John Milinovich

Bet, let me tell you something about John Milinovich – this dude is the real deal in the startup world. No cap. He’s a serial entrepreneur and product guy who’s been around the block at some of the biggest names in tech and a bunch of early-stage startups that crushed it.

So, his story starts with a solid foundation – he studied architecture at UCLA, which is kinda wild, right? But that’s where his obsession with blending creativity and algorithms took off. From there, he jumped into the tech scene, landing early gigs at Google and Yahoo!. Those gigs gave him a solid base in product and tech, but he’s really about building stuff from scratch.

Fast forward, he co-founded URX, a mobile search and deep linking startup. Think of it as the OG in mobile discovery – super original at the time. URX got into YC in S18, and John crushed it as CEO. The company was so good that Pinterest ended up acquiring it. That’s a huge win – shows he’s got the vision and execution chops. After URX, he worked at Pinterest as a Senior Product Manager, which means he was right in the middle of the social shopping universe.

But he’s all about making big moves, not just chasing shiny exits. After Pinterest, he dove into founding Aesthetic, an AI-powered design startup in YC. The guy’s pushing the limits where AI meets creativity-because that’s where the future’s headed. This project totally shows his obsession with building tools that make creators’ lives easier and more strong.

Then, he took his focus to Clubhouse, leading discovery products – basically figuring out how to get people to connect through audio, which was huge for social audio. His whole vibe is about making products that bring people together, whether through search, design, or voice.

Now, he’s leading Generative AI at Canva, one of the hottest design platforms out there. He was a key player behind Magic Studio, which Time called one of the Best Inventions of 2024. That’s nuts – shows he’s still at the forefront of tech, pushing stuff that’s changing the game.

What’s crazy about John is his relentless drive to build, learn, and push boundaries. He’s not just jumping into startups for the hell of it – he’s doing it because he genuinely believes in creating tools that change how we work and create. His process from architecture student to Google, Yahoo!, YC startups, and now leading AI at Canva – it’s all about that obsession with innovation and making shit that matters.

Bottom line? John Milinovich is a dude who’s been through the trenches, learned what works, and keeps pushing the envelope. He’s a proof to what happens when you combine curiosity, grit, and a total no bullshit attitude about building the future.