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Mark de Jong
CEO @ Axello: Helping companies to accelerate their video business through innovation, technology, business and strategy
Professional Background
Mark de Jong is a distinguished business development leader and sales executive renowned for his extensive expertise in the technology and media landscape. With an impressive 20 years in online video and 15 years focused on video distribution, Mark has established himself as an authority in the realm of Content Delivery Networks (CDN), Over-the-top (OTT) media services, IPTV, and video streaming. His technical background, combined with a strong network of industry contacts, allows him to thrive in high-pressure environments and drive exceptional business growth.
Over the years, Mark has been instrumental in shaping the strategic direction of various enterprises and startups, harnessing his profound understanding of media workflows, Quality of Experience (QoE), low-latency solutions, and Edge computing. His roles have ranged from Chief Executive Officer of Axello to critical positions in companies such as Deutsche Telekom AG and Mediamelon, where he consistently demonstrated his capability to innovate and implement strategic initiatives that resonate with the fast-evolving demands of the digital age.
Education and Achievements
Mark de Jong pursued his studies in Design at Haagse Hogeschool/Th Rijswijk in The Hague, The Netherlands. While he also has a background in business administration, his hands-on experiences in the fast-paced tech sector have honed his strategic, technical, and sales competencies far beyond conventional academic paths.
Mark has made significant contributions to the growth and development of several organizations, either by co-founding them or serving in senior roles. He played a critical role as the co-founder of Cdn Related Player and has contributed to the growth of organizations including Infuse Video and Jet-Stream Bv, where his innovative strategies and business development acumen led to enhanced market positioning and substantial ROI. Mark's position as a former advisory board member at Infuse Video further underscores his influence and commitment to connecting innovative technologies with real-world applications.
Achievements
Mark de Jong's career is marked by notable achievements that highlight his leadership and visionary approach in the fields of technology and media. He has successfully navigated through various roles that have equipped him with a diversified skill set. Highlights of his achievements include:
- CEO at Axello: Leading the organization with a focus on innovation and strategic partnerships, Mark has fostered a culture of excellence that emphasizes cutting-edge technology and forward-thinking strategies.
- Pioneering Solutions in Video Delivery: Through his tenure in CDN and video distribution, he has been at the forefront of creating robust solutions that enhance user experience across streaming platforms.
- Industry Leadership: Mark's involvement in organizations like the Dutch Adobe User Group Association, where he served as Secretary and Co-Founder, showcases his dedication to community and professional development within the tech industry.
- Comprehensive Knowledge Base: His expertise spans a wide range of interests such as SVOD, TVOD, AVOD, and innovative technology trends like AR/VR, Blockchain, and AI/ML, positioning him as a thought leader in the intersection of technology and media.
Mark’s diverse experiences and proven track record in business development, sales, and technology consultancy make him a valuable resource for companies looking to leverage technology for growth. He encourages industry professionals and potential partners to reach out via email at [email protected] or phone at +31643819277 to discuss how he can assist in achieving their business objectives.
Highlights
Last week, I had several engagements related to ‘offloading’ content delivery. There were also some recent announcements in that direction, such as the one by Broadpeak and BT on MAUD (https://bit.ly/3x9tvJb), the CDN Federation discussion as part of my last post (https://bit.ly/4arZ2nJ), and Guillaume Bichot's post on his idea of Open Casting (https://bit.ly/3xiUW2X). There seems to be a more significant interest in offloading, but I think many people are starting to lose the overview.
IMHO, offloading is nothing more than using a cleverer (technical) way of distributing content from one environment to another environment that brings an advantage. The advantages can be offloading interconnections, more efficient delivery within an operator, avoiding peak issues, improving quality, cost savings, delaying investments, and so on.
But what ‘offloading’ methodologies exist (not differentiating on video and other content types)? I’ve personally categorized them into several groups: ‘Cache Offload’, which are mechanisms like SVTA’s Open Caching and other open and closed initiatives, ‘Multicast Offload’, which are the ones like the well-known mABR, but also regular multicast and MAUD from BT, ‘Terrestrial Offload’ which relates to initiatives related to DVB and ASTC 3.0 and such, ‘Satellite Offload’ which is offloading from satellite to edge (e.g. https://bit.ly/4aqfpkF ) and the LEO opportunities, ‘Edge Offload’ which consists of offloading directly into (micro)edge infrastructures like MEC or other Edge based IaaS infrastructures, ‘Mobile Offload’ where technologies like for instance 5G Broadcast/Multicast would fall under, and ‘Distributed Offload’ where you more look into the likes of P2P/MESH/Blockchain initiatives.
The above list is just a high-level overview. I'm trying to keep it simple, and I’m sure things are missing (add them in the comments). Also, some of the initiatives overlap or (can) work hand in hand with each other. I think a detailed overview would be very beneficial for many organizations. Maybe some organizations will sponsor me to write a full overview for this? ;)
The main question with this is how widely it has been adopted and how well it does or will work. The answer is that nobody knows. Nobody is tracking those numbers. Thierry Fautier stated (see: (https://bit.ly/3TQJlBi) that there are performance benefits in relation to mABR and Open Caching. And yes, mABR and Open Caching are deployed at several operators. All the others are still mostly WIP. It all might work technically, but is it operationally feasible on a larger scale? Is it commercially relevant? Does it bring the expected benefits? Will it solve the long-term challenges ahead? We don't know. Aren’t we chasing ghosts with so many offloading mechanisms and making our lives harder? Let me know :)
#insights #news #contentdelivery #cdn #contentdistribution #streaming #streamingvideo #cdnallianceorg #axello
Looking forward being back at MWC!! Meet me and the Compira Labs team to show you how we've managed to reduce video rebuffering with 50% on 5G whilst boosting average video quality at the same time. If you have challenges with video delivery, make sure you visit us to help you solve it! See you there!
#5g #mwc23 #videostreaming #cdn #contentdelivery #streamingmedia
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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.