Eric Ries is the founder and CEO of the Long‑Term Stock Exchange. He created the Lean Startup methodology and authored the influential books The Lean Startup and The Startup Way. Before that he founded the social‑networking platform IMVU and served as an entrepreneur‑in‑residence at Harvard Business School, IDEO and Pivotal. Ries focuses on helping entrepreneurs build sustainable, long‑term‑oriented companies and innovate rapidly toward product‑market fit.