Vator Splash Oakland: The most inspiring two days

Pandora

Startup/Business

Joined Vator on February 21, 2008

Pandora, the leading internet radio service, gives people music they love
anytime, anywhere, through a wide variety of connected devices: laptop and
desktop computers, smartphones, connected BluRay players, connected TVs,
etc. Personalized stations launch instantly with the input of a single “seed” –
a favorite artist, song or genre. The Music Genome Project®, a deeply
detailed, hand-built musical taxonomy, powers the personalization or
Pandora. Using this musicological “DNA” and constant listener feedback
Pandora crafts personalized stations from the more than 800,000 songs that
have been analyzed since the project began in January 2000.
More than 75 million people throughout the United States listen to
personalized radio stations for free on Pandora through their PCs, mobile
phones and devices such as the iPad, and connected in-house devices
ranging from TVs to set-top boxes to Blu-Ray players. Mobile technology has
been a significant factor in the growth and popularity of Pandora, starting
with the introduction of the Apple app store for the iPhone in the summer of
2008. Pandora instantly became one of the most top downloaded apps and
today, according to Nielsen, is one of the top five most popular apps across
all smartphone platforms.

Pandora is free, simple and, thanks to connectivity, available everywhere
consumers are – at the office, at home, in the car and all points in between.
In 2009 the Company announced that Pandora would be incorporated into
the dashboard in Ford cars via SYNC technology; GM has already followed in
announcing plans to integrate Pandora into its vehicles and Mercedes-Benz
introduced their Media Interface Plus device that works with the
free Pandora iPhone app to provide direct control of Pandora from in-dash
stereo controls. This was all great news for the millions of Pandora listeners
who had been plugging their smartphones into car dashboards to listen to
personalized stations while driving. More than 50 percent of radio listening
happens in the car, making it a crucial arena for Pandora.

Today tens of millions of people have a deeply personal connection with
Pandora based on the delight of personalized radio listening and discovery.
These highly engaged listeners reinforce the value Pandora provides to: 1)
musicians, who have found in Pandora a level playing field on which their
music has a greater chance of being played than ever before; 2) advertisers,
who benefit from the multi-platform reach of Pandora, as well as its best
practices in targeting consumers for specific campaigns; 3) the music
industry, which has found in Pandora a highly effective distribution channel;
and 4) automobile and consumer electronics device manufacturers, who have
noted that incorporating Pandora into their product makes it more valuable
to consumers.

Pandora continues to focus on its business in the United States. The radio
arena has never been hotter, thanks to technology that enables radio to be
personalized to the individual and more accessible than ever before. Right
now millions of people listen to Pandora in the United States and we hope
someday to bring Pandora to billions of people around the world.

Timeline:
• 2000 – Tim Westergren’s Music Genome Project begins.
• 2005 – Pandora launches on the web.
• 2008 – Pandora app becomes one of the most consistently downloaded
apps in the Apple store.
• 2009 – Ford announces Pandora will be incorporated into car
dashboard. Alpine and Pioneer begin selling aftermarket radios that
connect to consumers’ iPhones and puts the control and command of
Pandora into the car dashboard.
• 2010 – Pandora is present on more than 200 connected consumer
electronics devices ranging from smartphones to TVs to set-top boxes
to Blu-ray players and is able to stream visual, audio, and interactive
advertising to computers, smartphones, iPads, and in-home connected
devices.

Kapor Center for Social Impact

Angel group/VC

Joined Vator on February 11, 2014

MISSION

The Kapor Center for Social Impact relentlessly pursues creative strategies that will leverage information technology for positive social impact. We primarily work with underrepresented communities, focusing on gap-closing endeavors.

Thumbtack.com

Startup/Business

Joined Vator on September 18, 2009

Thumbtack helps you accomplish the personal projects that are central to your life.

Whether you need to paint your home, learn a new language, or plan your daughter's birthday party, Thumbtack is the easiest and most dependable way to hire the right professional for your projects.

Get started by answering a few questions about your specific needs. Within hours, Thumbtack will introduce you to several available and qualified professionals. Compare custom quotes, reviews, and profiles and hire when you’re ready.

By connecting customers like you to the right pros, we enable independent professionals to grow their businesses and do what they love. We’re proud that many of our pros have doubled or even tripled the size of their businesses through Thumbtack.

Thumbtack is available nationwide for more than 700 project categories.

Greylock Partners

Angel group/VC

Joined Vator on November 1, 2010

Greylock partners with entrepreneurs to help them build market-leading businesses. Over the past 45 years the firm has worked with hundreds of companies, 150 of which have gone on to IPOs and 100 of which have gone on to profitable M&A events. Such companies include Ascend Communications, CheckFree, CipherTrust, Constant Contact, Continental Cable, Decru, Data Domain, DoubleClick, Farecast, Internet Security Systems, Ikanos, Legato, Media Metrix, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Openwave, Open Market, OutlookSoft, Polyserve, Red Hat, RightNow Technologies, Success Factors, Sun Edison, Tellabs, Trilogy and Wily Technology. Current Greylock portfolio companies include Cloudera, Data Robotics, Facebook, Imperva, LinkedIn, Palo Alto Networks, Pandora, Picarro, Redfin, Workday and ZipCar. For more information about Greylock Partners, visit our Web site (www.greylock.com) or blog (www.greylockvc.com) or follow us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/greylock) or Twitter (@GreylockVC).

IndieGoGo

Startup/Business

Joined Vator on October 21, 2010

IndieGoGo is a collaborative funding platform. Anyone with an idea (creative, cause, or entrepreneurial) can create a campaign on IndieGoGo, offer perks and raise the funds needed for execution - all while keeping 100% ownership. Customers range from artists (musicians, writers, filmmakers, etc.) who pre-sell their work as a way to fund it, to people raising money on behalf of charities to small businesses offering limited edition items or access to fund their start-up capital.

IndieGoGo launched the beta in 2008 within the film vertical. By 2009 IndieGoGo became the largest online film funding platform and brand. In 2010, IndieGoGo focused on further developing its funding tools and opened the platform to more verticals. Recent growth has been excellent at IndieGoGo including:

* Revenue up 24x in last year
* Funding projects from 134 countries
* 11,000+ projects
* Webby Award Nomination (versus Flickr, Vimeo & Digg)

DevLab

Startup/Business

Joined Vator on October 8, 2013

DevLab is dedicated to the education and support of the UK developer community offering industry news, job postings, and a series of events designed to inspire developers and promote networking.

Live events will include regular TED-style DevTalks to be held at the IDEALondon centre in Shoreditch as well as hackathons and ideation events for companies looking to engage with the developer community,

Another cornerstone of the DevLab launch is the DEVICE programme, created in association with UCL DECIDE.

DEVICE was set up to tackle a challenge developers face every day: how to test their products on legacy handsets and how to gain access to new devices. The programme solves both problems by giving developers the means to help each other. Meanwhile device manufacturers get to distribute their devices directly into the community – thereby supporting the growth of a stronger app economy.

Members can join simply by donating a legacy handset. In return they receive access to:

* New and old devices for testing at IdeaLondon in Shoreditch 

* User experience and usability testing software

* Alpha devices and pre-release technology

* A team of usability experts 

* UCL's private app store for pre-commercial testing

* Free handsets and priority marketing from partner OEMs

Effectively this means members will never have to buy another device for testing again. 

Uptima Business Bootcamp

Startup/Business

Joined Vator on April 8, 2014

Uptima Business Bootcamp is an innovative member-owned business accelerator dedicated to providing entrepreneurs with greater access to hands-on education, resources and community to create thriving businesses. Uptima’s programs encourage entrepreneurs to think holistically about their businesses and their impact on the community. Through a combination of in-person workshops, one-on-one mentorship and online learning, Uptima supports entrepreneurs through processes for developing their businesses. Uptima is very different from other business accelerators – as a cooperative, program participants are member-owners of the accelerator. This means they are part of a real community that shares in the accelerator’s profits and has a say in how the programs are run.  More details on Uptima’s programs, memberships and applications can be found at http://www.uptimabootcamp.com.

JustFab

Startup/Business

Joined Vator on April 24, 2012

JustFab (www.JustFab.com) is an online fashion styling service and
lifestyle fashion brand that offers members a fun and engaging personalized
shopping experience. Members of the fashion service are given the celebrity
treatment every month as they receive a customized selection of shoes and
handbags, handpicked by stylists, along with the JustFab basics of denim and
other fashion essentials. VIP members can purchase items for $39.95 and
shipping is always free.

Vinitha Watson

Joined Vator on April 1, 2015

Slava Rubin

Joined Vator on April 1, 2015

nilka thomas

Joined Vator on March 30, 2015

Benjamin Ling

Joined Vator on January 30, 2013

Tod Francis

Joined Vator on January 4, 2011

Marco Zappacosta

Joined Vator on September 18, 2009

Emily Kirsch

Joined Vator on March 8, 2014

Jonathon Triest

Joined Vator on April 1, 2015

Emily Melton

Joined Vator on April 16, 2015

Adam Goldenberg

Joined Vator on April 24, 2012

jose lopez

Joined Vator on December 11, 2009

Jed Katz

Joined Vator on January 15, 2010

Alastair Goldfisher

Joined Vator on February 4, 2011

Rani Croager

Joined Vator on April 8, 2014

Freada Kapor Klein

Joined Vator on April 15, 2015

Bambi Francisco Roizen

Joined Vator on June 28, 2008

Semil Shah

Joined Vator on April 8, 2014