David Bohnett
Encyclopedia
Life and career
Bohnett was born in Chicago, Illinois. He is the Chairman of the David Bohnett Foundation, a non-profit, grant-making organization with the stated goal of "improving society through social activism." In 1994, along with John Rezner, he co-founded GeoCitiesGeoCities
Yahoo! GeoCities is a web hosting service, currently available only in Japan.GeoCities was originally founded by David Bohnett and John Rezner in late 1994 as Beverly Hills Internet . In its original form, site users selected a "city" in which to place their web pages...
, an Internet-based media and e-commerce company, publicly traded on NASDAQ and subsequently acquired by Yahoo! Inc in 1999. In 1998, he was ranked #16 on Time Digital's list of Cyber Elite.
In addition to GeoCities, Bohnett, has had significant involvement with a number of web ventures, including NetZero
NetZero
NetZero is an Internet service provider based in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. It is a subsidiary of United Online, owner of Juno Online Services and BlueLight Internet Services. The current chairman, president, and CEO of United Online is Mark Goldston.- History :NetZero launched in...
, Stamps.com
Stamps.com
Stamps.com is a Los Angeles, California-based company that provides Internet-based mailing and shipping services. Stamps.com is a public company and trades on the NYSE exchange under the symbol STMP.- History :On April 13, 1998, the U.S...
, LowerMyBills, Gamesville, PlanetOut Inc.
PlanetOut Inc.
PlanetOut Inc. was a public media and entertainment company exclusively targeting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender demographic...
, MediaVast, and Xdrive
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
. He currently serves as Chairman of OVGuide.com. He manages OVGuide.com as well as a portfolio of investments through his early stage technology fund, Baroda Ventures. In 2010, Baroda Ventures invested $250,000 into the gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
social network
Social network service
A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, who, for example, share interests and/or activities. A social network service consists of a representation of each user , his/her social...
Fabulis
Fabulis
Fab.com was developed in 2010 to be a gay social networking site not focused on dating and relationships. In March 2011 the owners relaunched the site as an online retailer.- Company history :...
.
He is the Chairman of the Board of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, and Trustee of amFar, the Foundation for AIDS Research and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). He is also a supporter of the effort to clean up Lake Agawam in Southampton, New York
Southampton (village), New York
Southampton is a village in Suffolk County, New York, USA. The village is named after the Earl of Southampton. The Village of Southampton is in the southeast part of the county in the Town of Southampton...
.
Bohnett received his MBA in finance from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business
Ross School of Business
The Stephen M. Ross School of Business is the business school of the University of Michigan. Numerous publications have ranked the Ross School of Business' Bachelor of Business Administration , Master of Business Administration and Executive Education programs among the top in the country and the...
, and a BS in business administration from the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. In addition, he has lectured at the Marshall School of Business
Marshall School of Business
The USC Marshall School of Business is a private research and academic institution at the University of Southern California. It is the largest of USC's 17 professional schools. The current Dean is James G. Ellis. In 1997 the school was renamed following a US$35 million donation from alumnus Gordon S...
at USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, and was named a Regents' Lecturer at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Personal
Bohnett and his significant other, radio and internet personality and socio-political and entertainment industry commentator Tom GregoryTom Gregory (producer)
Tom Gregory is an American entertainer and socio-political commentator.-Biography:Tom Gregory is an actor, radio personality, and a socio-political and entertainment industry commentator...
, live in Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
.
Bohnett was involved in a ten year relationship with Los Angeles Municipal Court judge and AIDS activist Rand Schrader
Rand Schrader
Rand Schrader was an AIDS and gay rights activist who also served as a judge of the Los Angeles Municipal Court.-Early life and education:Schrader was born in Los Angeles, California...
until Schrader's death in 1993. Bohnett was Schrader's life insurance beneficiary
Beneficiary
A beneficiary in the broadest sense is a natural person or other legal entity who receives money or other benefits from a benefactor. For example: The beneficiary of a life insurance policy, is the person who receives the payment of the amount of insurance after the death of the insured...
, and Bohnett used the money to help create Beverly Hills Internet, which was the precursor to GeoCities.
Foundation
The stated mission of the David Bohnett Foundation is, "David Bohnett and the David Bohnett Foundation are committed to improving society through social activism. We pursue our mission by providing funding, state-of-the-art technology and technical support to innovative organizations and institutions that, in addition to meeting our funding guidelines, share our vision."Since 1999, the David Bohnett Foundation has offered support in several primary funding areas: The Fund for Los Angeles, supporting a broad spectrum of arts, educational and civic programs; LGBT-related causes; voting rights and registration initiatives; supporting research and public policies to reduce the toll of firearm violence; and animal research and rights. The David Bohnett CyberCenters are another major undertaking—numbering 59 locations nationwide, they offer business, educational, research, and recreational opportunities to underserved LGBT communities via computer equipment and access to the Internet.
Archival Collection
In 2007, David Bohnett donated a collection of Winsor McCayWinsor McCay
Winsor McCay was an American cartoonist and animator.A prolific artist, McCay's pioneering early animated films far outshone the work of his contemporaries, and set a standard followed by Walt Disney and others in later decades...
animation drawings to the Fales Library
Fales Library
New York University's Fales Library and Special Collections is located on the third floor of the Elmer Holmes Bobst Library at 70 Washington Square South between LaGuardia Place and the Schwartz Plaza, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It houses nearly 200,000...
at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
.