Lance Ding

June 2023-Present

Startup Village

This is a community that provides immense network value, game-changing resources, and IRL events that foster genuine relationships. This is a non-profit and membership is pay what you can. I started this community, because I realized that social connection provides incredible forms of serendipity for founders.

I work hard to relentlessly support the founders who have been through the wringer at a price they can afford.
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Apply

Food, Fire, and Founders event November 2023

July 2022-Present

My Small Design Agency

I realized I needed to pivot from my startup, so I used the network and skills I gained from my company to give a shot at running a small design agency. I had a few big wins.
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⭐ Designed a mobile app for a founder with XXXM views on YouTube.
⭐ Built a few e-com stores for some Shark Tank companies doing $XXM ARR
⭐ Managed $XXXK in ad-spend for a range of consumer companies.
⭐ Provided a wide range of other consultancy services for pre-seed companies in Luxuray, SAAS, and edtech. Still rooting for all of them :D
⭐Was generating five figures MRR for about six months before deciding to focus more of my time on community building.

Few hard lessons
1.) I learned to focus on doing just one thing well.
2.) I learned to manage expectations and clearly communicate what you can and cannot do.
3.) I learned the importance of scalable outbound marketing.

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Website

The design system for my startup

August 2021- Present

High School Physics Teacher

I took 1.5 years off from UCLA to pursue my startup. I funded my living and company expenses with my tuition, $10K from friends and family, and this job as a physics teacher, where I taught three days a week for charter schools in Orange County.

I found this job after reconnecting with staff at the school I went to in 8th grade.

September 2020 - September 2023

My First Startup

Inspired to fund some of the volunteer initiatives I did in high school, I started a tutoring business, which grew quickly during the pandemic. Early traction gave me huge amounts of naive optimism in my ability to scale this into a massive tech company. I found my co-founder after pitching on r/cofounders on Reddit. We still work together on a lot of things 👊
I had no idea what I was doing, and I made every mistake of an early-stage founder.
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❌ I spent a lot of money on marketing that got me zero customers.
❌ I spent a lot of time building product that was never used.
❌ I embarrassed myself more than a few dozen times.

That said, the business still serves a small community of families in Orange County. I did over $150K in sales over the course of two years, had 150 active instructors at its peak, and partnered with large private schools from 2021-2023.

A picture with some of the instructors and Faculty I worked with.

March 2018– August 2021

Humanitarian Leadership

Throughout high school facilitated a wide range of humanitarian projects in developing communities, and my experiences inspire me to be philanthropic. I believe in sustainable philanthropy for a more compassionate world.

Making Paper Airplanes with a Remote Community in Myanmar

July 2022-Present

Adventure and the Outdoors

I love to explore the world and immerse myself in nature. I spend much of my free time hiking, biking, surfing, and climbing. I am always thinking about learning new outdoor skills and visiting new places.

Sport Climb in Joshua Tree