Story · 2004 → now
The Path
Aivars Mirzo Lipenitis has built, lost and sold companies across live entertainment, digital marketing, and technology.
- 2004–2009
Starting out
IT telesales, an assistant role at an advertising agency, and first digital media ventures. Some sold, some shut down early. My life as a startup at its core: learning international business by doing, failing fast, resuming.
- 2010–2013
Entertainment peak
Founded a live entertainment group. Sold-out concerts with Ellie Goulding, LMFAO, and James Arthur, tours across Europe, a major festival in a European capital, and artist production. Featured in Forbes at 23.
- 2013–2015
The fall
Lost everything. Frozen accounts, a health crisis. For a stretch I lived in a car, though I kept moving.
- 2016–2019
The pivot
Invested in education: Stanford, MIT, UC Berkeley, and the Stockholm School of Economics. Built an international marketing agency (ForwardMedia), started consulting for technology startups on market entry and international expansion, engaged with a Silicon Valley accelerator.
- 2020–present
Building again
Building Y·US Ventures, a portfolio of companies across consulting, digital marketing, publishing, and technology. Latest launch: Bridgit, a social activity matching app, live in California. Published The Backstage, a memoir about the journey from technology to live entertainment, to technology.
The full version with everything I got wrong and learned along the way is in The Backstage.