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Guy Kawasaki

Chief Evangelist at Canva, Former Brand Ambassador for Mercedes-Benz, Former Chief Evangelist at Apple

Guy Kawasaki is an innovation keynote speaker, social media expert, chief evangelist of Canva, and the bestselling author of The Art of the Start. His engaging talks are packed with insights drawn from his experience in the tech industry, showing audiences how to create innovative products and services using practical techniques. Some of Guy’s clients include Fortune 1000 companies and strategic clients like S&P Global.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1954, Guy grew up in the tough Kalihi Valley neighborhood. His parents, although not wealthy, made numerous sacrifices to provide for their family. His mother was a housewife, and his father worked as a fireman, real estate broker, state senator, and government official, having a long and distinguished career. Guy attended Iolani School, where he received a formative education and credits Harold Keables, his AP English teacher, for sparking his passion for writing. Guy’s career as an author, with thirteen books to his name, would have delighted his teacher, who emphasized the importance of editing.

After graduating from Iolani in 1972, Guy went on to Stanford, where he graduated in 1976 with a major in psychology. He initially pursued law at U.C. Davis at his parents’ insistence but left after just a week. The following year, he enrolled in the MBA program at UCLA, which he found more aligned with his interests. His first real job was with Nova Stylings, a fine-jewelry manufacturer, where he learned the vital skill of sales.

Guy’s big break came when he joined Apple, thanks to his Stanford roommate Mike Boich. At Apple, he evangelized the Macintosh and played a key role in its success. During this time, Guy met his wife, and he credits Apple as a pivotal point in his life. After leaving Apple in 1987, Guy started a Macintosh database company called ACIUS, which produced the product 4th Dimension. He later transitioned to writing, speaking, and consulting, contributing to MacUser, Macworld, and Forbes.

In 1989, Guy co-founded Fog City Software, which created an email product called Emailer and a list server product called LetterRip. By 1995, Guy returned to Apple as an Apple Fellow, during a time when many pundits believed the company was on the brink of collapse. His mission was to maintain and rejuvenate the Macintosh cult. In 1997, he left Apple to start Garage.com, a service connecting angel investors with entrepreneurs. Today, Garage Technology Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage tech companies.

Guy continued his entrepreneurial ventures, co-founding Alltop, a website that aggregates RSS feeds and organizes them by topic. He also served as a special advisor to the CEO of Google’s Motorola division in 2013. In 2014, he resurrected the role of "chief evangelist" and joined Canva, an online graphic-design service. At Canva, Guy’s goal is to democratize design, making it accessible for everyone to create graphics for social media, posters, business cards, and more.

In 2015, Guy was appointed to the board of trustees for the Wikimedia Foundation to help democratize knowledge. That same year, he was named a brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz USA. He has also been recognized for his contributions to technology and innovation, including his role in helping to democratize computers, design, and knowledge.
Guy Kawasaki



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