BranchOut

Investors and Advisors

Experience, wisdom, and connections

	Kevin Efrusy — Accel Partners Kevin joined Accel in 2003. His background is primarily as an entrepreneur and operating executive. He served two stints as an Entrepreneur-In-Residence at Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers where he started Corio, an ASP/SaaS pioneer which went public on Nasdaq and was acquired by IBM in 2005. Later… more» Kevin joined Accel in 2003. His background is primarily as an entrepreneur and operating executive. He served two stints as an Entrepreneur-In-Residence at Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers where he started Corio, an ASP/SaaS pioneer which went public on Nasdaq and was acquired by IBM in 2005. Later he served as the first CEO of IronPlanet, an online marketplace for heavy equipment with current annual gross sales over $200M. Prior to KPCB, Kevin served as a product manager at Zip2 and a consultant at Bain & Company. Kevin focuses primarily on two areas for investment: consumer internet services and saas/open source software. Within consumer services, he sourced Accel's investment in Facebook and led Accel's investments in Metacafe, Medio Systems, Mig33, Tumri, and EveryZing, Within saas/open source software, he led investments or serves on the boards of Xensource (acquired by Citrix), Genius, SpringSource, Hyperic, Terracotta, and Aptana. He also currently serves on the board of BBN Technologies, and is actively involved in Riverbed Technology and Transera. Kevin has an MSEE, BSEE, and BA in Economics all from Stanford University, and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business where he was an Arjay Miller scholar. less»
	Geoff Yang — Redpoint Ventures Geoff Yang is a Founding Partner of Redpoint Ventures. Prior to founding Redpoint, Geoff was a general partner with IVP, a firm he joined in 1987. He currently serves on the Board of BigBand Networks (BBND) and several privately-held company boards… more» Geoff Yang is a Founding Partner of Redpoint Ventures. Prior to founding Redpoint, Geoff was a general partner with IVP, a firm he joined in 1987. Geoff emphasizes investments in consumer media and infrastructure. His media and advertising investments include Ask Jeeves, Excite, MySpace and TiVo. His networking investments include BigBand, Calix, Foundry Networks, Juniper Networks, MMC Networks and Wellfleet. He currently serves on the Board of BigBand Networks (BBND) and several privately-held company boards including Bluefin, Clicker (recently acquired by CBS), Fanfare (recently acquired by Spirent), Gaia Online, Gravity, Machinima, Oodle and Scribd. In addition, Geoff was founding director or previously led investments in Agile Networks, Applied Digital Access, Centillion, Collabra, Crescendo, Golfweb, JotSpot, Netcore Systems, Netlink, Promatory, Rapid City, Shasta Networks and Whitetree. Geoff is currently on the Advisory Council for the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and previously served on the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC) as well as a Director of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) and President of the Western Association of Venture Capitalists (WAVC). Prior to joining IVP, Geoff was an Associate with First Century Partners and a Marketing Rep. at IBM Corp. Geoff holds a B.S.E. in Engineering and Management Systems from Princeton University and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. less»
	Tim Chang — Mayfield Tim Chang is a proven venture investor and experienced global executive. He has been named on the Forbes Midas List of Top 100 Dealmakers in 2011, the AlwaysOn 2011 Power Players West list, and as one of the 12 Influential Investors of 2011 by CNET… more» Tim Chang is a proven venture investor and experienced global executive. He has been named on the Forbes Midas List of Top 100 Dealmakers in 2011, the AlwaysOn 2011 Power Players West list, and as one of the 12 Influential Investors of 2011 by CNET Tim has over 10 years of venture capital experience and invests in companies leveraging mobile, cloud/SaaS, social, and big data. He also leads Mayfield Fund's investment practice in China Some of Mr. Chang's notable investments in the U.S. include ngmoco (acquired by DeNA), Playdom, Inc. (acquired by Disney), and Iridigm Display Corporation (acquired by Qualcomm). Tim serves on the advisory boards of the Verizon 4G Venture Forum, Gamestop Corporation, Yoshimoto Kogyo, the Silicon Valley Telecom Council, and MIT/Stanford VLAB. Mr. Chang holds an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering/System Engineering, and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan. less»
	Sergio Monsalve — Norwest Venture Partners Sergio brings to NVP extensive operational and venture capital experience from a wide range of business and consumer technology companies. He is focused on early and growth investments in the digital media, mobile, and social areas. His current investments and board seats include BranchOut, Bookrenter, Motif Investing, myYearbook and various stealth seed investments. Sergio was previously on the board of The DealMap (acquired by Google). He is a board participant and is involved with Lending Club.… more» Sergio brings to NVP extensive operational and venture capital experience from a wide range of business and consumer technology companies. He is focused on early and growth investments in the digital media, mobile, and social areas. His current investments and board seats include BranchOut, Bookrenter, Motif Investing, myYearbook and various stealth seed investments. Sergio was previously on the board of The DealMap (acquired by Google). He is a board participant and is involved with Lending Club. Most recently, Sergio was Vice President of Marketing at Photobucket, which was successfully sold to News Corp. for $300 million in 2007. Prior to PhotoBucket, Sergio was Director of Marketing & Business Development at eBay, which he grew from $150 million to more than $500 in gross merchandise sales. Previously Sergio was marketing and business development manager at Portal Software (now part of Oracle) which had a successful Initial Public Offering in 1999, and was co-founder and first business development executive at Cymerc, a hosted SaaS solution for small and medium-sized businesses. He started his career at Morgan Stanley, where he advised several companies on mergers and acquisitions. Sergio has a BS in MS&E from Stanford University and MBA from Harvard Business School. less»
	Mike Maples — Floodgate Fund Mike Maples, Jr. is the managing partner of Maples Investments, and was recently named as one of "8 Rising VC Stars" by Fortune Magazine for his investments in business and consumer technology companies. Before becoming a full-time investor, Mike was an entrepreneur and operating executive who worked in a variety… more» Mike Maples, Jr. is the managing partner of Maples Investments, and was recently named as one of "8 Rising VC Stars" by Fortune Magazine for his investments in business and consumer technology companies. Before becoming a full-time investor, Mike was an entrepreneur and operating executive who worked in a variety of senior management roles in high-growth companies. His background spans a variety of markets including consumer technology, small business, and the enterprise, and he has led various functions in product development, marketing, business development, and corporate strategy. Mike began his technology career in high school, when he started a software company that developed games and educational products for the original IBM PC. He has been passionate about the technology industry ever since. Before founding Maples Investments, Mike co-founded Motive, Inc., the world's leading broadband software company in 1997, and played key roles in its growth from raw start-up through sales of more than $75 million. Motive was one of the only successful technology IPOs in 2004, and the most successful infrastructure software IPO for the prior three years. At Motive, Mike was General Manager of Motive's Corporate Business Unit, as well as Chief Marketing and Strategy officer. Prior to Motive, Mike was responsible for worldwide product marketing at Tivoli Systems, where he managed the company's product portfolio from its early-stage development through its 1995 IPO and growth to a $750M line of business within the IBM Software Group. Mike began his professional career at Silicon Graphics, where he served in business development and product marketing roles. In his spare time Mike is an amateur artist, movie-maker, and calligrapher. He holds an Engineering degree from Stanford University, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and a guest-lecturer on entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School, Stanford University, Princeton University, and the University of Texas. less»
	Stan Chudnovsky Stan Chudnovsky is Co-Founder of Ooga Labs, a technology greenhouse in San Francisco, developing multiple Internet businesses simultaneously. Stan is also the Co-Founder & CTO of WonderHill, the leading social gaming company focused on creating wholesome online games. Prior to WonderHill, Stan spent… more» Stan Chudnovsky is Co-Founder of Ooga Labs, a technology greenhouse in San Francisco, developing multiple Internet businesses simultaneously. Stan is also the Co-Founder & CTO of WonderHill, the leading social gaming company focused on creating wholesome online games. Prior to WonderHill, Stan spent 6-plus years building Tickle Inc., which was sold to Monster for over $100 million. Starting as VP of Engineering, Stan gained responsibilities over Product and Operations and then was named CEO after James Currier left the company in December 2005. Prior to Tickle, Stan was VP of Engineering at SayIt Inc. Stan moved to San Francisco from Moscow in 1994 after earning both his Bachelor and Masters Degrees in Applied Mathematics from the University of Moscow. less»
	Naval Ravikant Naval is an entrepreneur and angel investor, a co-author of Venture Hacks, and a co-maintainer of AngelList. Previously he was a co-founder at Genoa Corp (acquired by Finisar), Epinions.com (IPO via Shopping.com), and Vast.com (largest white-label classifieds marketplace). He has advised Bix.com, iPivot, and XFire… more» Naval is an entrepreneur and angel investor, a co-author of Venture Hacks, and a co-maintainer of AngelList. Previously he was a co-founder at Genoa Corp (acquired by Finisar), Epinions.com (IPO via Shopping.com), and Vast.com (largest white-label classifieds marketplace). He has advised Bix.com, iPivot, and XFire, among others, and invested in many companies, including Twitter, FourSquare, DocVerse (sold to Google), Mixer Labs (sold to Twitter), Jambool (Social Gold), SnapLogic, PlanCast, Stack Overflow, Heyzap, Disqus and BranchOut. less»
	Shervin Pishevar Shervin joined Menlo Ventures in 2011 and focuses on the social web, consumer internet and mobile. At Menlo, Shervin serves on the board or works closely with the teams at Uber, Shaker, Warby Parker and Mr. Number, and led Menlo's investment in Tumblr.… more» Shervin joined Menlo Ventures in 2011 and focuses on the social web, consumer internet and mobile. At Menlo, Shervin serves on the board or works closely with the teams at Uber, Shaker, Warby Parker and Mr. Number, and led Menlo's investment in Tumblr. Shervin also helped launch the Menlo Talent Fund, Menlo's new $20m seed fund. Before joining Menlo, Shervin was chief application officer and GM at Mozilla Corporation after spending most of his career as a serial entrepreneur and angel investor. Companies Shervin founded have reached an aggregate of 100 million users across companies like Webs.com, Social Gaming Network (SGN) and Hyperoffice raising over $50m for those companies. Shervin angel invested in over 40 companies including Klout, Aardvark (sold to Google), Gowalla (sold to Facebook), Milo.com (sold to eBay), TaskRabbit, Milk, Likealittle (LAL), Qwiki, Votizen, Sprucemedia, Medialets and SolveMedia. Shervin serves on the advisory board of Comscore (NASDAQ: SCOR). Shervin is one of 10 members of the UN Foundation's Global Entrepreneurs Council, serves as an Entrepreneurial Ambassador on several State Department delegations and at the President's Summit on Entrepreneurship. Giving back is very important to Shervin and is the reason he dedicates time to traveling abroad to Africa to volunteer with Invisible Children and charity:water. Shervin is a graduate of the University of California (BA, Interdisciplinary Studies Field Major), a published researcher in JAMA and Neuroscience Letters and the author of several US patents. less»
	Dave Morin Dave is the CEO and Co-Founder of Path. He is also an angel investor and advisor. And, avid skier. Before starting Path he was the Senior Platform Manager at Facebook. As an early member of the Facebook team, Dave played a variety of product, marketing, strategy, and management roles in expanding the Facebook ecosystem… more» Dave is the CEO and Co-Founder of Path. He is also an angel investor and advisor. And, avid skier. Before starting Path he was the Senior Platform Manager at Facebook. As an early member of the Facebook team, Dave played a variety of product, marketing, strategy, and management roles in expanding the Facebook ecosystem. Most recently, Dave was a co-inventor of Facebook Connect which was created to make the Internet a more social place. Facebook Connect is now used by over 1 million websites and applications to empower over 150 million users to connect and share with their friends across the Web, the iPhone, and many other devices and consoles. Earlier, Dave was a co-inventor of the revolutionary Facebook Platform, the world's first social platform. Since launch, the multi-billion dollar Facebook Platform ecosystem has grown to include over 1 million developers in 180 countries that have created over 550,000 applications used monthly by over 70% of Facebook's 500 million users worldwide. Prior to Facebook, Dave held positions at Apple in product and marketing. In his college dorm room, he also founded a small design focused Internet company called DM Design Studios. A passionate and well received speaker, Dave has delivered keynotes and spoken at events worldwide such as South by Southwest, Future of Web Apps, Web 2.0 Expo, Le Web, Microsoft MIX, O'Reilly Foo Camp, and Facebook f8. Dave was named #16 of the 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company in 2009. Dave received a degree in Economics and Business from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Dave grew up under the big sky of Montana where he was ranked as one of the top downhill ski racers in the United States. Today, he lives and works in beautiful San Francisco. less»
	Shawn Fanning Shawn is best known for creating Napster in 1998 while attending Northeastern University. Napster changed the music industry forever and was eventually acquired by Best Buy in 2008. After leaving Napster, Shawn founded SNOCAP, a B2B digital music distributor, in 2003, and sold the company to iMeem.… more» Shawn is best known for creating Napster in 1998 while attending Northeastern University. Napster changed the music industry forever and was eventually acquired by Best Buy in 2008. After leaving Napster, Shawn founded SNOCAP, a B2B digital music distributor, in 2003, and sold the company to iMeem. In 2006, Shawn founded Rupture, an MMORPG social network which was subsequently sold to Electronic Arts. A huge fan of online gaming, Fanning found himself frustrated by the lack of connection between players. He established Rupture to help establish communication between players, find out what they're playing, and provide a showcase where they could display their accomplishments. In 2003, Shawn had a cameo appearance, playing himself, in the film The Italian Job. In 2008, Shawn appeared in a Volkswagen commercial. less»
	Tim Ferriss Tim Ferriss, nominated as one of Fast Company's "Most Innovative Business People of 2007," is an angel investor (StumbleUpon, Digg, Twitter, etc.) and author of the #1 New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and BusinessWeek bestseller, The 4-Hour Workweek, which has been sold into 35 languages… more» Tim Ferriss, nominated as one of Fast Company's "Most Innovative Business People of 2007," is an angel investor (StumbleUpon, Digg, Twitter, etc.) and author of the #1 New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and BusinessWeek bestseller, The 4-Hour Workweek, which has been sold into 35 languages. His blog is one of Inc. Magazine's "19 Blogs You Should Bookmark Right Now", and it has been ranked #1 on the Top 150 Management and Leadership Blogs list, based on Google PageRank, Alexa traffic ranking, Bing results, Technorati authority, Feedburner subscribers, and PostRank. Tim has been featured by more than 100 media outlets-including The New York Times, The Economist, TIME, Forbes, Fortune, CNN, and CBS-and has been a popular guest lecturer at Princeton University since 2003, where he presents entrepreneurship as a tool for ideal lifestyle design and world change. Tim received his BA from Princeton University in 2000, where he studied in the Neuroscience and East Asian Studies departments. He developed his nonfiction writing with Pulitzer Prize winner John McPhee and formed his life philosophies under Nobel Prize winner Kenzaburo Oe. He is 32 years old, and The 4-Hour Workweek is his first book. less»
	Philip Kaplan Philip has been an Internet pioneer for over a decade. Philip is best known as the Founder of the "F'd Company" website which earned several accolades including Yahoo and Rolling Stone's Site-of-the-Year, and #6 in TIME Magazine's "Best of 2000." Philip is currently an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Charles River… more» Philip has been an Internet pioneer for over a decade. Philip is best known as the Founder of the "F'd Company" website which earned several accolades including Yahoo and Rolling Stone's Site-of-the-Year, and #6 in TIME Magazine's "Best of 2000." Philip is currently an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Charles River Ventures. Previously, Philip was the Founder of AdBrite, an online advertising marketplace based in San Francisco. Prior to founding AdBrite, Philip founded several businesses including PK Interactive, a software company that developed Web-based applications for Fortune 500 clients including Toyota and Mead Paper. Philip is a regular public speaker and is the bestselling author of F'd Companies (Simon & Schuster). He is on the board of the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University. He also rocks on the drums. less»
	Matt Mullenweg Matt is an entrepreneur living in San Francisco, California. He is the founding developer of the popular open-source blogging software WordPress. After leaving CNET, he has devoted the majority of his time to developing a number of open source projects and is a frequent speaker at conferences, such as… more» Matt is an entrepreneur living in San Francisco, California. He is the founding developer of the popular open-source blogging software WordPress. After leaving CNET, he has devoted the majority of his time to developing a number of open source projects and is a frequent speaker at conferences, such as Canada's Northern Voice and the WordCamp events organized around WordPress software. In late 2005, he founded Automattic, the business behind WordPress.com and Akismet. Mullenweg attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts where he studied jazz saxophone. Matt also serves as an adviser to Sphere and WeGame. less»
	Chris Michel Chris is the Managing Director of Nautilus Ventures. He is also the Founder of Affinity Labs, a digital media company managing a portfolio of leading online professional communities. In 2008, Affinity Labs was acquired by Monster Worldwide. Prior to founding Affinity Labs, he founded Military.com, the nation's largest… more» Chris is the Managing Director of Nautilus Ventures. He is also the Founder of Affinity Labs, a digital media company managing a portfolio of leading online professional communities. In 2008, Affinity Labs was acquired by Monster Worldwide. Prior to founding Affinity Labs, he founded Military.com, the nation's largest military membership organization. In 2004, Military.com was also acquired by Monster. Chris served as a Naval Flight Officer in the United States Navy. Chris serves as a Director of Dale Carnegie, IDG, Castlight Health & Casual Collective. He is also a Governor on the USO World Board. In addition, he's a Sector Advisor to Maveron LLC, a leading venture capital firm, and was recently appointed to the oversight committee for the Division on Earth and Life Studies. He's an advisor to the Oxford Internet Institute and the Center for Investigative Reporting. Chris earned his commission from the NROTC program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with high distinction and as the Distinguished Naval Graduate. In addition, he holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School and is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the author of The Military Advantage. less»
	Michael Birch Michael Birch is the Co-founder of Bebo and Birthday Alarm. Birch was raised in North London, England, went to Imperial College, London in Central London (where he met Xochi, his wife), then worked in West London. After finally deciding that he had done London, Michael moved to San Francisco in 2002… more» Michael Birch is the Co-founder of Bebo and Birthday Alarm. Birch was raised in North London, England, went to Imperial College, London in Central London (where he met Xochi, his wife), then worked in West London. After finally deciding that he had done London, Michael moved to San Francisco in 2002. Michael and Xochi Birch sold Bebo to AOL in March 2008 for USD 850 million. Their combined 70% stake yielded a profit of $595 million from the deal. In June 2008, Michael invested in, and joined the board of, MyStore.com along with Julian Lennon and Gordon Crawford. He is also an investor in Goodreads, a book oriented social network. Having worked in a number of not-so-exciting computer related jobs, he relished the chance to set up an Internet based family business with his wife, Xochi and brother, Paul. Remembering birthdays was never his strong point, much to his embarrassment, so what could be better than something he could use himself? Michael was responsible for developing the original Birthday Alarm website back in 2001, but is no longer involved in its development. less»
	James Currier James Currier is the Co-Founder and CEO of both Ooga Labs, the consumer Internet greenhouse in San Francisco, and of Wonderhill, a social games company backed by Charles River and Shasta. He is also the Co-Founder and Chairman of Medpedia… more» James Currier is the Co-Founder and CEO of both Ooga Labs, the consumer Internet greenhouse in San Francisco, and of Wonderhill, a social games company backed by Charles River and Shasta. He is also the Co-Founder and Chairman of Medpedia. Prior to these companies, James was Founder and CEO of Tickle Inc. (founded in 1999, sold to Monster.com in 2004 for over $100 million). Tickle was one of the first viral successes, growing to over 200 million registered users. Prior to Tickle, James was an Associate at Battery Ventures, making information technology investments between 1994-1997. Earlier, James worked at STAR TV in Hong Kong and GTE New Ventures in Los Angeles, developing new digital technology businesses for the entertainment industry. James is a graduate of Phillips Exeter, Princeton and Harvard Business School. James serves on the Board of Directors of Linden Labs/SecondLife, and is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute. less»
	Blake Commagere Blake pioneered the social gaming category on social networks by creating some of the biggest apps ever on Facebook including Zombies and Vampires and many other games. Blake was also a key member of the team that created "Causes" which has raised over $10 million on Facebook… more» Blake pioneered the social gaming category on social networks by creating some of the biggest apps ever on Facebook including Zombies and Vampires and many other games. Blake was also a key member of the team that created "Causes" which has raised over $10 million on Facebook. Most recently Blake was CTO at Ohai - a company creating a Flash MMOG. Previously, he was a Co-Founder at Mogad, Lead Engineer at Causes (Facebook Causes), Founder of a company that focused on fundraising for non-profits on MySpace, a Senior Engineer at Plaxo and the Founding Engineer of BuildForge. He sits on the Advisory Board of several companies in the Bay Area and Austin. less»
	Ben Ling Benjamin leads the monetization efforts of YouTube at Google. He previously worked at Facebook, where he oversaw product marketing, developer operations and partner solutions for the Facebook Platform. He came to Facebook from Google in the Fall of 2007, and decided to return to the company in August… more» Benjamin leads the monetization efforts of YouTube at Google. He previously worked at Facebook, where he oversaw product marketing, developer operations and partner solutions for the Facebook Platform. He came to Facebook from Google in the Fall of 2007, and decided to return to the company in August of 2008. In his first stint at Google, Benjamin was the Product Management Director of Checkout, where he founded and led Google Checkout and oversaw Google Product Search. He managed a cross functional team that included product, engineering, sales, marketing, operations, finance and legal. less»
	Josh Elman Josh Elman is a Product Manager at Twitter where he focuses on new project and initiatives to get everyone to become lifelong Twitter users. Previously, Josh was at Facebook, where he focused on new initiatives and programs for developers on Facebook Platform including launching Facebook Connect… more» Josh Elman is a Product Manager at Twitter where he focuses on new project and initiatives to get everyone to become lifelong Twitter users. Previously, Josh was at Facebook, where he focused on new initiatives and programs for developers on Facebook Platform including launching Facebook Connect. Previously, Josh was Head of Product Management at Zazzle, worked at LinkedIn, and began his career at RealNetworks. Josh holds a bachelor's degree in symbolic systems from Stanford University. less»
	Othman Laraki Othman is a director at Twitter. He was formerly co-founder and President of GeoAPI.com / Mixer Labs. Before Mixer Labs, Othman was at Google, where he managed a number of products including the Google Toolbar, Google Gears, early Firefox extensions, as well FastNet (real-time fetching and caching infrastructure)… more» Othman is a director at Twitter. He was formerly co-founder and President of GeoAPI.com / Mixer Labs. Before Mixer Labs, Othman was at Google, where he managed a number of products including the Google Toolbar, Google Gears, early Firefox extensions, as well FastNet (real-time fetching and caching infrastructure). Prior to Google, Othman was at ACCESS Systems, where he ran server-side engineering. Othman currently serves on the board of directors of ESI Group, a publicly traded French software company. Othman has an MBA from MIT and a BS + MS in Computer Science & Industrial Engineering from Stanford. less»
	Matt Ocko Matt Ocko, Managing Director of Archimedes Capital, has twenty five years of experience as a technology entrepreneur, operating executive, and venture capitalist, both in the US and in China. Matt holds a BA in Physics from Yale University. Matt has been a General Partner of VantagePoint Venture Partners and Softbank… more» Matt Ocko, Managing Director of Archimedes Capital, has twenty five years of experience as a technology entrepreneur, operating executive, and venture capitalist, both in the US and in China. Matt holds a BA in Physics from Yale University. Matt has been a General Partner of VantagePoint Venture Partners and Softbank Technology Ventures (of which he was a founder), as well as a Partner at Helix Investments. He has been directly involved in raising over $2 billion in venture capital investments from limited partners, and building major practices at these firms. Matt has led investments in and/or served on the Boards of the following: OpenText (OTEX), DataMirror (DMCX), SupportSoft (SPRT), CriticalPath (CPTH), VxTreme (acqd. by Microsoft), Zip2 (acqd. by Compaq), Verisign (VRSN), Alantro (acqd. by Texas Instruments), UltraDNS (acqd. by NeuStar), 3Ware (acqd. by AMCC), Planet U (acqd. by Transora), nDSP (acqd. by Pixelworks), Sandcraft (acqd. by Raza Microelectronics), and NuCore (acqd. by MediaTek). Matt founded and was VP of R&D for Da Vinci Systems, a pioneering e-mail software vendor with over 1 million users world-wide prior to its acquisition. He was also a founding Director of Oracle's Media Server Division and had a leadership role in the business and technical operations of the division. He has helped found and fund a number of other Silicon Valley companies, including ones financed by such investors as Sevin Rosen Funds, New Enterprise Associates, Kleiner Perkins, Accel Partners, Mayfield, and Hummer Winblad. Matt has funded and advised multiple companies with teams and/or businesses either entirely or substantially in China, and advised multiple senior researchers, engineers, executives, and state and provincial government officials on venture capital and technology strategy. Matt's 1996 lecture to the Central Committee Party School on "Venture Capital with a Chinese Face" has been widely distributed at all levels of government in China. less»
	Tyler Willis Tyler Willis is a founding employee at Involver, a marketing technology platform used by more than 200,000 brands, where he oversees marketing programs and brand strategy. Tyler also serves as an advisor to technology companies (BranchOut, GamesThatGive, Vidtel)… more» Tyler Willis is a founding employee at Involver, a marketing technology platform used by more than 200,000 brands, where he oversees marketing programs and brand strategy. Tyler also serves as an advisor to technology companies (BranchOut, GamesThatGive, Vidtel) and is a well received speaker for technology and marketing organizations (American Marketing Association, Microsoft, Vertical Response). He writes about the changing landscape of technology and marketing at CueTheFuture.com. less»
	Jamie Perlman Jamie Perlman is Sr. Director of Business Development at Box.net, where he focuses on mobile partnerships for the burgeoning enterprise 2.0 company. Prior to Box, Jamie headed monetization for popular presentation sharing site, SlideShare, and held executive BD and Marketing roles at Inviteme.to… more» Jamie Perlman is Sr. Director of Business Development at Box.net, where he focuses on mobile partnerships for the burgeoning enterprise 2.0 company. Prior to Box, Jamie headed monetization for popular presentation sharing site, SlideShare, and held executive BD and Marketing roles at Inviteme.to and Originator Media. Prior to that, Jamie was an early employee at SNOCAP, where he ran distribution for 4 years. He holds an MBA from USC's Marshall School of Business and a BA from Colby College in Waterville, Maine. less»
	Marcy Simon Marcy Simon has over 20 years of global expertise in driving the development and reputation of companies from start-ups to multi-billion dollar organizations by creating multi-faceted strategies for corporate and industry positioning.… more» Marcy Simon has over 20 years of global expertise in driving the development and reputation of companies from start-ups to multi-billion dollar organizations by creating multi-faceted strategies for corporate and industry positioning. She has a long history of advising high-level c-suite executives, having worked with CEOs from some of the world's most important, innovative and influential companies. Marcy brings unique, strategic perspective and expertise to marketing communications, advertising, branding, public relations and investor relations campaigns. Her deep understanding of technology and social media is unparalleled in developing the messaging and positioning for brands. Her background in broadcast journalism, allows her to craft strategic messages, deliver quality results and manage complex global communications assignments. Marcy also advises clients in the areas of Investor Relations, identifying the right resources across the globe to meet client needs, including IPO's and Spin-offs. Marcy is often retained to help companies shape their public image before, during or after a major change, whether in management, corporate governance or strategic direction. Marcy is currently advising companies directly and is also closely involved in the cutting edge of current technology, advising start-ups across the globe. less»
	Scott Kraft Scott Kraft is an award-winning brand and marketing expert. In over 20 years of work on the agency and client sides, Kraft has worked to develop ground-breaking strategies and campaigns for leading brands from startups to the Fortune 100.… more» Scott Kraft is an award-winning brand and marketing expert. In over 20 years of work on the agency and client sides, Kraft has worked to develop ground-breaking strategies and campaigns for leading brands from startups to the Fortune 100. Scott held senior marketing positions at Reader's Digest, Sun Microsystems, and Six Apart and founded five companies, one of which went public in 1992 and three of which were purchased. Among his notable campaigns was the groundbreaking e-culture campaign for IBM, which re-positioned the company as an Internet-savvy technology brand and won every major advertising award that year. As CEO of agency Gadfly Inc, Scott continues the hunt for marketing excellence. less»

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Investors and Advisors

Experience, wisdom, and connections

Kevin Efrusy — Accel Partners

Geoff Yang — Redpoint Ventures

Tim Chang — Mayfield

Sergio Monsalve — Norwest Venture Partners

Mike Maples — Floodgate Fund

Stan Chudnovsky

Naval Ravikant

Shervin Pishevar

Dave Morin

Shawn Fanning

Tim Ferriss

Philip Kaplan

Matt Mullenweg

Chris Michel

Michael Birch

James Currier

Blake Commagere

Ben Ling

Josh Elman

Othman Laraki

Matt Ocko

Tyler Willis

Jamie Perlman

Marcy Simon

Scott Kraft