Carbonite, Inc.
Company: Carbonite, Inc., Boston, MA
Entry Submitted By: Airfoil Public Relations
Company Description: Carbonite revolutionized the market for consumer and small-business backup services with its industry-first offering of unlimited online backup for a low, flat price. Since 2006, the company has backed up more than 80 billion files and has restored more than 7.2 billion lost files for over one million customers. Carbonite backs up more than 150 million files every day.
Nomination Category: Information Technology Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Information Technology Executive of the Year
Nomination Title: David Friend, Co-Founder, CEO & Chairman
Tell the story about what this nominee achieved since January 1 2010 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:
David Friend, co-founder, chairman and CEO or Carbonite, a leading provider of
online backup, has guided the company’s success since its inception in 2005.
With more than 25 years of successful technology entrepreneurship and the
founding of six tech companies, Friend leads Carbonite with a passion and
vision designed to meet the emerging needs of consumers and businesses alike.
When Friend launched Carbonite in 2005, an online backup service for consumers
and small businesses, he defied the industry logic that had always charged
consumers by the amount of data they used. Based off research conducted by
Friend and his business partner, Jeff Flowers, they determined the No. 1
barrier for consumers was that backup needed to be easier and cheaper.
As a result, Friend introduced an unlimited backup for a flat fee pricing model
to accompany the simple user interface that Flowers developed. Friend’s risk of
going with this disruptive model has been proven by the double-digit growth
Carbonite has experienced year-over-year. Many other online backup providers
have followed suit with flat-fee, unlimited data packages.
In 2010, his extraordinary leadership and accomplishments at Carbonite’s helm
were recognized by Ernst & Young LLP, and Friend was named winner of the Ernst
& Young 2010 Entrepreneur of the Year Award® in New England. This prestigious
honor was given based upon Friend’s demonstrated commitment and success in the
areas of innovation, financial performance and a personal devotion to both his
community and business.
Inc. Magazine recognized Carbonite for its entrepreneurial spirit and business
development by ranking the company as the No. 9 fastest growing private company
in the U.S., No. 1 in IT Services and No. 1 among Boston-based businesses in
the 2010 Inc. 500 listing. The Smaller Business Association of New England,
Inc. recognized Carbonite in 2010 as a company that embodied a successful
transformation from innovative idea to a product that provides proven value to
customers. Under Friend’s leadership, the company also was named the 2010 New
England Innovation Award winner.
In addition to the direction Friend lends to guiding the business practices
responsible for Carbonite’s growth, he also fosters a positive daily work
environment and corporate culture that encourages employee attraction and
retention. His enthusiasm led the Boston Business Journal to award Carbonite
with its No. 6 slot on its 2010 Best Places to Work ranking, a distinction that
serves as evidence of the atmosphere all Carbonite employees encounter thanks
to Friend’s dedication.
Friend’s entrepreneurial background helps drive him to meet and exceed
expectations and discover new ways of solving everyday issues. He routinely
challenges conventional thinking and convinces naysayers to become proponents
of his ventures through education and example.
List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:
Company website:
http://www.carbonite.com/en/
Releases:
Carbonite CEO David Friend Named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® 2010
in New England:
http://www.carbonite.com/en/about/press/press-releases/Carbonite-CEO-David-Friend-Named-Ernst-Young-Entrepreneur-Of-The-Year-2010-in-New-England.aspx
Carbonite Ranks No. 9 on the 2010 Inc. 500 with Three-Year Sales Growth of
11,207%:
http://www.carbonite.com/en/about/press/press-releases/Carbonite-Ranks-No-9-on-the-2010-Inc-500-with-Three-Year-Sales-Growth-of-11-207.aspx
Carbonite Honored as 2010 New England Innovation Award Winner:
http://www.carbonite.com/en/about/press/press-releases/Carbonite-Honored-as-2010-New-England-Innovation-Award-Winner.aspx
Carbonite Wins Mass Tech Leadership Council Private Company of the Year:
http://www.carbonite.com/en/about/press/press-releases/Carbonite-Wins-Mass-Tech-Leadership-Council-Private-Company-of-the-Year.aspx
Coverage:
The New York Times: To Create Jobs, Nurture Start-Ups: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/business/12unboxed.html
Inc. Magazine: America’s Fastest Growing IT Services Company:
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20100901/americas-fastest-growing-it-services-company.html
Boston Business Journal Best Places to Work 2010
http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2010/04/26/daily50.html
Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the nominee:
David Friend has been a successful technology entrepreneur for more than 25
years. He previously co-founded five companies: Sonexis, FaxNet, Pilot
Software, Computer Pictures Corporation and ARP Instruments. In 2010, David was
named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the Emerging Technology
category for the New England Region.
David has been a lecturer at MIT and is a trustee (emeritus) of the New England
Conservatory, Berklee College of Music and the Brookings Institution.
David holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Yale University and
attended the Princeton University Graduate School of Engineering as a David
Sarnoff Fellow.