speaker photo

Harper Reed (he/him)

Computer operator, Harper Rules LLC

Harper Reed is a technologist that predicts the future for a living. He spends most of his life building big things, hacking things, and talking about doing both of those things. As CTO of the Obama 2012 campaign, Harper was the first to bring the tech mentality to a political level. He believes the talent of a great bunch of humans can transform an organization like nothing else and uses that belief to strengthen, deploy, and inspire every team he works with. Harper also believes his incredible luck has led him to achieve wonderful things like pioneering crowdsourcing at Threadless.com, founding Modest Inc, and guiding the software team at PayPal. His most recent venture was General Galactic Corporation, which he shut down in 2023. You can find Harper hacking on personal projects and enjoying life in Chicago with his partner, Hiromi and their beautiful and bizarre poodle, Lulu.

Sessions

Startupfest

Mentor Roundtables: Let's Solve Your Problems

Every startup must master a range of skills, from hiring and selling, to delivering products, to crafting superb communications that compel and entice. See More.
Startupfest

Mentor Roundtables: Taboo Topics (back by popular demand!)

There's no such thing as a stupid question—but there are plenty of questions nobody asks, because they're taboo. See More.