DoubleClick, Mongo DB, ShopWiki, Gilt, Zola, The Ladders, HotJobs, Business Insider. One thing they all have in common is Kevin Ryan, "The Godfather" of NYC tech.
What started it all? How did he become an entrepreneur?
Dilbert made him do it. Yeah, that Dilbert. Back in the early days of the internet Kevin Ryan was working for E.W. Scripps and set up the Dilbert website. If he could get the comic strips online, maybe it would become a destination. Not only did people come in droves, but the site made money. He had seen the future and that future was the internet.
While you were still amazed when your computer said, "You've Got Mail!" he was already building DoubleClick into a billion dollar online advertising business. As President and then CEO, he led the company from 1996 until 2005, growing the 20 person startup into a global publicly-traded company with thousands of employees.
After leaving DoubleClick, he and Dwight Merriman founded AlleyCorp, a network of New York based technology businesses. These include Mongo DB, Business Insider and The Gilt Groupe, three big bets that have made both money and headlines.
As the Chairman and Founder of Gilt, he led the team that built one of the most buzzed about and innovative shopping websites. The members-only high end flash sales have changed both e-commerce and the way we shop.
Kevin Ryan knows how to build companies, has a knack for making smart investments and maybe can see the future. You've got questions. Aaron Price will get the answers. You can see him at NJ Tech Meetup 64 on Wednesday, September 16th. Sign up here. To learn more about "The Godfather" of NYC tech before the meetup check out Gilt, catch up on Dilbert and find him on Twitter @KevinRyan.
