About Umami
Umami was founded in 2010 with the goal of giving consumers a deeper, more engaging experience around their favorite TV shows, while providing TV networks and advertisers with a powerful new platform to brand and customize those experiences.
Our first consumer product, Umami TV for iPad, automatically recognizes live or time-shifted programming across dozens of channels using proprietary audio fingerprinting technology. The app then brings you info, bios, photos, news, gossip and social conversation about the show, while you watch.
Umami TV for iPad is part of a broader platform that dramatically simplifies the creation of interactive second-screen experiences for TV networks and advertisers, allowing them to more deeply engage their TV audiences. To learn more, please visit our partners page.
Umami’s founding team has over 30 years of experience developing, deploying, and selling interactive TV platforms and media at companies like Gemstar-TV Guide, Comcast, ReplayTV, and Lightningcast/Aol. Umami is a Japanese loanword referring to the fifth taste that loosely translates to “savory” or “enhanced”.
Team
Scott Rosenberg, CEO & Co-Founder
Scott has spent his career at the intersection of TV and technology with leadership roles in engineering, product and sales. Most recently, Scott was VP of Advanced Advertising at Gemstar-TV Guide (acquired by Rovi), where he led sales and strategy for their interactive TV advertising business. Previously, Scott led product at BlackArrow, a provider of VOD advertising solutions for TV networks and cable operators. At DVR pioneer ReplayTV, Scott led an engineering team that launched the first DVR advertising in 2000. Scott has also held product roles and engineering roles at Intel and Analog Devices, where he developed chips and software for TV and mobile platforms. Scott holds a B.S.E. in Computer Science from Princeton, an M.S. in EE/CS from MIT, and an MBA from MIT/Sloan. He was also a Fulbright Fellow to Japan.
Bryan Slavin, CTO & Co-Founder
Bryan brings over 15 years of product and technology leadership experience building leading-edge, large-scale enterprise and consumer software products. Most recently, Bryan led Bryter Technologies, where he consulted with major companies in digital media on product strategy, architecture and implementation. Clients included Gemstar-TV Guide (acquired by Rovi), Comcast, ActiveVideo Networks (formerly ICTV), and ExtendMedia. Prior to Bryter technologies, Bryan was VP of Product Development at Lightningcast, a pioneer in the broadband video advertising space that was sold to Aol/Advertising.com in 2006. At Leap Wireless, Bryan led product engineering and architecture, developing advertising and content-related products for mobile handsets. At Broadsoft, Bryan played a key role in the initial development of BroadWorks, the industry's leading VoIP applications platform. He graduated with Honors from the University of Maryland at College Park with a B.S. in Computer Science.
Ross Angert, UI/UX and Design
Ross has a career that spans over two decades as a creative leader, team builder, and mentor at the world's best brands in TV, publishing, and the arts. Ross’s journey has taken him from print Art Direction to the inception of Web online publishing (Hearst New Media), to present day UI design. He has led UI/UX and design for Umami since September 2010. Previously Ross was Group CD of UX at CBS Local, Group CD of Global Interactive at WWE, Creative Director at Comcast Interactive Media, Creative Director Hearst Interactive, VP Design Director at Sotheby’s, as well as CCO at his own agency.
Aron Glennon, Sync Platform
As Director of Engineering at Umami, Aron is responsible for leading the design and implemention of our audio sync technology. A published scholar, Aron is a Machine Learning and Music Information Retrieval (MIR) specialist. Formerly an adjunct professor at New York University, he is a PhD candidate in the Music and Audio Research Laboratory (MARL) at the NYU department of Music Technology.
Jake Goodrich, Content Product Manager
Jake leads Umami's content and publishing strategy. A 2005 Broadcast and Cinematic Arts graduate from Central Michigan University, Jake has 6 years of content and product experience in the digital entertainment space, leading a number of properties at AOL including top 5 sites Asylum (Men's Lifestyle) and PopEater (Celebrity).
R. David Jones, Content Management Systems
David leads development of Umami's publishing and content delivery systems. A 1992 Graduate of the University of Virginia, earning a degree in Astronomy-Physics, David spent his early career working for various agencies in the Washington, DC area, focusing on the nascent web technologies. David spent several years working for startup companies, first focusing on digital copyright protection and then transitioning to mobile advertising and content delivery.
Key Investors
Battery Ventures
Since 1983, Battery has been investing in technology and innovation worldwide. The firm partners with entrepreneurs and management teams across technology sectors, geographies and stages of a company's life and manages $4B in committed capital, including its current fund of $750M. For more information, visit www.battery.com.
NEA (New Enterprise Associates)
New Enterprise Associates (NEA) is a leading venture capital firm focused on helping entrepreneurs build transformative businesses across multiple stages, sectors and geographies. With approximately $11 billion in committed capital, NEA invests in information technology, healthcare and energy technology companies at all stages in a company's lifecycle, from seed stage through IPO. For additional information, visit www.nea.com.
Advisors
Steve Shannon
Steve is Executive Vice President of RealD Home and is responsible for delivering on RealD's mission to enable 3D content is the living room. Prior to RealD, Steve was Executive Vice President and General Manager for Product Development at Gemstar-TV Guide, Int. (acquired by Macrovision). At Gemstar and Macrovision, Steve led product strategy and software development. In 2002, Steve founded Akimbo Systems, Inc., the first Internet video-on-demand service for televisions. Prior to Akimbo, Steve was a co-founder at ReplayTV where he helped launch the first digital video recorder, driving product, marketing, and sales strategies. Before ReplayTV, Steve was Director of Internet Authoring at Macromedia, where he launched Dreamweaver; now Adobe's market-leading Web-authoring tool. Steve joined Macromedia when it purchased iband, the company he co-founded and the original developer of Dreamweaver. Steve holds a bachelor's degree from UCLA and an MBA from UC Berkeley.
Rick Sirvaitis
Rick is a 38-year veteran of media and advertising. His long career includes four years as President and COO of GM Mediaworks, the consolidated media buying unit for all General Motors divisions. Previously, Rick was President and COO of Phase2media, an internet sales organization responsible for the sale of branded web sites. Prior to that, he spent 5 years leading all advertising-related activities for Fox Family, and nine years with Turner Broadcasting Sales, Inc. (TBSI), ultimately rising to the role of EVP News.
Rick is Co-Founder and President of StoreBoard Media, a new out of home media option. He also runs his own media and marketing consultancy, RS Media Marketing LLC, and has worked with clients such as Google TV Ads, the NFL Network, Enversa, and Gemstar/TV Guide. For a two year period, Rick served as Entrepreneur-in-Residence for Constellation Growth Capital. Rick serves as an advisor to several startups and is part of the advisory board of TRA (a media research company that combines set top box data with purchase behavior).
Rick is a member of the Board of Directors of International Radio and Television Society (IRTS). He is past chairman of the National Advisory Board of the Cable and Advertising Bureau, co-chairman of its Cable Industry Standards and Practices Committee, and received the Bureau’s Presidents Award in 1993.
Rick graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Advertising in 1971 and received his Master of Arts degree of Advertising in 1976 from Michigan State University. In 1985 he earned a law degree at Detroit College of Law and was admitted to the Michigan Bar in 1986.
Mike Rich
Mike currently serves as the Chief Product and Operating Officer at Interactive One, a division of Radio One, Inc. (Nasdaq ROIAK) where he oversees, Product Strategy, Technology and Programming of the 60+ sites that are in the iOne portfolio. Interactive One has more than 15 million members and reaches millions of Black Americans each month. Interactive One was launched by Radio One to complement Radio One's existing portfolio of media companies targeting the African American community. Since its launch, Interactive One has quickly become the #1 online platform for the African American community as measured by Comscore. Interactive One is powered by the mission to create an online community that engages and positively impacts the lives of African Americans.
Mike joined Interactive One from AOL where, as SVP and GM of AOL Entertainment, he oversaw product strategy, management, marketing, editorial, audience development and syndication for AOL’s flagship properties including AOL Music. Under his leadership AOL Music grew to be the #1 music destination and maintained its status from 2007-2009 (Comscore). Additionally, Mike was responsible for AOL BlackVoices, Moviefone, AOLTV, AOL Radio, AOL Latino, and AOL Studios, which produced original high quality video content for AOL’s suite of sites. Mike was honored by Hollywood Reporter as part of their 2009 Digital Power 50 list of executives.
Brian Adams
Brian Adams has been developing digital technologies for 15 years. As the Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder of Admeld, he oversees the company's global development and engineering efforts. Prior to AdMeld, Brian was Vice President of Engineering at JumpTV where drove the platform's transition to an advertising-supported model. Before that, Brian served at AOL where he led the development of the AOL Video advertising infrastructure. Brian was a founder of MyBookmarks.com which was sold to Backflip Inc. in 2000 and was a senior engineer at Angelfire.com. He has a BS in Computer Science from Ohio State.
Raj Amin
Mr. Amin has worked at the intersection of video and new consumer media platforms for over 15 years.
Raj Amin co-founded HealthiNation to create a better way for people to learn about health and lifestyle topics through original, professional quality video programs. Here, he has led the company since its inception 5 years ago to establish the company as the leading video network for health across all digital screens. HealthiNation’s award winning video programs are available on over 35 MM cable VOD homes and watched by millions of online video viewers monthly through its syndicated content partnerships with leading web sites. Prior to HealthiNation, Mr. Amin was Vice President of Business Development at N2 Broadband, a leader in the digital TV products, which is now part of Ericsson. There, Amin forged the Company's relationships with major cable TV networks and studios, and led the company's entry into the on-demand advertising space. Amin also has led advertising product strategies for ReplayTV, a pioneer in digital video recorder technology, and managed new business development for digital set-top platforms at Scientific-Atlanta, now a division of Cisco.
Amin currently serves on the board of Musicians on Call, a national non-profit which brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients at leading hospitals. He also sits on Pozen Pharmaceuticals Digital Advisory Board. Amin received concurrent bachelor’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania's Jerome Fisher Management and Technology Program through the Wharton School of Business and the Moore School of Engineering and Applied Science.
