HELLO, THERE!

MY FUEL: POWERING HUMAN POTENTIAL
Build it.
Grow it.

WELCOME TO MY SANDBOX

Where ideas never stop and potential thrives

XYZ Sandbox is the creative playground where all my ventures come together. It's a space where innovation, education, investment, and storytelling intersect to create holistic solutions for empowering human potential. From supporting entrepreneurs to nurturing families, XYZ Sandbox is where I cultivate the seeds of transformative ideas and watch them grow into impactful realities.

WHERE I PLAY

Endowment for Potential

Nurturing the seeds of human potential across generations" We empower families, entrepreneurs, and individuals at every stage of life's journey. From fostering early childhood development to supporting seasoned entrepreneurs, we provide resources, education, and community. Uniquely, we also offer support and guidance for entrepreneurs facing business closure, ensuring dignity and growth even in challenging transitions.

MORE ABOUT THE NONPROFIT
Pivot Speed Studio

Accelerating innovation from concept to launch" At Pivot Speed Studio, we turn visionary ideas into market-ready products. Our immersive accelerator programs guide entrepreneurs and corporate innovators through rapid prototyping, market validation, and launch strategies. We specialize in transforming concepts into tangible innovations, fast-tracking the journey from ideation to market impact.

3...2...1...READY TO LAUNCH?
Stone Cairns Capital

Building pathways for visionary startups" Stone Cairns Capital, through our DWO ASCENT Syndicate, invests in promising early-stage ventures. We don't just provide capital; we offer strategic guidance, industry connections, and a supportive investor community. Our focus is on nurturing startups with transformative potential, helping them navigate the challenging path from seed to success.

WHERE I INVEST
Yellow Brick Experiential (YLW BRK):

Crafting stories that spark social-emotional growth" Yellow Brick Experiential (YLW BRK) harnesses the power of storytelling to foster social-emotional development. We create engaging, immersive narratives featuring superpower seeds and problem-solving pirates, designed to teach crucial life skills. Our innovative approach makes learning fun, memorable, and impactful for children and families alike.

GATHER POWERFULLY

The Long (but True) Tale of

a Perpetual Problem-Solver

The seed and Spark

My journey as a perpetual problem-solver began in 4th grade with the creation of the "Stop Look" - a quirky, eye-catching tool to help me focus. With unwavering support from my mom, who always said anything was possible, I embraced my neurodivergence (ADHD and dyslexia) as a superpower, turning boundless curiosity into a career of empowering others.

This early spark ignited a path that led me through diverse experiences. From a procrastinated college marketing project that blossomed into my first social venture, to impactful roles at HandsOn Network and Ashoka, each step laid the groundwork for my future endeavors. These formative years taught me the power of social entrepreneurship and the impact of empowering others to drive change.

As I navigated these early professional experiences, I was constantly learning, adapting, and seeking ways to make a difference. Little did I know that these experiences were preparing me for the biggest challenge and opportunity of my career: Quarter Zero.

THE GAME-CHANGER

The cornerstone of my career was Quarter Zero (QØ), which over eight years evolved into an internationally award-winning immersive entrepreneurship program. QØ empowered over 1,000 young innovators across 40 states and 15 countries, resulting in alumni ventures valued at over $50 million. But the most impactful part had nothing to do with valuations. I share that metric because there's often pressure to represent success through others' achievements, and company valuation is a hallmark in the startup world.

The truth is, what I'm most proud of—the real game-changer for others and me—was realizing how powerful it can be to unlock people from their self-doubt, or to introduce them to a new component of the world they never knew existed. Whether it was sparking entrepreneurial passion, helping someone realize entrepreneurship wasn't for them, or watching individuals discover their love for engineering or sales, the key was creating experiences that fundamentally shifted one's life trajectory.

The pride I feel comes from knowing I created opportunities for people to align authentically with who they are and who they want to be, helping them break free from the standard path that culture often dictates. This is what I mean when I say I'm fueled by powering people's potential. I care about helping people live their most authentic and fulfilling lives. I fundamentally believe this happens when people leverage their natural strengths and superpowers, representing themselves genuinely in the world. It's a journey I'm still on myself, learning and striving to embody these principles every day.

Pivot and Growth

When the pandemic forced a pivot, I transformed QØ's legacy into the Endowment for Potential. But the real pivot was deeply personal. Closing down QØ, a company I had poured years of my life into, brought me face-to-face with depression and passive suicidal thoughts. Like many entrepreneurs who face closure (studies suggest up to 30% of startups fail), I found myself without readily available resources or support.

The toll wasn't just financial. In the early years of my first son's life, I was on the road 100,000+ miles annually. Even when home, my mind was burdened with the pressures of supporting a staff of 20+ in season. I vividly remember a therapy session when my wife was pregnant with our second son. The therapist told her, "I'm sorry Lucy, Josh needs to fight this battle alone, and so do you. You can't expect anything from him for the next three months." It was a brutal truth - I was drowning trying to perform after our second round of funding, doubling our staff, programming, and revenue. My family needed me, but I couldn't be there in the way they deserved.

This realization sparked my true pivot. Over two years, I worked hard with mental health professionals and an incredible coach (whom I consider my guru) to rebuild my foundation. Now, I'm committed to making decisions that align with my values and fighting to never be in that position again. My pivot is about living the life I want to live now, even as I battle daily pressures to achieve more and more.

This transition marked a new chapter in my journey, broadening my focus to support families and entrepreneurs facing similar hurdles. I'm determined to create the resources and support I wish I had during my darkest moments, helping others navigate the complex intersection of entrepreneurship, family, and mental health.

So, What Would You Say... You Do Here?

If you're grinning at this heading, congratulations – you're part of the cult classic club. For those scratching their heads, don't worry; you're just young enough to have missed one of the greatest workplace comedies that spoke to an entire generation of cubicle dwellers.

After closing Quarter Zero, I was fortunate to have a safe landing spot—a rarity for many entrepreneurs who face failure. Dave, a longtime investor, role model, and mentor, provided this crucial support. It started small, with a part-time engagement helping him with tasks at the bottom of his to-do list, including due diligence on investment opportunities. I loved it. One of my superpowers is helping people launch ventures—I'm epic in the first 100 days. After that, managing people and being responsible for their livelihood while struggling to manage my own tasks? No thank you.

Inspired by this work, I pitched Dave on creating an unofficial syndicate network of friends and family to expand our investment opportunities and leverage our influence. He was game. From there, Dave and I have had many pivots, led by my testing out what might be fun to work on, balanced with the reality that I need to make money. This journey, now two-plus years in, is still evolving. Dave gave me a safe place to land when most entrepreneurs crash, and I'll be forever grateful for that gift.

During this time, I described myself as an "entrepreneur-in-recovery" on LinkedIn, as it was hard to explain "what I did." With the help of my coach, this has evolved into what I now call the XYZ Sandbox (working title). My coach would always tell me, "You know, Josh, you can live the life you want to live, now." Taking this to heart, I've created a few sandboxes to play in—some seasonal, some opportunistic, and some purely selfish, like getting to play with my boys after school in the Funtathlon.

I'm also creating content and a children's series about problem-solving pirates and scavenger hunts. This is my way of teaching my kids, especially my son who is also neurodivergent, that we all have superpower seeds. It's only through trying new things, failing, and asking for help that these seeds grow big enough to give us the powers to make our dreams come true.

To that end, my XYZ Sandbox breaks down into the following buckets:

GIVE: Endowment for Potential (Volunteer Executive Director)
BUILD: Pivot Speed Studio (Launching innovative products and incubator programs)
INVEST: Stone Cairns Capital (Managing the DWO ASCENT Syndicate)
PLAY: Yellow Brick Experiential (Teaching social-emotional skills through storytelling)

onward - the journey continues

So, what do I do? The truth is, I'm still figuring it out every day. Currently, I'm juggling quite a few exciting projects:

Running an accelerator program for Taco Bell Foundation's Ambition Accelerator (yes, you read that right - from Quarter Zero to Crunchy Tacos, life takes unexpected turns!)
Launching the Funtathlon brand under ALT athletics, because who says sports can't be ridiculously fun?
Writing a children's series about problem-solving pirates, because every kid should know the value of a good "Arrr-gument resolution"
Volunteering and running after-school programs, where I often learn more from the kids than they do from me
And, in a plot twist that would make even the most creative screenwriter scratch their head, I'm helping manage a surgery center in Oakland. (Where did that come from?! Your guess is as good as mine!)

Through it all, I'm learning, growing, and trying my best to contribute positively to the lives of others. I'm grateful for every opportunity I've had, even the challenging ones, because they've shaped who I am today.

As I continue on this wonderfully weird journey, I'm reminded of something I often tell my boys: we all have superpower seeds inside us. My goal is to keep nurturing those seeds - in myself and in others - with humility, curiosity, and a willingness to learn from every experience and every person I meet.

There's still so much to discover, so many ways to grow, and I'm excited to see where this path leads next. Maybe I'll end up managing a moon colony or teaching synchronized swimming to squirrels - at this point, nothing would surprise me!

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I hope that by sharing it, I can encourage others to embrace their own unique journeys, with all the twists, turns, and unexpected adventures they might bring. Remember, if I can go from youth entrepreneurship to tacos to surgery centers, anything is possible!

Onward,

Josh