Startup Cafe: Steve Martocci
☕️Startup Cafe: Serial Founder |
GroupMe ($85M Exit), Splice ($500M Val), Blade (IPO)
As part of Jeffrey Chernick’s book interview series, join us for an exclusive breakfast with Steve Martocci, serial founder and product visionary behind GroupMe, Splice, and Blade.
Steve sold GroupMe to Skype for $85 million just one year after launch. He then co-founded Splice, the music creation platform that raised over $150 million and reached a $500M+ valuation. He also helped launch Blade, the urban air mobility platform that went public in 2021.
Today, Steve is building SuppCo, a consumer health platform transforming how people navigate the $200B supplement industry, bringing greater transparency, trust, and personalization to wellness through curated product discovery and expert guidance.
Come for breakfast, stay for the disruption.
Agenda
8:45 - 9:45 am • Coffee and Socialize
9:45 - 10:30 am • Scheduled Experience
October 1st, 2025
GUEST: Steve Martocci
Steve Martocci is a founder and product builder known for creating culture-shaping companies that sit at the edge of tech, creativity, and consumer behavior. From messaging to music, mobility to health, his ventures are defined by timing, taste, and world-class execution.
He’s best known for co-founding GroupMe, the messaging app acquired by Skype; Splice, the cloud-based music platform used by millions of creators; and Blade, the aviation startup bringing on-demand air travel to major cities.
Beyond the headline exits and valuations, Steve’s reputation stems from his ability to build sticky consumer experiences, attract elite technical talent, and spot what’s next — often before others do. He’s a quiet architect behind some of the most influential products of the past decade, and now brings that instinct to SuppCo, his newest venture in health and wellness.
HOST: JEFFREY CHERNICK
Jeffrey Chernick is a former Wall Street wealth manager and a three-time founder, advisor, and angel investor. He has been featured by more than thirty media outlets including TechCrunch, Forbes, and the LA Times. His company, RideAmigos, is the leading commuter management platform, taking millions of cars off the road annually. With over 20 million downloads, his visual caller ID app, Vyng, boasts 5 billion videos played across 170 countries (acquired by Siprocal).
Jeffrey is an inventor of twenty-one US patents, a three-time Emory Goizueta Business School alumni luminary, and a guest lecturer at Pepperdine University’s Entrepreneurship MBA program. In his spare time, Jeffrey DJs around the world with neon drum sticks.
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ABOUT The KINN
The KINN is a membership network, accelerator, and collaborative workspace for conscious entrepreneurs, based in Venice, CA. Running tailored inner development and business accelerator programs for startups, providing executive coaching, accountability, and access to a top-tier LA-based community of entrepreneurs, creatives, intrapreneurs, and investors. If you're interested in learning more about KINN Membership, please visit http://thekinn.co/apply
About Startup Coil
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About Nerds of LA
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Operating Incubators with Reuben Vollmer
Malibu Love Affair with Brigitte Londo
Live Through Love with Ruben Rojas
Finding Stillness with Henry Mitchell
Smarter with Science! with Science Stanley and Zen Zachary
The Science of Charisma: The 7 Secrets of Public Speaking with Richard Greene
Unveiling the Human Experience with Paul Vincent
Note: By attending this event, I hereby give my permission to the Horizon House LLC, their Releases, and to the photographer, my free and unlimited consent and permission to publish/broadcast, republish/rebroadcast or exhibit in the furtherance of their work, with or without identification of me by name, any photographs, videos or audios of myself, that have been obtained from my participation in KINN or Horizon Studio activities. I furthermore waive any and all claims for any compensation by reason thereof or for damages for reasons thereof.
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