User talk:Ben Kovacs

Guardian Training
Guardian Training is a Non-Profit Organization headquartered in Oakland California. The organization was founded in 2015 by former Twitter employees Ben Kovacs and Joel Lunenfeld. The organization lowers the barrier of entry for local youth to train in martial arts. Non-profit status was received in April 2015 and operations began in December 2015. Initially the organization started with no students and only two part-time instructors. Not long after opening, Sacha Feinman joined Guardian as the managing director of the gym.

In late 2016 the Guardian National Scholarship was launched, which supports martial arts students around the country who are in need of financial assistance. Since its inception the company has grown to over 300 members that range in skill level from beginners to local and National Champions. The organization expanded its youth services to include training in martial arts, scholastic mentorship, nutritional education and community building through youth employment. Local restaurants like Burma Bear have provided food for the youth students and worldwide organizations such as PAC cryptocurrency community have provided a great deal of promotional and fiscal support to the organization.

History

Guardian Training (2015-Present)

•	April 2015 Non Profit Status was granted to Guardian Training

•	December 2015 Guardian opens its doors to its first students

•	Late 2016 Guardian National Scholarship launched

•	September 2018 Guardian was featured on KTVU Fox 2 10 o’clock news

Structure and Organization

•	Guardian Training is a 501c (3) non-profit organization.

Services

Adult Memberships: The organization has a three tier membership system:

•	Gold Membership: Sponsors 2 youth students

•	Silver Membership: Sponsors 1 youth student

•	Bronze Membership: Provides access to all classes

Youth Memberships: Free memberships are available for youth local youth age 10-18. Youth members are eligible for the following services:

•	Access to Kids Boxing and Kids Jiu Jitsu classes

•	Meals and Nutritional Information

•	Tutoring and Mentoring

•	Youth Employment Opportunities

Locations

Guardian Training began with a 1,600 square foot facility located near Lake Merritt in the heart of Downtown Oakland located at 1922 Webster Street.

Due to growth and capacity limitations the organization Recently acquired an additional 8,575 square foot facility located at 2148 Brush Street in Oakland which is slated to open end of year 2019.

Symbols

Guardian – The word Guardian represents the dictionary definition of being a Guardian “a person who guards, protects and preserves.”

G – The G is an abbreviation for the word Guardian.

Large Person – The larger figure in the logo stands for mentorship which is a large part of Guardian’s outreach to the community. It represents a care and protection of our youth.

Small Figure – The small figure in the logo is a representation of our youth. The belt represents training in martial arts. The hands up represent preparation, a readiness in martial arts and in life.

In The Press

June 1st, 2018 TechCrunch features Guardian Gym.

September 7th, 2018 PAC press release announces its partnership with Guardian.

September 17th, 2018 KTVU Fox 2 10 o’clock news featured Guardian’s impact in the community and upcoming expansion.

October 15th, 2018 Guardian Co-Founder Joel Lunenfeld speaks at SFTech4Good.

References

TechCrunch Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWGSJsWgKOg

KTVU: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLIRqipake0

Benjamin Kovacs: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benkovacs

Joel Lunenfeld: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joellunenfeld

Sacha Feinman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sachafeinman

Dictionary: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/guardian

PAC: https://paccoin.net/

External Links

Official Website of Guardian Gym

Guardian + Paccoin

KTVU Fox 2

Tech4Good

TechCrunch

Ben Kovacs (talk) 00:48, 11 October 2018 (UTC)Ben Kovacs