Doug Humphrey

Doug Humphrey is an Internet pioneer and serial entrepreneur. He has been described as brilliant, ahead of his time, and unconventional but whatever the description, visionary entrepreneur needs to be included. Over the course of his career, Mr. Humphrey has experienced just about everything that can happen to an entrepreneur. He created one of the most successful Internet startups to go public; he began a second company that was a casualty of the dotcom bust; and with financial assistance and business advice, he founded a company that is an incubator for developing Internet startups. From raising venture capital to investing in startups, from great highs to disappointing lows, Mr. Humphrey has experienced it all. Yet, according to his friends, he has never changed.

He started his first company, Digex, in the basement of his home in Greenbelt Maryland. The company was one of the first Internet service providers. They also pioneered commercial applications of the Web by launching MTV.com. The company received venture capital, later raised several hundred million dollars in public offerings, and was a pioneer in digital video streaming.

After leaving Digex, Mr. Humphrey started Skycache, later renamed Cidera. The company grew rapidly and was poised to release its initial public offering when the dot.com bubble burst forcing the company to halt the IPO. Unfortunately, with the dotcom fall, they were swept up in the avalanche and closed their doors in 2002.

This disappointment did not stop Mr. Humphrey. Though not as vaunted as his other ventures, Mr. Humphrey started his third company, Core Location. This business provides secure Internet equipment housing in Chicago. Again, he was about to grow this startup and gain significant size but sold it off for a tidy profit.

Mr. Humphrey has served on approximately 20 corporate boards, and has served as CEO of his firms. He currently lives with his wife and two daughters in Laurel Maryland. When time permits, he is often on his 120 foot former British Navy Patrol Boat christened the Badtz Maru after the attitude having character that was released by the makers of Hello Kitty.