Rebecca Weeks Watson Email & Phone Number

Charlotte, Nc, Us

Davidson, North Carolina, Us

In 2022, Davidson invited me to build and instruct an online course (available now and in perpetuity) hosted by edX, the global learning platform cofounded by MIT and Harvard. "Building a Lean Startup" is a 4 week asynchronous course that provides step-by-step guidance to help participants bring their business idea to life. It includes video lectures, guest interviews and exercises that together maximize participants' chances of success. At Davidson College's Hurt Hub for Innovation, I teach an entrepreneurship course open to students and adults with business ideas. The curriculum is focused on the Lean Startup method which involves immersive customer conversations, shortened product development cycles, and rapid discovery if a proposed business model is viable.

Charlottesville, Va, Us

Within the McIntire School of Commerce, I teach an Entrepreneurial Thinking semester-long course to students in the master's program, ranked the #1 Master's in Management program by The Economist. The curriculum I developed is a unique blend of psychology (building a mindset for risk-taking and failure tolerance), startup processes (design thinking and lean startup), and creative experimentation (hands-on projects). My objective is to equip and encourage students to think and act entrepreneurially in whatever industry or job function they pursue.

The Reveal is an inspirational and educational video series providing a behind-the-scenes look into how high-profile business moguls overcame adversity in their personal lives and used it as fuel for professional success. I sourced 15 of the most respected CEOs in the nation, honed my interview skills, learned film production and editing best practices, and solidified a distribution partnership with Option B (Sheryl Sandberg's nonprofit) all within 18 months.

I advised multiple startups including:- Ascendant Network, an invitation-only group of the leading Chief Marketing Officers in the U.S.- a digital platform for collecting survey responses/reactions - a dating/matchmaking service that saves singles time and frustration- an online luxury retailer- an app that connects family members- a new digital "wallet"- media company targeting professional women

- Acquired by RhythmOne in 2017- Part of the early founding team: pre-product and pre-revenue.- Responsible for the development, adoption and scale of RadiumOne's data collection software (online and mobile). My greatest achievement: Within 4 years our products were collecting data on 200 million monthly unique users.- Chosen to lead two of RadiumOne's newest product developments, launches and distribution:1) Po.st sharing platform for digital publishers. Used by 100,000 websites worldwide. Secured deals with 6 of the top ComScore 200 websites in the U.S. within 6 months of launch. 2) Po.st URL shortener for advertisers. Secured adoption by 950 brands within 2 years, cutting bit.ly's marketshare by 25%. Closed partnerships with Adobe Social, Sprinklr, Hootsuite.- Collaborated closely with Sales team to secure media buys and execute these ad campaigns across our publisher network.- Spoke at industry conferences on topics including digital and programmatic advertising, entrepreneurship, monetization, digital media revenue models, social media, social data, etc.

- U.S. Patent No. 7,592,910 was issued on 9/22/09 to me and four others.- Researched the matchmaking industry (online, mobile, and personal services) to identify strategies our startup company will use to improve long-term relationship building.- Worked with 5 experts in their fields (engineer, mathematician, psychologist, attorney and venture capitalist) to build intellectual property. - Filed 6 international patent applications.

Us

- Acquired by Meredith Corporation in 2010.- Built, launched, and grew DivineCaroline.com into a top 20 website for women in less than two years. Recruited advisors, authors and contributors with no marketing or content budget.- Secured and negotiated 300 legal contracts with partner publishers- Developed new syndication model; confirmed partners including Huffington Post, Yahoo, etc. - Concepted and launched the Real Girls Media Ad Network in 2007 (later SheKnows and Martha Stewart launched similar networks). Represented 40 top women's blogs and premium sites, generating $1 million in ad revenue per year.- Developed sponsored content programs between advertisers and leading female bloggers.

Dallas, Texas, Us

After conducting primary research related to dating behaviors and perceptions, I advised the CEO and Director of Analytics on new marketing strategies, targeting approaches, and positioning that was aligned with cultural changes.

Sydney, Au

- Acquired by DMG World Media in 2005.- Identified trends in digital and emerging media, as well as solutions for industry issues. Developed themes, topics, and session content for iMedia's Summits (9 per year). Recruited and trained keynote speakers. Composed each Summit's handbook.- Programmed and produced content for, directed and produced Variety Magazine & iMedia's annual entertainment marketing Summit. Educated executives about trends in consumer behavior and new business models.- Served as a regular columnist and thought leader for the #1 publication for digital advertisers and publishers. Helped increase readership from 4,000 to 100,000 senior marketing executives nationwide in less than 2 years. Composed articles contributing industry needs, solutions and best practices. - Interviewed CMOs to highlight innovative strategies, new campaigns and competitive forces.

- Single-handedly developed and presented 2002 Business Plan for the Private Capital Markets Group.- Helped clients raise $107 million funding in aggregate by conducting due diligence, evaluating and enhancing business plans, composing private placement memorandums, producing investor presentations, training management teams in presentation skills and facilitating Roadshows.- Researched emerging industries (media, telco, technology) to identify and qualify high return investments. Conducted quantitative research techniques using competitive trend analysis, capital evaluations, financial performance and ratio analysis. Modeled and forecasted revenues. Created and presented comprehensive reports to prospective investors.