TechCrunch50 is right around the corner. Please register for your tickets before we sell out!! You will not believe what we have planned for you this year (September 8, 9 and 10).

Today, we are announcing four new luminaries who will be joining our distinguished team of TechCrunch50 Experts. We are pleased to announce that Henry Blodget, Josh Kopelman, Tim O’Reilly and Robert Scoble will be joining us in San Francisco in September. Bios for each of these TechCrunch50 Experts are referenced below.

As we move closer to the conference, we are encouraging everyone to book their hotel reservations (many hotels are already sold out) and register for the conference before we sell out. For companies seeking to launch and showcase products at TechCrunch50, please take a look at our Exhibitor Packages. If you have questions about sponsorships, please reach out to Heather Harde or Dan Kimerling. All media inquiries should be sent to Sarah Ross.

A special “thank you” to Symantec for joining us this year as a new TechCrunch50 partner. Welcome aboard to Symantec, the global leader in consumer security.

Read the rest of this entry »

As we get closer to TechCrunch50, we will updating you on the conference panels and keynotes we have planned. Expect some of the conference program to remain a surprise until we get to the event and the launch of the next 50 great start-ups!

Today, we are pleased to announce that we will be featuring a panel at TechCrunch50 entitled “Hollywood Goes Silicon Valley.” Brought to you in partnership with Creative Artists Agency, the panel will showcase the efforts of a posse of entertainment luminaries who are creating content exclusively for the Web, and embracing new technologies in all aspects of their production, marketing and distribution of commercial entertainment properties.

The panel will include Chris Henchy, writer, producer, and co-founder of Funny or Die and co-executive producer of “Entourage”; Matthew Diamond Founder and CEO of Alloy Entertainment (“Gossip Girl”);Stan Rogow, executive producer and director of online series Gemini Division, starring Rosario Dawson; Joss Whedon creator of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”; and Michael Yanover, head of Business Development, Creative Artists Agency.

As we move closer to the conference, we are encouraging everyone to book their hotel reservations (many hotels are already sold out) and register for the conference before we sell out. For companies seeking to launch and showcase products at TechCrunch50, please take a look at our Exhibitor Packages. If you have questions about sponsorships, please reach out to Heather Harde or Dan Kimerling. All media inquiries should be sent to Sarah Ross.

Bios on our “Hollywood Goes Silicon Valley” panelists are below

Read the rest of this entry »

TechCrunch50 is a month away, and we are very busy here reviewing the nearly 900 start-ups from 49 different countries that have applied. The ideas and innovations that have been brought to our attention are mind blowing. You will not want to miss out on this year’s conference as the next generation of technology, Web applications and products will be revealed to the world on September 8, 9 and 10 in San Francisco.

Today, we are announcing that Niklas Zennstrom the co-founder of Joost, Skype and Kazaa, Evan Williams the co-founder of Twitter, and Ash Patel the Executive Vice President of Yahoo!’s Audience Product Division will be at TechCrunch50. Niklas, Evan and Ash join a growing and extraordinary group of experts who are teaming with us to mentor and evaluate our 50 finalists. Bios for our newly announced experts are referenced below.

We, also, are pleased to announce today that we have 3 new partners joining us: The Founder Fund, Salesforce and MySpace. The Founders Fund is a non-traditional investment group led by a team of four managing partners, who themselves are founders and entrepreneurs. Salesforce.com is the market and technology leader in software as a service (SaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS). MySpace.com is a leading online lifestyle portal. We’re lucky to have executives from all three companies joining us as expert panelists – Sean Parker (Partner, Founders Fund), Marc Benioff (Chairman & CEO, Salesforce) and Chris DeWolfe (CEO, MySpace).

As we closer to the conference, we are encouraging everyone to book their hotel reservations (many hotels are already sold out) and register for the conference before we sell out. For companies seeking to launch and showcase products at TechCrunch50, please take a look at our Exhibitor Packages. If you have questions about sponsorships, please reach out to Heather Harde or Dan Kimerling. All media inquiries should be sent to Sarah Ross.

We can’t wait to see you in San Francisco!

	Niklas Zennstrom Niklas is an Internet entrepreneur, who co-founded, Joost, Atomico, Skype and Kazaa among other companies. He is currently a partner of Atomico. In addition to this, he is also the co-chairman of Joost. Niklas co-founded Skype in 2002 with Janus Friis with the vision of liberating consumers and businesses from the need to pay for talking to each other across the globe. Skype has become the global leader in Internet voice communications, attracting more than 276 million registered users within less than four years of its launch. Skype’s continuing success was officially recognized in September 2005 when eBay Inc acquired the company for $3.1 billion US Dollars. Niklas had the position as CEO from its inception until September 2007. Crunchbase profile.
	Evan Williams Evan Williams founded his first Internet company in 1994 and has been doing the same ever since. He is currently chairman and chief product officer of Twitter. In 1999, he co-founded Pyra Labs and led the team that created Blogger, which was sold to Google in early 2003. Williams worked at Google until late 2004, after which, he helped form Odeo, an early podcasting company. In 1996, he formed Obvious, LLC, a web-product development company in San Francisco, which spun out Twitter, Inc. in 2007. Crunchbase profile.
	Ash Patel Ash Patel is currently the Head of Yahoo’s Audience Products Division. Previously he was the Executive Vice President of the Platforms and Infrastructure Division where he was responsible for global technology investments and platform initiatives both on and off the Yahoo network. Under his previous title he also led an increased focus on innovating and developing next-generation services for Yahoo customers, and oversaw divisions including Product Platform Engineering, Platform Strategy & Architecture, and the Advanced Development Division. Since starting at Yahoo in 1996, Patel has played a key role in architecting and enhancing MyYahoo, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Messenger, Yahoo Chat and many other products that continue to impact millions of Yahoo users. Crunchbase profile.

Update: Early bird pricing is no longer available.

We have received many, many email requests to extend our Early Bird pricing that enables TechCrunch50 attendees to save $1,000 on the price of a ticket. To help ensure everyone who wants to attend TechCrunch50 can, we are extending our Early Bird pricing by two days, through July 17 at 12 a.m. PT. We are encouraging everyone to buy tickets now, to save $1,000 on a TechCrunch50 ticket. Our Early Bird pricing will only last for two more days.

Visit the TechCrunch50 web site for information on all aspects of conference. Hotels are starting to fill-up and sell out during the second week in September in San Francisco, so we encourage you to plan ahead. Buy your tickets and book your travel arrangements now.

You will not want to be left out of this year’s TechCrunch50, where fifty new companies will launch their products for the first time.

The TechCrunch50 team is working around the clock and throughout the weekend to notify companies. We apologize for the delay, but want to make sure that each of the one thousand plus applications is given the time and consideration that it deserves. Updated August 15, 2008

Due to the unprecedented quantity and quality of applicants to TechCrunch50, we will not be releasing all notifications till Thursday August 14th, 2008. Updated August 11, 2008

APPLICATIONS

I just found out about TechCrunch50, Can I still apply?
Technically, yes, you may still fill out an application. However, priority will be given to companies who applied on or before our June 27 deadline and we do not guarantee your application will be reviewed.
Please go here for Rules and Qualification.

Where do I go to fill out an application?
You may visit our application site here. You may save your application in draft mode before sending, then later submit and update your application.

I didn’t receive an e-mail confirmation stating TechCrunch received my application, did you get it?
A separate e-mail confirmation was not sent out. There was an electronic confirmation posted after you hit submit.

After submission, can I make changes to your application?
Yes, but the changes should only be to your contact information or you “Demo Login.” Please post demo details at least 1 hour prior to your appointed time.

When will Early Consideration applicants be notified?
We hope to notify Early Consideration applicants by Friday, July 18.

*UPDATED* When will Regular decision applicants be notified?
Due to overwhelming application response, we will notify Regular decision applicants by MONDAY, August 11.

I submitted my company Early Consideration, but got an e-mail saying I’m being moved to Regular Consideration. Why?
Even if you selected “Early Consideration” on your application, if you submitted your application after Saturday, June 14 deadline your application was moved to the Regular decision group.

INTERVIEWS

I’ve submitted my company, what next?
The process of review begins! First, we make sure your company qualifies and fits the TechCrunch50 criteria. (For example not launched, little press coverage, etc.) Next, we invite you for Round 1 interviews. These are 10 minute “Power” Interviews where you demo your unique technology to one of our Reviewers. Those invited to continue to Round 2 will have a second look with a different Reviewer in the same 10 minute format. Round 3 will be a more informal process, where we ask companies which we need more information from, to provide a third demo or ask specific questions. From round 2, and if needed round 3, we select our Finalists for TechCrunch50.

Companies will be group notified of their status periodically during the process. All companies will receive notice by their notification date.

In Round 1, how should I structure my 10 minute demo?
The entire 10 minutes should be used for your demo presentation. If there is additional time, your Reviewer may take a few minutes to ask a few questions before wrapping up. We wish we could spend more time with you but we have HUNDREDS of applications to review, thus we apologize that we simply cannot.

In your interview you may lead the Reviewer verbally through your demo site, guide them via web conference, etc. conference, etc. Please be prepared to show your technology. Have your screenshots, web conference (adobe connect, gotomeeting) or video presentation ready to go when the Reviewer calls. It doesn’t have to be highly produced, just please no “pure” Powerpoint presentations. Powerpoints with screenshots and video demos embedded are acceptable.

Remember, the 10 minutes go by very quickly so practice your demo, cover all your the important parts, and make the best case possible for why you’re the next big thing!

Where do I post my demo information?
Place all demo instructions and current contact information on your Application under the “How to Access your Demo” section. You may login to your application here.

Please DO NOT e-mail us your Demo information! It must be centralized on your application so all Reviewers can access.

How do I contact the interviewer?
You will not contact the Reviewer.

Rather, the Reviewer will be contacting you at the phone number placed on your application at the scheduled time. They will not call you before hand. They may send an e-mail to give you a status update in the event of a time delay or need to reschedule.

I don’t want to be contacted at the phone number on my application? Can the Reviewer contact me on Skype or by cellphone?
If you wish to use an alternative number, skype, conference line or web conference, please set up the account and let us know the login credentials or meeting ID by updating your application under “Demo Login” at App2You. Please post the information no later than 1 hour prior to your appointment.

Is a web conferencing service, like Adobe Connect or gotomeeting required?
No, it is not required but has worked well in the past demos. Whatever service or presentation method you use, please make sure it is both Mac and PC compatible.

Didn’t the interviews used to be 15 minutes?
The demos have always been 10 minutes. We have minimized the Reviewer’s post Q&A so we can get through more demos.

REVIEWER CRITERIA

What are the Reviewers looking for in a company demo?
They will be looking for the next big, disruptive technology idea. They consider things like:
1. How innovative the idea is?
2. How good is the execution?
3. How likely is it that the product and company will succeed?

Our Reviewers and panel are more interested in what unique product or service you bring to the table; and less interested in who you are, where you come from, or who are your financial backers.

7/29/2008 UPDATES

Does everyone receive an interview (assuming you meet the basic criteria – not launched, no press) or is there a subjective review before the interviews?

*UPDATED* If your company has met the basic criteria, and submitted their application on time, you will be interviewed. All Round I invitations will be sent no later than Sunday, August 3.

When does one hear about Round 1 interview? Also, do you inform the companies that did not make it and why?

Companies hear about Round 1 interviews on a rolling basis. We will inform every company as to whether they made it or not, but due to the volume of applications we cannot provide feedback as to why.

From what I understand, if a company wishes to receive early decisions by Friday, July 18…does that mean they have already gone through the three rounds of selection?

All early consideration applicants have been notified as of the week of July 25th, 2008. If you are an early consideration company, and have not heard from a member of the TechCrunch50 staff regarding you application please e-mail schedule@techcrunch50.com

Will all interviews have been conducted by the decision dates (July 18/ Aug 1) or is that when the interviews begin?

All interviews will be conducted by the decision date. We have moved the regular decision date to Monday, August 11 and the early decision announcements were delayed till Tuesday, July 22.

How much warning are interviewees given, so that they can prepare their presentations?

Interviewees select their own interview time, so how much time they have to prepare depends on which slot they pick. This also ensures that the interview is conducted at time that is mutually convenient for both the interviewer and the interviewee. Most companies receive a minimum of 24 hours notice, so please be prepared to select a time and demo at your soonest convenience.

We have been having several questions about the demo. The interviewer will call the interviewee(s) at the appointed hour at the contact phone number given on the application

All Reviewers share the information posted on your Application that is why we have you post your contact and demo information online to your application. Make sure the data is uploaded at least 1 hour prior to the demo.

I want to add an extension number to the phone number I posted on my application, I am having trouble finding the ‘demo login’ section of my application….any suggestions?

For any changes to the contact information provided on your application, please post the changes to your application under “How to Access my Demo” section which is a free form writing area. Again, make sure it is at least one hour before the time that the interview is scheduled for.

How is the demo conducted?

Ideally, your product is feature complete or near feature complete and you can give the interviewer a guided tour, either online, or using Adobe Connect. If Adobe Connect is not working for you, please use WebEx or gotomeeting. If this is not possible, a taped demo, or other walkthrough is acceptable. Remember this is all about the product, so starting with Powerpoint slides describing the market size, corporate background, and founder bios is not necessary for your demo.

Please have a conference call number setup, or a direct landline so we can contact you.

Please be in a quiet location to do your demo, we do not suggest using a mobile phone or speakerphones that echo. We want to be able to hear each of your words clearly!

I am having trouble finding the ‘demo login’ section of my application….any suggestions

The ‘demo login’ is known on the application as: ‘How to access your demo.’

To locate, login to your account at App2You to access your application details. Click ‘edit’ it will be the 3rd section on your application. Place any and all pertinent information in this area: web conference details, preferred contact method or other special instructions.

If notified, when is the final date one can have a 1st round interview? (By or before August 1st, etc…?)

We are closing out the final Round 1 interviews for TechCrunch50’s regular consideration. Final invitations to round I will go out by August 3rd. The last dates for Round I demos is shortly thereafter. We cannot give a hard final deadline for when first round interviews are over, as it depends on our interviews availability.

We have been receiving a lot of questions from companies that were not selected for an interview, even though they have not launched and do not have significant press coverage, asking why they did not get an interview.

There are many basic criteria that our reviewers look at when we are evaluating a TechCrunch50 company– at the very minimum are the no launch, no press tenets. These two are a top priority as the premise of our conference is to launch the very best and most innovative products and companies of the year. Each and every application was reviewed by our panel, at a minimum twice. Moreover, with 1,000 candidates vying for such a limited number it has been difficult for our panel to narrow the field with the number of outstanding submissions we received.

Have more questions? Leave a comment, and we will add them to the FAQs.

That’s right . . . TechCrunch50 is less than two months away!! We are encouraging everyone to buy tickets now, as we are expecting this year’s conference to sell out as it did last year. Visit the TechCrunch50 web site for information on all aspects of conference. We are hearing that hotels are starting to fill-up and sell out during the second week in September. Planning ahead will save you from having to ask to sleep on my couch . . .

For companies that do not meet the definition of a TechCrunch50 entrant, we are offering really great Exhibitor Packages. This interactive sponsorship opportunity enables any relevant company or product a platform to showcase their brand and services. All TechCrunch50 Exhibitors will benefit from the extraordinary media exposure we are expecting this year’s conference to attract.

Today, we are announcing our next line-up of TechCrunch50 Experts. We are truly honored to have Joi Ito, Chad Hurley and Loic LeMeur join us, to help mentor and advise the presenting TechCrunch50.

We look forward to seeing you in San Francisco in September.

	Joi Ito Joichi Ito is the CEO of Creative Commons, and founder and CEO of Neoteny, a venture capital firm focused on personal communications and enabling technologies. He has created numerous Internet companies including PSINet Japan, Digital Garage and Infoseek Japan. In 1997 Time ranked him as a member of the CyberElite. In 2000 he was ranked among the “50 Stars of Asia” by Business Week and commended by the Japanese Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications for supporting the advancement of IT. In 2001 the World Economic Forum chose him as one of the 100 “Global Leaders of Tomorrow” for 2002. CrunchBase profile.
	Chad Hurley Raised near Birdsboro, Pennsylvania, Hurley received his Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art from the University of Pennsylvania. After graduating, he joined eBay’s PayPal division, primarily focusing on user interface. It was there that he met Steve Chen and Jawed Karim with whom he founded YouTube, a video sharing website, in 2005. YouTube quickly became one of the web’s fastest-growing sites, and was ranked as the 10th most popular website just a year after its launch. There are reportedly 100 million clips viewed daily on YouTube, with an additional 65,000 new videos uploaded every 24 hours. Hurley currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and was voted 28th on Business 2.0 magazine’s “50 people who matter” list in 2006. That year, he and Chen sold YouTube to Google, Inc. for $1.65 billion in stock. CrunchBase profile.
	Loic LeMeur Loic is the CEO and visionary behind Seesmic, founded in 2007, with the goal of transforming online video into a medium for threaded, interactive video conversation. Prior to Seesmic, Loic incubated several other start-ups including four French companies: Ublog, (merged with Six Apart in 2003) and RapidSite, (acquired by France Telecom in 1999) two popular blog companies, B2L, an interactive agency in 1999 (acquired by BBDO) and LeWeb, one of Europe’s leading web conferences for businesses and web 2.0 innovators in 2005. Loic serves as a board member on the RSS Advisory Board. He is also an active investor and mentor to entrepreneurs and contributes to the World Economic Forum blog, which he founded. Originally from the South of France, Loic lives in San Francisco, California. CrunchBase profile.

Thanks to all the expanded space at the San Francisco Design Center Concourse, we have even more options to participate in TechCrunch50.

Exhibitor Package Highlights:

• 5’ table for exhibit space in the West Hall for the full 3 days of the conference. We provide the table, linens, printed sign, power and wireless connectivity.
• 4 conference passes (retail @ $2,995 each / $11,980 total value)*
• 1 ticket to VIP dinner Monday, September 8 (partners and sponsors, experts, keynote speakers and 50 presenting companies)
• Corporate logo included in the exhibitor section of the TechCrunch50 website, blog and all print media (including program guide w exhibitor layout)
• Right to offer corporate marketing “schwag” in the TechCrunch50 conference bags and to distribute company marketing materials during conference
• The Exhibitor Package is targeted to early-stage product companies, and the conference passes and demonstration space package is for use by a single company.

Exhibitor packages are $10,000 and will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis and may be paid by credit card, Paypal, check or wire transfer. (Exhibitor reservations to be paid by check or wire transfer will be held for 10 days, and then released back for sale if payment is not received.)

Get your exhibitor package automatically via Eventbrite ticketing or email us at sponsors [at] techcrunch50 [dot] com.

We’re still hosting a 2008 DemPit
Like last year, DemoPit slots will be offered on a priority basis to TechCrunch50 applicants (preferred slots will be extended to semi-finalist companies for use for 1 of the 3 days of the conference) starting late July. Additional inventory, if available, will be released for early-stage start ups in early August.

Come be part of the action and join in the start-up energy of TechCrunch50.

And remember, applications to TechCrunch50 are due this Friday, June 27 at midnight pst. Submit your company here.

We are pleased to announce that joining Marc Andreessen, Roelof Botha, Ron Conway, Chris DeWolf, Marissa Mayer, Sean Parker, Sheryl Sandberg, Yossi Vardi and Jeff Weiner are three new additions to the TechCrunch50 expert panel. Kevin Rose, Om Malik and Dan Farber have signed on as TechCrunch50 experts.

Additionally, as a reminder, this Friday, June 13 is the deadline for applicants seeking “early decision” guidance on acceptance to TechCrunch50.

Keep checking in with the TechCrunch50 blog, as additional announcements about experts and panels will be up next. Background on Kevin, Om and Dan is as follows:

	Kevin Rose Kevin Rose is the founder and chief architect of Digg. Kevin started Digg in September 2004 as a personal project. His initial idea was to conduct a social experiment in how masses of users could control and promote news and other content on the Web, without external editorial control. After a very short time, he realized the power of his idea, as Digg was becoming a resource for breaking news stories and developed a strong user following. Kevin is also a co-founder of the Internet Television Network Revision3 where as a member of the board he provides strategic direction to the company. Crunchbase profile.
	Om Malik Om Malik has over 15 years of experience as a journalist covering technology and business news. Most notably, he was a Writer at Red Herring during its glory days. He then went on to be part of the founding team of Forbes.com as a Senior Editor. Most recently, he was a Senior Writer for Business 2.0 magazine covering telecom and broadband stories. His contributions have been published in The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and MIT Technology Review. Additionally, Malik is the author of Broadbandits: Inside the $750 Billion Telecom Heist. He is the founder of Giga Omni Media, the company behind popular blogs such as GigaOM, NewTeeVee, WebWorkerDaily, Earth2Tech & OStatic. Crunchbase profile.
	Dan Farber Dan Farber was named Editor-in-chief of CNET’s News.com in February 2008. Previously he was vice-president of editorial at CNET Networks and editor in chief of ZDNet. Dan has more than 20 years of experience as an editor and journalist covering technology. He joined ZDNet in 1996, and led the development of ZDNet’s worldwide network of more than 70 technology-focused sites. Prior to joining ZDNet, Dan served as vice president and editor-in-chief at Ziff-Davis’ flagship computing news publications, PC Week and MacWeek. He was also a founding editor at MacWorld and part of the editorial staffs of PC World and PC Magazine. Crunchbase profile.

More announcements will be coming up next week. Stay Tuned.

In addition to announcing our next three experts, we would also like to thank our new partner MSN Money for joining TechCrunch50 this year. Thank you!!

MSN Money is a premier online financial resource, providing great original editorial content plus the tools and community to empower investors and engage spenders and savers. Taxpayers can find helpful tax tips, checklists, a tax estimator and the Deduction Finder to help them make informed decisions about filing. MSN Money also helps users stay informed with in-depth and up-to-the-minute data, investment recommendations, valuable tracking tools, and opportunities to connect with other active investors to make smart financial decisions. MSN Money is located on the Web at http://www.money.msn.com.

Joining Marc Andreessen, Roelof Botha, Ron Conway, Marissa Mayer, Sheryl Sandberg and Yossi Vardi are three new additions to the TechCrunch50 expert panel. We are pleased to announce Chris DeWolfe, Sean Parker and Jeff Weiner will be joining us at TechCrunch50.

Stay tuned as additional announcements about experts and panels will be up next. Background on Chris, Sean and Jeff is as follows:

	Chris DeWolfe Chris DeWolfe is the co-founder and chief executive officer of MySpace.com, the leading online lifestyle portal. DeWolfe, alongside co-founder and president, Tom Anderson, created a new platform for a generation to communicate and discover culture based around the self expression and connectivity of the site’s 110 million active users. As MySpace’s CEO, DeWolfe is responsible for all aspects of the site’s strategic vision and the execution of its global business initiatives. Along the way, DeWolfe has led strategic initiatives that have extended the site’s reach into a number of vertical categories – such as online video (MySpaceTV), politics (MySpace Impact), news, music and film – and at present a total of 29 international markets. Under DeWolfe’s leadership, MySpace has grown exponentially since its launch in 2004, with an average of 300,000 new users signing up daily. More than 70 million people in the U.S. visit the site each month, creating a user composition that includes politicians, bands, filmmakers, comedians, photographers, and people wanting to communicate with friends and plan their social lives. CrunchBase profile.
	Sean Parker Sean Parker is the co-founder and Chairman of Causes on Facebook and MySpace, a new network that aims to enable large-scale political and social activism on the Internet. Sean is also a Managing Partner at The Founders Fund, an early stage venture capital firm based in San Francisco . Previously, Sean was the co-founder of the category defining Web ventures Napster, Plaxo, and Facebook. At Napster, Sean helped to design the Napster client software and led the company’s initial financing and strategy. Under Sean’s leadership, Napster became the fastest adopted client software application in history. Following Napster, Sean co-founded and served as President of Plaxo, where he pioneered the viral engineering techniques used to deploy Plaxo’s flagship smart address book product, ultimately acquiring more than 15 million users. In 2004, Sean left Plaxo to become the founding President of Facebook, one of the most rapidly growing sites on the Internet today. Sean sits on the boards of several private companies. CrunchBase profile.
	Jeff Weiner Jeff Weiner is an Executive-in-Residence for leading Venture Capital firms Accel Partners and Greylock Partners. Prior to joining Accel and Greylock, Weiner served in key leadership roles at Yahoo for over seven years, most recently as the Executive Vice President of Yahoo’s Network Division. In this position he led a team of over 3,000 employees, managing products reaching over 500 million consumers, and overseeing a P&L responsible for roughly $3 billion in annual revenue. During his tenure, Weiner helped drive the Networkʼs Open and Social strategy as well as expansion of the companyʼs category-leading consumer web products, including Yahoo’s Front Doors, Communications and Community products, Search, and Media properties. Prior to his Network role, Weiner was part of the Search leadership team that directed the acquisition and integration of Inktomi, AltaVista, and FAST as well as the development of Yahoo Search Technology. From 2001 to 2002, Weiner oversaw Corporate Development at Yahoo, where he was responsible for the development and modification of overall corporate and individual business unit strategy and M&A. Weiner is also actively involved in the non-profit sector, with specific focus on leveraging digital capabilities to broaden the reach and scale of high impact causes. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of DonorsChoose.org and Malaria No More. CrunchBase profile.

In addition to announcing our next three experts, we would also like to give a “shout out” to a returning partner. International law firm Perkins Coie is joining us again this year as a supporter of TechCrunch50. Thank you!!

Perkins Coie is a leading international law firm offering a full spectrum of legal services. With more than 650 lawyers in 14 offices across the United States and in China, the firm serves great companies ranging in size from start-ups to FORTUNE 100. Many of the firm’s clients are leaders in traditional industries as well as emerging technology markets, including Internet, software, digital media, hardware and telecommunications. The firm’s Emerging Companies attorneys have extensive experience in working with technology companies at all stages of development, from start-up planning to all aspects of capital formation. We help our clients protect and leverage their intellectual property, secure financing from venture capitalists, private equity groups and others, develop growth strategies and, when appropriate, exit strategies. As our clients grow, we work with them in public offerings, partnering ventures, and mergers and acquisitions.

We are thrilled to announce the next three experts participating in TechCrunch50. Joining Marc Andreessen, Roelof Botha and Marissa Mayer as TechCrunch50 experts are Ron Conway, Sheryl Sandberg and Yossi Vardi.

	Ron Conway Ron Conway is one of the Internet’s pre-eminent angel investors. He was the Founder and Managing Parter of the Angel Investors LP funds whose investments included Google, Ask Jeeves, Paypal, Good Technology, Opsware and Brightmail. Ron was names #6 in Forbes Magazine Midas list of top “dealmakers” in 2006. Ron currently on investments with Baseline Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm. He is an active advisor for a number of Internet companies and also very active in community and philanthropic activities, including Vice Chairman of UCSF Medical Foundation in San Francisco and co-chair of the “Fight for Mike” Homer and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Crunchbase profile.
	Sheryl Sandberg Sheryl Sandberg was named COO of Facebook in March 2008, and she manages business operations including sales, marketing, business development, human resources, public policy, privacy, and communications. Prior to Facebook, Sandberg was Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google, where she built and managed the online sales channels for advertising and publishing and operations for consumer products globally. She was also instrumental in launching Google’s philanthropic arm. Sandberg was previously Chief of Staff for the United States Treasury Department under President Bill Clinton. She was also a management consultant with McKinsey & Company and an economist with The World Bank. CrunchBase profile.
	Yossi Vardi Yossi Vardi is an Israeli entrepreneur most famous for being the original investor in ICQ – the first Internet-wide instant messaging system. Vardi has invested in over 50 tech companies in diverse areas of software, energy, Internet, mobile, cleantech, and others. Vardi has been an active civil servant in Israel through projects involving energy and infrastructure. He also co-founded Alon, an Israeli oil company. Vardi acted as an advisor to the World Bank and the United Nations Development Program on issues of energy in the developing world. Vardi has received many awards including The Prime Minister Award, The Industry Award, Entrepreneur of the Year (Tel Aviv University), and the CEO!’s Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame from the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization. CrunchBase profile.

Yossi and Ron participated with us last year as experts. We are honored to have them joining us again this year. Likewise, we could not be more excited to include Sheryl in this year’s expert line-up, to bring her Facebook and Google perspective to TechCrunch50.

Stay tuned as weekly announcements about experts and panels will be forthcoming, in addition to more surprises along the way.