envIO networks today announced that Manish Jha, a seasoned veteran of the mobile content industry, has joined the company as its President and Chief Executive Officer. Prakash Iyer, the company's co-founder and previous CEO, will now serve as envIO's Chief Technology Officer, as well as remaining on the company's Board of Directors.
"I'm very pleased to join envIO at an exciting point in the company's history" said Mr. Jha. "The company's product has reached deployment and maturity just as convergence of mobile and social networking has accelerated. The opportunity for mobile operators and content owners to leverage social marketing of mobile content is tremendous, and envIO is in a terrific position to lead the market in this area."
envIO recently announced deployments of its envIOWorksTM platform at Verizon Wireless in the United States and Bharti-Airtel in India, two market-leading mobile operators with a combined customer base well in excess of 125 million mobile subscribers.
"Manish Jha brings exceptional experience and leadership to envIO" said Jamie Goldstein, Partner with North Bridge Venture Partners and envIO Board of Directors member. "envIO is addressing the key challenges for the Mobile Web - effective discovery and monetization of mobile content. With his background and insight, Manish can lead the company to fully capitalize on this opportunity."
"We're thrilled to have Manish Jha join envIO" said Rob Soni, General Partner at Matrix Partners and a member of envIO's Board of Directors. "envIO is well-positioned to help its customers use social marketing to accelerate sales of mobile content. Manish's rich background in the mobile content industry will be a great asset to the company in the next stage of its growth."
Mr. Jha has spent over 17 years working on new media, with roles spanning general management, strategy and business operations. He most recently held the position of CEO at Vantrix Corporation, working on media transformation in the carrier and content markets. Prior to Vantrix, he worked at ESPN for over 16 years, launching and leading multiple new media ventures for the company.
Mr. Jha served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of ESPN Mobile, and oversaw all ESPN's mobile efforts, including the Mobile ESPN MVNO and all content licensing. He also held the position of Senior Vice President and General Manager, Emerging Media and Data Services for ESPN prior to the formation of ESPN Mobile.
The new media industry has recognized Mr. Jha many times for his contributions. He was named one of the "50 most influential people in streaming and technology" by Streaming Magazine, recognized as a member of the "CableFax 100" by CableFax magazine, and named in The Hollywood Reporter's "Who's Who in Mobile". Most recently, the Sports Business Journal named him one of the influential sports technology executives of the decade.
About envIO networks
envIO networks, inc. uses its envIOWorksTM platform to enable social marketing of any type of mobile content through mobile and social networks. Funded by premier venture capital players, Matrix Partners and North Bridge Venture Partners, envIO is working with top wireless operators and other industry leaders around the world. For more information, see www.envionetworks.com.