# Jesse Pickard

> Jesse Pickard is the Founder and CEO of The Mind Company (formerly Elevate Labs), the studio behind Elevate (Apple's App of the Year 2014), Balance (Google's App of the Year 2021), and Spark - a portfolio of science-backed mental fitness apps with over 80 million downloads. A designer-turned-entrepreneur, Pickard co-founded language learning startup MindSnacks in 2010 before pivoting to build Elevate in 2014, pioneering the consumer mental fitness category. He is also an Investing Partner at Volo Ventures.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at The Mind Company
- **Organizations:** The Mind Company, Elevate Labs, MindSnacks, Volo Ventures
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor's Degree in Design and Visual Communications, Syracuse University
- **Known for:** Built Elevate into Apple's App of the Year 2014, Built Balance into Google Play's Best App of 2021, Grew The Mind Company portfolio to 80+ million downloads

## Career timeline

- **2000** — Online Multimedia Developer at Dynamic Applications Inc.
- **2004** — On-Air Design Intern at MTV Networks
- **2005** — Design Intern at IndustryNext
- **2006** — Account Executive at Razorfish; later rose to Senior User Experience Associate & Information Architect
- **2010** — Co-founded MindSnacks, a language-learning gaming app startup
- **2014** — Founded Elevate Labs; Elevate app named Apple's App of the Year
- **2015** — Spoke at Bloomberg Businessweek Design 2015 Conference in San Francisco
- **2019** — Launched Balance meditation app; raised $7.1M Series B led by Keesing Media Group
- **2021** — Balance named Google Play's Best App of 2021; joined Volo Ventures as Investing Partner
- **2025** — Rebranded Elevate Labs as The Mind Company; launched Spark puzzle app
- **2025** — The Mind Company surpasses 80 million downloads across portfolio

## Achievements

- Built Elevate into Apple's App of the Year 2014
- Built Balance into Google Play's Best App of 2021
- Grew The Mind Company portfolio to 80+ million downloads
- Raised $13.6M total funding including a $7.1M Series B
- Featured speaker at Bloomberg Businessweek Design 2015 Conference
- Pioneered the consumer mental fitness category with science-backed mobile apps
- Achieved cash-flow positive status at Elevate Labs before Series B
- Launched Spark in November 2025, adding a third hit app to the portfolio

## Latest updates

- **2025-11** — Launched Spark, a daily puzzle app designed to make learning a habit and replace mindless scrolling
- **2025-10** — Rebranded Elevate Labs as 'The Mind Company,' positioning the company as a global mental fitness portfolio brand
- **2025-10** — The Mind Company portfolio surpassed 80 million downloads across Elevate, Balance, and Spark

## Links

- Website: https://jessepickard.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessepickard
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/jessepickard
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessepickard/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themindandcompany

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/jesse-pickard
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-26