Spark Capital Gains ‘Mo,’ as It Pushes Deeper Into NY Media and Entertainment Scene

Spark Capital today announced it has hired media and technology executive Moshe “Mo” Koyfman as a principal—making him a central part of the Boston-based venture firm’s deeper push into the New York (and national) media and entertainment technology space.

With some $620 million under management through two funds, Spark focuses its investments on the intersection between media, technology, and entertainment. This spring, it was involved in spurring the sale of CNET Networks, in which it had a major investment, to CBS. Other media and entertainment companies in its portfolio include the text messaging/social networking/microblogging service Twitter; cell phone ringtone and entertainment provider SendMe; Internet TV network Veoh; Eqal, the Los Angeles studio behind the cult Lonelygirl15 video series on YouTube; and Inform Technologies, a New York startup whose software powers the content-aggregation features of major news websites such as CNN.com  In July 2007, Wade spoke with Spark co-founder and general partner Todd Dagres about the firm’s growing media and entertainment presence.

Koyfman’s hiring is a part of that. Ten of Spark’s portfolio companies are now in New York—and Koyfman will divide his time between Spark’s Boston office and Manhattan. “Technology and the Internet are fundamentally altering and improving the ways in which we all interact with media and services,” he said in a statement. “And New York is continuing to churn out innovative entrepreneurs and businesses capitalizing on this evolution.”

Koyfman previously worked for six years at IAC. The New York-based Internet company, formerly known as InterActiveCorp., was put on the map in the early 2000s by media executive Barry Diller, and now claims to be the fourth-largest buyer of online media, with some 35 brands under its umbrella. Koyfman’s most recent title was chief operating officer of Connected Ventures, an IAC company that itself serves as the parent of CollegeHumor.com, BustedTees.com, and Vimeo.com. Spark’s new principal graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in economics and English.

Author: Robert Buderi

Bob is Xconomy's founder and chairman. He is one of the country's foremost journalists covering business and technology. As a noted author and magazine editor, he is a sought-after commentator on innovation and global competitiveness. Before taking his most recent position as a research fellow in MIT's Center for International Studies, Bob served as Editor in Chief of MIT's Technology Review, then a 10-times-a-year publication with a circulation of 315,000. Bob led the magazine to numerous editorial and design awards and oversaw its expansion into three foreign editions, electronic newsletters, and highly successful conferences. As BusinessWeek's technology editor, he shared in the 1992 National Magazine Award for The Quality Imperative. Bob is the author of four books about technology and innovation. Naval Innovation for the 21st Century (2013) is a post-Cold War account of the Office of Naval Research. Guanxi (2006) focuses on Microsoft's Beijing research lab as a metaphor for global competitiveness. Engines of Tomorrow (2000) describes the evolution of corporate research. The Invention That Changed the World (1996) covered a secret lab at MIT during WWII. Bob served on the Council on Competitiveness-sponsored National Innovation Initiative and is an advisor to the Draper Prize Nominating Committee. He has been a regular guest of CNBC's Strategy Session and has spoken about innovation at many venues, including the Business Council, Amazon, eBay, Google, IBM, and Microsoft.