Aunt Heidi joins board of Tivo

Tivo gets seasoned Silicon Valley executive and venture capitalist on the team

Aunt Heidi just got on the board of Tivo. 

Tivo, the pioneer in digital video recorders, on Thursday announced that Heidi Roizen will join its board, making her the 10th member.

Heidi, who was a Managing Director at Mobius Venture Capital, is the founder and CEO of Skinny Little Things, which she launched in 2008. Full disclosure, she also happens to be my aunt, through my husband, Ezra Roizen.

"I have one TiVo and a fun fact is a few weeks ago they came out with the top 10 most-seasoned-pass shows, and my family had seven out of the 10!  So I guess we are a pretty typical [Tivo] family."

Heidi joins the company at a time when Tivo appears to be going great guns, if its stock price is any measure.

Tivo's shares currently trade at $11, up 57% from $7 at the start of this year. It's also managed to win its DVR patent lawsuit against EchoStar. Even so, Tivo still faces challenges.

Comcast is joining forces with Time Warner to launch "TV Everywhere," whereby broadcasters and cable networks offer all their content on demand. As the Motley Fool pointed out: "If you can ultimately stream anything in your cable company's subscription package when you want it, will you still need a Tivo?"

Nonetheless, it's a good move for Heidi. And, since my family doesn't have a Tivo, perhaps we'll get one this year for Christmas.

See release below:

"The breadth and depth of experience within the technology industry and entrepreneurial community that Heidi brings to our Board is invaluable and will have an immediate impact on TiVo's strategic plans to further define the way television is consumed," said Tom Rogers, CEO of TiVo. "Heidi is well respected and highly regarded for her successful career as an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, corporate executive, and public and private company board member, which lends itself extremely well to TiVo's innovative culture and pioneering approach to developing the ultimate in-home TV entertainment experience. We are pleased to welcome someone with Heidi's reputation and experience to our Board."

Ms. Roizen said, "When it comes to companies that have the foresight to anticipate major shifts in the television consumption landscape, TiVo has the technology and the business model that puts it in a class of its own. I am honored to be working with Tom Rogers and the Board as they direct the continuing evolution of this company and lead the media industry into this new age."

Ms. Roizen, 51, currently serves as CEO of Skinny Little Things, LLC (SkinnySongs), which she launched in January of 2008. Prior to that, Roizen was a Managing Director of Mobius Venture Capital, a technology venture fund with $2 billion under management, from 1999 to 2007. From 1996 to 1997, as Vice President of World Wide Developer Relations for Apple Computer, Ms. Roizen was responsible for building and maintaining relationships between Apple and its developers worldwide. She and her 300-person team served as the primary contact point for major partners such as Microsoft, Lotus and Adobe, as well as 12,000 other emerging and established firms, which provided products for the Apple Macintosh.

Ms. Roizen began her career in 1983 when she cofounded T/Maker Company, a developer and publisher of personal computer software, and served as its CEO until 1996. During that time Roizen was elected to the Board of Directors of the Software Publishers Association (SPA) - then the largest software trade association in the world - where she served as a director for eight years, including serving as the SPA's President from 1988 to 1990.

Ms. Roizen has been active in numerous charitable organizations, educational institutions and nonprofit entities. She is a frequent guest speaker at business schools across the country, and is the subject of case studies authored by both the Harvard and Stanford Business Schools. Ms. Roizen has been named to numerous 'top' lists, including the most recent ranking of the "Top 50 Women in Tech" by Corporate Board Member Magazine. In September of 2008, Ms. Roizen received the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs and Executives 2008 Annual Achievement Award.

Ms. Roizen holds an undergraduate degree from Stanford University (1980) and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business (1983).