Ted Coiné

Ted Coiné is a serial business founder and entrepreneurship instructor based in Naples, Florida.

Teacher. Ted’s first passion is teaching. He is currently in his seventh year leading The Founders, his high-school-aged entrepreneurship students at Lorenzo Walker Technical College. This year is his second bringing Entrepreneurship Across the College to every student in every area of study at the college, roughly 600 students in all. To date, his students and other members of the Lorenzo Walker community have launched over 60 revenue-generating companies. They compete in (and often win) Shark Tank-style pitch competitions. His high school graduates go on to thrive in four-year programs, from entrepreneurship and business to law, criminology, STEM fields, and liberal arts.

Author. He has written or co-written three books: Five-Star Customer Service (2005; 2022), Spoil ‘Em Rotten! Five-Star Customer Delight in Action (2007), and A World Gone Social: How Companies Must Adapt to Survive (2014). His upcoming book, Business for the Rest of Us, will be out in 2025.

Keynote Speaker. Ted is a highly sought-after speaker and consultant. His most popular topics include innovation, the tangible startup, business creation and ownership, the future of work, and the intentional organization-wide commitment to ethics and customer experience as lasting competitive advantages.

Entrepreneur. Ted brought his first company, Coiné Language School, from his living room to a $10M valuation in four years through a relentless focus on customer service. In 2006 the Coiné family moved from Boston to Naples, where Ted continued to give keynotes and help run Coiné Training while serving on multiple nonprofit boards and running their family foundation for two years. He has served as CEO three times and CMO of a tech startup once. Ted is CEO and co-founder of Benevolent Capital Group, an early-stage private investment and mentoring vehicle for select businesses.

Social Media Thought Leader. While currently on hiatus from social media, Ted was one of the original Forbes “Power Influencers.” Across platforms, roughly half a million people follow and/or subscribe to Ted. Though less prolific in recent years, Ted has been one of the top business leadership bloggers for over 15 years and counting.

Husband and Dad. Ted lives with his wife, two daughters, and all their dogs.