A Q&A with the New York Global Shapers Hub
What’s your name?
The name’s Ben Cole. It’s nice to meet you!
Which hub are you from?
New York
What brings you to New York?
I’m a New York native, so it’s not surprising that I ended up here as an adult, though I actually spent much of the last several years abroad. I decided to come back to New York because it’s one of the few places in the world that I feel like I can travel without leaving.
What are you working on?
I’m currently leading product at a small startup called KnowMe. We’re trying to help people speak through the language of video.
What’s your passion?
I’m constantly thinking about how I can provide value to those around me: to my community, to my team, to the people who use my product. I think that comes from being raised by two school teachers. Both of my parents chose to teach in rough parts of New York City — Jamaica, Queens and the South Bronx — and I spent a lot of time in their schools growing up.
What does being a part of the Global Shapers Community mean to you?
Being a part of this community means two things to me: (1) the opportunity to meet incredible kindred spirits and (2) the opportunity to leverage the community to leave the world a little better than we found it.
What is something you want readers to know about you?
I love peering into interesting cultures, subcultures, and parts of the world. Some of my favorite memories from the last year are performing at the Metropolitan Opera as a glorified extra, driving one of the press vans in President Obama’s motorcade, and attending the world premiere of Star Wars VII in LA. If you enjoy similar things, we should be friends!
What kind of impact to you want to make on the world?
I’d like to create technology (and perhaps one day public policy) that allows people to lead richer lives.
What’s the toughest challenge you are facing right now?
The toughest challenge of the moment is creating a product that provides value to tons of people. In the past, I’ve generally worked at larger companies (Google, Facebook, etc) where there was already a lot of momentum. Being on the side of that is an entirely different adventure!
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
I once asked Sheryl Sandberg what made her effective. She responded that she was ruthlessly efficient with her time. That stuck with me.
For what in your life do you feel most grateful?
Oh goodness, what don’t I feel grateful for? I try to practice gratitude every day. :-)
