Scott Belsky is, among other things, an idea man—a blessing that surely influenced his career and drove him to success. He is the co-founder and CEO of Behance, a leading online platform for sharing and discovering creative work online. Belsky’s vision was to create a platform that could organize the creative world in order to increase productivity for all parties: he believes that the greatest breakthroughs in any industry result from creative people and teams who are truly productive. Belsky co-founded the company in 2006 and served as CEO until 2012, when it was bought by Adobe.
Many of the companies in which he invests and advises function at the intersection of technology and the creative industry so that he can aid in empowering creative professionals. Belsky has invested in a number of successful companies, including Pinterest and Uber, as well as Poptip, Circa, and Everest. He also serves as advisor to Skillshare, Pinterest and others.
Belsky is also the author of a best-selling book, Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality (Portfolio, Penguin imprint, 2012), which helps the reader to bridge the gap between abstract ideas and concrete reality.
Before founding Behance, Belsky helped develop the Pine Street Leadership Development Initiative at Goldman, Sachs & Co., where his focus was on organizational improvement and client relationships. He attended Cornell University as an undergraduate and received his MBA from Harvard Business School.
Sector Focus:
Information Technology, Media, Creative Engineering
Selected Investment:
Pinterest
Uber
Warby Parker
Getable
Betable
BlackJet
Flud
Poptip
Circa
Everest
Boards:
Skillshare
Pinterest
Contently
Flud
Poptip
Circa
Expa
The Noun Project
Cornell University’s Entrepreneurship Program
Art Director’s Club
International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences
Expertise areas:
Product Development, Strategy, Business Planning, User Experience, Creative Markets, Organizational Development
Websites & Twitter:
Website
Twitter
Author/Book Page
Memorable Quotes:
On the life of an idea: “Most ideas are born and lost in isolation.”
“An idea can only become a reality once it is broken down into organized, actionable elements.”
On making the most of our strengths: “You can’t rely on others—especially your managers and clients—to engage your strengths. In an ideal world, managers would constantly be thinking about how to best utilize their people—and clients would always unearth your greatest potential. Unfortunately, the reality is that bosses and clients are as worried about their own careers as you are about your own. You must take the task of marketing your strengths into your own hands.”
On making an impact: “Today never feels like it will be history, but it will. And more likely than not, you will look back and realize that you should have known.”
On creativity: “Creativity is, quite simply, a genuine interest combined with initiative.”
On progress: “The inspiration to generate ideas comes easy, but the inspiration to take action is rare. Especially amidst heavy, burdensome projects with hundreds of Action Steps and milestones, it is emotionally invigorating to surround yourself with progress… Why throw away the evidence of your achievements when you can create an inspiring monument to get stuff done? As you successfully reach milestones in your projects, you should celebrate and surround yourself with these achievements.”
