Future Founders Adds Accomplished Tech Entrepreneur to its Board of Directors

February 11, 2020

Future Founders, a non-profit organization that believes every youth can become an entrepreneur, today announced the appointment of Jason VandeBoom to its Board of Directors.

Jason VandeBoom is the Founder & CEO of ActiveCampaign, a marketing, sales, and customer service software platform based in Chicago. Founded in 2003, ActiveCampaign helps over 90,000 businesses in 161 countries meaningfully engage with their customers by giving businesses of all sizes access to hundreds of pre-built automations that combine email marketing, marketing automation, CRM, and support solutions.

A lifelong entrepreneur, Jason has been named to Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40 list and was a 2019 Midwest finalist for EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award. He is a member of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and The Economic Club of Chicago. With his family, he actively supports Best Buddies.

Having founded ActiveCampaign as a means to fund his education, Jason pursued a degree in fine arts until shifting his focus entirely to growing the company. He is a self-taught software engineer and technologist.

“As Future Founders believes that every youth can become an entrepreneur, I am so inspired by the organization’s ability to nurture that spirit amongst all of the youth that they serve,” said VandeBoom. “Mentors can be great resources to founders at any stage of growing a business, but they can be especially impactful when just starting out. I started my business at a young age and it would have been invaluable to have had access to a broader community of peers and seasoned founders with whom I could learn and exchange ideas.”

“We are honored to have such a talented, personable, and passionate entrepreneur join our Board. What Jason has done with ActiveCampaign is truly exceptional, and his approach to entrepreneurship mirrors the one we work to instill in our own founders,” said Scott Issen, President & CEO, Future Founders. “We share the same philosophies and entrepreneurial DNA, and the time and expertise he has already shared with our community has been invaluable. With Jason’s unmatched leadership abilities and vast entrepreneurial experience, he will greatly expand Future Founders’ ability to drive impact for years to come.”

In addition to VandeBoom joining the Board of Directors of Future Founders, ActiveCampaign will also join the organization as a Premier Sponsor, by providing financial and volunteer support to our middle and high school students in Chicago, as well as the 18 to 30-year-old entrepreneurs we mentor across the nation. We are thrilled to have such a wonderful model for entrepreneurial success to showcase to our students and founders.