FreeTech

Christine Herron has spent her career finding new and innovative information technologies. She is currently a Principal with First Round Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm. Previously, Christine was a director at Omidyar Network, where she developed the Media practice strategy and drove $15 million in early-stage placements.

Prior to joining Omidyar Network in 2005, Christine was the VP of Marketing for Mission Research, which develops small business CRM solutions. While there, she led marketing from initial business plan authoring through paying customer and distribution partner acquisition. Earlier, Christine was the founder and CEO of Mercury2, a software-as-a-service developer of international trade logistics systems. She has also managed developer tools at NetObjects, and played for the Internet Server Team at Microsoft.

Christine started as an investor with Geocapital Partners, where she focused on early Internet infrastructure and network management software. Her investments there included Netcom Online Communications, AXON Networks, D-Vision Systems, ViaGrafix, and FocusVision. In each case, Geocapital was the initial professional investor and helped to bring the company to a dominant market position.

She currently serves on the advisory boards for Web 2.0 Expo, iWidgets, Mission Research, Nickel Tour Productions, and Typepad, and co-manages STIRR Pitch Lab. Christine has previously served on the Nonprofit Technology Conference (N-TEN) Advisory Board and Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet Board of Directors, and was ranked one of the Top 20 Women in Technology for 2000 by AltaVista. She has spoken at numerous industry events including DEMO, FOO Camp, mesh, MIT/Stanford Venture Lab, NetSquared, TechCoire, and Web 2.0 Summit.

Christine earned her MBA at Stanford University, and her BA in English at Columbia University, Columbia College.

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Kevin Epstein is a Silicon Valley executive with several technology patents in his name, founding experience at three successful small-business retail ventures, and almost two decades of subsequent experience in guerrilla marketing tactics at such software industry high-flyers as Netscape, RealNetworks, Inktomi, and VMware. Kevin also holds an undergraduate degree in high-energy nuclear physics, an MBA from Stanford (where he lectures at the CSP), authored Entrepreneur Magazine’s book “Marketing Made Easy”, and serves as an outside advisor to various venture-backed and individual entrepreneurial start-up companies.

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