​Most startup talks focus on the highlight reel: the wins, the exits, the tidy story that looks obvious in hindsight. This is not that session.

​In this fireside chat, we sit down with Jud Bowman, a multi-time founder with multiple successful exits and someone known for being refreshingly honest about the real founder journey. Jud doesn’t sugarcoat anything; he talks openly about the mistakes, the bad calls, the lucky breaks, and the chaos that comes with building something from nothing.

​We’ll dig into:

• ​The difference between a good decision with a bad outcome vs. a truly bad decision

• ​The early product and design choices that haunted him, and the ones he’d absolutely make again

• ​How company #3 was built differently from company #1 because of what he learned the hard way

• ​When to trust intuition over data, and how great founders know the difference

• ​Why founders fail when they act outside their stage, and how to stay focused on the right risks at the right time

• ​How to survive the emotional rollercoaster, and why resilience matters more than any playbook

​This isn’t a session about perfection. It’s a session about truth: the real founder journey, told by someone who has the scars, the stories, and the successes to prove it.

​Speaker

​Jud Bowman

​Jud Bowman is a serial entrepreneur who has founded three companies: Motricity, Appia, and Sift Media. He launched Motricity as a high school senior and helped grow it to $100M+ in revenue, 500 employees, and a $50M IPO. His second company, Appia, raised $30M from top-tier investors and became a leading mobile user acquisition network before being acquired for ~$100M. In 2015, he founded Sift Media, an AI-driven mobile advertising platform that processes 50B+ daily ad requests and has earned recognition on Deloitte’s Fast 500 and the Inc. 5000. Jud also serves on the Research Triangle Foundation board and as a Trustee of the NC Symphony.

​Location

​Fullsteam ATC

​320 Blackwell St #101, Durham, NC 27701

​Parking

​Free parking is available at the American Tobacco Campus North Deck, courtesy of CBC Real Estate.

• ​Map to: 305 W Pettigrew St, Durham, NC 27701

• ​Use the 2nd floor and above. (Please do not park on first floor.)

​QUESTIONS?

​This session is part of Raleigh-Durham Startup Week. Click here to learn more about the event, plus get answers to your FAQs.

​TRACK SUPPORTER

​Thank you to Pendo for supporting the Product & Design Track at #RDSW26!