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Lance Riedel

Serial Entrepreneur now consulting and flying (fixed wing and helicopter)

Professional Background

Lance Riedel is a distinguished technology strategist and innovative builder with a remarkable track record in the tech industry. He has not only founded two successful companies but also played a pivotal role in shaping the technical strategies of billion-dollar enterprises. As a visionary leader, Lance possesses a unique ability to connect technology with business innovation, driving growth and fostering new opportunities.

Throughout his career, Lance has built large, dynamic teams across both leading consumer and enterprise companies, and even at startups. He was instrumental in the founding of The Hive, a prominent Silicon Valley tech incubator, where he continues to advocate for innovation and pushes the boundaries of what is possible in technology.

With an insatiable passion for aviation, Lance holds both commercial helicopter and private fixed-wing pilot licenses. This passion for mechanics is reflected in his lifelong dedication to building and working on a variety of mechanical projects, including automobiles, motorcycles, and model airplanes. His blend of technical prowess and inventive spirit has set him apart as a true leader in the field.

Education and Achievements

Lance's academic journey is as impressive as his professional achievements. He studied Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin and pursued a B.S. in Computer Science with minors in Mathematics and Physics at Principia College. His international exposure expanded further as he studied at Beijing University of Technology and the University of Kansas’ School of Engineering, laying a solid foundation for his comprehensive understanding of technology and system engineering.

Notable Contributions and Innovations

Lance's entrepreneurial endeavors began with the co-founding of Kosei, where he collaborated with Stanford Professor Jure Leskovec. As CEO, Lance successfully guided the company from its conceptual phase to launch, ultimately leading to its acquisition by Pinterest. In addition, he co-founded Proximal Labs in the big data and matching platform space, which was also acquired by Jive Software.

Further showcasing his innovative spirit, Lance is the inventor and initial builder of Pinterest's groundbreaking search engine, known as Manas, which significantly contributes to the platform's search, recommendations, and ad selection functionalities. His expertise in the matching and social search domain is further highlighted by his impressive portfolio of 12 filed patents, with six granted thus far.

Lance's contributions to the tech community extend beyond his direct innovations. As the WSDM 2016 Industry Day Chair, he played a key role in organizing a platform that featured high-profile speakers, including industry leaders like Qi Lu and Ron Conway. Furthermore, he is a founding member of the Computational Advertising group at Yahoo! Research. Under his leadership, this team made significant advancements, publishing research at major conferences such as WWW, SIGIR, and CIKM, and created platforms that optimized contextual ad matching and search matching for Yahoo.

Achievements

  • Co-founded and served as CEO of Kosei, leading it to acquisition by Pinterest.
  • Co-founded Proximal Labs, a company focused on big data and matching platforms, later acquired by Jive Software.
  • Inventor of Pinterest's search engine, Manas, which improved search and ad selection operations.
  • Filed a total of 12 patents in matching and social search areas, with a strong track record of six patents granted.
  • Actively contributed as WSDM 2016 Industry Day Chair, enhancing the community and technical discourse.
  • Played a critical role as a founding member of the Computational Advertising group at Yahoo! Research, driving innovation in online advertising and content matching.

Related Questions

How did Lance Riedel leverage his background in Aerospace Engineering to innovate in the technology sector?
What inspired Lance Riedel to transition from traditional engineering roles to becoming a technology entrepreneur?
In what ways has Lance Riedel's work at Pinterest influenced the development of social media advertising?
How does Lance Riedel's passion for aviation complement his career as a technology strategist?
What challenges did Lance Riedel face while leading teams in both startup and corporate environments, and how did he overcome them?
Lance Riedel
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Location

Austin, Texas Metropolitan Area