Favorite scary movie and why?
“Hocus Pocus. Because it’s hilarious and it always brings back feelings of nostalgia.”
- Are you afraid of anything?
“Ya…I’m still a little afraid of the dark. You won’t see me in anyone’s basement.”
- Will you be dressing up for Halloween this year?
“ONLY because of my younger nieces and nephews. I feel like the spice has run out for me. I don’t know what I’m going to be…anything that Amazon can overnight.”
Be on the lookout for the next issue of Entice Feature Friday’s and follow us on socials to stay enticed! Stay spooky!
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