Dean Denhart has extensive technology leadership expertise in telecom, media and technology-related industries across large, medium and start-up companies. Denhart has been directly involved in the acquisition and operation integration of over 18 technology companies with expertise in off-shore, joint ventures and partnerships. As CEO of BlackArrow, Denhart is responsible for all business operations, technology development, financial management, business development and governance of BlackArrow. Previously, Denhart oversaw the strategic development of product and technology at Knight Ridder Digital. Denhart was also CIO and executive vice president of product and technology for HomeStore, an online real estate marketing company. Prior, he served as vice president of AirTouch Communications’ software systems group, held a vice president of network systems role during a 17-year tenure with SBC Communications/Pacific Bell, was CIO of Telecel (a wireless company) in Portugal and was an integral research and development executive at Bell Communications Research.
Larry Kramer chairman
Larry Kramer is chairman of the board at BlackArrow. From March 2005 until November 2006, he served as the first president of CBS Digital Media, a new division he created to integrate all new media operations for the network. Prior to joining CBS, Kramer was chairman, CEO and founder of MarketWatch, Inc. (CBS MarketWatch) until its sale to Dow Jones in January 2005. Kramer was also vice president of Data Broadcasting Corp., following its acquisition of his company, DataSport, Inc. Previously, Kramer spent more than 20 years in journalism as an award-winning reporter and editor for the San Francisco Examiner, the Washington Post and the Trenton (N.J.) Times. Kramer sits on the board of directors of Answers.com (NASDAQ: ANSW), BlackArrow, CreditCard.com, ContentNext and Harvard Business School Publications, and serves on the advisory boards of the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University and Jib Jab Media Inc.
Peter Flint
general partner, Polaris Venture Partners
Peter Flint joined Polaris in 2003 and brings over 25 years of experience as an operating executive in the consumer media industry – combined with building senior management teams for early-stage, venture-backed companies. Prior to joining Polaris, Flint was a managing director with Ramsey Beirne Associates, the leading provider of executive searches to high-growth, leading-edge information technology companies. Flint has enjoyed a successful 15-year sales and marketing career in the cable television industry, initially with Showtime Entertainment and MTV Networks. He also worked with the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins to develop and launch the New England Sports Network. In addition, as vice president of Sales and Marketing for QVC Network, Flint directed a team to secure long-term distribution agreements with the nation’s largest cable companies, which was instrumental in the successful initial public offering. Flint was an early entrant in the interactive television marketplace as vice president of Video Jukebox Network, the company that built out the first nationally distributed, on-demand television network.
David B. Horowitz
managing director, Comcast Interactive Capital
David Horowitz focuses his efforts in digital media, advertising, consumer Internet, and other relevant sectors. Horowitz works closely with Genacast Ventures, a seed stage venture fund affiliated with Comcast Interactive Capital. Horowitz’s responsibilities at CIC include sourcing new investment opportunities and advising and sitting on the board of CIC portfolio companies. Prior to joining CIC in 2000, Horowitz worked in the investment banking department at Bear Stearns, advising clients in the Media & Entertainment sector that included cable, broadcasting, publishing, education, advertising/marketing and Internet/new media, among others. David holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with highest honors from the University of Michigan with a concentration in Accounting and Finance. Horowitz serves on the Board of Directors of BlackArrow, Invite Media, JiWire, TidalTV, and Visible World and is involved as an advisor or board observer to a number of other CIC portfolio companies. Horowitz was previously involved in CIC’s investments in Entropic Communications (NASDAQ: ENTR), Giant Realm (acquired by Burst Media), Intellon Corporation (NASDAQ: ITLN, acquired by Atheros Communications), Linkshare (acquired by Rakuten), Nuera Communications (acquired by AudioCodes), RF Magic (acquired by Entropic Communications), and XOS Technologies (acquired by JumpTV).
Derek Idemoto
director, corporate development, Cisco Systems, Inc. (observer)
Derek Idemoto joined Cisco in 2007 and is responsible for driving Cisco’s strategy, acquisitions and investments across the consumer and digital media markets. Prior to joining Cisco, Idemoto was the managing director of venture investment for ITOCHU Technology, the Silicon Valley-based technology venture capital and business development arm of ITOCHU Corporation. Before joining ITOCHU, he was vice president of corporate development at Overture Services (acquired by Yahoo! in 2003), the pioneer of commercial search services on the Internet. Previously, Idemoto was a venture associate at Kline Hawkes & Co., a Los Angeles private equity firm, where he focused on technology-enabled services investments. He began his professional career as an investment banker with both Cowen & Co. and BancAmerica Securities.
Pyrros Koussios
SVP Corporate Development, NDS Group Ltd.
Koussios has been with NDS since 1999 following five years with Cable & Wireless and four years as a technology company entrepreneur in Switzerland. At NDS, he is responsible for all strategic development activities and transactions of the group. In this capacity, he led the recent NDS leveraged buy-out and managed the earlier IPO of NDS on NASDAQ as well as the restructuring of the company. Over the years Koussios has acquired over a dozen digital media technology companies around the world on behalf of NDS and has negotiated and established joint ventures in Europe, the U.S. and Asia. At Cable & Wireless, Koussios occupied a number of sales and business development related roles and was involved in M&A transactions in Eastern Europe and Asia Pacific. Prior, Koussios founded and grew a start-up company in data networking in Switzerland.
Alexander K. Marquez
director, strategic investments, Intel Capital, Intel Corporation (observer)
Alexander Marquez is currently responsible for Intel Capital’s investments and strategies related to Digital Media. Prior to joining Intel Capital, Alexander served as technical advisor to the senior vice president of Intel’s Interactive Media Services division where he advised on strategy and media investments. Alexander also served as controller for Intel’s Content Services division where he oversaw financial aspects of the division, including numerous investments in Europe, Japan, Asia, and Latin America. Alexander joined Intel Corporation in 1994 where he held various management roles prior to joining Intel Capital. Alexander holds a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where he was the past Chairman of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Advisory Board and currently serves on the College of Engineering Advisory Board. Alexander has managed or co-managed investments around the globe including Atom Entertainment (acquired by Viacom), Akella, BlackArrow, Gametrust, Envivio, K2 Network, Trymedia (acquired by Macrovision), SixApart, and Synacor. He is on the board of directors of BlackArrow, Envivio, K2 Network, The Generations Network, and Synacor.
Allen Morgan
managing director, Mayfield Fund
Allen Morgan has spent more than 25 years counseling entrepreneurs throughout the start-up company process, first as a well-known Silicon Valley lawyer and, since 1999, as a Managing Director at Mayfield. Having closed more than 750 venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, and other public offerings in his career, Allen brings a broad base of start-up experience to bear on behalf of entrepreneurs. At Mayfield, Allen’s principal focus is on two major investment areas: enterprise software applications and infrastructure, particularly innovative solutions that enhance knowledge-worker productivity, as well as on start-ups in the area of consumer internet services, interactive entertainment, online advertising and new media. Allen currently sits on the boards of BlackArrow, DECA, Electric Cloud, Jobster, Pluck, Slide, Snap, Tagged and Zenprise. Prior to joining Mayfield, Allen was a partner with renowned Silicon Valley law firms, Latham & Watkins and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.
Advisory Board
Larry Goodman
president, White Mountain Media
Larry Goodman is a 30-year media and advertising industry veteran, affiliated for two decades with CNN. He previously served as president of CNN Sales and Marketing, and held concurrent responsibilities as president of News and Operations at Turner Broadcasting Sales, Inc. Earlier in his career, Goodman held media planning positions at advertising agencies McCann Erickson and Grey Advertising. He previously served on the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau’s (CAB) National Sales Advisory Board.
Tim Hanlon
executive vice president/Ventures, Denuo
Tim Hanlon is Executive Vice President/Ventures for Denuo, the futures consulting practice of advertising agency holding company Publicis Groupe, S.A. He is chiefly responsible for the solicitation, negotiation and oversight of the unit’s strategic partnership and equity investment activity — focused exclusively on paradigm-changing “new media” platforms and technologies – work which he began as head of Publicis Groupe Media (PGM) Ventures in April 2005. Prior to founding the PGM Ventures practice, Hanlon was Senior Vice President/Director, Emerging Contacts for Starcom MediaVest Group, a global media services network of Publicis Groupe Media and parent holding company Publicis Groupe, S.A.
Scott Kurnit
media and technology entrepreneur
Scott Kurnit is an investor and advisor at the cross-section of media and technology. He sits on the Boards of Brightcove, Dotomi and Goodmail Systems and advises several prominent start-up companies in the media and Web space. Kurnit founded and served as chairman and CEO of About.com, now owned by the New York Times Company. A holder of four patents, Kurnit started the first Pay Per View cable network and served as program director for Qube, the world’s first fully interactive cable system. Kurnit has worked at the highest levels of Warner, Viacom, News Corp., PBS, IBM, and MCI. He has also won several prestigious media awards, including an Emmy for producing a weekly television news magazine.
Board of Directors
Directors and Observers
Advisors
Dean Denhart
chief executive officer, BlackArrow
Dean Denhart has extensive technology leadership expertise in telecom, media and technology-related industries across large, medium and start-up companies. Denhart has been directly involved in the acquisition and operation integration of over 18 technology companies with expertise in off-shore, joint ventures and partnerships. As CEO of BlackArrow, Denhart is responsible for all business operations, technology development, financial management, business development and governance of BlackArrow. Previously, Denhart oversaw the strategic development of product and technology at Knight Ridder Digital. Denhart was also CIO and executive vice president of product and technology for HomeStore, an online real estate marketing company. Prior, he served as vice president of AirTouch Communications’ software systems group, held a vice president of network systems role during a 17-year tenure with SBC Communications/Pacific Bell, was CIO of Telecel (a wireless company) in Portugal and was an integral research and development executive at Bell Communications Research.
Larry Kramer
chairman
Larry Kramer is chairman of the board at BlackArrow. From March 2005 until November 2006, he served as the first president of CBS Digital Media, a new division he created to integrate all new media operations for the network. Prior to joining CBS, Kramer was chairman, CEO and founder of MarketWatch, Inc. (CBS MarketWatch) until its sale to Dow Jones in January 2005. Kramer was also vice president of Data Broadcasting Corp., following its acquisition of his company, DataSport, Inc. Previously, Kramer spent more than 20 years in journalism as an award-winning reporter and editor for the San Francisco Examiner, the Washington Post and the Trenton (N.J.) Times. Kramer sits on the board of directors of Answers.com (NASDAQ: ANSW), BlackArrow, CreditCard.com, ContentNext and Harvard Business School Publications, and serves on the advisory boards of the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University and Jib Jab Media Inc.
Peter Flint
general partner, Polaris Venture Partners
Peter Flint joined Polaris in 2003 and brings over 25 years of experience as an operating executive in the consumer media industry – combined with building senior management teams for early-stage, venture-backed companies. Prior to joining Polaris, Flint was a managing director with Ramsey Beirne Associates, the leading provider of executive searches to high-growth, leading-edge information technology companies. Flint has enjoyed a successful 15-year sales and marketing career in the cable television industry, initially with Showtime Entertainment and MTV Networks. He also worked with the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins to develop and launch the New England Sports Network. In addition, as vice president of Sales and Marketing for QVC Network, Flint directed a team to secure long-term distribution agreements with the nation’s largest cable companies, which was instrumental in the successful initial public offering. Flint was an early entrant in the interactive television marketplace as vice president of Video Jukebox Network, the company that built out the first nationally distributed, on-demand television network.
David B. Horowitz
managing director, Comcast Interactive Capital
David Horowitz focuses his efforts in digital media, advertising, consumer Internet, and other relevant sectors. Horowitz works closely with Genacast Ventures, a seed stage venture fund affiliated with Comcast Interactive Capital. Horowitz’s responsibilities at CIC include sourcing new investment opportunities and advising and sitting on the board of CIC portfolio companies. Prior to joining CIC in 2000, Horowitz worked in the investment banking department at Bear Stearns, advising clients in the Media & Entertainment sector that included cable, broadcasting, publishing, education, advertising/marketing and Internet/new media, among others. David holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with highest honors from the University of Michigan with a concentration in Accounting and Finance. Horowitz serves on the Board of Directors of BlackArrow, Invite Media, JiWire, TidalTV, and Visible World and is involved as an advisor or board observer to a number of other CIC portfolio companies. Horowitz was previously involved in CIC’s investments in Entropic Communications (NASDAQ: ENTR), Giant Realm (acquired by Burst Media), Intellon Corporation (NASDAQ: ITLN, acquired by Atheros Communications), Linkshare (acquired by Rakuten), Nuera Communications (acquired by AudioCodes), RF Magic (acquired by Entropic Communications), and XOS Technologies (acquired by JumpTV).
Derek Idemoto
director, corporate development, Cisco Systems, Inc. (observer)
Derek Idemoto joined Cisco in 2007 and is responsible for driving Cisco’s strategy, acquisitions and investments across the consumer and digital media markets. Prior to joining Cisco, Idemoto was the managing director of venture investment for ITOCHU Technology, the Silicon Valley-based technology venture capital and business development arm of ITOCHU Corporation. Before joining ITOCHU, he was vice president of corporate development at Overture Services (acquired by Yahoo! in 2003), the pioneer of commercial search services on the Internet. Previously, Idemoto was a venture associate at Kline Hawkes & Co., a Los Angeles private equity firm, where he focused on technology-enabled services investments. He began his professional career as an investment banker with both Cowen & Co. and BancAmerica Securities.
Pyrros Koussios
SVP Corporate Development, NDS Group Ltd.
Koussios has been with NDS since 1999 following five years with Cable & Wireless and four years as a technology company entrepreneur in Switzerland. At NDS, he is responsible for all strategic development activities and transactions of the group. In this capacity, he led the recent NDS leveraged buy-out and managed the earlier IPO of NDS on NASDAQ as well as the restructuring of the company. Over the years Koussios has acquired over a dozen digital media technology companies around the world on behalf of NDS and has negotiated and established joint ventures in Europe, the U.S. and Asia. At Cable & Wireless, Koussios occupied a number of sales and business development related roles and was involved in M&A transactions in Eastern Europe and Asia Pacific. Prior, Koussios founded and grew a start-up company in data networking in Switzerland.
Alexander K. Marquez
director, strategic investments, Intel Capital, Intel Corporation (observer)
Alexander Marquez is currently responsible for Intel Capital’s investments and strategies related to Digital Media. Prior to joining Intel Capital, Alexander served as technical advisor to the senior vice president of Intel’s Interactive Media Services division where he advised on strategy and media investments. Alexander also served as controller for Intel’s Content Services division where he oversaw financial aspects of the division, including numerous investments in Europe, Japan, Asia, and Latin America. Alexander joined Intel Corporation in 1994 where he held various management roles prior to joining Intel Capital. Alexander holds a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where he was the past Chairman of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Advisory Board and currently serves on the College of Engineering Advisory Board. Alexander has managed or co-managed investments around the globe including Atom Entertainment (acquired by Viacom), Akella, BlackArrow, Gametrust, Envivio, K2 Network, Trymedia (acquired by Macrovision), SixApart, and Synacor. He is on the board of directors of BlackArrow, Envivio, K2 Network, The Generations Network, and Synacor.
Allen Morgan
managing director, Mayfield Fund
Allen Morgan has spent more than 25 years counseling entrepreneurs throughout the start-up company process, first as a well-known Silicon Valley lawyer and, since 1999, as a Managing Director at Mayfield. Having closed more than 750 venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, and other public offerings in his career, Allen brings a broad base of start-up experience to bear on behalf of entrepreneurs. At Mayfield, Allen’s principal focus is on two major investment areas: enterprise software applications and infrastructure, particularly innovative solutions that enhance knowledge-worker productivity, as well as on start-ups in the area of consumer internet services, interactive entertainment, online advertising and new media. Allen currently sits on the boards of BlackArrow, DECA, Electric Cloud, Jobster, Pluck, Slide, Snap, Tagged and Zenprise. Prior to joining Mayfield, Allen was a partner with renowned Silicon Valley law firms, Latham & Watkins and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.
Advisory Board
Larry Goodman
president, White Mountain Media
Larry Goodman is a 30-year media and advertising industry veteran, affiliated for two decades with CNN. He previously served as president of CNN Sales and Marketing, and held concurrent responsibilities as president of News and Operations at Turner Broadcasting Sales, Inc. Earlier in his career, Goodman held media planning positions at advertising agencies McCann Erickson and Grey Advertising. He previously served on the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau’s (CAB) National Sales Advisory Board.
Tim Hanlon
executive vice president/Ventures, Denuo
Tim Hanlon is Executive Vice President/Ventures for Denuo, the futures consulting practice of advertising agency holding company Publicis Groupe, S.A. He is chiefly responsible for the solicitation, negotiation and oversight of the unit’s strategic partnership and equity investment activity — focused exclusively on paradigm-changing “new media” platforms and technologies – work which he began as head of Publicis Groupe Media (PGM) Ventures in April 2005. Prior to founding the PGM Ventures practice, Hanlon was Senior Vice President/Director, Emerging Contacts for Starcom MediaVest Group, a global media services network of Publicis Groupe Media and parent holding company Publicis Groupe, S.A.
Scott Kurnit
media and technology entrepreneur
Scott Kurnit is an investor and advisor at the cross-section of media and technology. He sits on the Boards of Brightcove, Dotomi and Goodmail Systems and advises several prominent start-up companies in the media and Web space. Kurnit founded and served as chairman and CEO of About.com, now owned by the New York Times Company. A holder of four patents, Kurnit started the first Pay Per View cable network and served as program director for Qube, the world’s first fully interactive cable system. Kurnit has worked at the highest levels of Warner, Viacom, News Corp., PBS, IBM, and MCI. He has also won several prestigious media awards, including an Emmy for producing a weekly television news magazine.