One Chapter Ends - The Next Begins

One chapter ends – the next begins

Tomorrow after nearly seven years, it’s time to say goodbye. Some of you know and others may not, we sold #HASHOFF a little over a year ago. The company Tom Jessiman and I co-founded in 2014. Since that time, I have been acting as an advisor and assisting with the transition to the new ownership. 

At the beginning of this journey, it started with a vision that Tom and I shared. A new content model that was decentralized, crowdsourced, authentic, and endemic. We set out to build an ecosystem where creators and brands could collaborate for mutual benefit. Where authentic content would drive results and we could disintermediate an industry that was ripe for disruption. We did it!

There are a number of people who played an instrumental role in helping us achieve what 90% of startup founders fail to accomplish. They include investors, advisors, friends, customers and of course family. 

A special thanks to my partner in crime, Tom. There were a lot of sleepless nights and struggles but we persevered.

To my team, you are amazing. Peter, Ava, Erin, Margaret, Sam and the rest of you. Thanks for making the trains run on time. Without you none of this would have been possible.

To our investors, we couldn’t have done it without you. Your support and belief in our ability is what kept us going. Especially our friend who we lost, Michael Lotito. I wish you could have been here with us to see how this turned out. I know you were watching.

It goes without saying that I am extremely grateful for our partners. First, our longest running customer Anheuser Busch. To our ABI colleagues Spencer Gordon, Alisa Alexander, Corey Brown, Charles Bourgeois, Brian Huck, Scott Ginger, Jeff March, Jonathan Hecht, Claire Engelsman, Ashley Jones and so many more. A very special thank you for your support and continued partnership.

In addition, our clients at Syneos Health, Dunkin’ Brands, CBS, Universal Pictures, Dentsu and the countless others. You are all greatly appreciated. Throughout the process your insights helped us learn and grow as a technology company. Our customers are and will forever be the fuel for our passion of building industry leading technology to help drive your businesses forward.

Finally, I would like to thank my wife and my kids. You experienced the highs and the lows throughout this journey. Moving all of you from Dallas to New York City was a big request and you embraced the idea without hesitation. To my wife, your love and support made all the difference in the world for what can often be an extremely lonely journey. To my kids, thanks for being patient when Daddy was busy with work. I am excited to be able to find a better work life balance so I can spend more time with all of you. I love you very much!

Onward and forward to the next adventure…