Scott Lipsky

Scott launched his career as a technology entrepreneur at age 16, when he began consulting in New York and later in Dallas. He designed and wrote custom software in the emerging personal computer market at a time when apps were sparse. While continuing his self-education and work with computers and business, he began developing software for retail chains.

In 1987, he joined Babbage's - now GameStop (GME), a 6,600-store international retail chain - to launch and lead their Technology department when the company was operating its first 16 stores and beginning to grow exponentially. While there, he architected and built the world's first entirely "PC-based" enterprise computing platform to be used by a major retail chain to run its whole operation. As CTO, Scott played an active role in the company's IPO.

With the success of his innovations at GameStop, and with growing inquiries from major retailers about the GameStop distributed computing 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.

In 1994, Scott joined NY-based Barnes & Noble (BKS) as Chief Technology Officer of its retail and college bookstore divisions. He was responsible for overall management of technology strategy, development and operations for the chain during their period of explosive growth - when the "big box" retail trend took hold in America.

Following a personal introduction in early 1996, Jeff Bezos asked Scott to join the fledgling Seattle-based startup 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 businesses and brands. The company was sold to Microsoft in 2007 for $6 billion (at that time the largest acquisition Microsoft had ever made). 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 delivery 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 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 then created PhotoRocket in 2009 - a revolutionary and unique photo sharing concept that made its public debut in 2011 and sold in 2012. He is currently working on development and productization of game-changing innovations and technology in the linguistic-behavioral sciences arena.

Since moving to the Pacific Northwest in 1996, Scott has been an angel investor, a venture fund investor and an advisor to entrepreneurs and emerging technology companies in the region. Scott is a Founders Coop investor, speaks for the University of Washington business school on entrepreneurship, served on the Advisory Board of UW's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, is on the board of the Seattle International Film Festival, and is a technology/internet/startup/entrepreneurship speaker and pundit. He was also a founding owner of 509 Wines, a boutique Washington winery launched in 2004. Additionally, Scott was co-founder of Lot 47 Films, a NY-based independent film distribution company, and for three years served on the board of Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo.

In his spare time, Scott's interests and activities include flying, photography, electronics, music (drummer), hiking and world travel.

(scott can be reached via email by writing to: web at lipsky dot net)