About Michael Tchong

“The most influential trend-spotter in America” — U.K. TELEGRAPH

My Story

Born on the beautiful island of Aruba, Michael received his high school education at Colegio Arubano in Oranjestad where he graduated at the top of his class.

After moving to New York, Michael studied economics at Fordham University in Fort Apache, The Bronx. 😎 After a few years at one of Madison Avenue’s most prestigious ad agencies, Doyle Dane & Bernbach, he heeded Horace Greeley’s advice to “Go West, young man.”

In San Francisco’s hip art and furniture district, he joined a creative ad agency called Chiat/Day, where he worked on the Apple Computer account.

He subsequently founded four startups, including MacWEEK, Atelier Systems, Interstellar and ICONOCAST.

He is now working on his fifth startup, Ubertrends, where he focuses on the transformative power of AI and its potential to empower creativity and productivity, including a first-of-its-kind innovative custom AI chatbot.

Startups

ICONOCAST Web Attack poster

ICONOCAST Inc.

Always ahead of the curve, his ICONOCAST startup hosted the most successful digital marketing conference, as measured by audience response and sponsorship revenue, Web Attack!, which featured such celebrities as Dennis Rodman, RuPaul, and Cindy Margolis, the “most downloaded woman on the internet.”

Atelier Hello software package

Atelier Systems Inc.

After raising $1.2 million in venture capital from Brean Murray & Assoc., Michael founded Atelier Systems, which developed Hello, an innovative “personal communication manager” (a precursor to CRM) featuring a modular architecture that could be expanded via an extensible API. This simple, customizable approach to software design has yet to be equaled.

MacWEEK 1987 issue

MacWEEK Inc.

Michael is the founder of MacWEEK, the first publication to use an all-Mac production system to separate color on the desktop, according to BusinessWeek. MacWEEK debuted the first-ever digital artwork of noted artists Peter Max and Keith Haring.

Highlights

Michael Tchong has significantly contributed to entrepreneurship, academia, and futurism. With a wealth of experience as a four-time entrepreneur and an adjunct professor of innovation at the University of San Francisco, Michael brings a unique perspective to market insights.

Published Books

Dazzled Attendees

Startups

Publications

Selected Speaking Clients

Chick-Fil-A logo
Chili's logo
Dunkin Donuts logo
NAR logo
{
“Make no mistake, Michael Tchong is the original visionary, the guru, the beta digital anthropologist.”

– Mark Borkowski, Borkowski.co.uk

Schedule an Event

Contact Agent

Contact Author

Receive Updates

Subscribe to our newsletter and join thousands of your peers who want to elevate their ability to expand their horizons and the role of innovation within their organization.