Suggestions
Ed Delfs
Founder and CEO, DSC
Professional Background
Ed Delfs is a distinguished Senior Executive with over 20 years of experience in global sales, strategy, and operations, primarily focused on the dynamic sectors of digital media, enterprise SaaS software, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. His remarkable career has been characterized by significant contributions to revenue growth in various industries, including eGaming, content marketing, social media, online/mobile/video advertising, and live events.
Throughout his career, Ed has successfully built, staffed, and scaled multiple large-scale digital media and social technology businesses. His entrepreneurial spirit has led him to pioneer innovative product and revenue categories across diverse sectors such as employee advocacy, music, finance, technology, and lifestyle. With a deep network of C-level executives, he has consistently driven revenue growth in both publicly traded digital media and technology companies as well as emerging startups.
Education and Achievements
Ed Delfs pursued his undergraduate studies in Anthropology with Honors at the University of Southern California, where he developed a keen understanding of human behavior and culture, both of which are invaluable in today’s interconnected technology landscape. He further advanced his education by earning a Master of Pacific International Affairs (MPIA) in International Business with a specialization in Japanese at the University of California, San Diego, Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies. This academic background equipped him with a global perspective that he has applied throughout his extensive career.
In addition to his successful roles in operational leadership, Ed is also a sought-after angel investor and CEO/Board Advisor for several early-stage technology, media, and consumer product companies. His expertise has made him an asset to organizations such as Dynamic Signal, Bravado, Tagspace, Nativo, and many more. Ed has played a pivotal role in guiding these companies towards growth and success while also being involved in real estate partnerships.
Notable Achievements
Ed's career is marked by significant roles in top-tier companies and contributions that have led to successful acquisitions. As the Chief Revenue Officer and Strategic Advisor at Maker Media, he was influential in shaping revenue strategies in a fast-paced marketplace. His tenure at Dynamic Signal as Chief Revenue Officer and Advisory Board Member saw the company acquired by Sumaru Equity Partners, showcasing his capability in driving substantial business value.
Previously, he held the position of Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Operations at UStream, leading to its acquisition by IBM, one of the technology industry's giants. During his time as Vice President of Global Ad Sales and Operations at Real Networks/Rolling Stone, Ed was instrumental in scaling advertising initiatives that spurred growth in digital content consumption. He also held key advertising sales roles at TheStreet.com and iVillage, where he honed his experience in ad sales and strategic growth initiatives.
Ed's ability to navigate the complexities of the media and technology sectors, combined with his keen strategic insight, has allowed him to effectively contribute to the success of numerous organizations. His deep rolodex of industry contacts and a proven ability to forge valuable partnerships have consistently placed him at the forefront of digital media innovation and strategy. Ed remains a pivotal figure in transforming industry landscapes and is well-respected among his peers.
Achievements
- Over 20 years of experience driving revenue growth in various sectors including digital media and enterprise software.
- Successfully built and scaled multiple large-scale digital media and social technology businesses.
- Pioneered new products and revenue streams in various categories including employee advocacy, finance, and lifestyle.
- Extensive network of C-level executives that support both established and emerging companies.
- Served in leadership roles in notable companies with successful exits and acquisitions, such as UStream (acquired by IBM) and Dynamic Signal (acquired by Sumaru Equity Partners).
- Active angel investor and advisor to multiple startups in technology, media, and consumer sectors.
Summary
Ed Delfs embodies the spirit of innovation and leadership within the fast-evolving digital landscape. His contributions have significantly impacted various industries, and his strategic approach continues to foster growth and success in organizations he is affiliated with. With his wealth of experience and extensive educational background, Ed stands as a testament to what it means to drive excellence in global sales and operations in today’s digital world.
Highlights
Congratulations Olivia Delfs (my daughter!) on your graduation from UCLA! Whether studying psychology, neuroscience or conservational biology, or conducting life-saving neurovascular research for Penumbra, Inc., you have always inspired and amazed us with your boundless curiosity, your tireless dedication to your work and your relentless drive to help others. And you somehow still found time to surf in your beloved ocean, to travel and explore the world with your wonderful friends, and to do important research and volunteer work with The Nature Conservancy and The Surfrider Foundation. Congratulations, you absolutely crushed your time at UCLA and we can't wait to see what your next chapter has in store for you. Watch out world! ❤️ #prouddad
On a Lands End hike in my beautiful SF this week a young woman boldly walked up to me and my friend Kevin Seidel and said "can I ask you guys a question?" to which we replied "of course!". She asked us "what would you tell your 25 year old self to do differently if you could?". We smiled and first asked her if she was ok, to which she smiled back and said yes, she was just thinking about some big life changes (perhaps quitting tech and going back for a PhD) and didn't want to make any huge mistakes.
My personal answers were to (1) keep doing exactly what you are doing, namely reaching out to people, asking questions, exploring and learning, (2) be an active, engaged listener. I mean REALLY listen, and really try to see other people's perspectives (I learned this later in life through some hard lessons), (3) as my dad always said, do what you love and the money will follow, and lastly (4) then invest every single dollar you can when you are young. Time and compounding will take care of the rest and when you are old like us you will get to make your own choices vs. your choices being made for you.
It was such a great question and such a lovely discussion that also got Kevin and me thinking about what we should tell ourselves now to help us through the next 25 years.
So, what would you tell your 25 year old self to have done differently? And would you still tell it to yourself now? 😀
This was our view during our discussion.
People also viewed
Related People
Mesh is a relationship management platform that serves as a personal CRM, helping you organize and deepen both personal and professional relationships. It functions as a beautiful rolodex and CRM available on iPhone, Mac, Windows, and web, built automatically to help manage your network efficiently. Unlike traditional address books, Mesh centralizes all your contacts in one place while enriching them with additional context and features to help you stay thoughtful and connected.
Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
- Network Strength: Visualizes the strength of your relationships relative to others in your network
- Timeline: Shows your relationship history with each contact
- Smart Search: Allows you to search using natural language like "People I know at the NYT" or "Designers I've met in London"
- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
- Home Feed: Displays updates about your network including job changes, news mentions, and birthdays
- Groups: Organizes contacts into meaningful categories
- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Mesh is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Mesh as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Mesh offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Mesh takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Mesh encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Mesh work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Mesh is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Mesh is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Mesh is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Mesh offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Mesh offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Mesh for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Mesh accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Mesh offers extensive integration capabilities. Mesh introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Mesh supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Mesh also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
Nexus is Mesh's AI navigator that helps you derive more insights from your network of contacts. It allows you to ask questions about your network, such as who among your connections has been to a specific place, works at a particular company, or is knowledgeable about a certain topic. Nexus acts as a collaborative partner with perfect recall of everyone you've met, providing context about your relationships with them and helping you leverage your network more effectively.
Mesh makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Mesh's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
Mesh isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Mesh instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Mesh is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Mesh can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Mesh is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Mesh's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Mesh has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Mesh a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Mesh's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Mesh's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Mesh has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.