Scott Lipsky

Scott launched his career as a technology entrepreneur in 1981, at age 16, when he began consulting for a number of small businesses on Long Island and later in Dallas. He designed and wrote custom software in the emerging personal computer market at a time when specialized commercial software for microcomputers was virtually non-existent. While continuing his self-education and work with computers, electronics and business, he also began learning, working and developing software for the specialty retail industry.

In 1987, he joined Babbage's - now GameStop (GME), a 6,100-store Dallas-based international retail chain - to launch and lead their Technology department when the company was operating 16 stores and beginning to grow exponentially. While there, he designed and developed the world's first entirely personal computer-based enterprise computing platform to be used by a major retail chain to run its whole operation. Scott also played an active role in the company's IPO.

With the success of his inventions at GameStop, and with growing inquiries from other retailers for licensing rights to GameStop's technology, Scott launched Omni Information Group in 1991 serving as the company's President and Chief Architect. Omni quickly became a leader in the retail technology solutions sector, winning major clients including Barnes & Noble. During its three years of operation, Omni was unable to persuade the VC community that PC's and distributed computing would soon be accepted as a viable replacement for mainframes and minicomputers for large-scale applications.

In 1994, Scott joined NY-based Barnes & Noble (BKS) as Chief Technology Officer of its retail and college bookstore divisions (currently over 1,200 locations). He was responsible for overall management of technology operations, planning and development for the chain during their period of explosive growth - when the "big box" retail trend took hold in America. Despite Scott's fervent enthusiasm and evangelism for adopting an internet commerce strategy, Barnes & Noble chose not to consider the internet a viable next step in the retailer's growth. The company eventually did launch their online store in 1997.

Following a personal introduction in early 1996, Jeff Bezos asked Scott to join Seattle-based Amazon.com (AMZN) as its Vice President of Business Expansion, where Scott played a leading role in the early expansion of the fastest-growing business in history. He was responsible for business development, strategic planning and content acquisition & licensing for the online megastore. Scott also played an active role in the company's IPO.

Scott then co-founded Avenue A | Razorfish (aQuantive) and served as its Chief Technology Officer. aQuantive rapidly became the world's leading digital marketing technology and services company, helping advertisers and ad agencies intelligently build, market and grow their online and bricks & mortar businesses and brands. The company was sold to Microsoft in 2007 for $6 billion (the highest amount ever paid by Microsoft for any acquisition). Scott was responsible for the architecture, development and operation of aQuantive's extensive proprietary technology platform - as well as for building aQuantive's R&D lab which focused on mobile, interactive TV and other emerging digital content & advertising platforms. Scott also played an active role in the company's IPO in February, 2000.

In 2003, Scott founded GalleryPlayer - the world's leading provider of high definition imagery and technology for the explosive flat screen TV markets. The company invented this new content category, licensing the world's best imagery from major multi-national brands and building content management & distribution solutions. GalleryPlayer has had its content and technology deployed and distributed to customers by many world class partners including Google, Microsoft, Comcast, Panasonic, Mitsubishi and Samsung. GalleryPlayer was sold in 2008.

Scott is currently working on his next startup, PhotoRocket, which will be publicly introduced in second half of 2009.

Since moving to Seattle, Scott has been an angel investor, a venture fund investor and an advisor for entrepreneurs and emerging technology companies. Scott speaks for the University of Washington on entrepreneurship, is on the Advisory Board of UW's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, is a UW business plan competition judge, sits on the board of the Seattle International Film Festival, and is a technology/internet/startup/entrepreneurship speaker and pundit. He is also an owner of 509 Wines, a Washington winery launched in 2004. Additionally, Scott was a founder of Lot 47 Films, a NY-based independent film distribution company and, for three years, served on the board of the Woodland Park Zoo.