Number of Portfolio Companies 3
Number of Exits 
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  • Primary Job Title Founder & CEO
  • Primary Organization 
    HAAWK
  • Investor Type  Individual/Angel
  • Investor Stage  Seed
  • Number of Exits 

Ryan Born is the Founder & CEO of HAAWK, Inc. a VC backed digital rights management and copyright administration agency specializing in YouTube and Facebook/Instagram rights management and digital distribution services. He started his career in the Atlanta office of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ (PwC) Assurance and Business Advisory Services

Practice where he gained experience in an array of industries. Ryan later transferred to New York City to broaden his experience in the firm’s Tax and Legal Services division. After PwC, he served as VP of Finance and Financial Controller at WireImage.com during which time the Company was acquired by Getty Images for $208 million. After WireImage, he angel invested in Internet Marketing Inc. and NewCondosOnline.com, the largest one-stop resource for finding and comparing new condo developments, where he also served as CFO. In 2007, he relocated to Los Angeles and founded AudioMicro, Inc, which operates a network of digital content licensing marketplaces, each targeted at a specific vertical — celebrity photos (ImageCollect), stock music & sound effects (AudioMicro), and YouTube monetization (AdRev). In 2015, the Zealot Networks acquired a majority of the company for over $20M. Prior to Zealot's acquisition, the Company was backed by DFJ Frontier, part of the largest VC network in the world with over $7B under management, and Fotolia LLC, a leading stock photo marketplace with over 12 million images which itself was acquired by Adobe in 2014 for $800M.

Ryan graduated Beta Gamma Sigma with an undergraduate degree in Accounting/Marketing & Art history and a Studio Art minor from Emory University. In addition, he possesses a Masters of Accounting Science degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He holds an active CPA license with the State Board of Accountancy of his home state, Tennessee, and previously served on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Venture Association (LAVA).

Number of Investments 3
Ryan Born has made 3 investments. Their latest investment was Seed Round - Internet Marketing on Jan 1, 2008, when
Announced Date  
Organization Name  
Lead Investor  
Funding Round  
Money Raised  
Jan 1, 2008
Internet Marketing
Seed Round - Internet Marketing
Dec 1, 2006
NewCondosOnline
Seed Round - NewCondosOnline
May 17, 2006
MediaVast
Series C - MediaVast
$15M
Number of Exits 
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Ryan Born has exits. Their most notable exits are MediaVast and Internet Marketing.
  • MediaVast MediaVast provides visual content and related services for media, advertising agencies, broadcast networks and mobile carriers.
  • Internet Marketing Internet Marketing Inc is a company that primarily focuses on marketing to businesses.
Number of Current Jobs 2
Number of Past Jobs 10
Ryan Born has 2 current jobs as Founder & CEO at HAAWK and Founder at AudioMicro. Additionally, Ryan Born has had 10 past jobs including CEO at AdRev.
Organization Name  
Title At Company  
Start Date  
End Date  
AdRev
CEOJul 27, 2007Sep 15, 2015
AudioMicro
CEONov 20, 2007Sep 15, 2015
AdRev
FounderNov 1, 2007Sep 2015
Internet Marketing
InvestorJan 2009Oct 2012
Audioo
CEOMar 1, 2010Dec 1, 2010
MediaVast
VP Finance & Financial ControllerApr 1, 2004Jun 30, 2007
WireImage
VP Finance & Financial ControllerApr 1, 2004Jun 30, 2007
PwC
Assurance and Business Advisory ServicesJun 2000Mar 2004
NewCondosOnline
CFO
Getty Images
VP Finance - WireImage.com
Number of Past Board & Advisor Roles 2
Organization Name  
Title At Company  
Start Date  
End Date  
Zealot Networks
AdvisorSep 2015Oct 2016
Los Angeles Venture Association
Board MemberAug 2011Aug 2013
Ryan Born studied at Emory University and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Number of Events 1
Ryan Born has participated in 1 event, SF MusicTech Summit on Oct 1, 2014.