Bio - Web Augustine
Web Augustine originally founded HiWire in 2006 to fill a niche in retained search that is almost never addressed well by the largest search firms, or even by most smaller boutique firms – providing high-quality executive search services to early-stage companies at entrepreneur-friendly fees and terms.
Web restarted HiWire in 2015 to provide a wider range of recruiting and sourcing services for startups and somewhat larger companies, as well as business / product planning and fundraising services for startups.
Web restarted HiWire in 2015 to provide a wider range of recruiting and sourcing services for startups and somewhat larger companies, as well as business / product planning and fundraising services for startups.
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Summary
Founder and CEO HiWire 2015 - present Research Partner Equity Search Partners 2013 - 2015 Founder and CEO HiWire 2006 - 2013 Founder and CEO Strategic Web Ventures 1997 - 2005 VP of Business Development Places to Stay (became WorldRes) 1996 Founding VP of Marketing and Business Development VeriSign 1995 VP of Marketing and Sales and Head of the Digital Certificate team that became VeriSign RSA Data Security 1992 - 1995 Sales Representative Sun Microsystems 1988 - 1991 Manager of the Product Marketing Group MIPS Computer Systems 1985 - 1988 Product Line Manager Sun Microsystems 1983 - 1985 Product Manager Hewlett-Packard 1980 - 1983 BS Mechanical Engineering degree Stanford University 1980 |
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More Detailed Bio
Web Augustine is a Silicon Valley veteran with over 20 years of experience in marketing, sales, consulting, executive search and sourcing. Web has contributed early-stage marketing expertise to several leading-edge, high-profile startups and spent the vast majority of his entire career working with emerging companies.
After graduating from Stanford University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Web joined a startup division of Hewlett-Packard in Vancouver, WA. The 40 employees when he joined in 1980 eventually grew to over 3,000 people. Web was the first Product Manager to work with what became the wildly successful DeskJet family of inkjet printers.
In September 1983, Web joined Sun Microsystems as employee 152 and only the second hardware-oriented Product Manager in the company. After being promoted to Product Line Manager, he had responsibility for the Sun-2 and Sun-3 workstation families in the days when Sun was in a real dogfight with Apollo Computer. Web was lured away in 1985 to join MIPS Computer Systems as head of Product Marketing and one of the first 20 employees of this RISC microprocessor and systems startup. In 1988, Web wanted to gain some sales experience to complement his seven years of technical Product Marketing. The best path proved to be rejoining Sun as a Sales Rep in Silicon Valley. He utilized his product knowledge and company contacts to quickly become one of the top performers. He averaged 120% of quota for three years, helping the company grow to 13,000 employees.
With a desire to get back to a significantly smaller company, Web joined RSA Data Security in 1992 as one of the first 14 employees. He was quickly promoted to VP of Marketing and Sales with responsibility for the licensing of RSA’s security software. Web led the very successful campaign to position RSA’s public key cryptosystem as key enabling technology for a wide range of security, Internet and e-commerce applications. The technology eventually was licensed to virtually all the major e-commerce companies, including Netscape, Microsoft, AOL, IBM, Intel, Apple and Visa, as well as many other industry leaders.
While still leading the sales and marketing efforts at RSA, Web initiated work to establish a trusted entity for issuing digital certificates to support RSA public keys. He co-wrote the business plan and led the successful effort to spin off VeriSign as a separate company, raising a $5.3M Series A round from Visa, Intel, Mitsubishi and Bessemer Venture Partners in May of 1995. Web drove VeriSign’s early product and market vision and strategic relationships as the founding VP of Marketing and Business Development.
Web took a brief fling with a consumer-oriented business in 1996, joining Places to Stay (later known as WorldRes) as VP of Business Development. He significantly enhanced the business plan used to raise a $4M Series A round for this very-early Internet hotel reservation network. However, this experience confirmed Web’s strong passion for working with smaller companies delivering innovative technology targeted towards sophisticated enterprise, B2B and OEM customers.
From 1997 to 2005, Web was CEO and Founder of Strategic Web Ventures, a strategic marketing consulting firm that also provided interim management coverage and fund raising assistance to emerging Silicon Valley technology companies. He wrote the business plan and was Acting VP of Marketing and Business Development for eight months at DigiCash, an early micropayments pioneer. Web wrote business plans and/or provided consulting services instrumental to the successful fundraising efforts by BidCom (became known as Citadon), CrossCommerce and SageWare. Web also was an early stage investor and Advisory Board member for companies such as CyberBills, CompareItAll.com, Proxio and Fireclick.