Mentor Bio

Ryan Derfler

6th-8th Communications & Entrepreneurship Mentor

Ryan is a serial entrepreneur having launched two tech start-ups, a publishing franchise, a cafe, and a farm. As an entrepreneurship mentor, he promotes building traction using lean start-up principles that encourage students to fail fast as they work to find a product-market fit. He also strives to prepare students to develop habits they need to succeed in the business world including being a polished presenter and communicator able to receive and act upon critical feedback. 

Ryan received a Bachelor's degree in business administration from Lebanon Valley College. He received certificates in Implementing Innovative Ideas from the University of Maryland and Gamification from the University of Pennsylvania. He’s a Senior Director at MoffittXL, a consultancy that helps private-equity-backed portfolio companies grow through sales and operational efficiency.

Having benefitted from an outstanding internship at The Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company, he has personally mentored or worked with over 50 interns from Drexel, Temple, Princeton, and UPenn. He has also led the launching of faith-based initiatives that have scaled nationally and internationally, including the Code for the Kingdom hackathon series and Q Commons (now THINQ). 

With their four children and growing menagerie of pets, Ryan and his wife, Whitney reside on a 12-acre farm Chadds Ford where they harvest and sell a foraged garlic to top restaurants on the East Coast. A collegiate athlete and prolific pick-up game enthusiast, Ryan helps coach our sports clubs.

Contact: rderfler@innovateacademy.com