John Erik Metcalf

Cofounder/CEO @ Upgraded & Equipped

Biography

John Metcalf is the Co-founder and CEO of Upgraded, a MacBook upgrade program that enables effortless upgrades and the convenience of low monthly payments. Under John's leadership, Upgraded is transforming the device ownership landscape and unlocking access to the true power of the world’s most premiere technologies.

Prior to his role at Upgraded, he served as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Arbor Ventures in Hong Kong and started coworking spaces in Austin and Shanghai. Additionally, John co-founded Demand Analytics, an ecommerce analytics firm that he bootstrapped to $1.5 million in annual recurring revenue before being bought out by Groupon in 2013.

Beyond his current role at Upgraded, John participates in various professional and personal groups. He is an active member of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), where he fosters meaningful connections with like-minded individuals and is part of the Global Shapers Community, a prestigious group within the World Economic Forum. In 2014, he was honored to be selected as a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, a distinction that highlights his dedication to driving positive change in major cities worldwide.

John is a frequent speaker at SXSW Interactive and the MIT Global Startup Workshop on the topic of entrepreneurship. John was educated at home until age 13 and is a graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied Advertising and Computer Science. He is proficient in Mandarin Chinese.

Companies

Powers Apple, Microsoft device trade-in and upgrade programs. Also leases MacBooks to startups.

Interests

Artificial IntelligenceStartup EcosystemFundraisingEntrepreneurship
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