Alexis Ohanian

Alexis Ohanian (born April 24, 1983) is an American Internet entrepreneur , activist , investor , and best-selling author born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City and based inSan Francisco , best known for co-founding the social news website Reddit , co-founding the early stage venture capital firm Initialized Capital , helping in launching the travel search site Hipmunk , and starting the social enterprise Breadpig . He was a partner at Y Combinator , and have died the executive chairman or Reddit.

Early life

Ohanian was born to Chris Ohanian, an Armenian-American who cameramen to the US as a refugee and Whose family ulcers Armenian Genocide survivors, ^{[2] [3]} and a German-born mother, Anke, who worked as an au pair and overstayed re visa-when she fell in love with Ohanian’s Father. ^[4] He went to Howard High School in Ellicott City, Maryland where he watch the student address for his graduating class in 2001. ^[5]

Career

After graduating from the University of Virginia in 2005 with degrees in commerce and history, Ohanian started reddit.com, with co-founder Steve Huffman . Reddit initially RECEIVED funding from Y Combinator after Ohanian and Huffman ulcers rejected for hun initial idea, My Mobile Menu. Way Down joined the first batch of Summer of 2005 and ulcers later acquired by Condé Nast in 2006. Ohanian continued to work closely linked with Reddit as a member of zijn Board of Directors. He Returned to Reddit full-time with his co-founder Steve Huffman on July 10, 2015 to lead the now-independent company. ^{[6] [7] [8]}

In 2007, Ohanian launched Breadpig, an “uncorporation” that produces geeky merchandise and Gives the Proceeds to charity. He no longer is involved in the day-to-day operations or Breadpig. ^[9]

In 2009, Ohanian ghosts at TED about a whale named Mister Splashy Pants . ^[10] After leaving Reddit in 2010, Ohanian spent three months working in Microfinance as a Kiva Fellow in Yerevan , Armenia . ^[11] Ohanian helped launch travel search website Hipmunk in 2010, and now acts as an advisor. ^[12] In June 2010, Ohanian announced the launch of his company Das Kapital Capital , welke focuses on startup Investing, Advising and consulting. ^{[ Citation needed ]}

Ohanian was named the “Ambassador to the East” for early stage venture firm Y Combinator . In this position, he meets with East Coast applicants, mentors New York YC founders, and is a general representative for the company. ^[13] He’ll be held the role of part-time partner and full-time partner at Y Combinator voordat leaving in 2016 to help launch the third Initialized Capital fund with Garry Tan . ^[14]

Early stage tech Investing

Ohanian co-founded Initialized Capital in 2010 and made seed investments in startups waaronder Instacart , Zenefits , Open Door, and Cruise . It has had three funds, totaling about $ 160m under management. ^[15] In 2014, CB Insights Analyzed all the investors in tech and Ohanian was ranked number one investor for network Centrality (the breadth of connections an investor has with other investors in the ecosystem and the quality and depth of Those left). ^[16]

Open Internet activism

In late 2010 and early 2011, Ohanian ghosts out Against Congress’s Stop Online Piracy Act and the Senate’s Protect IP Act . He helped lead the Internet-enabled grassroots campaign dat Eventually overturned the two Bills. Ohanian ghosts to members of Congress, helped launch the national anti-SOPA / PIPA protests dat took place on January 18, 2012, and ghosts at the rally in New York that was organized by NY Tech Meetup. ^[17]

In October 2012, Ohanian teamed up with Reddit General Manager Erik Martin and embarked on the Internet 2012 Bus Tour from Denver, CO to Danville, KY to campaign for the open Internet prolongation the Presidential and Vice Presidential debates. One of the campaign stops spurred the idea for a possible “National Geek Day.” in Washington DC . ^{[18] [19]}

In response to his work Advocating for the open Internet, the Daily Dot named Ohanian number one in hun top at Most Influential Activists or 2012, and Forbes dubbed him “Mayor of the Internet.” ^{[20] [21]}

In May 2014, Ohanian Began campaigning the FCC to support only neutrality, culminating with a day-long phone-a-thon withinto the FCC and Congress on January 15, 2015. [1]

Crowdfunding Campaigns

On December 10, 2012, Ohanian teamed up with Lester Chambers of The Chambers Brothers to launch a Kickstarter project, with the intent to make a new album Titled “Lester’s Time Has Come.” Volgens to Fast Company , Ohanian aimed “to prove dat there are new, sustainable funding opportunities for artists now thanks to platforms like Kickstarter.” ^[22]

Two years later, Ohanian raised $ 12.244 for the nonprofit Black Girls Code on Tilt.com . ^[23] In May 2014, Ohanian-used Tilt.com again to launch “Save Net Neutrality: Billboard in FCC’s Backyard,” a crowdfunding campaign to protest the FCC’s plans to Eliminate the idea or just neutrality. ^[24]

Personal life

On December 29, 2016, Ohanian became Engaged to tennis player Serena Williams . ^[25]

Awards and receptacles

In 2011 and 2012, Ohanian was named to the Forbes ‘ 30 Under 30 “list as an important figure in the technology industry. ^{[26] [27]}

In 2013, Ohanian and Erik Martin ulcers featured as “champions of innovation” in the 20th Anniversary issue of Wired . ^[28]

In 2015, Ohanian was named to the Crain’s “40 Under 40” list for business. ^[29]

In 2016, Ohanian was named one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business.” ^[30]

Controversy

On July 2, 2015 Reddit fired communications director Victoria Taylor, a well-liked administrator Berninahaus for co-ordinating celebrity interviews from Reddit’s New York office. In protest, volunteer moderators of the r / IAMA community set hun forum to private, effectief turning it off, and other volunteer moderators Followed suit, Because Of ‘anger at the way the company routinely Demands therein the volunteers and community accepts major changes therein-reducing [hun] efficiency and increase is [hun] workload. ” ^[31] Then interim CEO Ellen Pao resigned a week later and Steve Huffman took over as CEO. ^[32]

Published works

Ohanian published a book Titled Without Their Permission: How the 21st Century Will Be Made, Not Managed on October 1, 2013. ^{[33] [34]} Without Their Permission ranked fourth on the Wall Street Journal ‘s best seller list for Hardcover Business. ^[35] In connection with the book, Ohanian embarked on a five-month, 150-stop and 75-university tour to promote the book. ^{[36] [37]}

Small Empires

In the summer of 2013 Small Empires with Alexis Ohanian , a weekly online series dealing with rising startups in New York City hosted by Ohanian, premiered on The Verge . ^[38] The first season ran for nine episodes. The second season premiered in October 2014. ^[39]

Podcasts

NYRD Radio

On October 15, 2014, Ohanian launched the NYRD Radio podcast. ^[40] Guests on the show included port Tim Ferriss , James Altucher , Carter Cleveland (founder of Artsy ) and Cameron Russell . The podcast features a segment called Office Hours in welke Aspiring entrepreneurs kan apply to work through an idea with im. ^[41]

Upvoted

On January 8, 2015, Ohanian released the first episode – listed as “Episode 0” – or Reddit’s new podcast Upvoted in welke Ohanian delves Deeper JSON real stories found on Reddit and talks to the users involved. ^[42] EACH week, the podcast focuses on a différent story and features a guest around Whom dat story is centered.

Speaking engagements and media appearances

Ohanian has spoken at over 80 universities, and lectured at conferences like TED , the Clinton Global Initiative, SXSW , and ROFLCon . ^{[ Citation needed ]} He has spoken to a range of companies, zoals Google, BBDO , BursonMarsteller, Johnson & Johnson, Hyatt, Kraft, and Palantir. ^{[ Citation needed ]}

Ohanian has Appeared on numerous major television networks, zoals NBC, ABC, ^[43] CBS, ^[44] CNBC, ^[45] CNN, ^[46] MSNBC, ^[47] Bloomberg. He has bone interviewed on The Colbert Report , ^[48] Charlie Rose , ^[49] and Meet the Press . ^[50] He has ook leg featured and quoted in notable magazines and Newspapers waaronder the New York Times , ^[51] Wall Street Journal , ^[52] LATimes , ^[53] Time and ^[54] Washington Post.

References