Experience
Marleen McDaniel has 30+ years of experience with an emphasis on early stage high technology companies. Marleen has focused on a wide range of management challenges from initial business strategy to tactical execution. Marleen has performed in operational roles as Chairman and CEO, executive management and in an advisory capacity.
As an advisor, I have helped dozens of clients—including IBM, NCR, DEC, Tektronix, and many, many smaller startups. Assignments include identifying new markets, raise venture capital, focus their business strategy, distribution and pricing, create sales and investment presentations, and win in the new economy.
I have worked in the Internet sector consistently since the 1970s. I am active and follow the emergence of Web 1.0 and 2.0 companies. I understand software; content and advertising businesses well and give guidance as appropriate to emerging businesses.
Some of the major areas of work are:
- Evaluate the current situation – what is the problem?
- Define goals
- Map a route to the goals
- What specific actions must be taken
- Plan required resources to execute
Significant Career Accomplishments
I was the CEO of Women.com, one of the earliest Internet companies of any kind. We established precedent in establishing advertising on the Internet and creating business models that work. Revenues exceeded $50 Million per year. $175 million in financing was raised in 5 private financings and a Morgan Stanley led IPO. We created significant partnerships with Hearst, Disney, Hallmark, Harlequin, and Rodale and others.
For Ziff-Davis, I grew revenues, expanded scope and improved profitability for Networld-Interop, a significant trade show and conference business. In two years, I helped internationalize the business and increased revenue five fold to $100 Million while growing profit margins from 20% to 40%.
For Sun, I envisioned and gained support to build and market the Sparcstation, Sun's first $1 billion product. Directing the Education Market Group, I led Sun's strategic and most influential market from $0 to over $350 Million. I closed Sun's largest business deal ever of over 1000 computers to the University of California, Berkeley.
Ethernet was first launching as a commercial product when I joined the founder of 3Com in 1980. No one used email or networked computers. Responsible for the strategic OEM partners (Xerox, Intel, DEC), marketing communications and early business development, I raisedvisibility for the cause. Since local area networking was unheard-of at the time, I created the first public demonstration of Ethernet to show what network communications could do.
I was instrumental in the commercialization of the Unix operation system and the founder of the UNIX Users Group, /usr/group and its tradeshow, Uniforum.
