Austen Mulinder had a highly successful corporate career, holding several leadership positions at some of the world’s most respected companies. But as soon as his youngest went to college, Austen decided the time was right to take the leap and pursue his lifelong dream of becoming an entrepreneur

Not many people would have thought the same way in his position. At the time he was a Corporate Vice President at Microsoft, and he headed the company’s global sales operation. Not only would he be leaving a highly prestigious organisation, he would also be putting everything on the line in terms of his personal performance and financial risk.

And that’s just what he did. In 2007, Austen used his past experience in retail technology, software development and sales management to serve as a founding board member, President and CEO of Ziosk, a tablet that allows diners at casual dining restaurants to order directly from their tables.

Today, Ziosk is the leading restaurant customer tablet provider in the world and processes more than $8 billion in transactions. Join us to hear how Austen became a highly successful serial entrepreneur, and what he believes anyone can do to achieve success.

About our guest:

Austen Mulinder is a serial entrepreneur and former CEO of Ziosk, the world’s leading restaurant customer table-top tablet. He is also the chairman and co-founder of 501 Fun, the global leader in social entertainment systems, as well as the chairman of Forrit, a next-generation enterprise Content Management System.

He currently serves as chairman and co-founder of two additional companies, Matilda Cloud Solutions, based in Dallas, and Iiwari, based in Finland. Austen also spends a great deal of time advising and coaching up-and-coming business leaders.

501 Fun, headquartered in London - www.501fun.com

Forrit, headquartered in Edinburgh - www.forrit.com

Matilda Cloud Solutions, headquartered in Dallas - www.matildacloud.com

Iiwari, headquartered in Finland - www.iiwari.com

Ziosk, headquartered in Dallas - www.ziosk.com

About NBN:

The NBN Entrepreneurship and Leadership podcast aims to educate, inform and entertain, sharing insights based on the personal stories of carefully selected guests—all in an informal atmosphere of unscripted conversations and open, personal accounts.

Find links to past episodes here.

About our Hosts:

Kimon Fountoukidis:

Kimon is the founder of both Argos Multilingual and PMR.

He founded both companies in the mid-90s with zero capital, and both have gone on to become market leaders in their respective sectors.

Kimon was born in New York and moved to Krakow, Poland in 1993. He is passionate about sharing his success with others and working entrepreneurs of all kinds to help them achieve their goals. Listen to his story here. On Twitter. On LinkedIn.

Richard Lucas:

Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who has founded or invested in more than 30 businesses, including Argos Multilingual, PMR and, in 2020, the New Books Network.

Richard has been a TEDx event organiser for years, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels. He was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991, where continues to invest in promising companies and helps other entrepreneurs realise their dreams.

Listen to his story in an autobiographical TEDx talk. On Twitter. On LinkedIn.