Sylvester Mobley

Sylvester Mobley is the co-founder and managing partner of the early-stage venture capital firm Plain Sight Capital. He founded Coded by (Coded), a nationally recognized tech and startup education organization. Sylvester founded a venture studio, was an investor in residence and screener with TechStars, and an entrepreneur in residence with Osage Venture Partners. Over his more than 20-year career in tech, he’s served in roles ranging from freelance web developer to CEO and CTO to now being a tech investor. His tech career began in 2001 when he enlisted in the Pennsylvania Air National and entered the Computer, Network, Cryptographic, and Switching Systems career field. In 2002, he earned his first programming certificate for Advanced Web Authoring with Java, and in 2003, he started his first tech company focused on building custom websites and applications for businesses. He then built applications using everything from PHP and Flash to Ruby on Rails and Node.js. Through his experiences, he gained a deep understanding of the technical, design, and product challenges early-stage founders face. Now, he uses his experience to help early-stage founders implement critical design and product frameworks to increase their chances of success through effective early validation. Publications, including Forbes and Business Insider, have recognized his work. The Philadelphia Business Journal Power 100 also recognized Sylvester as one of Philadelphia’s 100 most influential people. Sylvester has received numerous awards, including the 2018 Philadelphia Award, the University City Science Center Nucleus Cultivator Award, and the Philadelphia Business Journal Tech Disruptor Award, among many others. Sylvester is a graduate of Temple University and a veteran of the United States military. During his time in the military he served in three branches (U.S. Marine Corps, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, and Pennsylvania Army National Guard) over 12 years.