Resume

Richard MacKinnon

CEO and Founder, Less Networks < Free WiFi
Austin, Texas Area
Currently: CEO at Less Networks
Companies: Less Networks; Rocksteady Networks; Deja.com; IXC/Broadwing; Portal Software [PRSF]
Primary Industry: Computer Networking

Summary

Seeking technical marketing, strategic planning and project management opportunities while bootstrapping my business

Founder,President, Austin Wireless / Austin Wireless City Project; Co-Founder and Steering Committee Member, Austin Wireless Alliance; Founder and Chief Strategist, Rocksteady Networks; Founding Internet Services product manager, IXC/Broadwing. Founder, Portal Communications Company (now Portal Software); Marketing and consulting roles at Deja.com and Wholefoods.com;

Research fellow, Advanced Communications and Technologies Laboratory (ACTLab), The University of Texas at Austin

Contributing author, Cybersociety: Computer-mediated Communication and Community (Steve Jones, ed), Sage 1995; Network and Netplay: Virtual Groups on the Internet (Fay Sudweeks, et. al., eds), Assn for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence/MIT Press 1998; Virtual Culture: Identity and Communications in Cybersociety (Steve Jones, ed), Sage 1997.

Invited speaker/keynote/panelist: SXSW Interactive (Austin 2005); National Summit for Community Wireless Networks (Urbana-Champaign 2004); Symposium on Knowledge Cities, Business Incubation, and Wealth Creation (Monterrey, Mexico 2004); SXSW Interactive (Austin 2004), Austin Mobility Forum (Austin 2004), ITEC (Austin 2002, 2003), 6th Annual National Community Networking Conference (Austin 2003), Computers Freedom and Privacy (Austin 1998), CYBERMIND (Perth 1997), Virtual Community (Sydney 1997), CYBERCONF5 (Madrid 1996), First Conference on Virtual Reality (Valencia Spain 1996).

Provisional Patent Applications: Access Controlled Network Sharing(2501748.991110) and System and Method for Dynamic Bandwidth and Shaping(2501748.991100)

Board service: Austin Wireless Alliance (Steering Committee), Austin Wireless City Project (founder), Austin Wireless (President), ACLU CyberLiberties Project (founding chair), ACLU of Texas, Central Texas Civil Liberties Union (board), Electronic Frontier Foundation-Austin (President)

Specialties

Serial entrepreneur, branding and identity, positioning, corporate strategy, product development


Experience

Chief Strategist
Rocksteady Networks (Privately Held; 11-50 employees)
Computer Networking Industry
March 2000 – February 2003 (3 years)

Also served as VP Marketing and VP Business Development.

Marketing Product Manager
Deja.com (Privately Held; 51-200 employees)
Internet Industry
September 1999 – May 2000 (9 months)

Product Manager / Consultant, Internet Services
IXC/Broadwing (Public Company; 201-500 employees)
Internet Industry
September 1997 – May 1998 (9 months)

First Product Manager for Internet Services.

Founder and Service Manager
Portal Software (Public Company; 201-500 employees; PRSF)
Internet Industry
December 1989 – June 1994 (4 years 7 months)

Badge #4. My first startup.

Education

The University of Texas at Austin
Phd Program, Political Theory / Advanced Communications, August 1992 – May 1998

San Jose State University
M.A., Political Science, August 1989 – December 1992

San Jose State University
B.A., Political Science, August 1986 – May 1989

Activities and Societies: Pi Sigma Alpha, Spartan Marching Band