Neil Soni has built, grown, and created new ventures – both within the world’s largest brands and as an independent entrepreneur. Neil runs a growth and innovation consulting practice, which helps startups and Fortune 500 companies partner and invest in technology and commercial opportunities. Neil is also the author of The Startup Gold Mine: How to Tap the Hidden Innovation Agendas of Large Companies to Fund and Grow Your Business. He is the Managing Director of Extovate, a rapid research firm that gives corporate innovators decision-relevant external innovation information quickly so they can execute and drive results.
Before starting his consulting practice, Neil helped build the External Innovation department at The Estee Lauder Companies. While in this role, his group was responsible for serving the innovation needs of over 40 brands, including Estee Lauder, Clinique, MAC, and La Mer, as well as for bringing revolutionary technologies like Smashbox’s Lipstick 3D Printer to market.
Previously, Neil led the growth team at MomTrusted.com, a social marketplace for early education with over 3 million users. Prior to MomTrusted, Neil founded CollegeZen, a social platform for high school students, peer mentors, and colleges. This effort caught the attention of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which named CollegeZen one of the worldwide winners of the College Knowledge Challenge. Neil was named a Finalist for Entrepreneur Magazine’s College Entrepreneur of the Year award for his work at CollegeZen.
Neil works with a variety of groups in the innovation ecosystem, including startups, venture funds, accelerators, and large brands. He is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University’s Chemical Engineering program.
For more information and media requests, please contact Neil here.