Ted Leonsis, Founder, Chairman
Ted Leonsis is the founder, chairman, majority owner and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns and operates three professional sports teams (Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards and Washington Mystics) and Verizon Center. He also serves on the board of governors for the NBA and NHL.He is a cofounder and partner in the speed-up capital Revolution Growth Fund II, investing in people and ideas that can change the world. Ted is chairman of the board of directors of Groupon and serves on the board of directors at AddThis, American Express and Georgetown University as well as Revolution Growth companies FedBid, Resonate, Optoro and CustomInk. He also serves on the charity boards of DC-CAP (District of Columbia College Access Program) and CSF-DC (College Success Foundation: District of Columbia).
In 2008 Ted founded SnagFilms, which enables online audiences to watch, share and support documentary films. SnagFilms grew out of Ted's experience as a producer of award-winning documentary films, including Nanking, which won Peabody and Emmy awards. He also has produced Kicking It and A Fighting Chance, both of which aired on ESPN. Most recently he produced Lost for Life.
An author and daily blogger at TedsTake.com, Ted has published several books, including "The Business of Happiness", which quickly became a bestseller.
A committed philanthropist, Ted is actively involved with numerous charities through the work of the Leonsis Foundation.
After a near 14-year career at AOL, he retired from active management in 2006 and retains the position of vice chairman emeritus.
Rick Allen, Chief Executive Officer and Board Member
Rick Allen has run successful companies in nearly every form of media, and helped to develop or extend some of the country's most prestigious brands. Rick is the CEO of SnagFilms which he helped to found with Ted Leonsis. The two produced Kicking It, which screened at Sundance, Tribeca and other film festivals and was aired by ESPN; for the film and their work on homelessness, Leonsis, Allen and colleagues received the 2009 Stewart B. McKinney Award from the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty. In 2010, Leonsis and Allen produced A Fighting Chance, which aired on ESPN in November, 2010.Allen previously was President and CEO of Sporting News, the country's oldest sports media company, leading a revitalization that saw it named twice to Adweek's annual "Hot List" as a top-10 media property. Earlier, he served as President and CEO of the for-profit arm of the National Geographic Society, responsible for television and film; interactive products, websites and e-commerce; maps; travel; retail; catalog; and consumer products. Under his leadership, the National Geographic Channel was launched and became one of the fastest growing cable channels in recent history. Before coming to National Geographic, Rick was a senior executive at Discovery Communications, parent of the Discovery Channel, where he extended the company's brand into filmed entertainment, education, technology and retail.
He also served in the White House as a Deputy Assistant to President Clinton, helping to establish AmeriCorps (the domestic Peace Corps). Before his White House service, Allen was CEO of a privately-held group of 35 companies based in Los Angeles. He has written and lectured widely, and been active in civic affairs particularly dealing with education, including service with the advisory boards to the California State Board of Education and the Southern California Association of Governments, and as Vice Chairman of Project Exploration, a nonprofit science organization that makes science accessible to the public "especially minority youth and girls" through personalized experiences with scientists and science. He has been a member of the Dartmouth Alumni Council, serving on its Enrollment and Admissions Committee, and as an elected member of the Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search Committee. Rick lives in Potomac, Maryland with his wife and three sons.
Steve Case, Investor
Steve Case currently serves as Chairman and CEO of Revolution, an investment company that was launched in April, 2005. Revolution?s mission is to partner with entrepreneurs in building businesses that give people more choice, control and convenience in important areas of their lives. Revolution?s current activities are focused on companies in the health, financial, resort, wellness and digital sectors.Prior to starting Revolution, Steve was the Chair and CEO of America Online, Inc., and later, the Chairman of AOL Time Warner. As the co-Founder of AOL, Steve played an integral role in building the world's largest Internet company and helped transform how people communicate, learn and conduct business. AOL brought millions of Americans their first connection to the Internet and drove worldwide adoption of a medium that has become more valuable than the telephone or television. Steve also ensured that AOL led the industry on issues like making the Internet a safe place for children, bridging the "digital divide," and investing in online philanthropy.
Jean Case, Board Member and Investor
Jean Case is an actively engaged philanthropist, investor and a pioneer in the world of interactive technologies. Her career in the private sector spanned nearly two decades before she and her husband, Steve Case, created the Case Foundation in 1997. The Case Foundation is recognized for its leadership in leveraging new technologies and applying innovative approaches to increase giving; catalyze civic and business participation; and promote innovation, collaboration and leadership in the nonprofit sector.Jean serves on the National Geographic Society Board of Trustees, as well as on the boards of Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure, SnagFilms and BrainScope Company, Inc. She also serves on the advisory boards of the Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Initiative, the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, Georgetown University’s Beeck Center for Social Impact & Innovation, the Brain Trust Accelerator Fund and the U.S. National Advisory Board to the Social Impact Investing Task Force established by the G8.
Jean and Steve joined The Giving Pledge, started by Melinda and Bill Gates and Warren Buffett in 2010, and publicly reaffirmed their commitment to give away the majority of their wealth. The same year, they were named to Barron’s “25 Best Givers” list. In 2011, Jean was named Corporate Philanthropist of the Year by the Washington Business Journal. The National Conference on Citizenship also honored Jean and Steve as the 2011 Citizens of the Year. In 2014, Jean was conferred an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Miles Gilburne, Board Member and Investor
Miles Gilburne has been active for more than 25 years as a venture capitalist, corporate strategist and technology lawyer in the media, communications and technology industries. He is currently a managing member of ZG Ventures, LLC ("ZG Ventures"), an early stage venture capital firm focused on media, information technology and bioinformatics. Prior to forming ZG Ventures in 2000, Gilburne served for five years as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development for America Online, Inc. ("AOL"), stepping down from those duties in December 1999. At AOL, Gilburne was responsible for strategic planning and for major corporate acquisitions, joint ventures and alliances. He was elected to the board of directors of AOL in 1999 and continued to serve on the board of directors of Time Warner, Inc. until stepping down in May 2006.Gilburne is currently Chairman of ePals, Inc., a global education media company; Chairman of BrainScope, Inc., a medical device company focused on diagnosing concussion in sports and the military; and a founding investor and member of the boards of various privately held venture capital backed companies. Gilburne is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C. and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. He received a B.A. from Princeton University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Ted Pedas, Board Member and Investor
Ted Pedas, along with his associates Jim Pedas, Bill Durkin, and the noted author George P. Pelecanos founded Circle Films, one of the main backers of American independent cinema. He and the company are responsible for producing Joel and Ethan Coen's Blood Simple (1984), Raising Arizona (1987), and Miller's Crossing (1990), as well as Robert M. Young's Caught (1996).
Peter Barris, Board Member Representative for Investor New Enterprise Associates
Peter joined New Enterprise Associates (NEA) in 1992 and was named Managing General Partner in 1999. Since that time NEA's assets under management have grown from $1B to over $13B and the firm has expanded its operations to India and China. Under Peter's leadership, NEA has invested in industry-transforming technology companies like CareerBuilder, Tableau, Diapers.com, Groupon, Juniper Networks, Macromedia, Salesforce.com, TiVo, and Workday. Peter has been named several times to the Forbes Midas List of top technology investors, to Crain’s Chicago 50 Top Tech Stars, to Washington Tech Council’s Hall of Fame, and to the Washington Business Hall of Fame. Peter has personally led investments in over two dozen technology companies that have successfully completed public offerings or mergers. He serves on the board of public company Groupon (GRPN) and is currently a director of several private companies including APX Labs, Cleversafe, Goji Food Solutions, MediaOcean, NextNav, SnagFilms, Sprout Social, Tamr, and ZeroFox.Prior to joining NEA, Peter was President and Chief Operating Officer of Legent Corporation (LGNT) and Senior Vice President of the Systems Software Division of UCCEL Corporation (UCE). Both companies were ultimately acquired at valuations that were record breaking for their time. Earlier, Peter spent almost a decade at General Electric Company in a variety of management positions, including Vice President and General Manager at GE Information Services. Outside interests include serving as Vice-Chair on the Northwestern University Board of Trustees and the Board of the Tuck School Private Equity and Entrepreneur Center. Peter previously served on the Executive Committee of the Board of the National Venture Capital Association and was also a founding member of Venture Philanthropy Partners, a philanthropic organization in the Washington D.C. area. He has a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University and an MBA from Dartmouth.
David B. Horowitz, Board Member Representative for Investor Comcast Interactive
At Comcast Ventures, David focuses on digital media, advertising, consumer Internet, education, and other sectors, with a special emphasis on businesses in digital marketing. He sources new investment opportunities and sits on the board of Comcast Ventures portfolio companies. David also is deeply involved with Genacast Ventures, a seed stage venture fund affiliated with Comcast Ventures.Prior to joining Comcast Ventures in 2000, David worked in the investment banking department at Bear Stearns, advising clients in the Media & Entertainment sector. He?s also been an entrepreneur in several non-digital business ventures including developing a pilot for a game show and creating a family board game around air travel in the United States.
David holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration with highest honors from the University of Michigan, with a concentration in Accounting and Finance.
David is a passionate collector of frequent flyer miles. He knows the ins and outs to bonus airline miles and hotel award nights. Currently, David is Platinum with Starwood, Gold on US Airways and Select Plus on Amtrak.
Tige Savage, Board Member
Tige Savage co-founded Revolution LLC and co-leads Revolution invests in and helps build innovative and impactful companies. Tige has over two decades of industry experience and has been named Washington, D.C.’s “Financier of the Year” and one of the area's "Tech Titans."He serves or has served on the boards of many Revolution portfolio companies including current Revolution Ventures companies Booker, Homesnap, OrderUp, Framebridge, and previously-exited companies including Flexcar (Zipcar – acquired by Avis), HelloWallet (acquired by MorningStar), LivingSocial (partial exit), and Revolution Money (acquired by American Express).
Prior to Revolution, Tige was vice president of Time Warner Ventures, where he led a team focused on investments in technology and next-generation media companies for AOL, HBO, Time, Inc., Time Warner Cable, Turner, and Warner Bros. Previously, Tige was part of the founding team of Riggs Capital Partners, targeting equity investments in technology and media companies, and was an executive at Riggs National Bank, ultimately serving as chief of staff to the Chairman and CEO, Joe Allbritton.
Tige received his MBA with highest distinction from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and his BBA from James Madison University.
Terry Semel, Board Member and Investor
Terry S. Semel is the Chairman and CEO of Windsor Media.Previously, Semel served as the Chairman and CEO of Yahoo! Inc. from 2001-2007 and was responsible for increasing the company's revenue nearly nine-fold as well as creating $30 billion in shareholder value during his tenure.
Prior to Yahoo! Inc., Semel was Chairman and Co-CEO of Warner Bros. where, in two decades, he and his partner, Robert Daly, built Warner Bros. into one of the world's largest and most creative media and entertainment enterprises, increasing revenues from less than $1 billion to $11 billion. During that period of time a number of ground-breaking films, such as Superman, Batman, Lethal Weapon, Matrix and Harry Potter were released. These films and their sequels became instant global financial successes. During those decades, Clint Eastwood made more than 35 films for Warner Bros., including the Academy Award winner, Unforgiven. Two additional films, Chariots of Fire and Driving Miss Daisy also won the Academy Award for best picture. The leadership produced long running and financially successful television series such as Friends, ER, and The West Wing.
Semel is Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The Semels have endowed the Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior at UCLA, one of the largest and most distinguished institutes in the country engaged in the study of the brain and its disorders.
In 2005, Semel was granted the UCLA Medal, which is the highest honor bestowed by the University, and the Yale University Legends in Leadership Award. Semel holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Long Island University and an honorary doctor of humane letter degree from Emerson College, Boston, Massachusetts.
Juan Martinez,
Juan Martinez joined the Knight Foundation in May 2002 and has been an officer of the foundation since 2004. He is currently Vice President/CFO and Treasurer. As a member of the executive committee he is responsible for the development and implementation of the foundation’s strategy. Juan is also responsible for directing all of the foundation’s financial management, reporting and regulatory compliance, overseeing the investment portfolio and partnering with program staff in development of grants and program related investments.In 2011, Juan helped launch the Knight Enterprise Fund. KEF invests in early stage media/technology companies that align with the foundation’s mission. The Fund currently has invested in almost 40 companies including Mic Network, Change.org, Upworthy, TapAd, Wickr and OwnLocal.
Juan started his career at CPA firm Arthur Andersen & Co. He left Arthur Andersen to found a film production company and a financial consulting practice focused on providing financial services to corporate clients. Prior to joining the foundation Juan was manager of financial planning for Telemundo Group Inc.
Juan is an alumnus of Florida International University and the Wharton School of Business. He has been a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Florida since 1992. He serves on the board of directors of SnagFilms, the FIU Foundation and the board of trustees of The Miami Foundation. In 2010, Juan was named Non-Profit CFO of the Year by the South Florida Business Journal.
Juan continues to live in his native Miami with his wife Christa and their two sons.
Bob Flanagan, Board Member and Investor
Mr. Flanagan is President of Clark Enterprises, Inc., overseeing the acquisition, management and development of new investment opportunities. As Managing Director of CNF Investments LLC, its private equity division, he serves on the boards of Clark Construction Group LLC, Eagle Oil & Gas Co,, Brown Advisory and Svelte Medical Systems. He is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sagent Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:SGNT) and the Federal City Council, Washington, DC. Mr.Flanagan previously served on the board of directors of Martek Biosciences Corporation (NASDAQ:MATK) and was Treasurer, Secretary and a member of the Board of Directors of Baltimore Orioles, Inc. Mr. Flanagan received a BS in Business Administration from Georgetown University, an MST from the American University School of Business and is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in Washington, DC.
Bill Durkin, Board Member and Investor
Bill Durkin, after serving for three years in the U.S. Marine Corps, was an attorney in private practice in Washington, D.C before joining Ted and Jim Pedas in launching and operating the film production company Circle Films, Inc. and its distribution affiliate, Circle Releasing Corp. In all, these companies distributed twenty independent films and produced five others. Included among these films are the Coen Brothers Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Miller’s Crossing and the Palme D’or award winning Barton Fink as well as Robert M. Young’s Caught. Bill has a B.A. from Boston College and a J.D. from Georgetown Law.
Kim Armor, Board Member and Investor
Kim Armor serves as the CFO/Head of Business Development at Comcast Ventures where she oversees the finance, operations and administration for the Fund and its portfolio companies. She is also responsible for identifying and cultivating new business development opportunities for the fund and its portfolio companies both internally and externally. Prior to joining Comcast Ventures, Kim was the CFO and Senior Vice President of Business Development for VERSUS, where she grew all business metrics, launched profitable business models and positioned the company for the merger with NBC Sports. Previously, she was the Senior Vice President of Finance and Planning Operations for ESPN, Inc. Earlier in her career, she launched the finance and strategy operations for ESPN and ABC Internet brands. Kim received her M.B.A. from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a B.S. in accounting from Penn State University.