Robert J. Davis | |
|---|---|
 Bob Davis in 2014 | |
| Born | 1956 (age 68–69) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Northeastern University, B.S. Business Administration 1979 Babson College,MBA, 1985 |
| Occupation(s) | General Partner,Highland Capital Partners |
Robert J. ("Bob") Davis (born 1956) is a managing partner ofHighland Capital Partners. He is the formerchief executive officer ofLycos, which he led since its inception and through its acquisition byTerra at the peak of thedot-com bubble.
Davis was born inDorchester, Massachusetts in 1956. At the age of 10, Davis sold newspapers at a street corner and sold from mail order catalogs as a teenager.[1]
In 1979, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Northeastern University, graduating with highest honors. In 1985, he received an MBA fromBabson College.[2] In 1999, he received an Honorary Doctorate of Commercial Sciences fromBentley College.[3] He also received an Honorary Doctorate fromNortheastern University in 2000.[4]
From January 1982 to January 1993, Davis worked for Wang Laboratories, a computer manufacturer, as Director of United States Commercial Sales and Marketing and Director of Worldwide Marketing. From January 1993 to June 1995, Davis served as Vice President of Sales at Cambex Corporation, a manufacturer of computer-related products.[2][1]
Since its inception in June 1995, Davis served as the President and CEO ofLycos.[5] In 1996, 9 months after Lycos was founded, he led the company to the fastestinitial public offering in history.[6] Lycos was one of the first profitable internet businesses.[7] As CEO of Lycos, he led the company to acquire more than a dozen websites[8] including Wired.com,HotBot,Tripod.com, WhoWhere,Quote.com, andMatchmaker.com.[9] Davis led the company through its acquisition byTerra for $12.5 billion in stock in 2000.[10] After the Terra acquisition, he served as the CEO of Terra Lycos, the combined company.[11][12]
In 2001, Davis left Terra Lycos to joinHighland Capital Partners, aventure capital firm. He has served on the boards ofJohn Hancock Financial,Ticketmaster,Lycos,Lycos Europe, Fastclick,Children's Hospital Boston, and theRivers School.[4]
In 2001, Davis wrote a book calledSpeed is Life: Street Smart Lessons from the Front Lines of Business, which was published by Currency, an imprint ofCrown Publishing Group. The memoir focused on practical advice for operating a company.[13] Davis donated his proceeds from the book to theNational Center for Missing and Exploited Children.[14]
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