Ben Werdmuller

Ben Werdmuller Email and Phone Number

Senior Director of Technology at ProPublica | Building an open social web @ ProPublica
Ben Werdmuller's Location
Greater Philadelphia, United States, United States
Ben Werdmuller's Contact Details
About Ben Werdmuller

Tech strategist and builder with over 20 years of experience leading innovative, empathetic, and inclusive teams. Dedicated to creating open, accessible web technologies that empower users. Former co-founder of Elgg and Known and a driving force behind community-centric platforms. Currently leading technology initiatives at ProPublica, with a focus on autonomy, independence, and open standards. Passionate about fostering inclusive environments and shaping ethical, decentralized systems. Always seeking new ways to innovate and build a better web.Please note that I am NOT currently investing and can’t take pitches.

Ben Werdmuller's Current Company Details
ProPublica

Propublica

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Senior Director of Technology at ProPublica | Building an open social web
Ben Werdmuller Work Experience Details
  • Propublica
    Senior Director Of Technology
    Propublica Feb 2024 - Present
    New York, New York, Us
    I lead the development and execution of ProPublica's technology strategy. As well as a team of talented product developers, I lead an enterprise technology (IT) group that supports the organization's work.
  • Propublica
    Technology Consultant
    Propublica May 2023 - Feb 2024
    New York, New York, Us
  • The 19Th
    Chief Technology Officer
    The 19Th Mar 2022 - Apr 2023
    Austin, Texas, Us
    The 19th is a non-profit newsroom focusing on gender, politics, and policy. I was its first CTO and defined the technology team’s role within the newsroom.I led the hiring and mentorship of engineers, cultivated an open, transparent team culture, and served as the lead engineer, building everything from features for the website to establishing a self-hosted encrypted VPN. I steered a transition to WordPress VIP as the core CMS platform, and developed an equity-focused process for making technology decisions overall. I was also an integral member of the senior leadership team, helping to shape organizational strategy.
  • Forusall
    Head Of Engineering
    Forusall Sep 2019 - Mar 2022
    San Francisco, California, Us
    ForUsAll aims to help more people save for retirement. I was the Head of Engineering, reporting to the CEO, and effectively acted as the CTO for the organization.I built and led a 22-person engineering team, and oversaw all technology decisions. This included revamping the hiring process for engineers to become more open and equitable. I also shepherded the company through a SOC 2 security audit process, established digital security practices like an encrypted VPN, and helped to transition the company to remote working in a post-Covid environment.ForUsAll pivoted to allow savers to include alternative investments in their retirement portfolio. I assisted in this process, helping to scope and design integrations with third-party trading platforms.
  • Unlock Inc
    Vp Product Development
    Unlock Inc Aug 2018 - Aug 2019
    New York, Ny, Us
    Unlock is an open source startup building a protocol for membership on the open web. I was its first employee, helping to establish the engineering team and guide its initial strategy.As well as establishing a cross-disciplinary, open source development team, I actively worked on the core Node and React / Redux codebase, including some integration with the Ethereum blockchain.
  • Matter.
    Director Of Investments (San Francisco)
    Matter. Jan 2017 - Aug 2018
    San Francisco, Ca, Us
    Matter was a venture capital accelerator for media startups backed by partners like PRX, KQED, the New York Times, and the Associated Press. As its west coast Director of Investments, I was responsible for sourcing, investing in, and supporting startups that participated in the accelerator in San Francisco.I led and executed the west coast investment strategy, ultimately investing in 24 startups across diverse verticals, and helping to support a total portfolio of 73. I led mentorship sessions for portfolio startups that included fundraising, technical decision-making, and team culture. Additionally, I co-taught the product design side of the accelerator itself: a 5-month course on venture design thinking and product strategy for startups and teams drawn from our media partners.
  • Medium.Com
    Senior Engineer
    Medium.Com Mar 2016 - Jan 2017
    San Francisco, California, Us
    Medium is a top 100 website focused on in-depth, quality writing. I joined the team after it acquired Known. I was an integral member of the publications team, building features to support major platforms like The Ringer and ThinkProgress. I built export tools, supported the use of custom domains, and co-founded an Openness Circle that worked on support for standards like Do Not Track. I also facilitated discussions about Medium’s response to the 2016 election.
  • Known, Inc
    Co-Founder
    Known, Inc May 2014 - 2016
    San Francisco, Ca, Us
    Known is an open source publishing platform that powers mobile-first communities. I co-founded the startup and both wrote and conceived of the first versions of the software.I built an open open source platform and community, and secured funding from Matter Ventures. Customers for our platform included KQED, Davidson College, and Harvard University; KQED received a NAMLE media literacy award for the site we built together.The open source platform continues to exist today, but the startup was acquired by Medium.
  • Latakoo
    Chief Technology Officer
    Latakoo May 2010 - May 2014
    Austin, Tx, Us
    Latakoo allows TV journalists to swiftly transfer videos back to their newsrooms, where it arrives in the format of the newsroom’s choice, via any internet connection. Its customers include NBC News, Nexstar Media Group, and Spectrum News.I was its first employee and helped the startup define and build its core product. I also conceived of its co-located enterprise product, Latakoo Hub, which has helped bring the startup to profitability. While I was on the team, Latakoo’s software facilitated news video transfers from locations including the Sochi Olympics, Syria, Mount Everest, and Air Force One.I’m the co-author of two patents that were granted for this work, and remain a member of the Latakoo Board of Directors.
  • Edinburgh Festivals
    Geek In Residence
    Edinburgh Festivals Sep 2010 - Sep 2011
    • Designed and constructed a data API for the Edinburgh Festivals, collectively the world's largest arts festival.• Collaborated with disparate arts organizations to address their digital requirements.• Co-hosted a hackathon targeting Scotland's creative sector.
  • Elgg
    Co-Founder / Cto
    Elgg Jan 2004 - Apr 2009
    Elgg was one of the first white label social networking platforms. I co-founded and developed the platform, built a thriving open source community, and worked on everything from sales and marketing to cultivating deep partnerships with institutions around the world. Elgg powered networks for governments (Australia, Netherlands, Canada), NGOs like Oxfam, and Fortune 500 companies like Hill & Knowlton. It was translated into over 80 languages and attracted hundreds of active contributors.Curverider was the startup founded to provide commercial services for Elgg. I served as CTO, while Dave Tosh was CEO. In reality, we both led business operations and collaborated technically.We bootstrapped the startup to profitability: our first client was MIT, with whom we worked on the first OpenCourseWare platform. We subsequently worked with the University of Brighton to launch the world’s first social network to roll out campus-wide at a university. We received extensive coverage in outlets like the Guardian, ZDNet, and TechCrunch, and received a Best in Open Source Software award from InfoWorld.We launched a hosted social networking platform in direct competition with Ning, and created a semi-distributed social network called Explode that attracted the attention of press and investors. The latter led to us raising investment and hiring a team.Curverider was ultimately acquired by Thematic Networks in 2010.
  • Saïd Business School
    Web Administrator
    Saïd Business School Mar 2005 - Jun 2006
    Oxford, Oxfordshire, Gb
  • The University Of Edinburgh
    Web Developer
    The University Of Edinburgh Jun 2003 - Sep 2004
    Edinburgh, Gb

Ben Werdmuller Skills

Web Development Open Source Web Applications Start Ups Social Media Entrepreneurship Mysql Social Networking Product Management Strategy Business Strategy Mobile Applications Elgg Social Media Marketing Software Development Html 5 Public Speaking Management Software Engineering Apis Web Project Management Cloud Computing Leadership User Experience Html5 Javascript Web Standards Enterprise Software Design Thinking Social Web Product Evangelism Linux Lamp Cms It Strategy Technology Evangelism Web Strategy Enterprise Social Networking Social Software Amazon Web Services E Commerce Consulting Business Development Project Management Due Diligence Valuation Venture Capital Venture Financing Digital Media Strategic Partnerships Blogging Software Design Business Analysis Cross Functional Team Leadership Agile Methodologies Product Strategy

Ben Werdmuller Education Details

  • The University Of Edinburgh
    The University Of Edinburgh
    Computer Science
  • Stanford University
    Stanford University
    And Public Policy For Practitioners

Frequently Asked Questions about Ben Werdmuller

What company does Ben Werdmuller work for?

Ben Werdmuller works for Propublica

What is Ben Werdmuller's role at the current company?

Ben Werdmuller's current role is Senior Director of Technology at ProPublica | Building an open social web.

What is Ben Werdmuller's email address?

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What is Ben Werdmuller's direct phone number?

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What schools did Ben Werdmuller attend?

Ben Werdmuller attended The University Of Edinburgh, Stanford University.

What are some of Ben Werdmuller's interests?

Ben Werdmuller has interest in Saas, Ventures For Good, Mobile, Digital Media, Technology, Web Development, Education, Social Media Platforms, Games, Consumer Internet.

What skills is Ben Werdmuller known for?

Ben Werdmuller has skills like Web Development, Open Source, Web Applications, Start Ups, Social Media, Entrepreneurship, Mysql, Social Networking, Product Management, Strategy, Business Strategy, Mobile Applications.

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