Experience

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I am near my 15th year working on, in, around the internet.

In this time, I’ve been fortunately positioned in three mini booms:

• The rapid growth of ad tech in ’08 - ’10 (Martini Media)
• The social media content boom ’11 - ’16 (Thought Catalog)
• The unicorn VC tech boom ’17-’20 (Giphy)

I’ve been in the room for $80m capital raised, the top leader on $50m revenue and responsible for ~$40m more, and in the metaphorical room for a $400m exit.

I think I’m decent at picking spots, but haven't been hugely lucky or unlucky yet, in startup terms.

A few things I've learned:

• How the system of users, content, and advertising works
• How to bootstrap a company (momentum, marketing, managing)
• What a quasi-unicorn board room looks like
• How to be a “product” businessperson
• The pros and cons of venture capital
• Building sales teams, bringing new ad products to marketers, long-term thinking to grow revenue
• The ways in which strategy is and isn’t destiny

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More Experience

Read more about some of my experiences:

• Martini Media, a vertical ad network
• Thought Catalog, a digital publisher
• Every Person Has A Story, a not-for-profit
• Other Projects, including side projects, investing, and advising
• Writing, Press, & Awards