Founders

overview

I am a serial entrepreneur, advisor, and investor. I have spent most of my professional career starting and growing businesses, going all the way back to my college days at the University of Wisconsin. For the last 10 years, I have used the Internet as a platform to innovate and disrupt traditional mainstream markets. I have a fantastic wife and two kids.

biography

I was born in Wisconsin and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I spent my first few years out of college in the Investment Banking world, as a senior consultant working at Factset (NYSE: FDS) a leading provider of online data and analytic tools for investment professionals worldwide.

Then the Internet happened. For the past 10 years, I have used the Internet as a platform to start up and grow companies with new, disruptive value propositions. My first start-up was a company called BizFilings, which I co-founded in 1996. As the company's President and CEO, I grew Business Filings from a business concept into the Internet's leading Incorporation Services Company, without any outside capital investment. In 2002, I led and negotiated the private sale of the company to the global publishing company Wolters Kluwer.

I co-founded my second post-web start up, NameProtect, with Mark McGuire in 1997. A vertical search engine company, NameProtect provides trademark research and digital brand protection services to a diverse and global customer base. The company was purchased by Corporation Services Company in a private transaction that was finalized in April, 2007. Under my leadership, NameProtect raised multiple rounds of Venture Capital investment, built out its core search offerings, and achieved double digit growth rates for multiple years in a mature and highly competitive Intellectual Property services market.

I left my operating role at NameProtect in 2003 (shortly after the sale of Bizfilings) and spent two years enjoying my family and pursuing interests such as golf, poker, and real estate investing. During that time I realized that I am most happy in the start-up world, bringing new business models to market, building passionate teams, and hopefully changing and disrupting the status quo.

I am currently the Chief Executive Officer of Jellyfish, my newest collaboration with Mark McGuire. Jellyfish is a big idea. It won't be easy to pioneer a new, customer-centric form of online advertising, but I'm excited to leverage my experience, energy and passion to make JellyFish the company that changes how you think about Internet advertising and shopping online.

mark mcguire

President

contact

overview

I am a lawyer turned entrepreneur (and no, I'm not a baseball player). After a brief stint in the legal world, I jumped into the start-up company environment and have spent the last 10 years innovating and adapting existing business models to the Internet marketplace. I have a wonderful wife and three children.

biography

After law school at the University of Minnesota, I served two years for US District Court Judge Barbara B. Crabb. After my two year term with Judge Crabb, I co-founded NameProtect, a vertical search engine company for Intellectual Property professionals based in Madison, Wisconsin. During my 8-year tenure as NameProtect's President, the company secured over $5 million in outside funding and grew from a business concept into a profitable company with a strong brand in its market and a global customer base. The NameProtect Internet search engine is today used by a diverse set of Intellectual Property law firms and Fortune 500 organizations such as Bristol Myers Squibb, Unilever, 3M, and Visa, among others.

I left my operating role at NameProtect in December, 2005, to co-found Jellyfish, and continued to serve on the NameProtect Board of Directors up until the private sale of the Company in April 2007 to Corporation Services Company, a leading provider of corporate legal services.

I am extremely excited to be teaming up again with Brian Wiegand on our newest collaboration, Jellyfish. Jellyfish is a big idea. We are working hard to pioneer a new, customer-centric form of advertising and change the way you think about shopping online. It is a big mountain to climb, but as President of Jellyfish, I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to help consumers and businesses realize that there is a better way to connect online.

I'm a member of the Wisconsin Bar, and hold degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (BA with honors) and the University of Minnesota Law School (JD magna cum laude).