Philanthroseek
Infoseek founder Steve Kirsch proves that not all tech execs are skinflints when it comes to charity. Kirsch and his wife, Michele, run a foundation whose grantees range from the United Way to a group that scans the skies for killer asteroids. He also recently helped found Silicon Valley Social Venture, a philanthropy fund that he hopes will inspire high tech execs to open their wallets: "[Valley VIPs] think, 'I worked hard to make a lot of money. What's the point of giving it away?'"
Steven and Michele Kirsch Foundation: software.infoseek.com/stk/charity/charity.htm
Data Server
Even by geek standards, Dina Bitton's expertise - data warehousing - is giga-geeky. But being able to combine very large databases into efficient information depositories has become a must-have competitive edge, and Bitton's Integrated Data Systems is emerging as a player. IDS software helps users find the data they want when they want it - what a concept! - without having to duplicate, sort, or store redundant sets of data, the cause of most expense and waste. After launching two startups now run by others, Bitton sees IDS as her chance to prove herself as CEO. "This time," she says, "the vision is staying with me."
Prying Eyes
Once a scared 18-year-old fleeing the Khomeini regime in Iran, Mahboud Zabetian now heads AG Group, a network analysis company whose recently released software might seem to smack of the Ayatollah. WatchPoint, designed for companies that want demographic data on Web site users, lets marketers pry into packets traveling through any wire. But Zabetian's past has made him mindful of privacy. WatchPoint, for example, can't reconstruct email or track employees. "I'd rather have us develop this software than someone else," says Zabetian.
Deja View
If Tom Phillips has that funny feeling he's been here before, it's because he has. The 43-year-old president and CEO of Deja.com (formerly Deja News) is drawing on past successes to revamp the venerable Usenet archive site, blending the sassiness of Spy Magazine (which he cofounded) with the technical elegance of Starwave's ESPN SportsZone and ABCNews.com Web sites (which he helped launch). Phillips added new capabilities to Deja.com that let users rate everything from laptops to radio personalities, and he wants to add more ecommerce elements. "By creating all this data, we can help people decide which cell phone to buy or which candidate to vote for," he says. "It's a power-to-the-people approach."
Urban Outfitter
When Sony asked former Disney Imagineering designer Trevor Bryant to create an urban entertainment center, the company gave him free rein to create a space to fit the name. Five years later, his answer is the $85 million Metreon (www.metreon.com ), which recently opened in San Francisco. The mall/multiplex holds 15 theaters (plus an Imax) and an adventure zone dominated by monstrous circuit panels. "I've got high expectations," Bryant says, "but what I really care about is what my kids think."
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