Focused on Web innovation and new business opportunities
Greater Boston Area
- Current
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- - - at - -
- Past
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- Product Manager - Platform at Metatomix
- VP/Director at Monster, Inc.
- President at Survol Interactive Technologies, Inc.
- Founder & Managing Director at Human Element LLC
- Executive Vice President at Strategic Science & Technologies, Inc.
- VP, Content Management at Digitas
- Principal at CSBenchmark, Inc. (Sole Proprietorship)
- General Manager/Analyst at Gomez
- Education
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- Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Sloan School of Management
- Boston University
- Boston University
- Recommended
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1 person has recommended David - Connections
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120
connections
- Industry
- Internet
- Websites
David Provost’s Summary
Since 1996 I've pursued Web ventures, a course which began in earnest when I joined Gomez as the fifth employee of what eventually grew to be a 175 person company. Using the insights and knowledge I gained from that experience, I increasingly began to focus on the Web's underlying technologies and the business opportunities they create. As a result, I've spent the time since 2003 digging deeply into the Semantic Web because I believe it's a transformational technology that will create new and innovative opportunities.
My perspective is purely on the business aspects of this technology and my efforts have resulted in a network of buyers and sellers of Semantic technologies as well as investors who've either funded companies in this space or have an ongoing interest in doing so. I'm in active contact with this network and the information and opportunities I'm presented with may prove to be very valuable to me and any team that I join. With this in mind, I'm seeking to help define a market opportunity, quantify and articulate its value, set a strategy and plan a course of action, and then help lead the people and teams involved down the path of a successful venture.
David Provost’s Specialties:
Web strategy, Semantic Web (Web 3.0), building shareholder value, next generation Web technologies, user experience.
David Provost’s Experience
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(Internet industry)
2008 — Present (less than a year)
A brief engagement with global leaders in the Semantic Web.
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Product Manager - Platform
Metatomix
(Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Internet industry)
August 2007 — February 2008 (7 months)
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VP/Director
Monster, Inc.
(Public Company; 1001-5000 employees; mnst; Internet industry)
March 2007 — August 2007 (6 months)
Assist in execution of day-to-day priorities in the eBusiness group and longer term, collaborate with the eBusiness leadership team to assimilate, articulate, and build consensus around the group's mission, strategy, and goals. Position reports to Senior Vice President, Monster eBusiness.
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President
Survol Interactive Technologies, Inc.
(Privately Held; Wireless industry)
January 2006 — January 2007 (1 year 1 month)
Led a startup company introducing a radically new Web browsing technology designed to break the barriers to distributing, consuming, and monetizing content on mobile devices. Role required public speaking, sales ability, operational expertise, and acquiring investment capital.
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Founder & Managing Director
Human Element LLC
(Privately Held; Internet industry)
September 2004 — August 2005 (1 year)
Commercialized two MIT open-source projects focused on aiding data-intensive collaboration. Visionary behind innovative start-up technology venture to provide MIT-developed Semantic Web solutions to the pharmaceutical industry. Structured company to exploit an emerging market opportunity to address knowledge management and infrastructure integration challenges. Developed and administered budget.
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Executive Vice President
Strategic Science & Technologies, Inc.
(Privately Held; Pharmaceuticals industry)
December 2003 — September 2004 (10 months)
Life science company with patented transdermal drug delivery technology. Designed a competitive business plan to grow the organization and reach all established technical and product goals. Identified, refined, and communicated the company strategy to staff, partners, and investors. Provided oversight and direction to team memberss responsible for licensing, sales, marketing, technology, and legal affairs.
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VP, Content Management
Digitas
(Public Company; 1001-5000 employees; DTAS; Marketing and Advertising industry)
2004 — 2004 (less than a year)
Hired to oversee the consulting relationship with Pfizer for marketing campaign development that included all Web and electronic identity, print production, call centers, CRM, and content management. Assessed client needs, defined and presented the business case, and structured an implementation plan. Advised clients on technical and structural issues for enterprise content management.
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Principal
CSBenchmark, Inc. (Sole Proprietorship)
(Sole Proprietorship; Internet industry)
April 2001 — May 2003 (2 years 2 months)
Contract services for user experience analysis, market research analysis, and consumer survey analysis. Founded and managed an e-business consulting practice. Produced white papers and in-depth market research reports for client companies. Innovated Internet strategies based on the clients’ corporate goals, priorities, and Internet use. Provided analysis/recommendations for enhancing success of online offerings.
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General Manager/Analyst
Gomez
(Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Internet industry)
1997 — 2001 (4 years)
Global authority on Web user experience and e-commerce excellence. Early contributor to success of this startup e-business research and consulting firm. Developed, launched, and managed new Web-based lines of business. Provided support and leadership to as many as 45 employees.
*As Senior Analyst, wrote in-depth reports that consistently generated top revenues. Specialized in content management, CRM, and knowledge management across a full spectrum of industries. Example: wrote a major report on the Internet travel industry that generated $400,000 in sales to airlines.
*As General Manager, accountable for 50% of the company’s revenue deriving from sales in 3 areas: leads generation, strategic partnerships, and advertising. Managed full sales cycle including prospecting, qualifying, presentations, closing, and contract negotiation.
*Mentored and trained junior team members to become top-producing analysts.
David Provost’s Education
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Sloan School of Management
SM, Management of Technology, 2003 — 2004
The Management of Technology Program was a one-year Master's degree program designed specifically for mid-career technology professionals. It's an opportunity to dig deeply into a specific area (in my case, next-generation Internet and Web technologies and their business potential.) During my experience I had the chance to meet and speak with a host of people who are recognized global leaders in business, science, and engineering.
My thesis focused on the Semantic Web, which is a next-generation Web technology designed for machine-to-machine interaction. The title is "Hurdles in the Business Case for the Semantic Web" and you can download a copy from my personal Web site. My thesis committee was: Prof. Jim Utterback, Advisor; Prof. Brian Subirana, Advisor; Tim Berners-Lee, Reader. -
Boston University
MBA, Strategy, 1989 — 1990
Additionally, earned a Certificate, Management Development Program in Japan. An intensive program comprising a competitive application process yielding five American students from the BU MBA Program. The remaining 45 students were sponsored by major Japanese corporations. English was the primary language and the professors were BU's most distinguished. As one of these students I spent the Summer taking an intense and accelerated set of courses, all counting toward my eventual MBA. The MDP Program took place at Sanyo's corporate training center located in Kobe, Japan.
- Activities and Societies:
- Inducted into Phi Beta Delta honor society for international scholars.
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Boston University
BS, Business Administration, September 1978 — May 1983
Additional Information
David Provost’s Websites:
David Provost’s Groups:
Current:
- Chairman, MIT Club of Boston, Boston Seminar Series - A monthly dinner event dedicated to presentations from leading MIT faculty on their latest research and innovations.
- Vice President, Programs and Member, Board of Directors, MIT Club of Boston.
Past:
- Member, MIT Enterprise Forum Membership Committee, 1999-2002.
- Chairman, MIT Enterprise Forum Membership Research Sub-Committee, 2002.
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Sloan Fellows member -
Semantic Web member
David Provost’s Honors:
Inducted into Phi Beta Delta honor society for International Scholars.
David Provost’s Contact Settings
Interested In:
- career opportunities
- consulting offers
- new ventures
- job inquiries
- expertise requests
- business deals
- reference requests
- getting back in touch
