In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we sit down with Joe Woodruff, Co-founder and Executive Coach at CIO Mastermind. Joe shares the origin story of the company, which began eight years ago from a partnership with Scott Smeester, who was his coaching client at the time. They identified a critical need for CIOs and CTOs to move beyond superficial networking and into deep, confidential peer advisory groups. Joe discusses how his lifelong mission and strengths in executive coaching and building learning communities made co-founding this venture a natural and exciting transition.

Joe delves into the core of CIO Mastermind's business model, which is built on vendor-agnostic peer groups, executive coaching, and team assessments designed to elevate technology leaders into true business executives. He explains that their ideal client is any senior technology leader, regardless of their specific title, and reveals their primary channels for client acquisition: strategic outreach on LinkedIn and a strong referral network built over nearly a decade. The conversation also covers the company's future vision: to not only secure a seat at the table for CIOs but to prepare them to become the CEOs of the future, positioning technology as the fundamental driver of business strategy.