Think Big
Greater Los Angeles Area
- Current
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- Co-Founder & Board Member at BrightHouse, Inc.
- Co-Founder at Pricelock
- Founder & CEO at Zag.com
- Past
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- Founder & Chairman at Build-to-Order
- Co-Founder at Direct Ventures
- Founder & Chairman at Advertise.com
- Founder & CEO at CarsDirect.com
- Founder & CEO at Vision Incorporated
- Founder & CEO at Dental Advantage
- VP of Marketing at 1-800-DENTIST
- VP of Marketing at 1-800-CAR-SEARCH
- Founder & CEO at INFOAccess and AUTOAccess
- Airborne Spanish Interrogator at US Army
- Education
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- University of California, Berkeley
- United States Military Academy at West Point
- Dept. of Defense Language Institute
- Connections
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158
connections
- Industry
- Automotive
- Websites
Scott Painter’s Summary
I love cars, direct-to-consumer businesses and technology – and my passion lies where those three converge. I’m drawn to big, game-changing ideas that solve big problems or make an experience better.
Right now I’m working hard to make car buying better. I have been an early stage entrepreneur in the online automotive retail sector, having introduced upfront pricing via CarsDirect.com and, now, taking it even further with Zag. Now that the car has become a commodity and buyers have anonymous access to product information online, upfront pricing is the way of the future for auto retail.
I’ve been an Idealab CEO (with CarsDirect.com, which is now Internet Brands) and an eCompanies CEO (with Build-to-Order). Through those experiences I’ve had the opportunity to see the positive impact of disruptive technology solutions.
Scott Painter’s Specialties:
• The drive toward truth and transparency within the auto retail industry.
• Accountability in advertising – especially as it relates to auto sales.
• I like industries that are going through transformational change.
• I study global events and macro trends.
• I’m curious about the environment, philanthropy, the price of oil and its impact on our economy, and politics.
Scott Painter’s Experience
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Co-Founder & Board Member
BrightHouse, Inc.
(Venture Capital & Private Equity industry)
October 2007 — Present (1 year 10 months)
A Southern California-based incubator, BrightHouse (http://www.brighth.com) discovers and methodically develops big ideas into market-changing companies.
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Co-Founder
Pricelock
(Automotive industry)
October 2006 — Present (2 years 10 months)
Pricelock (http://www.pricelock.com) is an innovative company that is providing protection from rising gas prices. In spring/summer ’08, Pricelock partnered with Chrysler to offer a $2.99 gas guarantee incentive program for Chrysler customers.
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Founder & CEO
Zag.com
(Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Internet industry)
2004 — Present (5 years)
Zag (http://www.zag.com) has created a better way to buy a car. Zag operates a robust auto shopping, research and pricing technology platform that saves buyers money by concentrating group buying power, while providing a better car buying experience by connecting buyers with select dealers that provide upfront discounted pricing and a no-hassle delivery process.
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Founder & Chairman
Build-to-Order
(Automotive industry)
2002 — 2004 (2 years)
Build-to-Order was a new American car company formed on the notion of outsourcing the engineering and manufacturing to the supply chain while retaining the brand, design and distribution in-house. BTO had acquired a number of storied auto marques, including the rights to Cord, Auburn and Duesenberg. The company raised roughly $50 million and had plans to launch with two models under the Auburn brand that would be sold directly over the web in the same fashion as a Dell computer.
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Co-Founder
Direct Ventures
(Retail industry)
2001 — 2003 (2 years)
Worked with entrepreneurs and investors to launch businesses focused on delivering a better customer experience around the purchase of big ticket items such as boats, motorcycles, planes, appliances and homes.
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Founder & Chairman
Advertise.com
(Marketing and Advertising industry)
January 2001 — December 2001 (1 year)
Recognizing that advertising would have to be more accountable and efficient now that the world was moving online, Advertise.com provided small- to mid-sized companies with a media plan and assessment, and creative and media buying services.
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Founder & CEO
CarsDirect.com
(Privately Held; 201-500 employees; Internet industry)
1998 — 2000 (2 years)
CarsDirect.com is one of the fastest-growing companies in history, going from zero to more than $650 million in sales in the first year. CarsDirect.com (now Internet Brands) introduced the first generation of online car sites, and propelled the world’s major automotive manufacturers and their franchised dealers to embrace the Internet. Under Painter’s leadership, CarsDirect.com secured more than $350 million in funding and played a principal role in the transformation of the automotive retail industry into one driven by consumer expectations, customer service and trust.
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Founder & CEO
Vision Incorporated
(Management Consulting industry)
January 1998 — December 1998 (1 year)
A strategic consulting firm focused on transforming traditional businesses for e-commerce.
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Founder & CEO
Dental Advantage
(Management Consulting industry)
1996 — 1997 (1 year)
A full-service consulting, publishing and financial services company for dentists.
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VP of Marketing
1-800-DENTIST
(Privately Held; 201-500 employees; Marketing and Advertising industry)
January 1995 — December 1995 (1 year)
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VP of Marketing
1-800-CAR-SEARCH
(Automotive industry)
1993 — 1994 (1 year)
Built an electronic marketplace of used vehicles for sale.
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Founder & CEO
INFOAccess and AUTOAccess
(Automotive industry)
1992 — 1993 (1 year)
Provided electronic classified services to several hundred new car dealerships.
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Airborne Spanish Interrogator
US Army
(Government Agency; 10,001 or more employees; USA; Military industry)
1987 — 1991 (4 years)
Scott Painter’s Education
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University of California, Berkeley
Economics 1991 — 1993
- Activities and Societies:
- Varsity rugby
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United States Military Academy at West Point
Political Science, Systems Engineering 1989 — 1991
- Activities and Societies:
- Class president, Varsity rugby, Volleyball
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Dept. of Defense Language Institute
Spanish 1988 — 1988
Additional Information
Scott Painter’s Websites:
Scott Painter’s Interests:
My sons, Luke and Noah. A life-long love affair with cars. A desire to significantly improve car buying. Space travel – I am one of Virgin Galactic's first paying customers, for a trip into space. Go to Yahoo News for a glimpse: http://tinyurl.com/5j5q9q
Scott Painter’s Groups:
Member of the Board of Governors, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles; Chairman, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s After School All Stars (2004); Managing Director, Quincy Jones’ Listen Up Foundation (2004); Advisor, Tesla Motors (2005 to present); Board Member, Association of Volleyball Professionals, (2003 – 2008)
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DLI-FLC Alumni
Scott Painter’s Honors:
Entretech (http://www.entretech.org/) gave Zag its 2008 Entrepreneurship Award for emerging companies.
InfoWorld (http://www.infoworld.com) designated Zag’s platform as one of the 100 most innovative corporate IT solutions for 2006.
Entrepreneur Magazine (http://www.entrepreneur.com) named Zag in its 2006 “Hot 100” list of the fastest-growing companies.
Scott Painter’s Contact Settings
Interested In:
- new ventures
- job inquiries
- expertise requests
- business deals
- getting back in touch
