Meet Jake Rosenfeld | Founder, Bonsai

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jake Rosenfeld and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jake, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I always felt like an entrepreneur, deep in my soul. Funnily enough, as a teenager, and eventually a college student, that self awareness and desire to create and evangelize initially manifested in the form of organizing, operating, and promoting events, night clubs, and vacation house rentals!

As I began to mature, I found myself far more intellectually stimulated and inspired by the power and scale of what the internet promised, and by the age of 20, I decided that I wanted to build technology products and companies that have the ability to impact people’s lives in ways that hadn’t been done before.

Early in my career, I found myself running the NYC office for a California-based venture capital firm. One of the investments we made was in a company founded by a terrific entrepreneur who I had the opportunity to grow rather close to, both professionally and personally.

Fast forward 4 years later, and we partnered to launch [what eventually became] Bonsai. The company was birthed from a place of the both of us being ambitious problem solvers who want to shape the world in transparent and equitable ways, and eventually morphed into our current mission, which is to empower recording artists to engage their biggest fans in exciting and intimate ways.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Bonsai started as an edtech company that began gaining traction when creators used our tools for direct-to-fan interactions.

In the spirit of following the flow of life and allowing the behavior of your users and customers to guide product decisions, we morphed the company into a platform that helps recording artists and creators engage and monetize superfans through easy-to-record audiograms (audio recordings paired with visual generative art), which become 1-of-1 collectibles for fans to play, share, and own.

Getting here has been a long and windy road, but, as I say (at least 4 times per week), nothing good comes easy. This is the most importnat lesson that I have learned and choose to consistently re-share with my community of creatives and entrepreneurs – hard work is hard. But if you believe in yourself, surround yourself with the right people, and make decisions based on what users and customers want, beautiful things will emerge and success will unfold as soon as the timing is right.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am absolutely. loving Bay Harbor Islands, which is where my wife and I moved to about 2 months ago!

First up, I would take my visitor for a long walk throughout the area – starting in Bay Harbor Islands, proceeding east and north through Bal Harbor, and finishing it off, as we head south through Surfside.

Coming from NYC, walking has been a huge part of my life for many many years, and I am grateful to be able to maintain a lifestyle that allows me to take a walk to run an errand, clear my head, hop on a business call, or visit my happy place – the ocean.

The remainder of the visit would involve grabbing a snack at The Taco Stand in Wynwood, hitting dinner at Mandolin in the Design District / Buena Vista, spending a morning at a workout class and a coffee shop in Sunset Harbor, and catching the sunset over the bay from our building’s rooftop, which faces North Miami.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have been a beneficiary of incredible mentorship throughout different phases of life.

My college professor, Len Middleton, taught me to turn my curiosity into a business plan. Randy Brandoff, founder of Eleven James, inspired me to take chances on my career moves, no matter how inexperienced I felt. My older brother, Jeff, has helped me develop into a better negotiator. Pau Sabria, founder of Olapic, showed me that being intentional about what you’re building and who you’re building with is a core pillar of success. The list goes on and on.

While I am lucky enough to tap these personal relationships, I truly gain a lot just from reading and watching others from a distance. I recently finished reading The Surrender Experiment, by Michael A. Singer, which does a beautiful job of demonstrating that letting go of control, fears, and desires, and allowing life unfold before us delivers the keys to happiness, success, and flow.

Website: https://www.jlrosenfeld.com/

Instagram: @jlrosenfeld

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobrosenfeld/

Twitter: @jakelrosenfeld