Elliott Bisnow is an entrepreneur who has spent twenty years starting and building companies, three of which have been acquired. In 2016 he founded Peak Street Management, which invests only its own capital and holds more than 50 investments in startups, mature businesses and funds.
- 20years building companies
- 3companies acquired
- 50+investments through Peak Street
Today
- SararaPartner · four safari lodges in Kenya
- Peak Street ManagementFounder, 2016 · 50+ investments
- National Geographic-LindbladBoard member since 2017 · NASDAQ: LIND
Three companies built and acquired
From a college dorm room to three acquisitions.
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Acquired 2016
Bisnow Media
Publishing in 30+ cities around the world when acquired; now part of Axel Springer
Co-founder, 2006
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Acquired 2023
Powder Mountain
America’s largest ski resort. Acquired by Netflix founder Reed Hastings
Co-owner, 2013–2023 · Eden, Utah
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Acquired 2025
Summit Series
Acquired by events.com after hundreds of events, from 19 people at the first
Founder, 2008
In my own words
My story
I’m an American entrepreneur, and for 20 years I’ve been building businesses. I’ve always focused on building what I love, and that has taken me from a college dorm room to the mountains of Utah and the wilds of northern Kenya.
What I’m involved in today
Sarara Camp
I’m a partner in Sarara, which manages four of the best safari lodges in Kenya. We manage more than 1 million acres of wilderness and support the Samburu community, who own this land and co-exist with the wildlife. Join us and visit Reteti Elephant Sanctuary and the 30+ baby elephants that live there.
National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions
Since 2017, I’ve been on the board of National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions. We have a fleet of 20+ ships exploring the planet’s most fascinating places and offer 100 itineraries across every continent, all in partnership with National Geographic. We also own iconic travel companies including DuVine Cycling Co., Natural Habitat Adventures and White Desert.
Peak Street Management
In 2016, I founded Peak Street Management, an investment company with no outside capital. Today we manage more than 50 investments in startups, mature businesses and investment funds.
Companies I’ve built · all three acquired
Powder Mountain
From 2013 to 2023, I co-owned Powder Mountain Ski Resort in Eden, Utah. This was quite the journey, and in 2023 Powder Mountain was acquired by Netflix founder Reed Hastings.
Summit Series
I’m best known as the founder of Summit Series, which I started in 2008 when I was 22 years old. It’s hard to believe the first event was only 19 people. Since then, we’ve hosted hundreds of events, including Summit at Sea, Summit Outside, Summit Tulum, Summit Mountain Series and Summit LA. Summit Series was acquired by events.com in 2025.
Bisnow Media
At 20, two years before starting Summit, I joined my dad as the first employee and co-founder of Bisnow Media. My dad was working from our family home and I was in my college dorm room. We bootstrapped the business without raising any money and grew it into North America’s largest commercial real estate media and events company. By the time Bisnow was acquired in 2016, we were publishing in more than 30 cities around the world. Today, Bisnow is owned by Axel Springer, the global media company whose portfolio includes Business Insider and Politico.
The rest of the story
There’s a lot more to each of these chapters than fits on one page. The best parts are in Make No Small Plans, the book I co-wrote with my Summit co-founders.
— Elliott
Further reading
- Make No Small PlansThe book, co-written with my Summit co-founders
- Reed Hastings and Powder MountainThe Hollywood Reporter
- Axel Springer acquires BisnowThe Real Deal, March 2026