Jake Winebaum
Encyclopedia
Jake Winebaum is an American entrepreneur. Winebaum is the founder of FamilyFun
magazine, Business.com
, Brighter.com and co-founder of eCompanies and Blue Waters Research.
and Dartmouth College
, where he majored in Biology and Creative Writing, graduated cum laude, and also won the Grimes Senior Writing Prize. At Dartmouth, Winebaum played three sports, Soccer, Lacrosse
and Alpine Skiing
.
He started his professional career at Fortune magazine in 1982. He then moved to Time magazine in 1983, and US News and World Report in 1985 where he was instrumental in the turnaround of the magazine and in the development of the series of special issues, including USNews Best Colleges. He and his wife Cindy started FamilyFun
magazine with their own funds in 1991. The magazine was an instant hit and was named one of AdWeek’s Hot 5 list of magazines for 1992. Winebaum sold the magazine to the Walt Disney Company in 1992. While at Disney, he founded FamilyPC
magazine in 1994. Also in that year, he put together the business plan for The Walt Disney Company’s Internet initiatives which he went on to lead. He was named President of Disney Online in 1995. As president of Disney Online, and later as Chairman of Buena Vista Internet Group, he oversaw all of Disney’s Internet businesses, including Disney.com
, ABCNews.com and ESPN.com
.
Winebaum left Disney in 1999 to co-found eCompanies, an Internet incubator and venture fund, with EarthLink
founder Sky Dayton
. It is a privately held company, and while it reportedly struggled for a time when the dot-com bubble burst, it ultimately launched and funded several successful companies.
The businesses that came out of eCompanies include LowerMyBills.com
, which was purchased by Experian
in 2005, JAMDAT Mobile
, which went public and was then purchased by Electronic Arts, Boingo Wireless
, which went public in 2011, USBX which was purchased by Imperial Capital, and Business.com
which was purchased by RH Donnelly in 2007. Winebaum was CEO of Business.com from 2002 until its sale in 2007.
In January 2010, Winebaum co-founded Internet incubator and investment firm Blue Waters Research with entrepreneur and LowerMyBills founder, Matt Coffin
. He currently serves as CEO for one of Blue Waters Research’s startups, Brighter.com. Brighter is an online resource that delivers price and reputation transparency and access to tens of thousands of top rated dentists at competitive prices, making quality dental care affordable for millions of Americans.
, the California Governor’s Council for Physical Fitness and Sports, and was Founding Chairman of Seven Arrows Elementary School.
Jake's expertise and contributions to the Internet industry have been recognized by the Los Angeles Venture Association which inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2010, Time magazine, which awarded him a place in the Top 50 Cyber Elite, and Wired Magazine, which named him one of the Wired 25.
FamilyFun
FamilyFun is a family magazine published 10 times annually by Disney Publishing Worldwide. Launched in 1991 by Jake Winebaum, the magazine is written for parents with children aged 3 to 12, and focuses on family cooking, vacations, parties, holidays, crafts, and learning.-External links:*...
magazine, Business.com
Business.com
Business.com is a business search engine and web directory and pay per click advertising network. It includes Work.com, a business-to-business community publishing platform where experts share advice on common business topics in the form of how-to guides....
, Brighter.com and co-founder of eCompanies and Blue Waters Research.
Early life
Winebaum’s father was an advertising executive with Young & Rubicam in New York and Europe and his mother was a stage and television actress. Shortly after his birth in New York City, the family moved to London, Milan and Paris before settling in Exeter, New Hampshire. Winebaum attended Phillips Exeter AcademyPhillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy is a private secondary school located in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the United States.Exeter is noted for its application of Harkness education, a system based on a conference format of teacher and student interaction, similar to the Socratic method of learning through asking...
and Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, where he majored in Biology and Creative Writing, graduated cum laude, and also won the Grimes Senior Writing Prize. At Dartmouth, Winebaum played three sports, Soccer, Lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
and Alpine Skiing
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
.
Entrepreneurial career
While at Dartmouth in 1980, Winebaum started his first business, Same Day Fish Company. He spent summers throughout high school and college working on fishing boats and started a fish processing and distribution business delivering fish and lobsters to restaurants and supermarkets throughout Northern New England.He started his professional career at Fortune magazine in 1982. He then moved to Time magazine in 1983, and US News and World Report in 1985 where he was instrumental in the turnaround of the magazine and in the development of the series of special issues, including USNews Best Colleges. He and his wife Cindy started FamilyFun
FamilyFun
FamilyFun is a family magazine published 10 times annually by Disney Publishing Worldwide. Launched in 1991 by Jake Winebaum, the magazine is written for parents with children aged 3 to 12, and focuses on family cooking, vacations, parties, holidays, crafts, and learning.-External links:*...
magazine with their own funds in 1991. The magazine was an instant hit and was named one of AdWeek’s Hot 5 list of magazines for 1992. Winebaum sold the magazine to the Walt Disney Company in 1992. While at Disney, he founded FamilyPC
FamilyPC
FamilyPC was a monthly computer magazine published from 1994 to 2001. The collaboration between Walt Disney Publishing and Ziff-Davis was a brainchild of Jake Winebaum. The magazine was notable for its "Family Testers", who were sent products to review...
magazine in 1994. Also in that year, he put together the business plan for The Walt Disney Company’s Internet initiatives which he went on to lead. He was named President of Disney Online in 1995. As president of Disney Online, and later as Chairman of Buena Vista Internet Group, he oversaw all of Disney’s Internet businesses, including Disney.com
Disney.com
Disney.com is a website, owned by The Walt Disney Company and its subsidiaries, promotes the Disney theme parks and offers entertainment content intended for children....
, ABCNews.com and ESPN.com
ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...
.
Winebaum left Disney in 1999 to co-found eCompanies, an Internet incubator and venture fund, with EarthLink
EarthLink
EarthLink , is an Internet service provider headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It claims 1.94 million subscribers.- Business :EarthLink provides a variety of Internet connection types, including dial-up, DSL, satellite, and cable. Both dial-up and high speed Internet access are available...
founder Sky Dayton
Sky Dayton
Sky Dylan Dayton is an American entrepreneur.Dayton is the founder of EarthLink, co-founder of eCompanies, founder and chairman of Boingo.-Early life:...
. It is a privately held company, and while it reportedly struggled for a time when the dot-com bubble burst, it ultimately launched and funded several successful companies.
The businesses that came out of eCompanies include LowerMyBills.com
LowerMyBills.com
LowerMyBills.com is a consumer finance corporate Web site, owned by Experian, that connects prospective mortgage borrowers to lenders. It was founded by Matt Coffin in 1999. It is well-known for its banner ads, which generally include bizarre or nonsensical animations or soundless video clips...
, which was purchased by Experian
Experian
Experian plc, formerly known as CCN Systems, is a global credit information group with operations in 36 countries. The company employs 15,500 people with corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland and operational headquarters in Nottingham, England and Costa Mesa, California, US...
in 2005, JAMDAT Mobile
JAMDAT Mobile
EA Mobile is an American video game development studio of the publisher Electronic Arts .The studio's primary business is producing games for mobile phones. It has also produced other entertainment-related software such as ringtone applications, as well as games for other platforms such as PDAs and...
, which went public and was then purchased by Electronic Arts, Boingo Wireless
Boingo Wireless
Boingo Wireless is a public company that provides global Wi-Fi services at more than 125,000 hotspots worldwide – including hundreds of airports, thousands of hotels, and tens of thousand cafes and coffee shops. It was founded by Sky Dayton, who also founded Earthlink.In January 2011, the company...
, which went public in 2011, USBX which was purchased by Imperial Capital, and Business.com
Business.com
Business.com is a business search engine and web directory and pay per click advertising network. It includes Work.com, a business-to-business community publishing platform where experts share advice on common business topics in the form of how-to guides....
which was purchased by RH Donnelly in 2007. Winebaum was CEO of Business.com from 2002 until its sale in 2007.
In January 2010, Winebaum co-founded Internet incubator and investment firm Blue Waters Research with entrepreneur and LowerMyBills founder, Matt Coffin
Matt Coffin
Matt Coffin is a Los Angeles-based internet entrepreneur and investor. He was the President and Founder of LowerMyBills.com, which was sold to Experian in 2005 for $330 million. In addition to LowerMyBills.com, he was President of Experian Online Customer Acquisition Services and President of the...
. He currently serves as CEO for one of Blue Waters Research’s startups, Brighter.com. Brighter is an online resource that delivers price and reputation transparency and access to tens of thousands of top rated dentists at competitive prices, making quality dental care affordable for millions of Americans.
Other activities and awards
Winebaum serves on the board of directors of GigyaGigya
Gigya Inc. is a privately held technology company headquartered in Mountain View, California with additional offices in Tel Aviv, Israel. Gigya offers a Saas-based technology for making websites social...
, the California Governor’s Council for Physical Fitness and Sports, and was Founding Chairman of Seven Arrows Elementary School.
Jake's expertise and contributions to the Internet industry have been recognized by the Los Angeles Venture Association which inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2010, Time magazine, which awarded him a place in the Top 50 Cyber Elite, and Wired Magazine, which named him one of the Wired 25.
Family and leisure
Winebaum remains a competitive athlete in endurance cycling and running events and Masters ski racing. He has competed in the Leadville 100, Transalp Challenge mountain bike races, Tour Transalp, and Everest Challenge road bike races multiple times, and placed 6th in the 2008 National Masters Ski Championships. Winebaum is married to Cindy Winebaum and they have 2 children.Interviews
- Interview With Jake Winebaum, Brighter (2011) With Jason Calcanis
- Interview with Jake Winebaum, Brighter (2011) With Benjamin F. Kuo
- Kara Visits Business.com’s Jake Winebaum (2007) With Kara Swisher
- Jake Winebaum, CEO, Business.com (2004) With Susan Kuchinskas
- Interview With Jake Winebaum, CEO of Business.com (2007) SocalTech
- Interview With Jake Winebaum, Founder of eCompanies (2000) SocalTech