Eric Litman
Encyclopedia
Eric Austin Litman is an American entrepreneur
and angel investor
. Litman co-founded Proxicom
, built Viaduct from a one-man shop through a merger with the Wolf Group, and is currently Chairman and CEO of Medialets, a mobile rich media ad serving
and analytics platform for mobile applications.
He has been profiled and quoted by The Wall Street Journal
, Forbes
, Wired
, and Fast Company
, was named a 2010 Game Changer by New York Enterprise Report, and in 2011 was called one of the "best operators in online advertising" by TechCrunch
, California
, and grew up on the island of Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
, where he graduated high school at 15. Litman graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park
with a bachelor's degree.
, the start-up founded by Apple CEO Steve Jobs
. Litman then went on to serve as a Senior Systems Engineer for Digicon, building secure, distributed networks and applications for the U.S. Department of Defense.
in 1991. Proxicom, one of the first-generation Internet professional services agencies, went public on NASDAQ
in 1998 and was sold to the global consultancy Dimension Data
after a bidding war against Compaq
(prior to Compaq's merger with Hewlett-Packard
).
fund in Washington, DC, where he focused on investments in online media, consumer Internet and telecommunications. He conceptualized and launched Aux Interactive in March, 2008. He left WashingtonVC in May, 2008.
and analytics provider.
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...
and angel investor
Angel investor
An angel investor or angel is an affluent individual who provides capital for a business start-up, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity...
. Litman co-founded Proxicom
Proxicom
Proxicom, Inc. was an interactive agency that develops custom-tailored interactive and web-enabled solutions for Global 1000 organizations. Founded in 1991 by American entrepreneur and philanthropist Raul Fernandez , Proxicom was one of the original interactive professional services organizations...
, built Viaduct from a one-man shop through a merger with the Wolf Group, and is currently Chairman and CEO of Medialets, a mobile rich media ad serving
Ad serving
Ad serving describes the technology and service that places advertisements on web sites. Ad serving technology companies provide software to web sites and advertisers to serve ads, count them, choose the ads that will make the website or advertiser most money, and monitor progress of different...
and analytics platform for mobile applications.
He has been profiled and quoted by The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
, Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
, and Fast Company
Fast Company (magazine)
Fast Company is a full-color business magazine that releases 10 issues per year and reports on topics including innovation, digital media, technology, change management, leadership, design, and social responsibility...
, was named a 2010 Game Changer by New York Enterprise Report, and in 2011 was called one of the "best operators in online advertising" by TechCrunch
TechCrunch
TechCrunch is a web publication that offers technology news and analysis, as well as profiling of startup companies, products, and websites. It was founded by Michael Arrington in 2005, and was first published on June 11, 2005....
Early life and education
Litman was born in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and grew up on the island of Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Thomas is an island in the Caribbean Sea and with the islands of Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of...
, where he graduated high school at 15. Litman graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
with a bachelor's degree.
Starting out in business
While in college, he worked in pre-sales support and engineering at NeXTNeXT
Next, Inc. was an American computer company headquartered in Redwood City, California, that developed and manufactured a series of computer workstations intended for the higher education and business markets...
, the start-up founded by Apple CEO Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
. Litman then went on to serve as a Senior Systems Engineer for Digicon, building secure, distributed networks and applications for the U.S. Department of Defense.
Proxicom
Litman and three other colleagues from Digicon founded ProxicomProxicom
Proxicom, Inc. was an interactive agency that develops custom-tailored interactive and web-enabled solutions for Global 1000 organizations. Founded in 1991 by American entrepreneur and philanthropist Raul Fernandez , Proxicom was one of the original interactive professional services organizations...
in 1991. Proxicom, one of the first-generation Internet professional services agencies, went public on NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
in 1998 and was sold to the global consultancy Dimension Data
Dimension Data
Dimension Data Holdings is a South African company specializing in information technology services, with operations in Europe, Asia, Australia, the Americas and the Middle East & Africa.In 2010, the company was fully acquired by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone....
after a bidding war against Compaq
Compaq
Compaq Computer Corporation is a personal computer company founded in 1982. Once the largest supplier of personal computing systems in the world, Compaq existed as an independent corporation until 2002, when it was acquired for US$25 billion by Hewlett-Packard....
(prior to Compaq's merger with Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
).
Viaduct
After Proxicom, Litman founded Viaduct Technologies, an Internet professional services agency, and served as its CEO. Viaduct was acquired by Wolf Group in 2000. After the acquisition Litman stayed as Viaduct's chief operating officer.WashingtonVC
Litman was the Managing Director of WashingtonVC, an early stage venture capitalVenture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
fund in Washington, DC, where he focused on investments in online media, consumer Internet and telecommunications. He conceptualized and launched Aux Interactive in March, 2008. He left WashingtonVC in May, 2008.
Medialets
Litman is currently serving as Chairman and CEO of Medialets, a rich media mobile ad servingAd serving
Ad serving describes the technology and service that places advertisements on web sites. Ad serving technology companies provide software to web sites and advertisers to serve ads, count them, choose the ads that will make the website or advertiser most money, and monitor progress of different...
and analytics provider.