Happy 1st Birthday Rubicon Project!

I can’t believe it’s been a year. When Craig, Julie and Duc and I got together a year ago we didn’t have a business plan, we didn’t have goals… actually, none of us were even looking to start a company in the first place. So, today, on our first birthday, I ask myself where did this all come from? I’m just amazed by how fast this company has grown…

Immediately after asking myself that question, I remembered the very first meeting that the four of us had together. We spent a majority of our that meeting talking about the “kind” of company we wanted to build and the “way” we wanted to build it. We didn’t talk about product or marketing or sales or finances… We talked about people, culture and vision. We committed that team development and people would be our #1 priority. If we could build the world’s best team, they could build a world class company.

We wanted to make sure we enjoyed everyone we worked with and wanted to make work fun. Our vision was to attract a team of winners, entrepreneurs… a team of good people, and a team who had extreme pride in their work. We talked about all the ways we could keep the team motivated and continue to make culture a priority ranging from small perks and benefits to donating a percentage of our profits (and our time) to charity. The second thing we discussed was that we wanted to do something big and game-changing. We generally felt that the online advertising space needed a new wave of innovation. We knew it would take big risk and a big effort. We were committed to creating that wave. That was day 1.

Day 2, we went to work with those fundamentals in mind. And we did exactly what we committed to. Team development has been the #1 priority for us. I can’t say this enough… If you build a great team, they build a great business. We have an unbelievable team here. They are all winners. I am so proud of everything that they have accomplished. And, I’m proud of the -way- that they have gone about accomplishing it. I feel privileged and honored to work with every one of them.

I would like to personally thank the entire team for being rock stars… I’d like to thank all of them for believing in me, Craig, Julie and Duc. And thank you to Clearstone Ventures for having the foresight and faith to invest in this crazy dream of ours…

One of my favorite quotes is… “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

Year 2 starts tomorrow… Lucky me! I get to watch this incredible team of believers dream new dreams…