tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60530295073800041772010-06-15T15:19:08.983-07:00A sharing of experiences, tales and rants of the path leading up to and including my 6th startup company. 6 startups = 1 IPO, 2 acquisitions, 1 failure, millions in venture capital $, hundreds of employees in cities worldwide and the building of my latest venture, the Rubicon Project - one of the fastest growing advertising companies in history.Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-32065321129808615992010-06-15T15:11:00.000-07:002010-06-15T15:19:09.222-07:00

Two years ago, I wrote a blog post that garnered a lot of (friendly) flack from our investors here at the Rubicon Project. Titled Optimized for Speed = 30% Waste, in the post I talked about how different companies operate in various gears at different stages of their development. I noted that it's really important to define and set the "gear" for the company and make sure everyone is aware of

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-43437961818844708622010-02-16T00:45:00.000-08:002010-02-16T05:35:35.039-08:00

Ok, I’m going to revive this blog.  Thank you to all of you who have sent me emails requesting that I continue writing.  My apologies for going MIA!  Without trying to come across as though I’m making excuses, it was difficult for me to keep writing after I broke my arm last January.  The recovery took about a year – even now, typing for extended periods of time strains my hand.  I’m still

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-69212549863756850552009-05-11T11:57:00.000-07:002009-05-11T12:09:26.226-07:00

I decided to try doing a video blog post. Here is a tour that I did of the Rubicon Project headquarters and all of the thought that we have put into things like culture, communication, efficiency, team development (and a little fun)... We have woven these things into our environment and I thought I'd share our thinking with you.Some highlights to look out for:Furnished on a low budget (IKEA

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-12629739177279343192009-04-10T14:39:00.001-07:002009-04-29T13:56:56.347-07:00

I receive an overwhelming number of meeting requests and would like to accommodate as many requests as I can. So I am organizing a monthly event called “Pay It Forward” that will give 10 students and aspiring entrepreneurs with common interests the chance to sit down with me and discuss the following:Entrepreneurial Lessons Team Development Building Companies General Brainstorming Whatever is on

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-90932401076241727882009-02-13T11:02:00.002-08:002009-04-29T13:56:56.410-07:00

Recently, I was asked to present my philosophy and methodology toward building what I call A++ teams at the Startonomics conference. Below, you'll find the video recording of the presentation and the actual presentation itself.My apologies for the lack of posting to my blog -- I broke my arm snowboarding six weeks ago which makes it hard to write. :-)A Plus Teams - Frank Adante Startonomics LA

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-53995712199473081622008-12-16T16:27:00.002-08:002009-04-29T15:32:57.884-07:00

My (now former) assistant, Mallory Portillo, was the very first employee outside of the founding team at the Rubicon Project. We’ve grown quite a bit since she started just over a year ago. With our strong commitment to team development and culture, Mallory is now moving on to a new role. She’s going to be responsible for culture, training and communication (see our Cultural Values.) I did

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-30979599832433771702008-11-29T14:39:00.002-08:002009-04-29T15:33:32.091-07:00

Last week, our office manager, Lindsey Mitten, instituted Green Week. One of our Cultural Values is Community, which includes environmental responsibility. I thought I’d share with you what we did for Green Week (I'm actually re-purposing the email that Lindsey sent to the team.)Each morning Lindsey sent out an email letting everyone know about the small “green” project for the day. She also

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-14296322209459839782008-11-18T17:39:00.002-08:002009-04-29T13:56:56.463-07:00

I did this video interview for Dog and Pony (below) about Creating a Culture of Innovation. Many of the viewers asked that I share our list of Cultural Values here at the Rubicon Project. So, here they are...the Rubicon Project Cultural ValuesInnovation: We invest our thinking and resources into change that will propel the industry and this company forward.Transparency: Knowledge is powerful.

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-51407630248236677052008-10-22T17:48:00.002-07:002009-04-29T13:56:56.477-07:00

I had to put together a video introduction for The Lobby conference again this year. I can't say much about The Lobby other than it is a get together of industry thought leaders to talk about the future of the Internet. I can't say much about it because it is supposed to be "off the record" and blogging, micro-blogging and reporting about the conference is strictly forbidden.Anyway, everyone

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-15851276155449508752008-08-26T19:18:00.002-07:002009-04-29T13:56:56.491-07:00

Two of the unique values of our culture at the Rubicon Project are transparency and active communication. Communication takes effort, but we make it a priority. Transparency is a big commitment but it's also a discipline that, while difficult at times, is incredibly beneficial.A lot of people ask me about the things that we do to promote active communication and transparency, so I thought I'd

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-53512441645482321082008-07-02T13:51:00.002-07:002009-04-29T15:34:38.753-07:00

I sent out a Twitter update saying that I was stumped and needed some new, fresh blog ideas. Ian Douglas, one of our engineers here at the Rubicon Project responded with an idea (thanks Ian!)Here is what he wrote:"Fear of failure can often paralyze a company, but sometimes so can 'fear of success'. I don't imagine that's ever slowed you down, but I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on it. "Ian

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-57378093287191032722008-05-23T11:52:00.002-07:002009-04-29T15:35:03.760-07:00

Yesterday, our 1,000th customer went live here at the Rubicon Project. I have been blown away by how fast this team moves and how quickly we have ramped. So, I took a step back and asked myself, how did we go from zero to 1,000 customers in 6 months? The answer is that we have specifically focused on optimizing this company for speed. Speed is our mindset. It's easier said than done. It

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-70426422630737417852008-05-01T19:13:00.002-07:002009-04-29T15:35:52.310-07:00

I can't believe it's been a year. When Craig, Julie and Duc and I got together a year ago we didn't have a business plan, we didn't have goals... actually, none of us were even looking to start a company in the first place. So, today, on our first birthday, I ask myself where did this all come from? I'm just amazed by how fast this company has grown... Immediately after asking myself that

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-33107718365285451262008-04-22T15:57:00.002-07:002009-04-29T15:36:39.957-07:00

I was in the process of writing this post, and then I got this comment from a reader challenging my last post (particularly, our presence at ad:tech San Francisco.) While John and I likely disagree on management style and approach, we do agree on the right questions to ask (not the way of asking, but the questions themselves). Interestingly enough, we asked ourselves at the Rubicon Project

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-83771723124870800102008-04-14T18:09:00.002-07:002009-04-29T15:38:07.741-07:00

Although I try to keep this blog very focused on entrepreneurial lessons and stories, a lot of people have requested I share some of Rubicon Project's news on this blog. I've been trying to figure out how I can balance both without compromising the lesson-oriented posts. So, I'm going to label any Rubicon Project news with "Rubicon Project" first in the title for easy identification. I'm

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-63213674700047309982008-04-08T13:53:00.002-07:002009-04-29T13:56:56.593-07:00

Check out this video and then read the rest of this post:I talk about simplicity all the time. In general, I think a lot of companies focus too much on "how" they do things instead of "what" they do. It's an easy trap to fall in, particularly in startup companies that are so product focused. We get so hung up in the product and the technology and forget to describe to people why they should use

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-54458421830513071692008-03-03T18:56:00.002-08:002009-04-29T15:41:51.506-07:00

We, at the Rubicon Project, moved into new office today. It is a very exciting day for us. Actually, liberating would be a more appropriate word. Before, we had 40 people squeezed into a 2,000 square foot office, designed to fit 15 people, max. Today, we moved into a 20,000 square foot office, 10X the size of the previous one. Personally, I believe that work environment is a critical factor

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-57417203425304125142008-02-04T14:03:00.002-08:002009-04-29T15:42:39.428-07:00

After announcing our $21M in funding last week, a number of reporters reached out to us for stories they were writing about the economy. We were featured in the L.A. Times, and the article did a fantastic job capturing the essence of what we do, and our culture. On the flip side, I was quoted in the N.Y. Times this past weekend in a story on the front-page of the business section that

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-53439518409719219882008-01-27T19:25:00.002-08:002009-10-26T19:22:10.949-07:00

What a way to start off 2008! First, we are honored with a number of awards (more on this later)... And today, we at the the Rubicon Project announced that we have raised $21 million in total financing (see press announcement). We are very excited, as this is a huge vote of a confidence for the company from investors. It's not everyday that a company that has been around for only 8 months

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-47709475572465060932007-12-26T12:46:00.002-08:002009-04-29T15:43:46.159-07:00

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many words is a video worth? The Internet is quickly turning into a mutli-media platform, giving businesses the opportunity to express themselves in ways that were never possible before. Personality is now possible. That is, giving a personality to your business, something that is very hard to do with only text on a website. Enter video.Recently, I

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-73972242503811291092007-11-29T16:40:00.002-08:002009-04-29T15:44:16.321-07:00

People always ask me what I mean when I say hire "great athletes" versus "great resumes". I'm not a big fan of cliches. So, when I say it, I mean it. Let me explain...My team: what they were doing before the Rubicon Project...Casey: Talent productionChristen*: Liberian refugee camp volunteer, opiate treatment center research assistantJeannette: Movie producer, commercial real estate

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-26227889338362655722007-11-15T17:40:00.002-08:002009-04-29T15:44:46.057-07:00

Yesterday, we announced the results from our beta launch here at the Rubicon Project. (read announcement here) Our original plan was to launch our beta in January of 2008. We hoped to get 500 websites signed up between January and April of next year. We launched early, on October 8, and in the very first day over 500 website publishers signed up. In the first month, we had over 1100 sign ups

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-85128972869883049982007-11-09T13:03:00.002-08:002009-04-29T15:45:42.676-07:00

I know it's been a couple of weeks since my last post. Things have been going absolutely crazy for us over here at the Rubicon Project. We've been bringing more and more users live onto our system daily and trying to grow the team to keep up with the increasing demand (more on that later).We just got back from ad:tech NY. As I mentioned before, we launched our beta much earlier than we

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-46074484687561971782007-10-18T08:51:00.002-07:002009-04-29T13:56:56.728-07:00

I've gotta run into a board meeting. But, I wanted to write a quick post about our announcement this morning. As I mentioned in my previous post (What to do when hit by a tidal wave?), we were swamped with beta sign-ups from our site launch last week. We weren't prepared for such an overwhelming response. So, we were trying to figure out how to manage all of the sign-ups. We wanted to

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053029507380004177.post-5420195893756845242007-10-15T23:06:00.002-07:002009-04-29T15:46:21.756-07:00

We've all heard the term "we wear many hats," especially in startup companies. That's exactly how our team at the Rubicon Project has been operating. To date, our focus has been on developing a great product. After our beta invitation site launched last week, as I mentioned in my previous post, we received an absolutely overwhelming number of sign-ups.Developing a product, getting feedback and

Frank Addantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02789958559463524158noreply@blogger.com0