Chad Steelberg & Ryan Steelberg

Chad Steelberg (CTO) and Ryan Steelberg (CEO) are the co-founders of BAT (Brand Affinity Technologies). Prior to BAT, the brothers founded and managed several advertising and internet ventures: dMarc Broadcasting, AdForce and 2CAN Media. Immediately prior to BAT, the Steelbergs served on Google’s management team, heading up their broadcast advertising initiatives.

Since 1996, the Steelbergs have raised more than $150 million in equity financing, managed 400+ employees and created in excess of $3.0 billion in shareholder value, through the successful founding, management, and liquidation of three industry impactful companies.

Biography

Chad Edward Steelberg was born on May 8, 1971 in Northridge, CA. Ryan Scott Steelberg was also born in Northridge on December 2, 1973. They both attended Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach, CA. After graduation, Chad went to the University of Southern California and Ryan attended the University of California, Los Angeles.

Chad and Ryan are both married with children and they continue to reside in Orange County, CA.

2CAN Media

2CAN Media, founded by the Steelbergs in 1998 and built into the 3rd largest Internet advertising sales organization under the Steelbergs, was also later sold to CMGI for over $50 million in a merger with Adsmart/Engage Media.

AdForce

AdForce (formerly ADFC on NASDAQ), founded by the Steelbergs in 1995 and grown into the world’s largest centralized independent ad serving and management solution, was acquired by CMGI after going public for more than $500 million in 1999. AdForce won the Smithsonian Award for the Best Technology in IT, for the year 2000.

dMarc Broadcasting

dMarc Broadcasting, founded by the Steelbergs in 2002, is the largest centralized radio advertising network and digital automation company servicing more than 4,600 Radio Broadcasters. dMarc was sold to Google in 2006 for $102 million in cash, with revenue targets that could push the deal upwards of $1.2B.

Awards

Named by the Orange County Business Journal as one of the county’s “50 Most Influential Businesspeople,” Ryan and Chad were also finalists for Ernst & Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” in 2000. Most recently, in 2006, Chad and Ryan Steelberg were named one of the “50 Most Powerful People in Radio,“ by Radio Ink Magazine.

References

Chuang, T. "O.C. venture gets Googled", Orange County Business Journal, June 17, 2002.

Helft, Miguel. "Google Encounters Hurdles in Selling Radio Advertising", New York Times, February 10, 2007.

"What the Google/dMarc "Marriage" Means for Radio", Radio Ink Magazine, February 27, 2006.

http://www.rwonline.com/reference-room/special-report/2006.02.15-03_rw_google_2.shtml

http://www.ocmetro.com/archives/ocmetro_2006/metro042706/cover042706.html

External links

* [http://www.brandaffinity.net BAT website]
* [http://www.dMarc.net dMarc website]
* [http://www.google.com Google website]