Lou Schillaci
Serial CEO Lou Schillaci reveals what it really takes to grow, scale, and exit successfully with raw truths, hard wins, and sharper insights.
Why book Lou Schillaci for your next event
- Get founder-tested strategies to drive innovation leadership clarity and real-world growth with no fluff just results
- Empower your team with startup agility sharp decision-making and scalable frameworks that actually work
- 8 startups from idea to exit Lou brings the mindset scars and wins of a real founder to every keynote
Non-binding request for Lou Schillaci
Built to Scale: Startup Wisdom for Corporate Growth
Looking to spark real innovation and cut through corporate noise? Lou Schillaci is a straight-talking, battle-tested CEO who’s built eight startups from idea to exit. His keynotes deliver raw truth, sharp humour, and actionable insights that shift mindsets and drive growth. With global experience and founder grit, Lou challenges leaders to think differently and lead boldly. Book him to transform your next event into a wake-up call that sticks.
Keynote Speaker Lou Schillaci is a no-nonsense high-impact voice in innovation leadership and entrepreneurship. A multi-time CEO and second-generation entrepreneur Lou is known for building and scaling eight startups from scratch to successful exits across global markets. His approach is forged in real-world experience not theory and that’s exactly what makes his keynotes so powerful.
Lou doesn’t just speak about innovation he’s lived every stage of it from pitching bold ideas to navigating failures and leading teams to breakthrough growth. His talks are part wake-up call part masterclass packed with raw truth sharp humour and practical strategies that resonate with both C-suite executives and frontline innovators.
When you book Lou Schillaci for your event you’re investing in a speaker who cuts through the noise and delivers lasting impact. His sessions empower organizations to think like startups act with clarity and lead with agility in a rapidly changing world. Whether he’s challenging leadership mindsets or helping teams reframe innovation Lou brings tools your audience can apply immediately.
As the founder of ventures like CloudyBoss and Clamalo and a mentor to countless leaders Keynote Speaker Lou Schillaci delivers insight earned on the frontlines of business. Book Lou Schillaci for your event to inspire bold thinking drive transformation and inject entrepreneurial energy into your organization.
Keynotes
Keynote by Lou Schillaci:
The Boardroom Blindspot: Why Your Company’s Future Depends on Understanding AI
Many boards are fixated on sustaining revenue, not on preparing for disruption. This talk breaks through the complacency and denial, showing how ignoring AI today quietly erodes your company’s future. Lou delivers a clear-eyed, CEO’s perspective on how boards must adapt or risk becoming obsolete.
Keynote by Lou Schillaci:
What Startups Know That Corporates Forget
In this talk, I unpack how startup tactics, things like rapid iteration, lean decision-making, and building with uncertainty, can be adopted by larger businesses without sacrificing structure. It’s not about becoming a startup; it’s about stealing their best ideas before someone else steals your market.
Keynote by Lou Schillaci:
Startups Aren’t Just for Twenty-Year-Olds
People love to imagine startups as a young person’s game, but that’s just lazy thinking. I speak on this one a lot, because I’ve seen how experience, perspective, and a few career scars actually make you more effective as a founder, not less. In this talk, I share real examples of later-in-life reinventions, show how life experience becomes your unfair advantage, and challenge the ageist nonsense that still floats around in the startup world.
Keynote by Lou Schillaci:
Retailers No Longer Have Customers – Customers Have Retailers
This one always hits home with retailer audiences. The truth is, the power has shifted. Customers are in the driver’s seat now, and too many brands are still clinging to outdated models. In this talk, I break down what’s changed, how expectations have evolved, and what smart companies are doing to stay relevant in a world where loyalty isn’t what it used to be. If you’re in eComm, retail, or CX, you need to hear this.
Keynote by Lou Schillaci:
Living the Startup Life: What Founders Really Need to Know
This isn’t the glossy, pitch-deck version of startup life. This is the real stuff, mental health, burnout, identity struggles, relationship pressure... all the things founders quietly deal with while pretending everything’s fine. I’ve lived it, I’ve helped others through it, and this talk is my honest take on what it really takes to survive (and thrive) as a founder.
Keynote by Lou Schillaci:
From Chaos to Clarity: Building a Team That Works
Businesses don’t fail because the idea was bad, they fail because the team didn’t work. I’ve seen it too many times. In this session, I talk about what it really takes to build and lead a functional, motivated team when everything’s on fire. That means knowing when to hire, when to let go, how to handle culture clashes, and how to communicate clearly when the pressure’s at its worst.
