Our 25+ Year History
Inspired by the model of an Italian Renaissance bottega, we combine shared systems, expertise, and compounding learning to help businesses launch faster, operate smarter, and achieve lasting impact beyond traditional startup paths. We measure success not only by scale, but by purpose, legacy, and long-term impact.
Our team has had the opportunity to work with C-Level executives at over 50% of the Fortune 500, 90% of the AmLaw 200, 1000s of business owners, and venture capitalists and elite professionals from most of the top names in the business world. We’ve helped them publish a book, lead a webinar, join advisory boards and even start a business.
Throughout our team’s experience, we’ve seen first hand the incredible business ideas from more mature professionals, who aren’t sure how to get started or find the resources needed to bring their ideas to life - especially that works for them in their stage of life. Thus, a few years ago we launched SideStarter Ventures for this reason.
SideStarter (formerly Aspatore Ventures) was founded in 1999 by Jonathan Aspatore and is headquartered just north of San Francisco in Marin County, California, with employees all across the United States, and an upcoming office set to open in Italy in 2027.
Leadership
Jonathan Aspatore
Jonathan is the Founder and CEO of SideStarter, and for the last 25+ years has been a serial entrepreneur who is passionate about starting and scaling new businesses.
Jonathan’s primary role at SideStarter is to conceive new business ideas, work with leaders of our in-house businesses, and collaborate with professionals we help start a business.
Jonathan has been an advisor and board member for numerous businesses, ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies. He has authored seven books on entrepreneurship, and most recently authored a book on (attempting to achieve) work-life balance as a Dad (The WonderDads Way). He also mentors aspiring entrepreneurs at all levels, from high school students to professional athletes finding their way.
He is an avid tennis player, having played at the University of Pennsylvania and later served as an Assistant Coach for five years at St. Mary’s College in the West Coast Conference.
He is a lover of dogs and all things Italian, and is also an Italian citizen.
Jonathan is based in Marin County California, where he lives with his wife, two sons and two dogs.
Leo Prada
Leo is the Chief Financial Officer for SideStarter and manages financial matters for all our portfolio companies. He is a results-driven finance executive with extensive experience in Strategic Finance, FP&A, M&A, OpEx management, and corporate accounting at companies such as Ask Jeeves, Ask.com, Dictionary.com, and IAC. Leo is a forward-thinking finance executive and entrepreneur who enhances operations through automation, increased workflow efficiencies and ERP & BI implementation. Leo spent most of his youth in South America and is fluent in Spanish. He has his bachelor’s from Sonoma State University.
Chris Beaver
Chris Beaver has led growth and helped co-found the professional companies of SideStarter for the last 10+ years.
Chris holds a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University.
Outside of the office, he enjoys playing music and mountain biking throughout the Bay Area with his dog Cooper.
Keri Ribardiere
Keri Ribardiere has led growth and helped co-found the family companies of SideStarter for the last 10+ years.
Keri has previously worked with numerous business to consumer companies, including The Orange County Register and The Walt Disney Company.
Keri attended Cal State Long Beach and has her Bachelor’s in Business Administration.
Outside of the office she is a lover of dogs and all things Disney.
Danny Schmieding
Sara Pickett
Dylan Gamley
Our Principles
Case Studies
ASPATORE BOOKS
Aspatore Books began when Jonathan Aspatore got his first book deal from McGraw Hill as a 21-year-old.
In order to convince them he was capable of writing such a book, he received letters of recommendation from business leaders he reached out to that agreed to be interviewed for the book. After publishing this book and 5 others with McGraw-Hill and Houghton Mifflin in a 2-year period, he took the concept and founded his own publishing house, Aspatore Books.
Aspatore Books turned interviews with top business executives, lawyers and entrepreneurs into chapters in thousands of books it published over it’s 10-year history. At it’s height, Aspatore Books was publishing over 500 books and 5,000 professionals a year, making it one of the five largest business book publishing houses by number of annual titles. Thomson Reuters eventually acquired Aspatore Books as the team was already in the process of starting several new companies.
Jonathan recognized the interest in business professionals and lawyers wanting to get published, but not sure how to approach the process. This theme has continued to play out over the last 20 years in our professional businesses we’ve started, helping them utilize new digital media (webinars, and now A.I.), get on advisory boards, and start a side business.
EXECSENSE
ExecSense was built to solve a simple but growing problem: senior leaders needed practical, real-world insight—not theory—from people who had already been there. From its earliest days, ExecSense focused on delivering on-demand executive intelligence created by experienced business, legal, and financial professionals for peers facing real decisions.
Over time, ExecSense developed one of the largest professional learning libraries serving senior executives and corporate professionals, offering content designed to fit into the realities of busy leadership roles.
Key highlights included:
- Thousands of expert-led webinars featuring executives, attorneys, consultants, and industry specialists
- A substantial library of eBooks, reports, and executive briefings
- Podcasts and digital content focused on timely business, legal, and leadership issues
- A practical, experience-driven approach to executive education and professional development
This positioning allowed ExecSense to become a trusted resource for professionals looking to stay informed in a rapidly changing business environment.
ExecSense was acquired by the Financial Times, then part of Pearson plc, marking a significant milestone in the company’s history. The acquisition reflected the value of ExecSense’s deep content library, executive audience, and practitioner-driven approach to professional learning.
Under the Financial Times umbrella, ExecSense aligned with a global brand known for high-quality business journalism, analysis, and executive insight, further validating its role in the executive education and information ecosystem.
ExecSense’s legacy is rooted in its commitment to real expertise, real experience, and real value for leaders. It demonstrated that executive learning is most powerful when it comes directly from those who have navigated the challenges themselves—and when it respects the time, intelligence, and responsibility of its audience.