Nathaniel Stevens
Encyclopedia
Nathaniel Vincent Stevens is an American media and advertising entrepreneur based in New York. Nathaniel is the Founder of Yodle, Inc., an online provider of small business marketing services and lead generation.
on July 27 1983, Nathaniel grew up in the rural town of Bethany. He attended Bethany Elementary School and later Amity Regional High School in Woodbridge, Connecticut. At Amity, Stevens was a varsity lacrosse athlete and was named All Area, All State, and voted Most Valuable Player. In his senior season he broke the school record for highest face-off winning percentage and total points scored. That season, he was named to the All Connecticut Post
and All New Haven Register teams. In his senior year he also served as team captain for the varsity soccer team.
Nathaniel was also an avid artist and musician as a teenager. He received the Connecticut Congressional Art Award for his expressionist paintings in 2001. Stevens has also received the Creativity Legacy Award, established by Benjamin Franklin Kahn’s Foundation at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.
Stevens started college at the University of Miami
, in Coral Gables Florida. In 2003, he transferred to University of Pennsylvania
in Philadelphia. While pursuing degrees in Finance and Entrepreneurship, he was accepted into Wharton’s Venture Initiation Program, a Small Business Administration
sponsored scholarship for Undergraduates and MBAs to incubate and launch new entrepreneurial ventures. Later that year, as his company, Yodle, Inc
(FNA: Natpal.com), began to gain momentum, Stevens took a leave of absence from Wharton to focus on building the company full-time.
Having proven the business model in Philadelphia, Stevens partnered with Bessemer Venture Partners to provide expansion capital for Yodle. With this investment, Yodle was able to vastly expand its network of small businesses and improve the reach and targeting of their ads. Today, the company is headquartered in New York City
and has major operation centers in Charlotte
, NC and Phoenix, AZ. Today, Yodle continues to expand its product offering and serves thousands of small and medium sized businesses across the country.
Education & Early Life
Born in ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
on July 27 1983, Nathaniel grew up in the rural town of Bethany. He attended Bethany Elementary School and later Amity Regional High School in Woodbridge, Connecticut. At Amity, Stevens was a varsity lacrosse athlete and was named All Area, All State, and voted Most Valuable Player. In his senior season he broke the school record for highest face-off winning percentage and total points scored. That season, he was named to the All Connecticut Post
Connecticut Post
The Connecticut Post is a daily newspaper located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It serves the greater Bridgeport area, Fairfield County, and the Lower Naugatuck Valley. Municipalities in the Post's circulation area include Bridgeport, Ansonia,...
and All New Haven Register teams. In his senior year he also served as team captain for the varsity soccer team.
Nathaniel was also an avid artist and musician as a teenager. He received the Connecticut Congressional Art Award for his expressionist paintings in 2001. Stevens has also received the Creativity Legacy Award, established by Benjamin Franklin Kahn’s Foundation at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.
Stevens started college at the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
, in Coral Gables Florida. In 2003, he transferred to University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in Philadelphia. While pursuing degrees in Finance and Entrepreneurship, he was accepted into Wharton’s Venture Initiation Program, a Small Business Administration
Small Business Administration
The Small Business Administration is a United States government agency that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and strengthen the nation's economy by enabling the establishment and viability of small businesses...
sponsored scholarship for Undergraduates and MBAs to incubate and launch new entrepreneurial ventures. Later that year, as his company, Yodle, Inc
Yodle, Inc
Yodle, originally named Natpal , was founded in 2005 by Nathaniel Stevens while attending The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Nathaniel then teamed up with friends Ben Rubenstein, John Berkowitz, Milind Mehere as well as one of his professors at Wharton, Dr...
(FNA: Natpal.com), began to gain momentum, Stevens took a leave of absence from Wharton to focus on building the company full-time.
Business
Stevens started in the business world working at his family’s car business, Stevens Ford of Milford, Connecticut. From 2001 to 2003 Stevens served as the Internet Sales Manager and was responsible for transitioning the firm's advertising budget to new media outlets. With this experience, he decided to start a business that would help similar locally based businesses advertise more effectively on the internet. He believed that data, accumulated from consumer’s interactions with online advertisements, could make online advertising more efficient for small businesses and less obtrusive for consumers. After convincing his father to loan him $30,000, Stevens founded Yodle and began developing the technology needed to bring this product to market. By the summer of 2005, Stevens was piloting this technology and began receiving interest from local businesses across the Philadelphia area. Within a year, the business had contracts with hundreds of small businesses and was producing over $1mm in annual sales volume.Having proven the business model in Philadelphia, Stevens partnered with Bessemer Venture Partners to provide expansion capital for Yodle. With this investment, Yodle was able to vastly expand its network of small businesses and improve the reach and targeting of their ads. Today, the company is headquartered in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and has major operation centers in Charlotte
CHARLOTTE
- CHARLOTTE :CHARLOTTE is an American blues-based hard rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1986. Currently, they are signed to indie label, Eonian Records, under which they released their debut cd, Medusa Groove, in 2010. Notable Charlotte songs include 'Siren', 'Little Devils',...
, NC and Phoenix, AZ. Today, Yodle continues to expand its product offering and serves thousands of small and medium sized businesses across the country.
Press & Awards
- Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs, “WEP Early Success Stories - Nathaniel Stevens of Yodle"
- Bloomberg L.P.Bloomberg L.P.Bloomberg L.P. is an American privately held financial software, media, and data company. Bloomberg makes up one third of the $16 billion global financial data market with estimated revenue of $6.9 billion. Bloomberg L.P...
, “Interview with Yodle's Young Founder"
- DM News, "2008 Top 30 Under 30"
- BusinessWeekBusinessWeekBloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
, “Best Entrepreneurs Under 25, 2008"
- New York Times, “Small Companies Are Finding a Home on the Web"
- Invesp "100 Most Influential Online Marketers of 2008"
- InformationWeekInformationWeekInformationWeek is a weekly print magazine, an online site with corresponding face-to-face and virtual events, and research. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California and was first published in 1979 by CMP Media, later called CMP Technology. On February 29, 2008, CMP Technology was...
, “Yodle Gets Google Seal of Approval"
- Small Biz Pod, "Business Case Study - Yodle"
- BusinessWeekBusinessWeekBloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
, “Best Entrepreneurs Under 25, 2007"
- The Daily PennsylvanianThe Daily PennsylvanianThe Daily Pennsylvanian is the independent daily student newspaper of the University of Pennsylvania.It is published every weekday when the university is in session by a staff of more than 250 students. During the summer months, a smaller staff produces a weekly version called The Summer...
, “Wharton Student Tries to Help the Little Guy"
- BIA Advisory Services - Kelsey Group, “Yodle, Ambassador Rev Up Local Online Sales"
- Creativity Foundation "2006 The Creativity Legacy Prize"
- Wharton School Entrepreneurial Newsletter, “Meet the VC"
- Wharton School Entrepreneurial Newsletter, “Nothing Ventured, Nothing Learned"
- The Daily PennsylvanianThe Daily PennsylvanianThe Daily Pennsylvanian is the independent daily student newspaper of the University of Pennsylvania.It is published every weekday when the university is in session by a staff of more than 250 students. During the summer months, a smaller staff produces a weekly version called The Summer...
, “Senior Named top Young Businessman"
- BusinessWeekBusinessWeekBloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
, “Best Entrepreneurs Under 25, 2005"