Public company investments where I also sat on their boards:

  DoubleClick (Nasdaq:  DCLK) develops the tools that advertisers, direct marketers and web publishers use to plan, execute and analyze marketing programs. These powerful technologies have become leading tools for marketing resource management, campaign management, online advertising and email delivery, direct marketing, marketing analytics, and data management. Designed to improve the performance and simplify the complexities of marketing, DoubleClick tools are a complete suite of integrated applications.

Update:  DoubleClick was sold July 14th, 2005 for over $1 billion.

    Internet Security Systems (Nasdaq:  ISSX) is a premier security research, products and services company, serving the Global 500 and world governments for a decade. Our products and services stop Internet threats before they impact your business, and we offer the world's only protection guarantee.

Update:  ISS was sold to IBM October 23, 2006 for $1.3 billion.

  1800flowers.com is one of the most recognized brands in gift retailing, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM provides a broad range of thoughtful gift products including flowers, plants, gourmet foods, candies, gift baskets and other unique gifts to customers around the world via: the Internet at (www.1800flowers.com) ; by calling 1-800-FLOWERS® (1-800-356-9377) 24 hours a day; or by visiting one of its Company- operated or franchised stores. The Company's gift product line is extended by the merchandise sold under its complimentary brands, including home décor and garden merchandise under Plow & Hearth® (phone: 1-800-627-1712 and web: www.plowandhearth.com), premium popcorn and other food gifts under The Popcorn Factory® (phone: 1-800-541-2676 and web: www.thepopcornfactory.com), gourmet food products under GreatFood.com® (www.greatfood.com), and children's gifts under HearthSong® (www.hearthsong.com) and Magic Cabin Dolls® (www.magiccabindolls.com). 1-800-FLOWERS.COM currently maintains strategic online relationships with AOL Time Warner (AOL keyword: 1800flowers), Yahoo!, and Microsoft Corporation (MSN) among others. The Company's Class A common stock is listed on the NASDAQ National Market (ticker symbol "FLWS").

Companies I invested in early on but were acquired:

  HotJobs is a leader in the online recruiting industry, HotJobs, a Yahoo! company, has revolutionized the way people manage their careers and the way companies hire talent. HotJobs' tools and advice put job seekers in control of their careers and make it easier and more cost-effective for recruiters and employers to find qualified candidates. Job seekers voted HotJobs.com the "Best General Purpose Job Board for Job Seekers" in a survey conducted by WEDDLE's in Feb. 2002. In addition to its popular consumer job board, HotJobs provides employers and staffing agencies with progressive recruiting solutions and hiring management software.  HotJobs was acquired by Yahoo! for over $400MM.

  Pinnacor was acquired by MarketWatch in 2003.  MarketWatch is the market-leading provider of online news and information, MarketWatch Information Services provides a broad set of tools and technology, fully customized to the specific needs of our clients. Our seamless integration with existing systems enhances your online investment with MarketWatch news and commentary, plus a rich set of applications and services for every industry.

I am also an investor in numerous private companies which include:

  TraVidia services include; the digitizing and repurposing of print advertising, web hosting services, email campaign management, online promotions, and online media data analytics. Travidia offers national and regional advertisers, online media organizations and national brands, a uniquely powerful channel through which to extend relationships with consumers.

  9 Star is a new "Actions Sports" specialty retailer located in Los Angeles and on the Internet.  Actions Sports are the fastest growing sports category in the USA.  A $12BB industry with almost 20,000 mom-and-pop stores with a serious need for restructing.  9 Star specializes in Surf, Skateboard, Snowboard, and BMX sports.  9 Star's unique approach allows consumers to "experience" the sports through the in-store skatepark, movies, videos and art.

  Meetup helps people get together with a group of neighbors that share a common interest.  We power global, monthly "Meetup Days" for almost any interest group. Meetup is an advanced technology platform and global network of local venues that helps people self-organize local group gatherings on the same day everywhere. Meetups take place in up to 646 cities in 60 countries at local cafés, restaurants, bookstores, and other local establishments.

    At Procore Technologies, we help you save time and increase profits. SitePro 2.0 provides an easy-to-use, Web-based scheduling and communications service.  We give you easy-to-read reports that help you quickly see which projects need attention so you can plan better and keep control of your time and budget.  And we're Web-based, which means your project reports can be updated in realtime -- so you always have the most up-to-date information at your fingertips. If Web access is difficult for you, we also provide a fax and data entry service.

   CampusExplorer.com is dedicated to helping students, parents and counselors find the information and support needed while researching and applying to post secondary schools. Choosing the right school is an important life decision and CampusExplorer.com is here to offer guidance throughout this decision making process by providing free, easy-to-use tools, expert advice and objective information. Consider us your personal college and career counselors available 24/7, to help match you with the right program at the right school, organize and track your applications and determine your ideal tuition options.

   A Flexplay DVD has a pre-set viewing window that begins when the disc is removed from its packaging. After this viewing window, the disc will no longer be readable by the DVD player.

This new technology makes EZ-D possible, offering consumers a convenient alternative to the current movie rental process. Flexplay's patented technology also allows content providers to seize new business opportunities.

Update:  Company sold in 2004 to Lid Rock.

I also wrote a book that any entrepreneur should find useful:

  The Map of Innovation is my step-by-step approach to devising lucrative new products and services and bringing them to market, through a process that has proven itself time and again in many different industries. Too often, people trying to innovate focus on things that don’t matter or waste their time trying to find answers to questions that can’t be answered.

I show why the map of innovation centers on getting right the five make-or-break fundamentals: creating a large number of viable ideas; picking the right idea to pursue; creating a highly focused strategy to bring the idea to market; getting the money to fund the strategy; and hiring the best people. With me, the proof of the value of methodical innovation is in the pudding. I've helped start companies that have employed thousands of people and created billions in shareholder value.

Anyone can get lucky once, but for success to strike repeatedly, there has to be a method and map, and any company, big or small, working on any product or service can benefit from my time-tested tactics.

"The Map of Innovation" has also been published in China, Thailand (why I have no idea) and Brazil.

Companies that eventually became tax write-offs:

I've lost all my investment on probably 4 deals.  I won't list them because I have repressed them from my memory and I don't want to embarrass the companies even more because they really did try hard!  With all of these companies, I made passive investments and was not on the board.  I've now made it a standard practice to take an active role in all my investments.