Our dear founder, friend, and startup guru, Brant Cooper, left us on July 18th, 2024. We are deeply saddened by his passing.
Brant Cooper was a vanguard. As one of the originators of the Lean Startup movement, more than 15 years ago, he had a vision he boldly pursued through thought leadership, community engagement, and entrepreneurship. His body of work serves as an atlas for exploring bold ideas. Starting with “ The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Customer Development,” then authoring the NYT bestseller "The Lean Entrepreneur," and most recently, the thought-provoking “Disruption Proof,” his writing is permeated with his values of integrity, simplicity, and candor, and illustrates his belief in the individual.
Brant lived as he wrote, making craft out of democratizing innovation, demystifying jargon, and turning theory into action. As a speaker, mentor, and advisor, Brant was highly revered in global startup and corporate worlds. He believed in the power of community and in 2013 co-founded Startup San Diego. He was always ready with sage advice, whether it was at a conference, a workshop, or over a cup of coffee. His entrepreneurial spirit was infectious, and he had a knack for making complex stuff sound simple and exciting.
While Brant drove business impact, he stayed true to his passion of helping entrepreneurs. He was a generous mentor, always willing to share his knowledge and investing in many startups. He would pose provocative questions with a sly smile, encouraging you to go bold and push yourself in ways you never thought possible. His commitment to empowering others and driving positive change was as strong as his love for a good punchline. It was hard to win an argument with him because he would challenge assumptions and ask for evidence!
Brant leaves a lasting impact with a monumental legacy. Thanks to his work, the world of entrepreneurship is more accessible and less daunting. He helped countless startups and enterprises find their footing, making sure the principles of curiosity, customer empathy, resilience, and continuous validation are alive and thriving.
Our hearts go out to Brant’s family, friends, and everyone who had the honor of knowing him. He’ll be missed dearly. We, at Moves The Needle are committed to carrying forward his legacy of leadership, entrepreneurship, service, and impact.
In honor of Brant, we are establishing the Brant Cooper Leadership Fund. If interested, you can donate to the Fund. (Scroll down and select Brant’s fund).
Stay inspired and keep disrupting, just like Brant would have wanted.