16-Oct-08 3:00 PM CST

View From the Top - Ryan Junee

Tell us a little bit about your journey from Australia to the US? How did you get to this point?

I moved to California in 2003 when I was accepted into the PhD program in Electrical Engineering at Stanford. After spending some time here in silicon valley and discovering the incredible entrepreneurial energy, I quickly realized I couldn't spend the next 5 years studying - I needed to start companies. I left Stanford in 2005 with my Masters, and spent a few years working for Sensory Networks - a network security startup that was founded by four Aussies and had just set up a presence in Palo Alto. I saw the company through some exciting times, but in October of 2007 it was time to do my own thing so I started full-time on Omnisio.

What does Omnisio do exactly?

Omnisio is all about making online video more interactive, and more social. Since YouTube took off in 2006, most online video sites had been simply replicating the experience of TV. We realized that the web as a new medium offered many more capabilities than TV (more interactive, more measurable, knowledge of who your friends are, etc.), and so online video would surely evolve to tap into these capabilities. The first few products we launched allowed users to take clips from videos they found on YouTube and other sites, and combine these into compilations/mashups. Users could also add pop-up bubble annotations with commentary on top of the videos, which facilitated discussion (think watching a movie with friends, rather than alone). A third product provided the ability to synchronize powerpoint presentations with video to provide more context, and allow easy navigation within long video content.

How did Omnisio start?

It started with an idea back in early 2007 to use the web, and specifically new rich media technologies like Flash, to provide a platform for online knowledge sharing. I reached out to some Aussie friends I knew from university and previous jobs, and encouraged them to move to Palo Alto and work on Omnsio with me full-time. Julian moved to California and began working full-time with me in October of last year; Simon was already out here studying at Stanford so worked with us part-time, and came on full-time when he graduated in March of this year. As we started developing the product the idea evolved (as is always the case), and we started to focus more generally on the online video space rather than the knowledge sharing/education niche.

What was the process for raising VC funding for Omnisio?

We didn't raise VC funding - we were too early. It makes sense to approach VCs when you have a version 1.0 product with traction and early indications of a strong growth curve, and hopefully a plan for making money. Since we were just three guys with an idea and an early prototype, we instead approached Y Combinator - an early stage investment firm. Y Combinator runs a highly competitive program where they fund approximately 20 early stage companies every 6 months. In addition to the funding, they provide mentorship, advice and introductions to investors, with the goal of turning 'three people and an idea' into an attractive business that can be pitched to Angels and VCs for follow-on investment.

Are there any other companies you have started? Have they been as successful as Omnisio?

Omnisio is the first company I founded. I was the first non-founder employee at Sensory Networks and so I saw the company grow from 5 people to around 70 people, raising several rounds of VC funding along the way. Sensory Networks is still around and working on some interesting problems in the network security space.

You recently sold Omnisio to Google for $15 million. How did it happen? Did you always intend to sell it?

I can't comment on the terms of our deal with Google as they are not public. We were introduced to Google through some friends who had started a company that was funded by Y Combinator a year earlier, and was subsequently acquired by Google (Zenter). From there we spent a lot of time talking to the folks at Google and YouTube about what we had built and our vision for the future of online video, and in July of 2008 we announced they had acquired us. We certainly did not intend to sell Omnisio this quickly. It's often said that companies are bought, not sold. Starting a company with the intention of 'flipping' it is not a winning strategy - instead focusing on building a sustainable, independent business will make you more attractive to potential acquirers. That said, when this opportunity presented itself we realized that YouTube shared a lot of the vision that we did, and the opportunity to work with some incredibly smart people on the most popular video site in the world was too attractive to pass up.

What is your role with YouTube going to be?

I am currently a Product Manager at YouTube responsible for Community Engagement. I work with engineers to develop innovative new ways for our users to interact with the site and with each other.

Did you always know that this was what you wanted to do? Tell us a little bit about your background and education.

I wanted to be an entrepreneur from a pretty early age. I was also fascinated by technology, and wanted to be a part of building the stuff that I loved to use. I completed two degrees at the University of Sydney - a Bachelors in Computer Engineering, and Bachelors in Commerce focusing on Finance and Commercial Law. After graduating I spent a brief period at Telstra but jumped ship as soon as my friend Matt Barrie called and said he had raised some money for his new startup, Sensory Networks. As I mentioned I was the first employee and spent some time there before I was accepted into the PhD program at Stanford. I returned to Sensory Networks, this time at their newly opened Palo Alto office, after I completed my Masters at Stanford.

Do you have any advice for other Australians who want to come to the US?

If you are an entrepreneur in the high-tech space, then I really think there is no better place in the world than Silicon Valley. There are so many resources here to help you become successful - from experienced serial entrepreneurs to venture capitalists, lawyers, accountants, PR - all with deep experience in what it takes to make a technology company successful. On top of that there's an amazing tolerance for failure - since it's expected that the majority of startups will fail. In some cases you can wear your failures as a badge of honour - you've hopefully learned how not to make the same mistakes again. If you are thinking of moving to the US to start a technology company, then I would say just do it. Of course, figuring out visa issues is a challenge.

How do you find time to build a successful company as well as being a musician and a certified pilot?

This is my biggest challenge personally - not enough hours in the day. Unfortunately I had to give up my band before starting Omnisio, but I still perform occasionally with friends. Actually I had to give up all of my hobbies during the first 6 months of Omnisio where it was critical that we just build stuff as fast as we could. Now that I have a bit more free time I'm looking forward to spending more time in the air, and hopefully earning my instrument rating this winter. I'm also looking forward to the snowboarding season in Tahoe, and recently started learning kiteboarding. You know what they say about all work and no play...

What are some of your career highlights?

I think I've already fully described my career. I'm only 28 and just getting started, but the highlight so far has definitely been starting Omnisio and selling it to Google. The best is yet to come though.

What are your goals over the next few years?

I'm looking forward to spending some time at YouTube and helping guide future innovation on the site. I'm in a very fortunate position right now to have an impact on millions of people worldwide.

Do you see yourself returning to Australia to live permanently at some point?

I think Australia is a great place to settle down and have a family, so I could see myself potentially returning at some point. However the world is a big place with lots to explore, and as I said I'm only just getting started.