2011 Class Speakers

SPiN Galactic is more than an attractive social club. With its smart décor, sly bar and forward thinking music play lists, it's a ping pong mecca. Players of all skills are invited, from the most experienced to beginners. SPiN's CEO, Andrew Gordon, introduced students from the academy to the basics of his business and to the essentials of the game of table tennis.

Why was ping pong an attractive focus for your business?
We felt it was underserved market in New York. The business was designed by people who are very passionate about the sport, and we felt that we could offer something that was fun and differentiated from other businesses. We also thought that SPiN would appeal to a broad cross section of communities in New York.

What's in the near future for SPiN? SPiN is franchising clubs to other cities. We recently opened a club in Milwaukee, and soon we'll be in Toronto. We're also opening a club in St. Pete, Florida and then we'll look into other cities. We also plan to launch a social network through our website, so ping pong lovers will be able to challenge each other.

What is SPiN's key to success? Ping pong. Ping Pong. Ping Pong.

What would you be doing if not for SPiN? That's a good question. I'm very lucky because I love what I do and I love this idea, but I'd probably be on Wall Street doing deals like I did before.

Do you have any advice for young entrepreneurs who are in the early stages of building a business? Love what you do. Ideally, if you have some experience before you do it, that's helpful, so you can differentiate yourself or distinguish yourself. Make sure that you have solid support and good capital behind you. That will help you get through any of the potholes you run into. Keep your fingers crossed because a lot of it is luck. A lot of it is skill, but it never hurts to have luck, too.

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