Ben Silbermann
Born 1982 · Age 43
American Internet entrepreneur; co-founder and (former) CEO of Pinterest; later Executive Chairman. Born July 14, 1982 in Des Moines, Iowa. Yale BA (Political Science) 2003.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Des Moines, Iowa
Ben Silbermann was born to Jane Wang and Neil Silbermann, both ophthalmologists, in Des Moines, Iowa.
Attended Research Science Institute (MIT)
Attended the selective Research Science Institute (RSI) summer program at MIT for accomplished high-school students.
Graduated high school (Des Moines Roosevelt & Central Academy)
Graduated from Des Moines Roosevelt High School and from Des Moines Central Academy (program for gifted/talented students).
Entered Yale University
Began undergraduate studies at Yale University (Morse College).
Graduated Yale (B.A., Political Science)
Completed a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at Yale University in spring 2003.
Moved to Washington, D.C.; worked at IT consulting firm
After Yale, Silbermann moved to Washington, D.C., and worked for an information-technology consulting firm making charts and presentations.
Moved to California with girlfriend (Divya Bhaskaran)
Relocated to California to pursue opportunities in tech; partner Divya Bhaskaran moved with him.
Joined Google (online advertising/product design)
Cajoled his way into a job at Google; worked as a product designer in the online advertising group.
Co-founded Cold Brew Labs (with Paul Sciarra)
Formed a startup (Cold Brew Labs) with Yale friend Paul Sciarra to build consumer mobile/online products.
Left Google
Left Google to start building iPhone applications and pursue entrepreneurship (sources cite mid/late 2008).
Pivot idea: concept for pinboard/collection site
Observed users sending images to themselves via Tote; pivoted to the idea of an online pinboard to collect and share images—genesis of Pinterest.
Entered NYU Stern Business Plan Competition (fundraising avenue)
Entered the NYU Stern Business Plan Competition; the prize included introductions to VCs (including FirstMark Capital) which provided early funding.
Launched Tote (iPhone app) — first product
Built and launched Tote, an iPhone application that aggregated online catalog data into a meta-catalog; visually appealing but failed to gain traction as a shopping app.
Operated Pinterest as invitation-only product (early years)
Pinterest used an invitation-only model during its early growth period, which coincided with rapid organic network effects and curated growth.
Early slow traction; operating from apartment
Pinterest's initial months were slow (a few hundred users by the end of first quarter); company ran on limited cash and from Silbermann's apartment.
Personal outreach to first users
Silbermann personally contacted the first ~5,000 users and met with some to learn how they were using the product.
Launched Pinterest
Public launch of Pinterest (a visual discovery engine / virtual pinboard) in March 2010; name suggested by Silbermann's fiancée (portmanteau of 'pin' and 'interest').
Evan Sharp officially listed as cofounder
Evan Sharp (designer, previously at Facebook) was made an official cofounder of Pinterest early in 2011.
Rapid user growth in 2011 (500k → 5M monthly active users)
Between May and November 2011 Pinterest traffic climbed from ~500,000 to ~5,000,000 monthly active users; by year-end another ~2M had joined.
Company grows to ~60+ employees and SF office
Summer 2011: Pinterest expanded staff (reported as over 60 employees) and established a larger San Francisco office.
Pinterest named TechCrunch Best New Startup of 2011
Pinterest received recognition as Best New Startup of 2011 from TechCrunch (award to the company).
Divya Bhaskaran (wife) education noted
Divya Bhaskaran graduated from Clark University in 2004 with a degree in Psychology (context for Silbermann's personal life).
Audience found in Middle America and non-coastal early adopters
Early traction showed a distinctive user base from Middle America (e.g., brides, cooks, homeschooling parents) rather than the usual coastal early adopters.
Press & profile coverage increases (2011–2012)
Major outlets (NYT, Fortune, Business Insider, Time) profiled Pinterest and Silbermann as the company scaled rapidly.
Pinterest iPhone app launched
Release of an official Pinterest iPhone app (March 2011), which significantly accelerated user growth.
Raised $27M in venture funding (Andreessen Horowitz-led)
Pinterest closed a $27 million funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz (May 2011); Marc Andreessen credited a researcher at his firm for spotting Pinterest's appeal.
Married Divya Bhaskaran
Married longtime girlfriend Divya Bhaskaran in a culturally blended ceremony at Nestldown in Los Gatos, California.
Time names Pinterest one of 50 Best Websites (Aug 16, 2011)
Inclusion on Time magazine's list of the fifty best websites of the year drove further traffic growth.
Paul Sciarra resigns as CEO; Silbermann becomes CEO (title & role)
In April 2012 Paul Sciarra resigned as CEO (remained on the board); Ben Silbermann assumed the CEO title and role.
Featured speaker at SXSW and other major conferences
Silbermann emerged as public face of Pinterest and spoke at conferences including South by Southwest (SXSW) showcasing the product vision.
Inc. names Silbermann one of America's Coolest Young Entrepreneurs (2012)
Inc. magazine included him in a list of America's Coolest Young Entrepreneurs.
Pinterest recognized as fastest-growing social site (2012)
By 2012 Pinterest was widely recognized as one of the fastest-growing social networks, outpacing Facebook and Twitter in growth metrics.
Media profile: Silbermann becomes public face of Pinterest
As Pinterest grew (2011–2012) Silbermann increasingly handled public communications and interviews, representing company vision.
~20 million monthly uniques; ~$138M total funding (by <3 years after launch)
Less than three years after the March 2010 launch Pinterest had nearly 20M monthly unique visitors and around $138M in total funding (reported by sources).
Ranked 12th on Forbes's America's Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40
Forbes ranked Silbermann twelfth on its list of America's Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40 in 2016.
Pinterest IPO; valuation ~ $12B
Pinterest held its initial public offering in April 2019; IPO price $19 per share, closed first day at $23.75, valuing the company at roughly $12 billion.
Silbermann's net worth estimated at $1.6B after IPO
Within days of the IPO Silbermann's personal net worth was estimated at approximately $1.6 billion (based on his Pinterest stake and IPO pricing).
Listed on Forbes annual billionaires list (rank ~1425)
In October 2019 Forbes placed Silbermann on its annual billionaires list (rank reported as 1425th).
Bill Ready becomes Pinterest CEO and board member
Bill Ready (former Google executive) assumed the role of CEO and joined Pinterest's board as part of the leadership transition.
Steps down as CEO; becomes Executive Chairman (June 28, 2022)
Announced transition from CEO to Executive Chairman of Pinterest; Google executive Bill Ready named CEO and added to board.
Reported ongoing role as Executive Chairman
Silbermann continued to influence company strategy in the role of Executive Chairman following his June 2022 transition.
Biographical summaries report updated net worth (~$1.8B)
Later online biographical summaries (e.g., aggregated profiles) estimate Silbermann's net worth at around $1.8 billion (estimate varies by source).
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