Two Exits Before 20: What This Young Founder Knows About Building, Leading & Letting Go

In this episode of Founder2Founder, Aaron Spivak is joined by Austin Copeland—a 21-year-old founder who’s already built and sold two companies, including COMPREADY, acquired by CosmicWire. From founding a nonprofit at 13 that delivered over 13,000 shoes to kids in Africa, to managing a 25-person team at global esports giant TSM, Austin’s journey is driven by one mission: improving people’s lives.

He unpacks how he went from gaming enthusiast to building an analytics model that led to six-figure player buyouts, what it takes to stay true to yourself in high-pressure environments, and why being surrounded by the right people can accelerate everything. Now overseeing COMPREADY under CosmicWire, Austin is focused on optimizing computer performance at scale—all while continuing to grow into the entrepreneur he was built to be.

Chapters:

02:24 – A Childhood Immersed in Business
03:40 – First Taste of Entrepreneurship: Beachside Hustles
04:51 – Flipping Burgers at 13: Real-World Lessons
06:03 – Rejecting the “Right Path” and Going His Own Way
07:51 – Selling His First Business at 19
08:03 – Gaming as Passion and Profit
09:29 – Building a Data-Driven Talent Engine
11:30 – COVID’s Influence and Seizing Opportunity
13:28 – The First Exit: Acquired at 16
14:17 – Earning $80K and Managing 25 People
15:43 – The Spark Behind COMPREADY
17:19 – Leaving a Safe Role to Build Again
18:46 – Sacrifice and Identity in the Startup Grind
20:22 – Going All In at 18
22:35 – Choosing College Amid Success
24:37 – The Moment He Knew It Was Real
25:50 – Exit #2: COMPREADY Acquired by CosmicWire
27:03 – Leadership Mistakes and Learning the Hard Way
28:40 – Not Everyone Has Your Fire
30:13 – Making Decisions Through Noise
31:27 – Becoming Unapologetically Himself
33:46 – Vision for 30 and Long-Term Fulfillment
35:45 – The Mentors Who Changed the Game
38:41 – “It’s OK”: How Reassurance Moves Founders Forward
42:44 – Experience Over Theory, Every Time
45:50 – Giving First and Building Reputation
47:11 – Manifesting the Jet and What It Represents
50:59 – Freedom, Frustration, and Fuel
52:04 – You’re Only Out When You’re Dead
54:25 – Don’t Judge What You Haven’t Tried
56:39 – Volunteering to Learn and Grow
58:22 – Advice to His 15-Year-Old Self
1:03:29 – Life in Reverse: Start From the End
1:04:49 – Your Environment Won’t Always Grow With You
1:06:28 – The Power of Being Good Energy

Guest Links:
Website: https://compready.gg/
LinkedIn: Austin Copeland

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FERMÀT: The AI native commerce platform that optimizes shopping experiences, leading to best-in-class shopper engagement and conversion. FermatCommerce.com 

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