About Jookster
Jookster is social search engine that allows you to discover cool user generated content. We collect photos, videos and bookmarks from sites like YouTube, Flickr and del.icio.us. Jookster then puts it all in one place for you to search, save and share with your friends.

Management

Kapenda Thomas, Chief Executive Officer and Founder
Kapenda has over 10 years of experience in software engineering as well as experience as an entrepreneur.  Before founding Jookster Networks, Kapenda founded N3 Technologies to develop emerging technologies in the area of web collaboration and knowledge management. Prior to N3, Kapenda was responsible for Media Syndicator, the first product released from Loudeye Technologies, where he was Lead Software Architect.  At Loudeye, Kapenda managed the overall architecture, design and development and successfully launched the first B2B syndication product for the streaming media market.  Previous to Loudeye, Kapenda worked with the Web Based Enterprise Management team at Microsoft, developing proprietary tools and applications for performance in Microsoft’s COM+ Services.

Kapenda has also held management positions at several start-up software companies. Kapenda holds a patent in the area of Digital Media Syndication and Distribution as well as several patents pending in the area of Search and Information Retrieval.

Othniel Palomino, Chief Operating Officer
Othniel has over 15 years of experience in marketing, sales, product management and general management of technology companies. Before coming to Jookster Networks, Othniel was an Executive Vice President of Network Commerce. He grew Network Commerce’s Business Commerce Network from start-up to over $40 million in annual revenues. Othniel managed all aspects of day-to-day operations including sales, marketing, product development and customer service. Prior to Network Commerce, Othniel worked for Microsoft for six years. He was a member of the team that launched MSN’s entry into Internet search. He was also Group Manager for channel development of Microsoft high end systems integration channel and was a member of the original Windows NT launch team.

Othniel holds an MBA degree from Stanford University and Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree from Princeton University.

David Norris, Chief Scientist
David has over 15 years of experience in software engineering. Before coming to Jookster Networks, David spent eight years working for Microsoft. He received ship it awards for MSN 1.0, Commercial Internet System 1.0, Site Server 1.0, Office 2000, Internet Explorer 5.0, Windows 2000, and Sharepoint Portal Server 2000 for which he was Document Management Server software design engineer lead. David wrote the first implementation of a DAV (Distributed Authoring and Versioning) protocol provider at Microsoft for the Microsoft Data Access and Internet Publishing Provider.

Prior to Microsoft, David spent three years in Puerto Rico as full time professor of Mathematics at La Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, Arecibo, Puerto Rico, and an additional year at the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center, Arecibo, Puerto Rico assisting with the 1985 Venus mapping project. David enjoys a Master of Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin in Mathematics with concentration in abstract algebraic structures and topological spaces and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas at Austin.


Board of Advisors

William K. (Bill) Bryant
William K. (Bill) Bryant has had early and instrumental involvement in over twenty leading software and Internet companies, serving variously as a founder, senior executive, investor and Board Member. Bill was a co-founder of Qpass (www.qpass.com), where he served as CEO and later Chairman, and Netbot, Inc (which built the first comparison shopping agent for the Internet, Jango), serving as its President. Most recently, Bill was a Partner with Atlas Venture (www.atlasventure.com), a large international venture capital firm with $2.5B under management. In the early 1990s, Bill was the founding Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Marketing at Visio Corporation (now part of Microsoft Corporation) and was also investor and board member in many successful early stage companies including Loudeye (NASDAQ: LOUD), AEI Music (DMX/Liberty Media) and Viafone (Extended Systems). In addition, Bill has consulted extensively to Microsoft, Real Networks, Getty Images, and Corbis.

Bill holds a patent for an electronic commerce network and is a popular speaker on technology, venture capital and entrepreneurship throughout North America. He received a BA in European History, an MBA, and his Ph.D. Candidacy in Business Strategy, all from the University of Washington.

Richard Leigh
Richard Leigh currently serves as a consultant to Vulcan Inc. (a Paul Allen company) on various business matters. He also serves as a consultant to Cell Therapeutics, Inc. Mr. Leigh served as the Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Cell Therapeutics, Inc. from August 2004 to September 2005. From December 2000 to August 2004, Mr. Leigh served as Vice President and General Counsel at Vulcan, Inc., and from August 1997 to November 2000, he was Vice President and General Counsel for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks. In addition, from October 1989 to August 1997, he spent eight years as a corporate attorney with the Seattle law firm of Foster Pepper PLLC.

Mr. Leigh received his B.A. from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, his M.A. in International Politics from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C., and a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law in New York.

Go back to homepage