Wider Wake Networks, Inc. announced Wednesday morning the launch of a forum for entrepreneurs and investors alike to share knowledge, gain experience, and make connections with each other.
The founder and CEO of Wider Wake, Paul Olliver (previously a senior digital media executive at Klipmart, Yahoo! and DoubleClick), established the new network as a place for those involved in digital media investing, specifically. Backing Olliver in running the company is Jeanne Gammon (most recently head of Media Platforms at Google UK).
“From first hand experience we understand that financing is only half of the equation, and consequently the companies we invest in will be able to leverage the significant expertise and reach of the Founder Members themselves, and the wider group as a whole. Therefore, for business owners our approach is incubational, but not smothering,” said Olliver. “For our investment members, we provide access to high growth deal opportunities, and back those with the post deal influence necessary to make the companies a success.”
As of now, four digital media investment veterans make up the Founder Members: Chris Young, chairman and CEO of Digital Broadcasting Group; Joe Apprendi, CEO of Collective; Thomas Falk, CEO of Smart Clip; and James Aitken, founder of MediaBrokers and TechnologyBrokers.
Besides the Founder Members, Wider Wake is also made up of another twenty members with an expertise in the digital media market.
Right now, it appears that mostly companies easily connected to the Founder Members, like the Digital Broadcasting Group and Collective, make up Wider Wake’s portfolio, however, that is sure to change as the network gains traction and picks up additional investors interested in the program.
