Kyle Kesterson

Growing up, Kyle and his family hit the lowest of lows moving in and out of homeless shelters and standing in line at food and clothing banks. It led to frequently moving, attending 14 different schools, becoming one of the worst kids in the school district and finally dropping out after being told by teachers that he'll "most likely end up flipping burgers, in jail, or dead."

Discovering art and creative expression saved his life and put him on a path towards carving his own path and ultimately creating positive impact around him.

Most of Kyle's work is focused around youth, poverty, creativity, community, storytelling, and entrepreneurship. He is the Founder and Chief Freak of Freak'n Genius, Co-Founder of NVRTMRW, is a 2x TechStars alum, Startup Weekend Global Facilitator, and was the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Haiku Deck.

Kyle has spoken at TEDxSeattle, Ignite, Steve Jobs legacy conference - DENT the Future, Spark Bootcamp, INSP Global Summit, and Consero's Startup Acceleration Forum. He coaches and mentors youth and early stage founders through Startup NEXT, TechStars, Startup Weekend, StudentRND, Girls Who Code, and YouthCare. He also volunteers with Union Gospel Mission's homeless Search and Rescue.

He expresses himself creatively as an artist, illustrator, storyteller, photographer, vlogger, designer, and toy developer. Kyle is an active member of the World Economic Forum's Global Shaper initiative in Seattle, Young Entrepreneur Council, Young Entrepreneur Social, and 1000 Network - all global communities of 'Young Change-Makers'.

Follow his adventures on Instagram at @KyleKesterson