When Lisa Craft talks about starting a business, she doesn’t mention seed rounds, pitch decks, or a Silicon Valley address. Instead, her entrepreneurial journey begins under the golden California sun, with a surfboard, a donated computer, and the grit to believe she could build something meaningful from scratch. If you ask Lisa, her journey is not a typical tech founder’s tale—and that’s exactly the point.
Surf, CPR, and the Seeds of a Founder
Picture LA in the late ‘90s: dial-up internet, AOL, and a huge computer terminal, pagers clipped to belts, and a city alive with possibility. Lisa, in her twenties, was hustling between teaching CPR classes in hospitals and medical offices, surfing in Santa Monica, and navigating life’s early curveballs. Her classroom was never just four walls; it was a microcosm of trust, vulnerability, and shared purpose.
One afternoon, as Lisa watched an episode of Oprah profiling female entrepreneurs, a spark caught fire. “I realized,” she recalls, “that maybe I could do it too.” With the help of friends and family, she managed to scrape together enough money for the equipment. She was gifted a computer and inherited a fax machine. That fax machine soon became her lifeline to clients across Southern California.
What happened next was less a marketing campaign and more a movement. “I never advertised or built a website,” Lisa says, laughing at how out-of-step that seems in today’s world. “My clients became my friends, and they brought their friends and families. It grew by word of mouth and eventually felt like one big family.” Southern California CPR thrived—built on trust, reputation, and a genuine investment in the well-being of others.
Making Waves: The Surfer’s Mindset
Lisa’s entrepreneurial spirit was shaped as much by the ocean as by Oprah. Surfing became her escape after one summer in Cabo San Lucas. She worked to afford her first surfboard, waking up early and returning late, always chasing the next wave.
At just 18, she won her first surfing contest in Newport Beach—a milestone that cemented her drive to carve her own path. “The ocean teaches you to be patient, to get knocked down, and to get back up again,” she says. “You can’t wait for the perfect wave. You have to paddle out and create your own.” This grit—earned in choppy water—would become the throughline of Lisa’s life, from business setbacks to new ventures.
Wellness, Motherhood, and the Birth of an Idea
Life changed dramatically when Lisa became a mom right before her 22nd birthday. Gone were the days of endless free time; now, everything revolved around her daughter and the challenge of rebuilding herself, physically and mentally. She became a certified personal trainer, not just to shed the 60 pounds of pregnancy weight, but to help others discover what movement could do for their confidence and health. It was through this lens—wellness as a foundation for everything—that Lisa would spot her next entrepreneurial wave.
Within her fitness community, Lisa noticed a gap: adults struggled to form genuine connections offline. “We have all these apps that keep us behind screens. I wanted an app for meeting outdoors and being yourself,” she says.
Adventure Dating: A New Way to Connect
And so, Adventure Dating was born—not from an Ivy League classroom or a VC pitch deck, but from real life, lived with curiosity and courage. Unlike most tech founders, Lisa is quick to point out, “I don’t have a computer science degree, and I didn’t go to Stanford or MIT. My story breaks that mold. I wanted to prove you don’t have to fit the standard founder narrative to create something that matters.”
Adventure Dating is all about shared experiences: hiking a new trail, trying paddleboard yoga, and meeting for a sunrise surf. It’s for people who crave connection through movement and wellness, not endless messaging. “I wanted to create a platform where anyone could find their next adventure buddy, not just a date,” Lisa explains. “The goal is to build a community around authenticity, courage, and joy.
A Family Legacy: Building on Values
If you trace Lisa’s journey, you’ll find deep roots in the influence of her grandparents. Her grandfather, a mechanical engineer and inventor, taught her that invention comes from seeing what could be better. “He always said, ‘Lisa, if you don’t like how something works, invent a new way.’ That stuck with me,” she says.
Her grandmother, meanwhile, modeled a life of healthy habits and relentless optimism, teaching Lisa to swim, play tennis, eat well, and believe in herself no matter what. These values—wellness, self-belief, and the courage to try—are now woven into every venture Lisa launches.
No Degree Required: Lessons for the Next Generation
Lisa is proud to be a founder whose journey is built on real-world grit and resilience. “I hope my journey inspires others to act on their ideas, even if they don’t have traditional credentials,” she says. “Success isn’t reserved for people with fancy degrees or the ‘perfect’ resume. It’s about showing up, trying, and caring about the people you serve.”
With Southern California CPR continuing to thrive and Adventure Dating carving out a new niche in wellness-driven, experience-first connections, Lisa’s story is just getting started. Her advice for fellow founders? “Don’t be afraid to break the mold. The only requirement is the courage to try—and the willingness to make a difference.”
At her core, Lisa is a Los Angeles native committed to adventure and wellness. As a surfer and entrepreneur, she’s comfortable tackling both ocean waves and business challenges, drawing on her experience as a mom and founder to reinvent herself time and again.
She built Southern California CPR from the ground up, relying entirely on word of mouth and the kind of trust you can only earn face-to-face. With Adventure Dating, Lisa is once again forging a new path—this time, creating a space for active, authentic people to connect through real-world experiences, rather than swipes or algorithms. Her advocacy for wellness, authenticity, and inventing your own path isn’t just something she talks about; it’s the way she lives and the spirit she brings to every new venture.
Lisa’s story is proof that you don’t need a prestigious degree, a coding background, or the “right” connections to launch a business that truly makes an impact. Sometimes all it takes is a big dream, a little grit, and the willingness to paddle out, no matter how the waves look that day.
