By Malinda Inthirath

Adam Wexler decided he wanted to pursue a degree in real estate and follow the path of his parents. It wasn’t until he began his certificate programs in leadership and music business that he realized there were other possibilities. Now with three startups under his belt, Adam is leaving his mark on the startup scene in Atlanta.

Paving His Own Path

Adam graduated from the University of Georgia in 2007 with a degree in Real Estate and certificates in Personal and Organizational Leadership and Music Business. His initial thought was that he could follow his parents in real estate and leverage their connections. UGA’s real estate program was also ranked No.2 in the nation which was a big draw. But it wasn’t through his real estate major where he discovered his passion for entrepreneurship, it was through his certificate programs. Through leadership and music business, he realized that his greatest strengths were not crunching numbers, but rather thinking outside the box. With this realization he decided he wanted to be an entrepreneur and started his first official company, GoRankem, during the spring semester of his senior year.

“Once I started working on my first entrepreneurial venture, I knew I wanted to be in an early stage, fast-paced environment. Commercial real estate was not going to lend itself well to that as you typically start out as an analyst and have to work your way up. I wanted to be able to make a difference early on, so I had to pave my own path. ”

After completing his music business certificate during his senior year, he became infatuated with the new music technologies that were emerging like Pandora and Shazam. That’s when he started working on his first start up, GoRankem, during his fifth fall. GoRankem was the Wikipedia for music discovery, crowdsourcing the opinions of each artist’s fans to ensure that music was tailored to interests instead of what was most popular. At this time, he also started applying to work at some music technology companies, but abandoned those pursuits to focus on his startup.

“While I do believe I could have benefited from experiencing another workplace environment right out of school, I thought there was no time to spare on getting GoRankem out to market.”

The Entrepreneurial Bug

By the time he graduated he had already started his first start up, crowdfunded it and was ready to do more. He worked on GoRankem for four years before deciding to move onto his next venture, Insightpool.

“All three ventures have started with noticing problems in need of solutions. It comes down to being exposed to a wide variety of experiences and settings. Always be observant. Always be asking questions. Just because it’s been one way, does not mean it has to be that way forever.”

Insightpool is a social insights and optimization platform that allows companies to identify and connect with their target audience online. Brands such as Coca-Cola, the Hawks, Cox Communications and NBC Universal have used Insightpool in their social strategy. Adam worked on that project for three years before deciding to move on and focus on his current startup, SidePrize.

Noticing the issue with buy-ins for fantasy leagues and the rise of daily fantasy sports, Adam co-founded SidePrize. SidePrize bridges the gap between traditional fantasy sports and daily fantasy sports, partnering with platforms and leagues to bring additional game types, real-money contests and fast payments. He was determined to bring his latest idea to the same success as his previous ventures. The only problem was that he wasn’t getting paid to create it from scratch. With the work he accomplished in the social space, he attracted the CEO of the Atlanta Hawks, who asked him to consult on their social media and digital strategy. This allowed him to make extra income and go full-time with SidePrize.

Creating a startup is no joke. It requires dedication, hard-work and many endless nights; Adam was no rookie to that. SidePrize is now two years old and still growing.

Some Advice for You

If there is anything he could have done differently as an undergrad, he says it would have been to take an HTML course. Learning to write code, even at a basic level, is valuable and can make a difference in the pursuit of internships and full-time positions. It can even make a difference in salary amounts.

Adam also encourages working for a startup post-graduation. There’s a lot to learn from a startup, while also getting hands-on experience and being able to grow with the company.

“There will never be a better time in your life to work at a startup than when you’re fresh out of school. You’ll be exposed to so many aspects of running a business that it will grow you wise beyond your years overnight. You can always pursue the corporate path at a later date when you need stability and a larger income. Startups are an exhilarating ride and offer a different type of ‘grad school’.”

Adam has been recognized as one of the Top 40 Digital Strategists by the Online Marketing Institute, an InsideSales Top Sales Expert and a Finalist for Up-and-Coming Entrepreneur of the Year by TIECON Southeast. He has been the founder and CEO of several startups in Atlanta and was previously a digital and social media consultant for the Atlanta Hawks. He is currently the CEO of SidePrize. See more from Adam through his Twitter.

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