Ex-Nike Designer Wants to Recruit "Cultural Alchemists"

Jason Mayden wants to scour the nation to find the country’s best and brightest creative talents who could become the founder of the next Facebook. The former Nike designer has 13 years of experience with the brand, having worked on projects for Nike+ and the Jordan Brand to name a few. Mayden has now joined Accel Partners, the venture capital firm whose claim to fame has been investing in colossal companies such as Facebook, Dropbox, Etsy, VSCO, Squarespace, Spotify and Slack. His role with Accel can be broken down into three responsibilities – the first being to work with burgeoning portfolio firms to cultivate ideas and promote a design-forward culture. The second is to incubate his own startup with Accel, working in tandem with fellow Nike alum Bryant Barr, NBA star Stephen Curry, and a team of technology and software specialists. The third and final aspect is to travel across the U.S. in search of “cultural alchemists” who have the potential to be the next great startup founders. According to Mayden, he’s not simply looking for individuals with coding talent – it’s much more complicated than that. Here’s what Mayden has to say about the “cultural alchemist”:

They fall between 14 and 25. They’re focused on immersive experiences, deeper engagements. They’re not people who want to pick a lane, they want to be a lane. They’re drawing from different influences. They have access to a planet. Their favorite food ranges from empanadas to sushi. Their music ranges from EDM to classical. The alchemist is a DJ, a coder, she grows a microfarm, she plays sports.

In addition, Mayden plans on straying from the typical recruitment sites and proposes instead to visit middle American urban cities such as Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta and Minnesota. Determined to locate young creatives who fit into his highly specific profile, Mayden’s distinctive approach to supporting and enriching budding talents is a welcome change to today’s competitive market.