The PayPal Mafia refers to a group of former PayPal employees and founders who went on to create and invest in highly successful technology companies after the corporation was acquired by eBay in 2002. Notable members are Elon Musk, co-founder of Tesla; Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal; and Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn. This group played a significant role in shaping Silicon Valley by fostering a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation.
Here in Charlotte, there’s a “Passport Mafia” now influencing the city's startup ecosystem.
Founded in 2010, Passport provided employees with firsthand experience in the realities of building a business. “Those who were part of Passport’s early years had a front-row seat to the reality of building a company, learning that it’s hard but possible,” co-founder Bob Youakim shared with the Charlotte Business Journal.
Now, a network of former Passport employees has kickstarted more than a dozen startups in the Queen City, proving how a company’s culture and challenges can spark big innovation. These Charlotte-based companies cover industries from software to education and reflect the entrepreneurial mindset built at Passport.
Charlotte ranks ninth among top metros by net tech employment job gains, according to the Computing Technology Industry Association’s State of the Tech Workforce 2024 report.
We speak to the CEO of Passport, along with the CEO of StreetFair, who is a Passport alum. We'll get their insight on Charlotte’s tech entrepreneurship ecosystem with a journalist covering tech innovation from the Carolina Business Journal, and find out if Charlotte is an under-the-radar, yet growing, tech city.
GUESTS
Khristian Gutierrez, CEO and co-founder, Passport Inc.
Teddy Fitzgibbons, CEO and co-founder, StreetFair
Symone Graham, staff writer, Charlotte Business Journal
