IPO
Zynga debuts on the NASDAQ Global Select Market at $10.00, and trades between $9.00 and $11.00 during the day. Foundry owns 6.1 percent of Zynga before the IPO, or 34,560,060 shares. Foundry invested less than $5 million in Zynga, but today it holds around $345 million worth of Zynga shares. This is on top of an earlier $22.58 million buyback and $25 million generated via the sale of shares in the IPO.
Leaves Zynga board
Feld leaves the Zynga board. He is replaced by Paul, a partner at Spring Ventures.
Foundry, Union Square invest
Foundry Group, along with Union Square Ventures invests in Zygna’s Series A-1 investment of nearly $5 million. Zynga makes social games that run on mobile devices and desktops. Its most famous product is Farmville, a social game that allows Facebook users to create a virtual farm.
Founds Intensity Ventures
With the proceeds of the sale of his company Feld founds Intensity Ventures, a company that helps launch and operate software companies. Intensity Ventures was a venture affiliate of SOFTBANK.
Sells Feld Technologies to AmeriData
Feld Technologies, now at 20 people and just under $2m in revenues, is acquired by Sage Technologies (which becomes AmeriData Technologies). Feld becomes Chief Technology Officer. Feld Technologies becomes AmeriData Consulting. By 1997 AmeriData Consulting is a 400 person, $40 million organization and is sold to GE Capital.
Feld, Jilk become partners
Feld technologies becomes formalized when Feld and Jilk become partners. One month later they incorporate as an S-corporation. Together they build the company into one of Boston’s leading software consulting firms.
Feld: Brad, even though he could code, was out in the world trying to make rain. That’s oversimplifying what we did, but it was in large part our role in the business. There is no way I could make rain at all, and that is still not my strength. And, although Brad is capable of working on code, he was not motivated by it. He liked going out and finding clients, and having high level conversations.
Starts Feld Technologies
While while a sophomore at MIT he works part-time as a developer for a Dallas company. His work includes writing a management system for a very large dental practice with over 30,000 customers an engagement means he has to commute frequently between Los Angeles and Boston during school.
They paid me a royalty on all the software I developed for them, so I learned the value of being in business for yourself at an early age.
Felds lack of experience is his biggest challenge. After losing money for a few months in a row he fires staff, cuts costs and resets the business to grow more slowly and profitably. He credits his father and other mentors who helped him stay out of trouble.