There are several very interesting aspects to keep in mind when considering Shopping.com. First, the comparative shopping marketplace was a low-barrier-to-entry marketplace to enter, leading to significant competition. Second, revenue generating strategies were difficult to figure out in the 1997-1999 timeframe. Online advertising as a revenue model had barely started to take off. Finally, once
Amir Ashkenazi is the founder of Adap.tv, as well as the former founder and CTO of Shopping.com. Adap.tv is in the midst of the Online Video Advertising fray, on which I have recently written quite a bit. In fact, Danny Cohen suggested this conversation after reading one of those pieces about one of Adap.tv’s competitors,
Here Om and I discuss some the challenges of operating a blog. The industry is in its infancy. In particular, there are difficulties with advertising networks and lack of analytics. SM: Are you following what Time Warner is doing with companies like Adify? OM: I have not. There are several reasons for that, mainly I
Over the last few months, I have done a series of interviews with leaders – CEOs, Entrepreneurs, Innovators, Technologists, Academics, and Social Entrepreneurs – which offer insights to young and old alike about key choices – in business, in career, in life. * Jerry Rawls, CoFounder & CEO of Finisar * Philippe Courtot, Founder and
Om discusses his vision for the company. SM: When you look at the scaling of the company, what is your vision? Where do you want to take it? OM: I want Giga Omnimedia to be a proper publishing company. Just like companies publish magazines and newspapers, we publish a web / blog hybrid. Just think
Publication businesses earn their revenues through advertising. Running a blog requires a great Ad Network partner to achieve success. for Om that has been FM. SM: When did you sign up with FM? OM: Right out of the gate, before I even left my job I had already signed. I think it was the end
Om navigates his destiny through the market downturn … SM: Red Herring crashed too didn’t it? OM: Red Herring lasted a bit. As the market started to turn down, I think it was in September 2001, just before 9/11, I got a chance to go back to New York because I had not felt comfortable
Om stayed with Forbes for several years, helping it become an established online venue. He then left to join a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley amidst the madness of the late Dotcom era. SM: At Forbes, for the first time you were working in an American professional environment, right? OM: Yes. This was more