John Federman
President and CEO, Searchandise Commerce
As president and chief executive officer, John Federman is responsible for Searchandise Commerce's strategic direction, growth and corporate vision. Mr. Federman brings more than 20 years of experience with innovative information technology and media companies to Searchandise Commerce. Prior to Searchandise Commerce, Mr. Federman was the CEO of eStara, the leading provider of proactive conversion solutions for enhancing eCommerce. After growing topline revenue four-fold, eStara was acquired by Art Technology Group (ATG) in 2006. As co-founder, president and CEO of Dotomi, an Internet advertising company, he was responsible for its successful rollout in the United States. As president and CEO of AdSmart, a CMGI company, he grew the company tenfold and orchestrated its sale to Engage. Following AdSmart, he joined Newmediary as CEO, and sold that company to CNet Networks. Mr. Federman's career began at Ziff Davis Publishing, where he held a number of positions culminating as Publisher of PC Week, the world's Number One trade journal.
Sarah Fay
Former CEO, Aegis Media North America
A a veteran of the media services industry, Sarah Fay is responsible for developing and implementing groundbreaking new models for advertising and media in her two decades of experience. Until May of 2009, Sarah was CEO of Aegis Media North America where she was also responsible for launching and growing a significant part of that business during her eleven year tenure at that company. She is also responsible for the launch of Isobar Mobile, a highly regarded mobile marketing entity. An industry thought leader, Sarah initiated several ground breaking studies including “Born to Be Wired” (2003), which examined rapidly increasing internet use by teens, and “Never Ending Friending” (2007), which considered the increasingly vital role of social networking as a component of social behavior and also calculated marketing ROI for Social Marketing campaigns. She has also been widely quoted in industry publications, as well as serving as a speaker at major marketing conferences.
Read Sarah's take on digital media trends and challenges.
Ross Goldstein
Co-founder and Managing Director, DFJ Gotham Partners
Ross H. Goldstein is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson Gotham Ventures, an early-stage IT venture capital fund based in New York City. Mr. Goldstein has worked extensively with technology, communications and media companies in his career as a venture capitalist, start-up operator and investment banker. Mr. Goldstein is DFJ Gotham's representative on the board of DFJ Gotham portfolio companies Mimeo.com, Lumeta, ContextWeb, IZEA, Drop.io, Medialets and Altruik. Prior to co-founding DFJ Gotham Ventures, Mr. Goldstein was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Interactive Imaginations, Inc., one of New York's pioneering Internet companies, and the predecessor company to 24/7 Media, Inc. which was ultimately acquired by WPP Group. Prior to Interactive Imaginations, Mr. Goldstein was a senior banker with Morgan Stanley. Mr. Goldstein also serves on the Board of Directors of New York Cares, a non-profit volunteer organization based in New York City, and on the Board of Advisors of Catchafire, a start-up that provides web-based matching of skilled volunteers with non-profit organizations. Mr. Goldstein received a B.S. in Applied Mathematics-Economics, magna cum laude, from Brown University and an M.B.A. from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Brian McAndrews
Managing Director, Madrona Venture Group
Brian McAndrews joined Madrona as Managing Director in 2009. Prior to joining Madrona, Mr. McAndrews was Senior Vice President at Microsoft Corporation, leading the Advertiser and Publisher Solutions (APS) Group, where his team was responsible for approximately $3 billion in revenue and for building and marketing the Microsoft Advertising Platform. He successfully integrated aQuantive, Microsoft's largest acquisition ever, into the company to help create APS. Previously, Mr. McAndrews served as CEO of aQuantive Inc., one of the fastest-growing global digital marketing companies in the world. He held executive positions at ABC Sports, ABC Entertainment and ABC Television Network; eventually becoming executive vice president and general manager for ABC Sports. He also served as product manager for General Mills Inc., a leading consumer products manufacturer. Mr. McAndrews earned a bachelor of arts (A.B.) in economics from Harvard University, and graduated from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Read Brian's take on the digital media space.
Lawrence Wagenberg
General Partner, Wheatley Partners
Lawrence Wagenberg is a general partner at Wheatley Partners, a New York-based private equity firm investing in information technology, business services, media and healthcare. At Wheatley, he has served as a board member or board observer of many companies, including CNS, Pando Networks, Tri-ed, WhittmanHart, Versamed and Visiprise, among others. Prior to joining Wheatley, he practiced corporate law with the firm Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLC, where he focused primarily on private and public securities transactions, mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Wagenberg holds a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and B.A. from the University of Vermont.