Ben Neumann
Encyclopedia
Ben Neumann is an American
entrepreneur
, investor
, film producer
and mixed martial artist, best known for his founding of early Internet hosting service
firm Internet Communication Icom.com, and his subsequent investments into companies such as iBoost.com, Globat.com, FatCow.com and his work in the motion picture industry. Some of Ben's latest ventures are the content delivery network
s NetDNA
, MaxCDN and HDDN, which he co-founded together with one of his business partners in October 2009.
Neumann, a former bodyguard, and avid martial artist since second grade, who grew up in Krefeld, Germany in a working class
family, immigrated to the United States
from Germany
in 1994. While working on his martial arts career and after winning several mixed martial arts tournaments, he successfully built and sold his first U.S.-based technology company Icom.com at the pinnacle of the Dot-com bubble
in 1998, a move that made him one of the original Internet pioneers. He subsequently began investing into other technology and real estate companies and became involved with film making in Los Angeles
in early 2004, when he was approached by an independent filmmaker. The result of this partnership was Dark World, starring Michael Pare
and Theresa Russell
. Neumann also produced or was involved with other notable films and TV shows, such as Grey's Anatomy
, House M.D., Only in LA, You, Me, Love and Smile of April. He continues to invest in local niche companies and has become an engaged community activist. In March 2006 Neumann was elected to the Board of the Studio City Neighborhood Council and was President of the Council from March 2008 until June 2010.
As a successful immigrant entrepreneur
, Neumann has been quoted off-line and online in numerous ezines, magazines and books. For his achievements in the technology sector he has been nominated for Ernst & Young
's Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2000 and 2003.
Neumann has two sons and lives in Studio City, California.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, investor
Investor
An investor is a party that makes an investment into one or more categories of assets --- equity, debt securities, real estate, currency, commodity, derivatives such as put and call options, etc...
, film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and mixed martial artist, best known for his founding of early Internet hosting service
Internet hosting service
An Internet hosting service is a service that runs Internet servers, allowing organizations and individuals to serve content to the Internet. There are various levels of service and various kinds of services offered....
firm Internet Communication Icom.com, and his subsequent investments into companies such as iBoost.com, Globat.com, FatCow.com and his work in the motion picture industry. Some of Ben's latest ventures are the content delivery network
Content Delivery Network
A content delivery network or content distribution network is a system of computers containing copies of data placed at various nodes of a network....
s NetDNA
NetDNA
NetDNA is a Los Angeles, CA, based content delivery network and an application delivery network.The company was founded in October 2009 by Ben Neumann and Chris Ueland. Prior to NetDNA, Chris and Ben founded and operated Globat.com a shared-hosting company...
, MaxCDN and HDDN, which he co-founded together with one of his business partners in October 2009.
Neumann, a former bodyguard, and avid martial artist since second grade, who grew up in Krefeld, Germany in a working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
family, immigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1994. While working on his martial arts career and after winning several mixed martial arts tournaments, he successfully built and sold his first U.S.-based technology company Icom.com at the pinnacle of the Dot-com bubble
Dot-com bubble
The dot-com bubble was a speculative bubble covering roughly 1995–2000 during which stock markets in industrialized nations saw their equity value rise rapidly from growth in the more...
in 1998, a move that made him one of the original Internet pioneers. He subsequently began investing into other technology and real estate companies and became involved with film making in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in early 2004, when he was approached by an independent filmmaker. The result of this partnership was Dark World, starring Michael Pare
Michael Paré
- Early life :Paré was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Joan, a homemaker, and Francis Paré, who owned print shops. He had six sisters and three brothers. Paré's father was of French-Canadian ancestry and his mother of Irish ancestry....
and Theresa Russell
Theresa Russell
Theresa Russell is an American actress.-Biography:Russell was born Theresa Paup in San Diego, California, the daughter of Carole Platt and Jerry Russell Paup. She attended Burbank High School, but did not graduate. She married English film director Nicolas Roeg , in 1982...
. Neumann also produced or was involved with other notable films and TV shows, such as Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
, House M.D., Only in LA, You, Me, Love and Smile of April. He continues to invest in local niche companies and has become an engaged community activist. In March 2006 Neumann was elected to the Board of the Studio City Neighborhood Council and was President of the Council from March 2008 until June 2010.
As a successful immigrant entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, Neumann has been quoted off-line and online in numerous ezines, magazines and books. For his achievements in the technology sector he has been nominated for Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms, along with Deloitte, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers ....
's Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2000 and 2003.
Neumann has two sons and lives in Studio City, California.