Jalali Hartman
Your title at Yovia: CEO
What you REALLY do at Yovia: Work on building Social Velocity™ – or the
organic, people-driven portion of our traffic. Build a real community, one
person at a time.
Your work experience: Yovia is Jalali's third successful startup. In 1998
he co-founded , a company that offers E-Commerce solutions for
businesses selling products online. After helping Infopia become a market success, Jalali left to become one of
the founding employees at MECLABS (Marketing Sherpa/Marketing Experiments), an online marketing
company hired by large media corporations to boost their subscription rates. Jalali served as Director of
Strategy at MECLABS and helped grow the organization to 25 employees and increased subscription rates for
clients like the New York Times by 250%.
Jalali has held roles in sales, marketing, product development and production. He has also been hired as a
strategic consultant for the New York Times, Reuters, TheStreet, Encyclopedia Britannica, and Insurance.com.
Jalali holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering. He is named on 3 patents, and was awarded the prestigious eBay
Innovation Award in 2004 and 2005 for inventing "Marketplace Manager," a platform that allows online
merchants to sell from multiple sites at once. He is the inventor of Social Velocity™, which predicts whether
something will go "viral."
Your hometown: Derby Line, VT
Where you live now: Atlantic Beach, FL
When you were a kid, what did you think you'd be doing when you grew up? I always wanted to be a farmer,
until I spent a summer baling hay. Then I wanted a nice cushy desk job. Now I want to be a farmer again.
Your favorite way(s) to spend your free time (when you have any): I love to surf, bike, swim and run through
the swamp with my 3 kids and 3 chocolate labs.
Something unique about you: I was born in a hut in Mexico.
Your favorite word or phrase (G-rated): Marketing is testing.
Your favorite social networking site: Yovia, LinkedIn
Three people, living or dead, you’d like to have dinner with: President Obama, Richard Branson and Robert
Metcalf or Dave Matthews
Your favorite quote (if you have one): "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their
dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt
Your education: B.S. in Civil Engineering from University of New Hampshire
Alissa Brodsky
Your title at Yovia: Director of Agency Relations
What you REALLY do at Yovia: I enable our wonderful network of Certified Resellers.
Your education: B.M in Voice from University of Iowa. MM from Manhattan School of Music .
Your work experience: Over 13 years of agency and marketing experience, including Oxygen Networks, SyFy and Scholastic.
Your hometown: Iowa City, IA
Where you live now: NY, NY
When you were a kid, what did you think you'd be doing when you grew up? I wanted to be a puppet. Just Kidding.
Your favorite way(s) to spend your free time (when you have any): I am a singer and performer. I am the resident pupeteer at Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital.
Something unique about you: I am Charlie Brown for the Macy's Parade.
Your favorite word or phrase (G-rated): Scrumptious.
Your favorite social networking site: Yovia!
Three people, living or dead, you'd like to have dinner with: Jim Henson, John Lasseter, Barbara Cook.
Your favorite quote (if you have one): "The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity". - Dorothy Parker
Kelly Dyer
Your title at Yovia: Interim CTO
What you REALLY do at Yovia: Planning and management of the
internal technology systems, overseeing the development pipeline for
the Social Velocity Engine and other Yovia software systems, ensuring
cross-departmental coordination and tracking, and helping drive the
strategic goals and direction of the company.
Your education: B.S. in Computer Science and Economics from
Washington and Lee University; MBA from Fuqua School of Business,
Duke University
Your work experience: I am the co-founder and CEO of SourceFuse, LLC
American operations. Before that, I helped build the technology and
solutions for Infopia, Inc, first as the initial software engineer, and then as Director of Technology and systems
architect. After leaving Infopia, I founded and operated Inventory Source, a provider of services and solutions
for ecommerce merchants.
Your hometown: Charlotte, NC
Where you live now: Atlantic Beach, FL
When you were a kid, what did you think you'd be doing when you grew up? An artist, or a professional lottery
winner
Your favorite way(s) to spend your free time (when you have any): With my daughter and family, surfing,
snowboarding, traveling, or anything new and different.
Something unique about you: I ran with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain.
Your favorite word or phrase (G-rated): BAM!
Your favorite social networking site: Facebook
Three people, living or dead, you'd like to have dinner with: Bill Murray, Angelina Jolie, my great-great-
grandchild (if "not alive yet" counts)
Your favorite quote (if you have one): "Of those to whom much is given, much is expected." – John F. Kennedy
Erica Adams
Your title at Yovia: Editor
What you REALLY do at Yovia: I handle media relations and some of
the campaign content, and I'm helping to define and focus the brand
and tell the "story" of Yovia as the company evolves.
Your education: B.A. in Journalism and Psychology from Washington
and Lee University
Your work experience: My professional career up to this point has
been almost entirely in communications for nonprofits, including The
Salvation Army – Midland Division and Girl Scouts of Northeast
Texas.
Your hometown: O'Fallon, IL
Where you live now: Rockwall, TX
When you were a kid, what did you think you'd be doing when you grew up? I wasn't sure, but I knew it would
have something to do with writing. I was addicted to my typewriter.
Your favorite way(s) to spend your free time (when you have any): I like to travel, read, write, paint, dance,
listen to music, spend time with my friends and family, and bake unhealthy-but-tasty things.
Something unique about you: I am the only person of my generation who has not seen the movie "There's Something About Mary"
Your favorite word or phrase (G-rated): Sunshine. It's hard not to smile when you say it.
Your favorite social networking site: Facebook, because I'm reconnecting with lots of old friends there.
Three people, living or dead, you'd like to have dinner with: Eleanor Roosevelt, Gene Roddenberry, and
Benjamin Franklin.
Your favorite quote (if you have one): "Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on
society." – Mark Twain
Jake Pharr
Your title at Yovia: Creative Manager
What you REALLY do at Yovia: Design stuff
Your education: co-MFA, University of Pennsylvania
Your work experience: Pizza delivery, motorcycle sales, and now Yovia
Your hometown: Los Angeles
Where you live now: Atlantic Beach, FL
When you were a kid, what did you think you'd be doing when you grew
up? Become a Philosopher.
Your favorite way(s) to spend your free time (when you have any):
Plot my revenge.
Something unique about you: While skateboarding, I was run over by a Suburban and hit by a Jetta in the
same month. People in cars should be more careful.
Your favorite word or phrase (G-rated): ¡hace viento!
Your favorite social networking site: All of them!
Three people, living or dead, you'd like to have dinner with: ZZ Top or maybe the Three Amigos
Your favorite quote (if you have one): "Good people drink good beer."
Israel F. Swanson
Your title at Yovia: Community Relations Manager
What you REALLY do at Yovia: Hunt and gather quality and unique
potential partners.
Your education: B.A. in Theology from Asbury College
Your work experience: I've been a church youth director, post closing
agent for a law firm, and intern with Marketing Experiments.
Your hometown: Williston, Florida
Where you live now: Jacksonville Beach, Florida
When you were a kid, what did you think you'd be doing when you grew
up? I thought I was going to be famous.
Your favorite way(s) to spend your free time (when you have any): Go to concerts and Gator Football Games.
Something unique about you: I am a middle child whose name was changed at the age of three.
Your favorite word or phrase (G-rated): Legit
Your favorite social networking site: Facebook. It's where I have the most connections.
Three people, living or dead, you'd like to have dinner with: General Robert E. Lee, John Wesley, and Jesus of
Nazareth
Your favorite quote (if you have one): "Go to heaven for the climate, hell for the company." – Mark Twain
Zuzia Soldenhoff-Thorpe
Your title at Yovia: Senior Account Manager
What you REALLY do at Yovia: Handle a million projects and try to
prioritize.
Your education: Sydney College of Business, Masters in Marketing and
Management from University of Gdansk
Your work experience: I was the event organizer, production and
marketing for "Eastside Theory"- a surf movie. I worked on production
at dLifeTV in NYC, and I did Pubic Relations and Advertising for 6 years.
Your hometown: Sopot, Poland; then London, then Sydney, then NYC
Where you live now: Atlantic Beach, FL
When you were a kid, what did you think you'd be doing when you
grew up? Become a vet, lead a major charity organization or write traveling journals.
Your favorite way(s) to spend your free time (when you have any): Surfing, Traveling, Photography, Filming,
Reading, Kickboxing, Diving, meeting friends and playing on the beach with my daughter.
Something unique about you: I've traveled to some amazing places, such as jungles, deserts, islands, and the
Himalayas, and I've done some incredible things, such as extreme diving, living with native tribes, etc.
Your favorite word or phrase (G-rated): world! (swiat - in Polish)
Your favorite social networking site: Facebook, but also Nasza-klasa.pl, a Polish equivalent of Facebook.
Three people, living or dead, you'd like to have dinner with: Pedro Almodovar, the Dalai Lama, and Chris Johns
Your favorite quote (if you have one): "Think the unthinkable. Imagine the impossible. Pursue the imagination's limits!" - Alan C. Weisbecker
A special thanks to all of our advisors!
Scott Adams - CEO HD Publishing, Inc.
David George - Executive Producer, MTV
Craig Calder - VP Marketing TravelZoo
Mike Nolan - Entrepreneur & Angel Investor
Carey Hepler - Product Strategist
Albie Hecht - Media Pioneer

