Ben T. Smith, IV, is the Chairman and Co-Founder of MerchantCircle, the largest social network of small business owners online today. Ben is a serial entrepreneur, investor and business advisor in the social networking space with a deep understanding and appreciation for small, family-owned businesses.
Ben is one of the pioneers of the social networking category as the co-founder and current board member of Spoke Software, where he helped architect the business, establish a patent portfolio in social networking, guide the company to its initial customers and through its establishment as the largest public database of business professionals. He has served in advisory and interim executive roles for more than 10 businesses, and serves on the board of directors for a number of early stage companies and is an investor advisor in over 25 internet companies including two recent social gaming exits, Mesmo and Tapulous to Game Show Network and Disney.
Ben began his career as a management consultant at A.T. Kearney, where he was one of the youngest partners in the firm's history, selected as one of the most influential consultants in the world in 2002 by Consulting News and helped spearhead EDS and Kearney's venture development efforts. Ben also served the Bush Administration as the Senior Advisor for Strategy and Planning to the Secretary of Transportation from 2001 to 2002. Ben was the SVP, Corporate Development at Borland Software and lead spin off and then managed the $75MM a year development tools and community spin off, CodeGear.
A native of Fairhope, Alabama, Ben spent the majority of his younger years learning the ins and outs of a number of family businesses - from his first job at Daphne Pharmacy, the locally-owned pharmacy, to learning from his family's experiences running Original Bens Jr., a famous BBQ pit founded by his grandfather that is still one of the best BBQ places in the south.
Ben holds a Master's from Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business and a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Davis.
Bens favorite local merchants include Gambinos in Fairhope, Ala., Dodd Priority in Scotts Valley, Calif., American Italian Deli in Los Altos, Calif., Murray Avenue Grill in Pittsburgh, Penn., and Aesops Room in Davis, Calif.
Scott joined Steamboat Ventures in 2003, bringing more than 11 years of experience in operations, venture capital investing, business development and strategic planning. Prior to joining Steamboat, Scott was with Hummer Winblad Venture Partners and participated in the firm's funding of Cenzic, Jareva Technologies (acquired by VERITAS), Knowmadic, Yosemite Technologies, and Voltage Security. Prior to Hummer Winblad, Scott was VP of Business Development for a software start-up where he successfully implemented over 20 strategic partnerships, raised over $100 million of funding, and coordinated cross-functional teams in business development, marketing, engineering and product management. Throughout his career, Scott has also worked at industry-leading enterprises such as IBM, LaSalle Partners, and Synopsys. Scott currently serves on the boards of MerchantCircle and PhotoTLC. He also provides board oversight for Rosum and supports Steamboat's investments in RazorGator, Quigo, and EMN8. Scott received a BS in Mechanical Engineering, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude from the University of Washington, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Scott's favorite local merchant is Doc's Ski Haus in Santa Monica, Calif.
Peter C. Horan is CEO of Goodmail Systems, Inc. He was formerly CEO of IAC Media & Advertising. In this role, he oversaw Ask.com, Citysearch, Evite, Pronto, and IAC Mobile.
Mr. Horan previously served as CEO of AllBusiness.com, Inc. In this capacity, he was responsible for driving a fast-growing web media and e-commerce content business. Under his leadership, AllBusiness.com led the development of a completely new publishing platform for small businesses, while continuing to achieve accelerated site performance.
Prior to that, Mr. Horan was CEO of About.com where he led the company to being the fastest growing large site on the web by leveraging the power of search for both monetization and audience development. He led the sale of the property to the New York Times Company for $410 million in 2005.
Prior to About.com, he served as Chief Executive Officer of DevX.com, Inc., an Internet media company that was acquired by JupiterMedia Corporation. Mr. Horan spent 10 years at International Data Group, a leading global technology media company, where he spearheaded relationships with top advertisers on a worldwide basis, and also served as Senior Vice President and Publisher of Computerworld. Prior to that Mr. Horan spent more than 15 years in senior account management roles at leading advertising agencies, including BBDO and Ogilvy & Mather.
He has a BA in English from Santa Clara University and an MBA from San Francisco State University. He has keynoted many internet industry events and is a frequent speaker and commentator on internet, media and advertising topics. He is on the board of directors of the Interactive Advertising Bureau and was formerly on the board of directors of the Online Publishers Association.
Peter's favorite local merchants are John Allans in New York, NY, Stacks Restaurant in Redwood City, CA, and Smile Cleaners in San Carlos, CA.
Mark joined Rustic Canyon at inception in 1999 as a Partner. At the firm his primary areas of investment have been in information technologies with a focus on communications, consumer oriented technologies, and media/technology convergence. Mark contributes more than 12 years of strategic and financial advisory experience focused on companies in the technology, media, and telecommunications sectors. Formerly an investment banker, Mark was, most recently, co-head of Morgan Stanley's Technology Mergers and Acquisitions Group. Under his tenure, Morgan Stanley was recognized as the leading technology mergers and acquisitions advisor for three consecutive years. Mark was responsible for advising on more than 50 completed transactions valued in excess of $150 billion involving clients such as Excite@Home, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, and VeriSign. Before moving to Silicon Valley in 1996, Mark was responsible for Morgan Stanley's media and telecommunications M&A practice, advising clients such as Times Mirror, AT&T, Softbank and Time Warner. Mark graduated magna cum laude with a BA in economics from the University of Pennsylvania. He also earned a BS in finance magna cum laude and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business.
Mark's favorite local merchants are Alana's Cafe in Burlingame, Calif. and Draeger's in San Mateo
Sharon invests in mobile, internet, and enterprise software companies at Scale Venture Partners, which she joined in 2001. Sharon sits on the boards of Bellamax, Biz360, Facetime Communications, Glu Mobile, Merchant Circle, and Reply.com. Prior to Scale VP, Sharon spent 15 years at Critical Path, Amplitude Software, Adobe Systems and Bain & Company. Among her varied responsibilities, she directed marketing strategies and operations, integrated product and service businesses following acquisitions, managed the application of technology to Pacific Rim and European markets, and negotiated complex intellectual property licenses. Sharon holds a BA and MA in Engineering from Harvard University, and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Sharon also serves on the board of the non-profit Myelin Repair Foundation.
Sharon's favorite local merchant is Talbot's in San Mateo, Calif.
