Gaby Darbyshire, Chief Operating Officer, Gawker Media
Gaby Darbyshire is the Chief Operating Officer of Gawker Media, publisher of nine online blog titles, including the award-winning and acclaimed Gawker and Gizmodo. Gaby has been largely involved in the new media world since moving to San Francisco from London in 1999. In a short break from the web in 2003-4, she helped launch Oriel Wines, where she built out the global operations from inception to brand launch of a new global wine company, with wines from over 25 regions in 9 countries. Previously, she was Director of Strategy at 4charity.com in San Francisco, a provider of custom technology services to the non-profit industry. Prior to 4charity, she did strategy and legal affairs for eGroups, a global consumer communications platform, acquired by Yahoo! in 2000 (now Yahoo! Groups).
Before decamping stateside, Gaby was a barrister in London, where she worked on environmental cases, and started and ran a non-profit supporting the appeals of death row inmates in the Commonwealth; she then did a stint for several years as a management consultant advising Fortune 500 clients in the high tech and financial services industries. She holds a MA in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University and a law degree from City University, and is a member of the Bar of England and Wales.
Joe Doran, Managing Partner, Whidbey Group
Joe is a seasoned and accomplished senior executive with 15 years of experience managing interactive media, advertising and social media solutions in high growth companies such as Microsoft, General Mills and Media6Degrees. Doran is currently the founder and principal of Whidbey Venture Group, which invests, advises and creates leading companies in the advertising and interactive media space. Doran has helped incubate and launch next generation interactive start-ups such as BrightTag, Inc and Legolas Media Inc. Prior to Whidbey Venture Group, Doran was the founding CEO of Media6Degrees, Inc.; a New York based advertising technology start up that provides major brand marketers with custom audiences using the power of social graph data.
Prior to Media6Degrees, Doran spent 9 years at Microsoft in a variety of senior roles including Chief of Staff at MSN and General Manager of Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions. In this position Joe was responsible for product management for all advertising products and technologies at Microsoft and served as the company's lead spokesperson for advertising technology and solutions. Doran honed his marketing skills at General Mills as a Brand Group Manager stewarding world-class brands such as Cheerios, Trix, Cocoa Puffs & Betty Crocker. Doran has an MBA from Harvard Business School & a BS in Chemistry from United States Military Academy.
Greg Foster, Buckley Partners
Greg Foster spends his time working with start-ups and high growth companies, working through Buckley Partners, his own advisory business. Foster currently sits on the board or advisory board for several companies including The Onion, StatSheet, SolidFire, PlayOn Sports and Clearleap,and is an Entrepreneur-in- Residence with Chrysalis Ventures. Foster spent several years as a Partner at a venture capital firm in Atlanta focusing on early stage investments in digital media and cloud computing companies and also ran Corporate Development at Turner Broadcasting. Prior to Turner, he was part of the management team of three successful start-ups -- iXL, Silverpop and Southern Direct (a company he founded and ultimately sold to Turner).
Drew Lipsher, Partner with Greycroft LLC
Drew brings over fourteen years of media and entertainment experience to Greycroft LLC, a venture capital partnership formed to invest in promising digital media companies. His experience has covered all aspects of the media business, including investment (private equity and venture), M&A, strategic planning, new business development, technology, operating and board level activities, restructurings, and divestitures. Drew currently serves or observes on the boards of Greycroft's investments in Imagespan, Health Plan One, Vitals.com, Worldwide Biggies and Babble. In addition, Drew was involved with Pump Audio (sold to Getty). Drew has previously led investments in Musicbank, Rich Animation, Nest Entertainment, Palomar Pictures, ARTISTdirect (NASDAQ: ARTD), Listen.com (NASDAQ: RNWK), Youtopia.com (sold to 800-America), Planetout.com (NASDAQ: LGBT), Channel V (NYSE: NWS), and Accolade (sold to Atari).
Prior to joining Greycroft, Drew was the Head of M&A, Corporate Development, and Administration for Interscope, Geffen, A&M Records ("IGA"), a division of the Universal Music Group.
Jeff Lunsford, Chairman and CEO, Limelight Networks, Inc.
Jeff Lunsford is Chairman and CEO for Limelight Networks, Inc. Lunsford has served in leadership positions in high-growth Internet and media-focused technology companies, including roles as Chairman and CEO of WebSideStory; CEO of TogetherSoft Corporation (acquired by Borland Software); and Senior Vice President, Corporate Development of S1 Corporation. From 1988 to 1994, Lunsford served as a U.S. Naval Aviator and flew the F/A-18C Hornet as his primary aircraft. He is currently on the Board of Directors of WebSideStory and of Midtown Bank and Trust Company in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dave Morgan, CEO, Simulmedia
Dave is a serial entrepreneur. He was the founder, CEO and Chairman of both TACODA, Inc., an online advertising company that pioneered behavioral online marketing in 2001 and was acquired by AOL in September 2007 for $275 million, and Real Media, Inc., one of the world’s first ad serving and online ad network companies and a predecessor to 24/7 Real Media (TFSM), which was later sold to WPP for $649 million. Most recently, Dave served as Executive Vice President, Global Advertising Strategy, at AOL, a Time Warner Company (TWX).
Morgan received a B.A. in Political Science from The Pennsylvania State University and a J.D. from the Dickinson School of Law. He lives in Manhattan with his wife, writer Lorea Canales, and their two girls.
Doug Weaver, Founder and CEO, Upstream Group
Weaver is a highly-regarded strategist and opinion leader in the world of online advertising. Over the past eleven years he's worked with over 250 leading companies, including Yahoo!, USA TODAY, CBS Interactive, Dow Jones, WebMD, National Public Radio, ESPN, About.com and The New York Times.
After a 15-year career in print advertising sales with companies like Hearst and Conde Nast, Weaver became the advertising director for Wired Magazine in 1994 and sold some of the Web's first ads on the company's Hot Wired site. He then served as Vice President of sales for Firefly Network, a pioneering company in personalization, targeting and community. Weaver was elected to the Board of Directors for the Internet Advertising Bureau and managed the development of both the IAB RoadShow (the organization's main presentation to marketers) and the IAB Professional Development Series. In 1999, he received the first IAB Service Award for commitment and contribution to the industry.
Weaver has spoken on Internet advertising issues to the Direct Marketing Association, the Magazine Publishers of America, the Advertising Research Foundation, the Advertising Club of Toronto and other leading organizations on three continents. He lives and works in Vermont, home of historic Lake Champlain and the beautiful Green Mountains.
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