AUG 11
SendMe Appoints John Witchel as Chief Technology Officer
Former Prosper Co-Founder and CTO Brings Nearly 20 Years of Technology Innovation to SendMe
SAN FRANCISCO, August 11, 2010 — SendMe, Inc., the premier mobile media company, has appointed John Witchel as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Leveraging almost two decades of technology leadership, Witchel will oversee SendMe’s technology strategy, roadmap and team. Witchel joins SendMe with extensive experience in research and design, infrastructure oversight and world-class product development.
"With nearly 300 million U.S. wireless subscribers, mobile is providing a significant number of new opportunities to reach and engage consumers," said SendMe Co-Founder and CEO Russell Klein. "John joins SendMe at a time when we are connecting with mobile consumers at an unprecedented pace across all of our properties. His experience driving technology management, integration, revenue and product design makes him the best choice to lead the SendMe’s next wave of technological development. As we extend our lead in subscription-based mobile entertainment and accelerate growth in mbuzzy, our top ten mobile social network, John is ideally suited to help take us to the next level."
Highlights in Witchel’s technology management career include designing and building a person-to-person lending platform for Prosper, Inc., America’s first peer-to-peer lending marketplace. As the company’s co-founder and CTO, Witchel pioneered technological innovations that included a one-of-a-kind loan auction, origination and servicing platform coupled with sophisticated automated identity theft and fraud control systems. He also integrated the platform with 13 external data services including the Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Postal Service, among others.
"SendMe’s ability to connect with the burgeoning mobile consumer audience is astounding. They have developed the right mix of destination sites and content that attract users of all kinds," said Witchel. "I am thrilled to be part of this growing team and look forward to working together to lead this market with innovative technologies to increase consumer engagement with mobile content."
Witchel has also held various executive positions at BrowserCam, Red Gorilla, and XCom. Prior to Prosper, he created Browsercam, an innovative software-as-a-service offering that provided web designers with tools to visually inspect websites via any browser-OS combination.
Additionally, Witchel serves on the Board of Directors of Shopatron, a venture capital-backed e-commerce company, and Book Pig, a children’s book rental service. He has also served on numerous committees and supports various organizations in greater San Francisco. He holds an M.S. in computer science from the University of San Francisco and a B.A. in political science from Stanford University.
About SendMe
SendMe, Inc. turns any mobile phone into a portable playground. As the premier mobile media company, SendMe's family of destination sites lets you seamlessly take the fun from the Web to your mobile phone with the broadest and best content, entertainment and community. SendMe's four properties — SendMeMobile.com, SoLow.com, mbuzzy.com and WT411.com — deliver the latest from today's pop culture sensations, niche independent creations, and stuff from our own community that will keep you coming back for more. Whether you're searching for content from the hottest musical artists, looking to meet new friends through mobile social networking, or eager to play for cash and prizes on your phone, SendMe brings it all to you — how you want it, when you want it. Founded in 2006 by three veteran online and mobile entrepreneurs, SendMe is funded by Triangle Peak Partners, GrandBanks Capital, Spark Capital and True Ventures. For more information, visit www.sendme.com.
Contact:
Meg O'Leary
InkHouse for SendMe
781-791-4565
meg@inkhouse.net
"With nearly 300 million U.S. wireless subscribers, mobile is providing a significant number of new opportunities to reach and engage consumers," said SendMe Co-Founder and CEO Russell Klein. "John joins SendMe at a time when we are connecting with mobile consumers at an unprecedented pace across all of our properties. His experience driving technology management, integration, revenue and product design makes him the best choice to lead the SendMe’s next wave of technological development. As we extend our lead in subscription-based mobile entertainment and accelerate growth in mbuzzy, our top ten mobile social network, John is ideally suited to help take us to the next level."
Highlights in Witchel’s technology management career include designing and building a person-to-person lending platform for Prosper, Inc., America’s first peer-to-peer lending marketplace. As the company’s co-founder and CTO, Witchel pioneered technological innovations that included a one-of-a-kind loan auction, origination and servicing platform coupled with sophisticated automated identity theft and fraud control systems. He also integrated the platform with 13 external data services including the Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Postal Service, among others.
"SendMe’s ability to connect with the burgeoning mobile consumer audience is astounding. They have developed the right mix of destination sites and content that attract users of all kinds," said Witchel. "I am thrilled to be part of this growing team and look forward to working together to lead this market with innovative technologies to increase consumer engagement with mobile content."
Witchel has also held various executive positions at BrowserCam, Red Gorilla, and XCom. Prior to Prosper, he created Browsercam, an innovative software-as-a-service offering that provided web designers with tools to visually inspect websites via any browser-OS combination.
Additionally, Witchel serves on the Board of Directors of Shopatron, a venture capital-backed e-commerce company, and Book Pig, a children’s book rental service. He has also served on numerous committees and supports various organizations in greater San Francisco. He holds an M.S. in computer science from the University of San Francisco and a B.A. in political science from Stanford University.
About SendMe
SendMe, Inc. turns any mobile phone into a portable playground. As the premier mobile media company, SendMe's family of destination sites lets you seamlessly take the fun from the Web to your mobile phone with the broadest and best content, entertainment and community. SendMe's four properties — SendMeMobile.com, SoLow.com, mbuzzy.com and WT411.com — deliver the latest from today's pop culture sensations, niche independent creations, and stuff from our own community that will keep you coming back for more. Whether you're searching for content from the hottest musical artists, looking to meet new friends through mobile social networking, or eager to play for cash and prizes on your phone, SendMe brings it all to you — how you want it, when you want it. Founded in 2006 by three veteran online and mobile entrepreneurs, SendMe is funded by Triangle Peak Partners, GrandBanks Capital, Spark Capital and True Ventures. For more information, visit www.sendme.com.
Contact:
Meg O'Leary
InkHouse for SendMe
781-791-4565
meg@inkhouse.net