As Zappos’ CEO, Tony Hsieh grew the company to $2 billion in annual revenue while cultivating a workplace that’s consistently ranked among the best in the country. Now he’s using his talents to revitalize downtown Las Vegas. His $50 million incubator, VegasTechFund, invests in companies that have the potential to help the area thrive. Here are nine of the projects he’s betting on and what they’re up to:
1. Mouth: The first online marketplace for artisanal, or “indie,” food.
2. Rolltech: Bowling with Big Data.
3. True & Co.: Perfect-fit bra shopping without measuring tape or fitting rooms.
4. Quarterly Co.: Subscribe to quarterly gift packages from people like the editors of Cool Hunting and Alexis Ohanian.
5. CrowdHall: A platform for virtual town hall discussions, with celebrities, politicians, or friend groups.
6. iDoneThis: A personal, daily productivity email check-in.
7. LaunchKey: Account security with biometrics, not passwords.
8. The S.P.I.R.I.T. Project: Applying technology to help at-risk youths and families in local communities.
9. NSFWCorp: Digital publishers of highly readable investigative journalism (recently acquired by Pando Daily.)
Tag: Tony Hsieh
What Happens In Vegas…
Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos, is partnering with Las Vegas to help transform the city’s downtown into more than just a hard-partying gambling hub. Hsieh and other investors have put up $350 million to start the Downtown Project with the goal of transforming downtown Vegas into “the most community-focused large city in the world,” creating “a vibrant, connected urban core.” The effort was already underway when Hsieh moved Zappos’ headquarters to nearby Henderson, Nevada, in 2004. But after Las Vegas built a new environmentally friendly city hall and eased restrictions on small businesses, Hseih decided to buy the old city hall in 2010 and moved Zappos’ headquarters there. Now he hopes to encourage tech companies and startups in Vegas and make the city more family-friendly. Vegas will always be known for the things it does best—glitz and gambling—but it might also become known as a place for innovative new businesses and creative communities.