In 1996, Michael co-founded MyDesktop.com, an innovative online technology community, and then sold the site to U.S.-based Internet.com in May of 1999. Since then, Michael co-founded BuyBuddy.com, a provider of comparison shopping infrastructure to web portals and wireless carriers, which recently closed a $4.5-million round of funding from XDL Intervest. Michael’s overriding goal has been to help individuals and companies realize the true potential of new technology. In that regard he has done work for many large corporations, including Xerox, CIBC, IBM, and recently a 6-month consulting engagement with Microsoft in Seattle, Washington. Michael is a co-founder of TakingITGlobal, a non-profit that, using communication, collaboration, and community, is helping youth around the world realize the potential of technology. As one of the "10 entrepreneurs who shaped the year 1999," according to Profit Magazine, Michael has shared his experiences as a member of the Net Generation by speaking at many events, including the Boca Raton gathering of The Business Council. The success of BuyBuddy.com and MyDesktop.com was responsible for numerous media appearances including Fast Company, Business 2.0, BusinessWeek, CNN, MSNBC, ZDTV, CTV, CBC, Global, Globe and Mail, and the National Post. He has presented to the Romanov commission on technology's potential future role in health care, and is a frequent contributor to Canadian Business magazine.

Michael Furdyk could easily be the poster boy for the digital revolution of the last five years. At age 16 he and a friend developed and sold MyDesktop.com for more than $1 million. From there he went on to create other successful ventures, and is currently working on several new pieces of proprietary technology for the next wave of the digital revolution. For Michael, the dot.com boom was never just about technology; it was really about entrepreneurship. And, in particular, it was about young people claiming their own space in the business world and staking a claim to entrepreneurial savvy and skill. That’s his message for college students today. Drawing on examples from his own incredible story, he helps audiences to understand the limitless possibilities that exist in the world of business, and the steps they can take today to become a part of this world. Through slides, interaction, and a lively Q&A, he makes it apparent to young people that the future is here, and it’s theirs for the making.

Michael Furdyk is one of the bright, young serial entrepreneurs who helped to create the digital world we all now inhabit. In this entertaining and highly interactive talk, he takes audiences on a journey into the world of the digital revolution. He helps them to understand what happened, why it happened, and what’s likely to happen next. Using his own incredible story as a framework, he explores the implications for individuals, businesses, and communities of the sweeping changes taking place in the wired, and wireless worlds, and what major new technologies are likely to set the pace in the years ahead. Touching on a range of topics from viral marketing to entrepreneurship, Michael underscores the importance of continued investment in new technology and new skills. Think the dot.com crash has spelled the end of the digital revolution? Think again. And then give your organization a chance to interact with one of the leading young entrepreneurs who is helping the future to arrive.

Michael explores the phenomenon of the "Net Generation" and how, around the world, young people growing up today are having a greater influence across all aspects of society--creating positive change in their communities and on a global stage. This is especially relevant for educators, who are faced with many challenges in motivating their students and engaging them beyond standardized testing. Michael brings his own education experience to the presentation: at the age of 18, he taught grade 11 and 12 New Media to at-risk students, and sits on the global advisory board for Partners in Learning, Microsoft's 5-year, $250-million education initiatve. Michael combines his own youthful insight with case studies, stories, and recommendations that will get every educator in the room excited!

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