Samuel Agboọla is Vice President of Communications and Startups at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. In this role, he oversees online communications and strategy and works as a liaison between the SVLG’s startup and investment communities.

Samuel earned a BSc with Honors in Applied Physics, Microelectronics and Computing Kingston University in London, where outside his studies he steered his University Magazine to national recognition by winning a Guardian Newspaper Student Media Award. On graduation he began a career in media with Dennis Publishing and was part of the teams that produced the first British magazine carrying £1M of advertising and launched “Maxim”—a global publishing phenomena.

He was one of two people hired, from a field of over 400 applicants, to be relocated to work in Southern California with Creative Computers/PC Mall. Working with Sony, Nikon, Apple, Adobe and Microsoft on national marketing campaigns responsible for generating over $1M a week in revenue.

He then became Director of Marketing and Publicity for DHD media in Los Angeles where he developed relationships with national media outlets and oversaw feature articles, TV documentaries, and news stories produced by The New York Times, BBC, The Wall St, Journal, Forbes, HBO, PBS Frontline, Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, The Howard Stern Show and multiple other national and international outlets. He created and helped win a new category of Guinness World Record, and built and launched the first celebrity-to-consumer auction site.

Sam began his entrepreneurial career in Latvia, where he developed one of the first live consumer-to-consumer commerce and streaming platforms. He developed and consulted on advertising and marketing campaigns—in both digital and traditional media—in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Singapore, Hong Kong and Namibia.

Returning to entrepreneurship Sam launched his second startup in Sweden, with a remote team based in the US, Europe and Asia. It grew to serve thousands of customers worldwide and win the advertising of prominent multinationals including VISA.

When Sam isn’t working he enjoys building things with his hands, riding bikes (especially ones he’s built with his hands), rowing, reading, music and design.