In memoriam
Mike Feldman
1962 - 2023
Mike co-founded T1V in late 2007 to counter the isolating effect and changes to group dynamics that began when iPhones were introduced. He founded T1V to counter this trend, and focused on creating large, touchscreen experiences that would help bring groups together. That was the genesis for what T1V would become - a visual collaboration company on a mission to help teams collaborate anytime, anywhere.
T1V stands for ‘a team with one vision.’ Despite his achievements in technology and business, Mike was most proud of the people who made T1V a team, and the Company’s customers. Mike took great pride in the T1V culture and values, which will live on through the Company.
Meet Mike, CEO of T1V! The one that started it all.
T1V is Mike’s second venture, the first being Digital Optics Corporation (DOC), a company that Mike co-founded in 1991 while a professor of Electrical Engineering at UNC Charlotte. After a brief retirement, Mike got into the touchscreen game with T1Visions (now T1V), which started as a restaurant (T1 Tapas) and was used to test his theory that large-format interactive surfaces have the potential to bring people together for shared experiences in public settings. Part technologist, futurist, and foodie – Mike’s restaurant concept blossomed into the business that T1V is today – but has since expanded to include a variety of other markets.
Tell us about yourself
Where is your hometown?
Philadelphia, PA
Where have you lived?
Durham, NC, Chapel Hill, NC, and various towns and neighborhoods in and around Charlotte, NC (where I currently live!)
What is something that people would be surprised about you if they knew?
I am an avid yogi and run every day. I am also a HUGE history buff.
What is your favorite movie?
Princess Bride
What is your favorite book?
Lord of The Rings
What was your favorite TV show when growing up?
Star Trek
What is your favorite TV show now?
Grant (a show about Ulysses Grant)
What is your favorite cereal?
Granola
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I love to eat at different restaurants. We have a ton of amazing restaurants in Charlotte. I also love to read books, run, and do yoga.
If you could have any one superpower, which would you choose?
Spider powers
What was your first job?
Sorting hangers at my dads clothing store ($1.00 per box). Big money!
Are you an early bird or a night owl?
I am definitely an early bird.
What’s one song you have completely memorized?
Do I have to pick just one? Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen, Hot Rod Lincoln, Taking Care of Business, and Your Song by Elton John.
Do you have a hidden talent? What is it?
Persistence
What is your favorite local restaurant and the meal you most enjoy eating when there?
Most people would assume that it’s PF Changs (haha), but it is actually Pho NC and my favorite dish there is the Vietnamese Crepe.
What is your favorite thing to do during quarantine?
Go for a run. I love to run, remember?
What is one goal you’d like to accomplish during your lifetime?
To help others.
If you could tell anything to the 10 year old version of yourself, what would you say?
Mike, you have plenty of time - relax and be more patient. There is a lot less that we have control of. What is more important than what we actually do is who your friends and coworkers are. Choose them very wisely.
What is one of the most important innovations you have witnessed during your life?
iPhone
What are you excited about for our industry?
I am excited for more remote use for visual collaboration.
What is one of your favorite perks about working at T1V?
The people!
Anything else you would like to share?
I love spending time reading leadership and history books!
On the 100th anniversary (2012) of the sinking of the Titanic, I decided to go on a worldwide trek to see all of the Titanic museums (there are 7, I think). My wife and I went to the first one and my wife said it was too morbid and she would not visit any other museums. So, I was only able to visit two museums - Nashville and Vegas. I find it inspiring because of the heroic acts that people did during that great tragedy.
Three questions for our CEO in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and what's to come:
What has been one of the biggest challenges you have encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how have you overcome it?
In my opinion, the biggest challenge I have encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic is how to keep everyone on the same page and let everyone know what everyone is working on when we are working remotely. There is a huge challenge with the use of video conferencing tools, like Zoom, and keeping folks engaged and collaborating during meetings and discussions. Using our collaboration software solutions, like ThinkHub and HubVC, made the transition for our employees to move to remote work super simple.
How has your vision for T1V evolved since the pandemic hit?
I think there will be a larger emphasis on the remote workplace and loud-based working sessions. Many local and national companies have already made the move to a fully remote workforce. The moment the pandemic hit, our team went full force in developing solutions to support Work From Anywhere scenarios, where teams can be in-room, remote, and hybrid.
What are you most excited about when looking at the future of the workplace?
I think organizations are facing some real challenges now. The pandemic has hurt many of the use cases that we have, and it has also brought on new pain points that companies are having issues with. We have a real opportunity to come in and address those pain points with our solutions. How can we help people work better and bring teams together? There is a lot that T1V can do to support and help others, and I am excited about this!
Check back to learn more about the amazing people here at T1V! To learn more about T1V and explore our collaboration technology solutions, visit t1v.com.
At T1V, our goal is to make your organization more efficient through our interactive software solutions. Whether our applications are used for collaborative business teams or with student groups in active learning classrooms, the purpose of our software is to bring people together to achieve more.
In our T1V Team Spotlight Series, we introduce you to the individuals behind our collaboration technology.