William Crowder

Co-Founder & Managing Partner

2020 - Current

Venture Partner

2017

Entrepreneur In Residence

2017 - 2021

Part of the leadership team for the Morgan Stanley Multicultural Innovation Lab, an accelerator program designed for startups with multicultural founders including women and people of color. The Lab has invested in and supported over 30 early stage ventures since inception.

Lead Investor, Catalyst Fund

2012 - 2017

Actively responsible for deal sourcing and investment evaluation activities associated with the Comcast Ventures' Catalyst Fund, a $20M venture capital fund focused on investing in early stage tech companies led by diverse and talented entrepreneurs.

Managing Director/Founder

2008 - 2017

Growth Strategy Advisors, LLC is a strategic advisory and consulting firm serving the strategic and operational needs of growth-oriented companies. With deep knowledge in key growth industries (including media & technology) and strong strategic partner relationships, GS Advisors, has created unmatched value for many of the world’s most recognizable companies and brands. Recent client engagements have included: Managed the planning, development, and launch of an online venture for a $350MM media company with radio, TV, and print holdings. Created blueprint for turning strategy into a fully operational business with 60+ web properties. Developed organizational structures, defined roles and responsibilities, and oversaw product, sales, and programming activities. Maintained profit and loss responsibility for the new venture until permanent management team was established. Led the post-merger integration of privately-held digital media entities (3 companies, 150+ employees) with a publicly traded traditional media company (1,000+ employees). Directed all integration activities related to Operations, Finance, Human Resources, Real Estate, and Technology to establish a fully operational $25MM interactive business unit. Designed and implemented strategic planning process for management team of an online publisher including all key functions (Finance, Marketing, HR, Product Development, Programming, and Business Development). Guided team in determining corporate and department level goals. Implemented progress management system to ensure milestone and performance near and long-term achievement.

Managing Director

2011 - 2016

Responsible for the oversight and operation of our newly announced Comcast Minority Entrepreneur Accelerator Program. Activities will include identifying high-quality minority-led startups, building a unique business building experience, and guiding their development towards Demo Day - an opportunity to pitch their startups to angel investors and VCs for follow-on funding.

Director Strategy Business Development

2007 - 2008

Transformed the post-merger operations of 4 advertising businesses into AOL's $1.7B advertising entity, Platform-A. Served at the corporate level and developed comprehensive strategies, managed business unit performance, and advised executives throughout the execution process. Managed business unit relationships to ensure synergies between the operations were realized. Realigned compensation philosophies into a cohesive incentive structure. Delivered on-going performance-based communications to the president of the business and AOL LLC operating committee. Led business development and operational improvement activities to close a $30MM revenue gap vs. company budget. Developed strategy to grow online advertising sales by $150MM. Led the selection of new customer segments, modifications of sales activities, and installation of a new sales force effectiveness program resulting in 6 consecutive quarters of 25-50% sales growth. Spearheaded the reorganization of AOL's national ad sales unit online advertising unit to reposition the division for >10% annual revenue growth. Led a cross-functional team of executives in redefining the business model - including sales process redesign, staff reductions, and creation of new functional groups.

Senior Manager, Operational Effectiveness Program

2004 - 2007

Devised plan to strategically wind down operations of AOL's worldwide customer support and call center operations. Orchestrated aggressive cost reduction initiatives to maximize cash flow in the midst of significant subscriber decline and dwindling revenues.; Advised buyout group on the acquisition and subsequent merger of multiple business services companies. Developed the strategic plan and assisted in fundraising effort to finance the transaction creating the combined $30MM entity in the digital reproduction and corporate mailing services business segments. Developed strategy to acquire and grow an $80MM consumer beverage brand. Strategic growth plan included detailed plans for enhancing the brand's positioning, brand extension opportunities, and add-on acquisition targets.

Manager, Global Strategy

2001 - 2002

Managed the team that provided full analytical support to corporate executives. Delivered detailed product development plans that helped the business fill product gaps and generate $100MM in revenue and $15MM in profit over a 3-year period. Led the evaluation of global acquisition targets with revenues of $10MM - $400MM. Provided analytical and organizational support to the executive team. Advised executives on targets, potential operating models, integration strategies, and purchase prices.

Associate

1999 - 2001

Led due diligence activities for the $280MM management buyout of a financial payment processing business. Assessed the investment risks based on the sustainability of their proprietary technology advantage. Conducted in-depth customer and competitive analyses to forecast future competitive moves and validate management team's growth strategy. Assisted in the recruitment of loan syndicate resulting in successful closing of the transaction and subsequent IPO. Evaluated and rationalized marketing activities of large pre-IPO life insurance company. Benchmarked marketing expenses of publicly traded competitors. Evaluated return on investment on marketing and aggressively reduced spending to align it with corresponding revenue and policy growth. Managed 4-person strategic due diligence team that assessed the market potential and determined key success factors for executing a rollup of 7 companies in the ecommerce space. Developed a merger integration plan for management, operations, and technology.

Summer Associate

1998 - 1998