I grew up in Greensboro, NC and started fiddling with computers in the 7th Grade, when my school parked an Apple II+ in the breakroom, and where I watched some of the 9th-graders play a cool Star Trek game on it during breaks - at least they called it Star Trek. I never liked the show; I loved the game.My parents bought a computer for me to use at home shortly thereafter and I got into programming.
I went to the University of Chicago where I set aside computers for a few years and picked up books. I (somehow) managed to graduate and then wandered between Jackson, WY, Greensboro, Washington DC, Boulder, and Chicago, until I finally decided to get serious about working.
I worked at Merrill Lynch as a financial consultant for a few years and that's where I was when Netscape went public. It was on that day that I realized I was in the wrong business for me, and I immediately began planning my first Internet-based startup.
My first web venture was a web-based media company, E|Calendar, that attracted no paying customers - a common occurrence in those if-you-build-it-they-will-come early days of the web (and a not too uncommon occurrence today, too). When that failed, I regrouped for a while working at a web-design shop in NY (InterActive8), then moved to Charlotte, NC to go into business with my brother-in-law. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
That didn't work out, but it led me to Mike Praeger with whom I started AvidXchange. That's been a very good gig. I left day-to-day management on January 3, 2011 but have stayed on the Board, and now I spend most of my time helping entrepreneurs, investing, writing, and incubating new product ideas.
I live in Charlotte, NC with my wife Risa, our two kids Noah and Jordy, and our two dogs Ollie and Sadie. I cook, I cycle, I play golf, I play guitar, and I drink (too much) Italian red wine (if that's possible).
Life is good.
Life is good.