Silicon Alley 100 Voting Booth

Todd Harrison is the founder and CEO of Minyanville, a media company focusing on financial intelligence and infotainment. He has 17 years experience on Wall Street as a vice-president at Morgan Stanley, managing director at The Galleon Group and President at $400 million hedge fund Cramer, Berkowitz.

Minyanville rose like a phoenix from the scorched earth on September 11th, 2001 when he left his high profile perch to affect positive change through financial understanding. The vertical strategy extends throughout the learning ladder, from the ABC's to the 401(k)'s, with branded content aimed at each audience.

Minyanland, a massive multi-player online game, teaches earning, spending, saving and giving to children. Minyanville.com is the home of UMV (the University of Minyanville), market insight commentary, business of life initiatives, the Buzz & Banter content delivery system and Hoofy & Boo, the world's first animated business program. Additionally, Todd created The Ruby Peck Foundation for Children's Education in honor of his grandfather and best friend (www.rpfoundation.org).

Gary is rocking both the wine world and the web world. His eminently entertaining yet educational Wine Library TV has landed him on the national stage, and his expertise on creating personal brand and using social networking tools, as well as his relentless positivity, have been an inspiration to New Yorkers and people all around the world.

Founder, Bloomberg LP
Mayor, New York City

Well, who did you expect? Michael Bloomberg is by far New York's most successful digital entrepreneur. He's also the city's Mayor and one of its richest inhabitants.

Michael Bloomberg is so successful and influential, in fact, that he puts most of Wall Street's and Silicon Valley's titans to shame. His raw competence as a visionary, manager, leader, and communicator has inspired not a generation of New York entrepreneurs and business leaders but millions of other New Yorkers.

Bloomberg founded Bloomberg L.P. in 1981. In the 26 years since, the company has grown to become a $4.7 billion media company providing financial news, commentary, and data to practically every country in the world. Now 65, Bloomberg still owns about 70% of the company.

According to Forbes magazine, Bloomberg is the 25th richest man in America, with a net worth of $11.5 billion. He was first elected mayor in 2001, and is now serving his second term. Rumors have it that Bloomberg will run as an independent candidate in the 2008 presidential elections. He has repeatedly denied this, but we can always hope.

2007 Rank: 3

David is one of NYC's supermen. By day he heads up the new venture arm of Columbia University (pioneers all things entrepreneurial at the school) and by night he's an angel investor. His efforts at Columbia could give NYC the venture minded university that it badly needs.

Before joining Columbia he was a successful entrepreneur.

He's also a regular on the venture scene. If you don't know him you should.

2007 Rank: 9

Steven Van Blarcom is the Principal and Managing Partner of Van Blarcom Consulting. The company’s focus, since its inception 6 years ago, is to take early-stage digital companies and move them from pre-revenue to revenue generation. Steven creates and executes innovative business development and sales strategies allowing both early-stage and establised companies to drive new revenue faster and more efficiently. VBC's clients live in a world of strict deadlines and stricter accountability, facing hefty sales goals, and ever-increasing revenue projections. Digital companies, media companies, and marketers alike rely on Steven's experience to drive immediately measurable results. Prior to VBC, Steven held executive level sales and business development positions with Source Media, AOL Time Warner, Clear Channel Communications and Entertainment Media Works, all centered on new revenue generation.

Current clients include: Anchorfree, Clear Channel, Celebrations.com, indoorDirect, Rovion, VetsU, etc.

Co-Founder & Managing Partner, RRE Ventures

2007 Rank: 6

2007 Rank: 4

Chariman of the New York Angels
CEO of Angelsoft.net
Founder of Rose Tech Ventures investment fund and incubator

2007 Rank: 70

2007 Rank: 27

Ryan Alovis, founded ArkNet Media in 2005 and it has quickly grown into one of the largest privately owned interactive agencies. With a focus on consumer friendly products, he's cornered the market on magazine subscriptions with MagazineDiscountCenter.com. ArkNet recently acquired majority ownership in the LensDirect.com (contact lens mail ordering), PCstore.com (electronics price comparison) and GreatShoes.com (shoes price comparison). When he's not working on building ArkNet, he's working on Silver Lining Society (SLS), which he co-founded in 2004, and has become a premiere charitable organization in New York City. SLS raises money for pediatric cancer and benefits Columbia Medical Center.

SocialDough, CEO
Derek is an expert in interactive marketing and traffic monetization. His latest venture, SocialDough is an engagement advertising platform that monetizes user intent.

Jack is a thought-leader in digital marketing and user experience. He has been writing articles for ClickZ.com since 2002, helping shape and define our industry's best practices.

The Aaronson Group (based in the West Village) is a boutique strategy and design firm that is the secret weapon behind some of the internet's largest brands. The company focuses on multi-channel retailers and luxury brands. Jack has been a guiding force in the digital strategies of companies including Yves Saint Laurent, Sergio Rossi, Reebok, Barnes&Noble.com, Skymall, ShopNBC, Fingerhut and many others.

Jack has keynoted almost every major marketing conference around the world, and is on the content committees for Shop.org and Online Market World.

Whitney Hess is an independent user experience design consultant based in New York City. Most recently she was on the design team at Liquidnet, an international financial software company that runs the leading electronic marketplace for wholesale stock-trading. Previously she was an interaction designer at two marketing agencies, Digitas and Tribal DDB, where her clients included American Express, New York Times, Allstate, Claritin, Tropicana, and EarthLink. Most notably she helped to conceive, design and test an innovative card search tool for American Express and is named as a co-inventor on its U.S. patent.

Her extensive professional talents are equaled by her repeated efforts to mobilize and unite and interact with technology professionals through informal "tweetups" - this year, having taken place in New York, Miami, Philadelphia, Portland and San Francisco, and for facilitating and welcoming discussion and conjecture on her writings on her personal blog - http://www.whitneyhess.com/blog

"The news always comes first" with Caroline McCarthy. Rockstar reporter and rabble rouser from CNET Networks.

2007 Rank: 71

Matt Caldecutt has over five years experience in working in publicity. He is a pioneer in regards to connecting New York City bloggers to tech and media events. Matt knows how to shine light on his clients, and he is really savvy with both online and off-line social networking. Matt is a star-maker!

2007 Rank: 51

As CEO, Court has established Yodle as a leader in the red-hot local online marketing category. Yodle has seen a remarkable 700% year-over-year growth from 2007 to 2008. Prior to joining Yodle, Court held the position of COO at Community Connect, a niche social networking company. Before that, as SVP/GM of the Marketing Automation group at DoubleClick, he was instrumental in establishing DARTmail as the industry leading email marketing solution.

"I am an active member of the NY venture community. I currently work at DFJ Gotham Ventures, a leading early-stage IT venture capital fund in NYC. I'm also the founder of the Columbia Venture Community.

Before joining DFJ Gotham, I was an active entrepreneur and startup advisor. I founded Zotspot, an internet search destination, and advised numerous startups. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur I consulted to Fortune 1000 and private equity clients on the strategic and financial attractiveness of acquisition targets at both Bain & Company and KPMG. "

2007 Rank: 46

Recent transplant from WashingtonVC, Litman is a serial entrepreneur and a great addition to NYC's tech scene. His latest startup, Medialets, is one of the only players in the brand-new market of iPhone app advertising.

Vice President, Digital Marketing MTVN Entertainment Group at MTVN Entertainment Group.

Previously: Director of Digital Marketing at Comedy Central, Director of Digital/Enterprise Marketing at Comedy Central, div of MTV, Director of E-Commerce at Food Network, Scipps, E-Commerce Marketing Merchandise Manager at Delias, E-Commerce Manager at iTurf

Dan's a technologist and founder of Socialight. Socialight brings together media, advertising, and tech innovation in developing the next generation of location-aware services. Users discover great places to eat, rate their favorite hot spots, and tag little-known places for friends using their mobile phones and the web, together, a concept Socialight calls urban navigation. The open platform makes it painless to create successful mobile local services like NBC Universal / Bravo's Project Runway Guide to NY, part of the Webby-nominated Project Runway Mobile Fan Club. Under Dan's leadership, Socialight has won a number of awards including the Tele Atlas Attendee Choice Awards at CES 2008.

If you're a regular at NYC's major digital media events, you've probably come across Dan. He also co-founded MobileMonday NY, a monthly meetup for NYC's growing mobile industry. Dan got his Master's from ITP - the Interactive Telecommunications Program - at NYU. ITP is a launchpad for many of NYC's most promising digital media businesses. He did his undergrad in communications at the Annenberg School at the University of Pennsylvania. Previously, he's worked with mobile B2B startup Vaultus and Bloomberg, CNBC, Salomon Brothers, and Morgan Stanley.

CEO, founder Buddy Media.com
Founder of Golf.com - sold to Time Inc.

2007 rank: 97

Affectionately known as the godfather of twitter, Matt Knell is consistently on the pulse of all things web 2.0 and geeky goodness.

In conjunction with Social Media smarts with JetBlue and MTV Networks, he is a big believer that everyone is worthy of the praise of the title "Insider", since every individual in the NY technology scene has value and brings it to the table.

Matt is also one of tech's nice guys and is well deserving of being in the SA 100!

Seth Besmertnik is the CEO & Co-Founder at Conductor, Inc. in New York City.

In a real-life “American Dream” story that seems nearly a century out of place, Alberto Montesi, CEO of Flycell, came to New York City from his home in Northern Italy with a dream of starting a new business (and a small amount of funding). Today, barely four years later, his company Flycell has $70 million in annual revenues and delivers digital entertainment services to consumers in six countries – including Italy. Alberto’s vision is to create an entertainment content service that is simple to use, affordable and will let people easily find, download and enjoy music and videos on whatever device they choose. He is leading his team of nearly 100 people to create a service that is responsive to the consumer’s desires and needs, while staying at the forefront of technology innovations and trends in digital entertainment.

Alberto’s career began in Rome where as a development consultant he assisted Italian businesses to expand into other European markets. In 2001, he joined Acotel Group, the Italian-based company which provides wireless services and applications, security equipment and network infrastructure. Due to his successful strategic planning and execution, Acotel become one of Europe’s most successful wireless services companies, and Alberto was encouraged to pursue his dream to start a new business. In November 2004 Alberto’s dream became a reality when he was appointed CEO of Flycell, Inc, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Acotel.

Founder of semantic-based search engine, hak