Founder and CEO
John Thomas Connor
Debate changed the direction of my life. I'm building SuperDebate so more people can discover what happens when their ideas are taken seriously and tested.
How debate changed my life.
At 15, I was growing up on Chicago’s South Side, captaining the football team and reading Nietzsche and Plato. A history teacher sent me to the debate coach.
The full account, in John’s wordsA first varsity round
The precision drew me in. I wanted to defend difficult positions against serious challenge.
City-wide varsity champion
Three years later, debate carried me to college on a full scholarship.
What debate taught me.
Think under pressure
Debate taught me to research unfamiliar ideas, find the real clash, and make a decision while someone intelligent was pushing back.
Test an unfamiliar idea
Arguing positions I did not hold taught me the hard form of empathy: the discipline of understanding a worldview before answering it.
Build with curiosity
Learn quickly, find the hidden assumption, stress-test the plan, and keep showing up.
- 2021-2024
Sparkblox
I founded an NFT infrastructure company, raised funding, built partnerships with Chainlink and Algorand, and launched art projects.
- 2020-2021
Upland.me
As Product and Ops Manager, I worked on growth strategy and led the launch of the Spark token for the Web3 game.
- 2019-2020
ModeMobile
As Technical Product Manager, I led the team developing the Earning app and Earn Phone.
Why I’m building SuperDebate.
SuperDebate brings that practice into local clubs, live events, and online conversations. A prepared argument, a fair chance to answer, and useful feedback make the next round worth trying.