Ben Casnocha is a Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur and author. Currently nineteen years old, he serves on the board of Comcate, Inc., the leading e-government technology firm he founded six years ago. He has received various accolades. In 2006 BusinessWeek named him one of America's best young entrepreneurs. In 2004 PoliticsOnline ranked him among the "twenty-five most influential people in the world of Internet and politics." The Silicon Valley Business Journal named his blog one of the "Top 25 in Silicon Valley." His work has been featured in hundreds of media around the world, including CNN and USA Today. He is a seasoned speaker on entrepreneurship and leadership, and he cofounded an intellectual discussion society for business and technology executives. He graduated from San Francisco University High School in June 2006, where he edited the school newspaper and was captain of the varsity basketball team.

He co-runs the Silicon Valley Junto, an intellectual discussion society for business and technology executives. In his free time Ben enjoys playing chess, ping-pong, reading, and writing.

While writing this book in a "gap year," he traveled to nearly twenty countries, staying at the homes of his blog readers, and also worked for three months at a venture capital firm. In April he spoke at a dozen American universities such as Duke University, the University of Arizona, and the Wharton School. He enrolls at Claremont McKenna College in September 2007.