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Ben Maitland-Lewis

Mid-Career Transitioning Executive and Founder with 20+ years of experience.

Ben Maitland-Lewis is a seasoned entrepreneur and business strategist with over 20 years of experience in building, marketing, and raising capital for various ventures. He served as the Founder In Residence at Wefunder from November 2021 to April 2023, where he played a significant role in helping startups raise approximately $40 million through Regulation Crowdfunding (RegCF) initiatives. During his tenure, he managed teams, introduced new sales processes, and educated both founders and investors on advancements in the crowdfunding industry.1

Prior to his role at Wefunder, Maitland-Lewis was the CEO of Pretty Instant, a pioneering on-demand photography platform that was acquired by Snappr. His background also includes a notable career in the music industry, where he toured as a professional musician and worked as a marketing director for SonyBMG. He is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and a Y Combinator alum, which highlights his entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to innovation.1

Currently, he holds the position of Director of Startup Banking & Founder Success at Silicon Valley Bank, where he continues to support startups and founders in their growth journeys.2

Highlights

Aug 28 · linkedin

First day back from vacation and our SVB Startup Banking team was back at it; bringing the community together for a beautiful evening of networking, mingling, strategizing, and connecting. Community is what you make of it and I can say with full confidence that our team leans into it for all the right reasons. It felt good to get away for a bit, but great to be back. Honored to partner with Valia Ventures and TriNet to make this evening happen.

Special shoutout to my colleague Hani Azzam for leading the charge of this event while I was away, and of course to Jesse Aranda-Comer, LaRay A., Sep Salimi and Olizer René Garcia for bringing the SVB Bear Hug.

Nothing gets me more excited than supporting founders and creating serendipitous experiences for them to grow and be inspired. #yesSVB

If you’re interested in learning more about how we can support your startup, please reach out. In the meantime, happy building!

Jul 6 · linkedin

Wishing all who celebrated a Happy 4th of July. This year we marked the 248th anniversary of the greatest LOI in history and it’s an honor to keep history alive with the Hingham Militia (est. 1639). Our unit, under the leadership of Major General Benjamin Lincoln, fought at Lexington/Concord, led the second battle of the Revolution (Grape Island), and Benjamin himself accepted the sword of surrender from the British in Yorktown (the only painting where George Washington is in the background and hangs in the Capital).

You need to understand history in order to build a brighter future.

Wishing all who celebrated a Happy 4th of July. This year we marked the 248th anniversary of the gre

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Ben Maitland-Lewis
Ben Maitland-Lewis, photo 1
Ben Maitland-Lewis, photo 2
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Experience

Mentor at Techstars
Boston TechJam (June 2013 - Present), Founder In Residence at Wefunder (Nov 2021 - Apr 2023); CEO and Co-Founder at Pretty Instant (Jan 2015 - Aug 2021); Venture (W15) at Y Combinator (2015); Director at Sony Music Entertainment (Jun 2002 - May 2007)

Education

BA in Music Business & Entrepreneurship from Berklee College of Music (2002-2006); Doctor of Mixology certification from Harvard University (2010); Participant in W15 Batch at Y Combinator (2015)

Location

Boston, Massachusetts, United States