Max Stern

Duke Professor & Entrepreneur

Max Stern is an educator, operator, and entrepreneur. He is also a Lecturing Fellow at Duke University and the former Founder and CEO of Closure Software.In 2017, Max founded Closure Software, a funeral industry software company that made it easy to file notifications of death online. He bootstrapped the business to $8M ARR and 25 full-time employees before its acquisition in 2022.In 2023, Max joined the faculty at Duke University as a Lecturing Fellow in Innovation & Entrepreneurship. He teaches courses for student founders across all stages and industries, and in 2024 was named "The Favorite Course of MBAs" by Poets&Quants.Max lives in New York City and continues to teach at Duke (via long commute).

My work typically spans 3 domains: teaching, advising, operating, and program management.

  • Formats typically include some combination of 1:1 sessions, team workshops, and asynchronous audits.

  • Deliverables typically include breakthrough solutions to specific business challenges, the direct implementation of technical systems, and an aligned team prepared to tackle similar problems in the future.

Links

  • Formats typically include some combination of 1:1 sessions, team workshops, and asynchronous audits.

  • Deliverables typically include breakthrough solutions to specific business challenges, the direct implementation of technical systems, and an aligned team prepared to tackle similar problems in the future.

WORK WITH MAX

How can I help?

  • Formats typically include some combination of 1:1 sessions, team workshops, and asynchronous audits.

  • Deliverables typically include breakthrough solutions to specific business challenges, the direct implementation of technical systems, and an aligned team prepared to tackle similar problems in the future.

Let's Work Together

I work with startup founders and teams in one of three ways: as a teacher, as an advisor, or as an interim operator.

  • Formats typically include some combination of 1:1 sessions, team workshops, and asynchronous audits.

  • Deliverables typically include breakthrough solutions to specific business challenges, the direct implementation of technical systems, and an aligned team prepared to tackle similar problems in the future.

Maxwell B. Stern

Stern Startups

Hi, I'm Max Stern. I'm a Duke Professor and serial Founder CEO.

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900