About the Company

Gydget provides a social marketing platform that allows music groups, sports teams, non-profits and other organizations to reach their audiences where they congregate most: at social networking and fan-based Web sites. Its core product, gydget, is a stand-alone, viral web application (widget) that can be created by anyone, for free, without needing to know complex design or programming languages. Gydgets are used by many of the world's leading entertainers and sports teams including Beyonce, Gwen Stefani, the Police, Joss Stone, the National Hockey League and the Oakland Raiders. Visit www.gydget.com for more information.

Management Team

Gerardo Capiel

Gerardo Capiel, Founder and CEO

Prior to Gydget, Gerardo co-founded Digital Impact in 1997 and was the company's CTO. Digital Impact was a pioneer in the online marketing space and was a market leader among the Fortune 1000 with clients such as Comcast, The Gap, BMG, Universal Studios and Yahoo! Gerardo pioneered many of the online marketing technologies and practices still used today and was awarded a key patent related to email marketing performance metrics. Gerardo holds a B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Eric Hansen

Eric Hansen, Co-Founder and CTO

Eric is a software developer with fourteen years of experience. Prior to joining Gydget, Hansen was a lead developer for Wells Fargo Internet Services Group site where he played a principal role in migrating the high-volume web banking site to a J2EE-based platform. Hansen has been lead developer or senior software engineer at a variety of companies including NetSuite, Fannie Mae, Via Carla, Digital Impact, Charles Schwab, Preview Travel, and Pacific Bell. He has a B.S. in Computer Science and Russian Studies from Grinnell College, Iowa, and a M.S. in Computer Science from the University of San Francisco.

Michelle Wohl

Michelle Wohl, Vice President of Marketing

Michelle has more than 10 years of experience in market leading technology companies. Michelle comes to Gydget from Nokia where she worked with the developer community to ensure an ecosystem of 3rd party applications for the S60 (Smartphone) platform. Prior, she led product marketing for web products and Acrobat Professional at Adobe. Michelle came to Adobe via the acquisition of GoLive in 1999, where she served as the Director of Marketing. GoLive developed the first WYSIWYG Web authoring tool and Web publishing system. Michelle graduated from Cornell University with a B.A in English. To contact Michelle please email mwohl@gydget.com.

Don Pillsbury

Don Pillsbury, Vice President of Business Development

Don has more than 13 years of business development experience in the sports and entertainment space. Before Gydget, Don spent 5 years at GMR Marketing, where he developed and managed partnerships (National Football League, NBA/NFL Teams, US Olympic Committee, Olympic Athletes, Music Promoters) for his client, Visa USA. Previously, he spent 7 years at International Management Group (IMG) connecting IMG athletes, artists, and events with corporate sponsors. Don holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Gydget Investors

SunBridge Partners

SunBridge Partners is an early stage venture capital firm pursuing a targeted, research-based approach to identifying and investing in leading technology companies pioneering innovations that catalyze dynamic new markets with exceptional growth potential.

SunBridge is recognized as a leading proponent of Software as a Service through its investment in salesforce.com and co-founding of salesforce.com Japan; and as a prominent global supporter of open source development through the Tokyo-based Open Source Development Network, SunBridge's co-founding of Miracle Linux, and its publishing of the Japanese editions of sourceforge and Slashdot. Other examples of market leading companies within the SunBridge portfolio include Alien Technology—pioneering low-cost RFID; GaiaX—leader in private-label online communities in Japan; Flarion—broadband wireless innovator acquired by Qualcomm; G-Mode—the world's first, and Japan's largest, Java-based mobile game publisher; Shicoh Engineering—with dominant market share for cell phone vibrator motors; ITmedia—Japan's largest online publisher; Eclipse Aviation—the leading very light jet manufacturer; and Macromill—Japan's leading Internet market research provider.

Felicis Ventures

Felicis Ventures combines angel investing, active mentoring and advisory services to offer a more beneficial approach for the entrepreneur. Felicis was founded by former Google Senior Manager Aydin Senkut with a focus mainly on early stage, consumer internet start-ups based on the following fundamentals:

  • Original ideas combined with world-class technology
  • Founding teams with excellent track record or big vision
  • Highly infectious, solid growth potential
  • Significant addressable potential market
  • Highly capital efficient

Felicis' current portfolio encompasses 21 companies including Brightroll, Buzzlogic, Feedster, Freewebs, Meraki Networks, Powerset, Saynow, Voicestar and others.

Gydget Board Members

Ken Ehrhart, Director

Mr. Ehrhart is a General Partner at SunBridge Partners, established in 2004 as the US venture capital affiliate of SunBridge Corporation, a Tokyo-based venture capital and professional services firm. Mr. Ehrhart has also served as a General Partner at Equitek Capital, which he co-founded in 2000. Previously, Mr. Ehrhart was the Director of Research for the Gilder Technology Report, a technology investment newsletter published by Forbes and ran a technology consulting and research practice. Mr. Ehrhart graduated with honors in two Bachelors degree programs at UC Berkeley. Mr. Ehrhart sits on the Board of Directors of Alien Technology and the non-profit organization oceanearth.

Hans Peter Brøndmo, Director

Hans Peter Brøndmo has spent his career at the intersection of technological innovation and consumer empowerment. He is a successful serial entrepreneur and a recognized thought leader. His latest company, Plum, is a consumer service with big plans to make the Web easier to use. In 1996, he founded pioneering e-mail marketing company Post Communications. His recent book, "The Engaged Customer," is a national bestseller and widely recognized as the bible of e-mail relationship marketing. As a sought-after keynote speaker, he has addressed more than 50 conferences in the past three years, is often featured in national media, and has been invited to testify at two U.S. Senate hearings and an FCC hearing on Internet privacy and spam. Hans Peter is on the board of the online privacy certification and seal program of TRUSTe and several companies. He performed his undergraduate and graduate studies at MIT.

Gerardo Capiel

Founder and CEO, Gydget

Eric Hanson

CTO and co-founder, Gydget