Chris Shipley
Encyclopedia
Chris Shipley is a writer, analyst, commentator, and strategist, and has tracked the technology
industry for more than 25 years.
She is co-founder and CEO of Guidewire Group, a technology services firm focusing exclusively on early-stage technology ventures. Shipley consults with emerging technology companies around the world to identify market opportunities and accelerate business growth. At Guidewire Group, Shipley was instrumental in creating the first social media conference, BlogOn, held at University of California at Berkeley in 2005. She is widely acknowledged for coining the term social media
.
As executive producer of the DEMO Conference
from 1996–2009, Shipley was responsible for helping more than 1,500 companies launch their products to the audience of 700+ industry insiders, investors, early adopters, and journalists who attend DEMO events twice each year to hear her analysis of the state of the industry and see the technologies that she vetted on their behalf. During her tenure as executive producer, Shipley introduced companies including TiVO
, VMWare
, salesforce.com
, GrandCentral
, and Ribbit
to the audiences at her conferences.
Shipley began her career in technology journalism in 1984 as a writer and then editor at PC Week. She later became the executive editor at Ziff-Davis's PC/Computing magazine, then joined the company's online publishing division, ZDNet, where she was responsible for introducing online publications on CompuServe, Prodigy, and Ziff-Davis's Interchange Online Network. In 1994, Shipley became the founding editor of Computer Life magazine, based in San Francisco. In addition to these publications, Shipley has written for PC Magazine, InfoWorld, Working Woman, and Us Weekly.
She is the author of two books, How to Connect (Ziff-Davis Press, 1993) and (with Matt Fish) How the World Wide Web Works(Ziff-Davis Press, 1996).
In addition to her work with early-stage technology companies, Shipley is also the executive producer of the Pivot Conference, an annual event focused on the challenges facing brand marketers today.
, USA, the daughter of The Reverend Ralph Shipley and Shirley Shipley. The middle of five children, Shipley attended Southmoreland High School where she graduated in the top of her class in 1980. At Allegheny College
, Shipley studied American Literature, communications, and photography. She was a two-time letter winner on the college's track and field team. Following graduation, Shipley moved to Boston
, Massachusetts
where she worked as a writer and editor for a number of Ziff-Davis publications, including PC Week, and PC/Computing. She moved to San Francisco, California
in 1994 and soon after began to focus her career on the entrepreneurial ecosystem that thrives in Silicon Valley
. Since 2001, she has served on the board of directors and is paschairman of the non-profit Forum for Women Entrepreneurs and Executives. She is also on the board of directors for the startup Versaic. She is married to Nancy Latta and lives in Redwood City, California
.
in 1984 with a B.A. in literature and communications arts. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area
.
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
industry for more than 25 years.
She is co-founder and CEO of Guidewire Group, a technology services firm focusing exclusively on early-stage technology ventures. Shipley consults with emerging technology companies around the world to identify market opportunities and accelerate business growth. At Guidewire Group, Shipley was instrumental in creating the first social media conference, BlogOn, held at University of California at Berkeley in 2005. She is widely acknowledged for coining the term social media
Social media
The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
.
As executive producer of the DEMO Conference
DEMO conference
The DEMO conference is a technology conference that focuses on showcasing new products from both entrepreneurs and established companies. It is held by IDG....
from 1996–2009, Shipley was responsible for helping more than 1,500 companies launch their products to the audience of 700+ industry insiders, investors, early adopters, and journalists who attend DEMO events twice each year to hear her analysis of the state of the industry and see the technologies that she vetted on their behalf. During her tenure as executive producer, Shipley introduced companies including TiVO
TiVo
TiVo is a digital video recorder developed and marketed by TiVo, Inc. and introduced in 1999. TiVo provides an on-screen guide of scheduled broadcast programming television programs, whose features include "Season Pass" schedules which record every new episode of a series, and "WishList"...
, VMWare
VMware
VMware, Inc. is a company providing virtualization software founded in 1998 and based in Palo Alto, California, USA. The company was acquired by EMC Corporation in 2004, and operates as a separate software subsidiary ....
, salesforce.com
Salesforce.com
Salesforce.com is an enterprise cloud computing company headquartered in San Francisco that distributes business software on a subscription basis. Salesforce.com hosts the applications off-site...
, GrandCentral
GrandCentral
Google Voice is a telecommunications service by Google launched on March 11, 2009. Google Voice had some 1.4 million users in October 2009, 570,000 of whom used the service 7 days a week...
, and Ribbit
Ribbit
-Animals:*Ribbit , a Pillow Pal frog made by Ty, Inc*The sound made by some Pacific tree frogs-Other:*Ribbit , a telecommunications company based in Mountain View, California, acquired by BT Group in 2008...
to the audiences at her conferences.
Shipley began her career in technology journalism in 1984 as a writer and then editor at PC Week. She later became the executive editor at Ziff-Davis's PC/Computing magazine, then joined the company's online publishing division, ZDNet, where she was responsible for introducing online publications on CompuServe, Prodigy, and Ziff-Davis's Interchange Online Network. In 1994, Shipley became the founding editor of Computer Life magazine, based in San Francisco. In addition to these publications, Shipley has written for PC Magazine, InfoWorld, Working Woman, and Us Weekly.
She is the author of two books, How to Connect (Ziff-Davis Press, 1993) and (with Matt Fish) How the World Wide Web Works(Ziff-Davis Press, 1996).
In addition to her work with early-stage technology companies, Shipley is also the executive producer of the Pivot Conference, an annual event focused on the challenges facing brand marketers today.
Biography
Shipley grew up in Southwest PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, USA, the daughter of The Reverend Ralph Shipley and Shirley Shipley. The middle of five children, Shipley attended Southmoreland High School where she graduated in the top of her class in 1980. At Allegheny College
Allegheny College
Allegheny College is a private liberal arts college located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the town of Meadville. Founded in 1815, the college has about 2,100 undergraduate students.-Early history:...
, Shipley studied American Literature, communications, and photography. She was a two-time letter winner on the college's track and field team. Following graduation, Shipley moved to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
where she worked as a writer and editor for a number of Ziff-Davis publications, including PC Week, and PC/Computing. She moved to San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1994 and soon after began to focus her career on the entrepreneurial ecosystem that thrives in Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
. Since 2001, she has served on the board of directors and is paschairman of the non-profit Forum for Women Entrepreneurs and Executives. She is also on the board of directors for the startup Versaic. She is married to Nancy Latta and lives in Redwood City, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Awards
Shipley has won numerous awards for journalistic excellence from the Society of Technical Communication, and was three times named the #1 newsletter editor by Technology Marketing for her work on DEMOletter. In 2002, Fortune Small Business Magazine cited her as a "most perfect board member," in 2004 the San Jose Business Journal placed her at the top of its list of Most Influential Women in Silicon Valley, and the DEMO conference gave her a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. In 2010, SVForum honored Shipley with its Visionary Award. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sdforum-proudly-announces-13th-annual-2010-visionary-award-recipients-94846459.html.Education
Chris graduated from Allegheny CollegeAllegheny College
Allegheny College is a private liberal arts college located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the town of Meadville. Founded in 1815, the college has about 2,100 undergraduate students.-Early history:...
in 1984 with a B.A. in literature and communications arts. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
.