Ned Desmond
Ned Desmond is the COO of TechCrunch General Manager of AOL Tech and Engadget.
He was also responsible for CrunchBase from April 2012 until September 2015, when Crunchbase spun out of AOL/Verizon to become a standalone, venture-backed company, in partnership with Emergence Capital.
Previously he was the founder and president of GoSportn, an enthusiast media company, which launched GoFISHn.com and GoHUNTn.com.
Prior to GoSportn, Desmond was head of digital at Time Inc. for six years, founder of eCompany Now (later merged with Business 2.0), and held senior management roles at Disney and Infoseek. He launched Infoseek Japan with Joi Ito, which was acquired in 2000 by Rakuten.
He came to Silicon Valley in 1996 after working for nearly a decade in Asia as a correspondent for Time magazine.
Crunchbase profile →Latest from Ned Desmond
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How to find the ‘right’ contacts at Disrupt SF
Everyone who has ever been to a tech conference knows the feeling: You’re excited to walk into a giant hall buzzing with people, but a heartbeat later you’re anxious and wondering, “Nuts, how am I ever going to find the people I really want to know?” At many shows, there is no good answer except to walk and talk fast. At TechCrunch Disrupt SF we have a better answer… Read More
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NVIDIA’s Deepu Talla to join TC Sessions: Robotics Robot Brain panel on July 17 at MIT
The agenda for TC Sessions: Robotics (July 17 in Cambridge, MA at MIT’s Kresge auditorium) is almost complete, and before the long July 4 weekend we wanted to announce one more stellar addition to the line-up. (And remind you to grab a ticket before they are all gone!) Read More
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Robots’ role in humanity to be a core topic at TechCrunch Sessions: Robotics
At least since Isaac Asimov posited the Three Law of Robotics, many have wondered whether robots would ultimately help or harm humanity. Or maybe do a little of both. Humanity still has time to shape the answer to that question, and we’re pleased to announce three speakers who have distinctive, grounded perspectives on how to secure a world made better (not worse) by robots. These… Read More
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Announcing the agenda for TechCrunch Sessions: Robotics
TechCrunch is holding its first ever event focused solely on robotics on July 17 at MIT’s Kresge Auditorium in Cambridge, Mass., and today we’re really pleased to roll out the agenda for TC Sessions: Robotics. Read More
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Amazon’s Tye Brady and ABB’s Sami Atiya to Speak at TC Sessions: Robotics July 17 at MIT
We first developed the idea for TC Sessions: Robotics because we wanted to bridge the gap between startups and investment in the robotics world — namely research, academia, government and industry. On July 17 at MIT’s Kresge auditorium in Cambridge, MA, those worlds will come together like never before for an event that we’re pleased to host alongside MIT’s… Read More
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The new robotic ecosystem to take the stage at TechCrunch Sessions: Robotics
At TechCrunch Sessions: Robotics, on July 17 at MIT’s Kresge auditorium, the programming lineup is set to showcase the fast developing new ecosystem around robotics. For a long time robotics was more the domain of academic research, defense spending, and big corporations, but the surge in new technologies, from sensors to AI to GPUs has made the field more accessible to entrepreneurs… Read More
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TechCrunch Sessions: Robotics to feature iconic roboticists from MIT, Disney and iRobot
TechCrunch Sessions: Robotics is a couple of months away, and the agenda is filling up. Our one-day event in cooperation with MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) takes place on July 17, and today we’re thrilled to highlight just some of the excitement taking place on stage, in workshops and in exhibits. Tickets are now available for purchase. Read More
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CrunchMatch 2.0 is ready to connect investors and startups
Last year, TechCrunch launched CrunchMatch – a networking tool designed to connect like-minded founders and investors at TechCrunch Disrupt events. We started small in New York last year with just 88 meetings and scaled to hundreds by the end of the year. We learned a lot along the way and realized that we needed a more flexible, self-service platform to scale with demand. Welcome… Read More
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Announcing TC Sessions: Robotics, a one-day event on everything robots
Right, so robots! TechCrunch is pleased as punch to announce our first-ever robotics event: TechCrunch Sessions: Robotics, on July 17 in Boston at MIT’s stunning Kresge Auditorium. We are also happy to announce that MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) is a key sponsor. Our event is absolutely global, but there is no better place to stage the… Read More
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How hackers turned a Cape Cod fishing guide’s site into a host for e-commerce fraud
Cape Cod fishing guide Eric Stapelfeld trusted me to look after his website the same way that I trust him to find fish. Until a few weeks ago, I believed I had the easier part of the bargain. After all, what’s hard about maintaining a simple WordPress site with a phone number and lots of striped bass pictures? As it turns out, everything is hard, really hard, when hackers go to work on… Read More
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TechCrunch Disrupt returns to Berlin in December
Four years ago TechCrunch Disrupt went to Europe for the first time, welcoming the continent’s startups, entrepreneurs and investors at our show in Berlin. We later moved to London for a three-year stint, which has proved to be fantastic. But with the continental startup scene growing like a weed, it’s time to get back into the thick of it. There is renewed excitement in the… Read More
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Disrupt is back in Manhattan this May
It’s 2017, and that means TechCrunch will bring TechCrunch Disrupt and Startup Battlefield to New York in a few short months — May 15-17 to be exact. This year the event will be back in Manhattan, at Pier 36 on the Lower East Side. Similar waterfront location to last year’s event in Red Hook, but in Manhattan, with easy access by car and public transportation. Already know… Read More
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Five really good reasons to attend TC Disrupt London, Dec 5-6
It’s a big decision to take a day or two to attend a startup tech conference. No doubt you would like a solid return on your investment of time and money, not a tumble in the mosh pit of a mega tech event. Sound right? Then consider TechCrunch’s Disrupt London for these reasons: Zero in on the right startups for you. Investors and founders benefit from CrunchMatch, the… Read More
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TechCrunch Disrupt London Brexit Sentiment Update: U.K. Policy
Brexit is a bummer. Startups are beginning to leave London, enticed by the lure of Berlin and other EU cities. “Brexit imposes a certain risk of visa requirements for non-Brits,” Julian Baladurage, co-founder of MBJ, one of the firms headed to Berlin, told the Financial Times. “Our team is very international so we can’t risk having to apply for 100… Read More
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Investors: Disrupt London’s huge crop of startups awaits you
We have a rich crop of startups at this year’s Disrupt London, and we’re making it easier than ever to check them out before the show and to arrange meetings in advance. We’re all about making the best use of your time. To get started, have a look at our Startup Alley Hub, which showcases most of the early-stage companies who will exhibit at Disrupt London. Currently we… Read More
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The 2016 TechCrunch Include Progress Report
Diversity is central to TechCrunch’s mission. We believe that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to the immense possibilities of the tech world. We also believe that a diversified workforce can only benefit technology businesses and society at large. In that spirit, TechCrunch’s Include program aims to use TechCrunch’s editorial, product, data and… Read More
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CrunchMatch is coming to Disrupt London to match investors with startups
At Disrupt London, this coming December, it will be easier than ever for investors to find companies that fit their investment strategy. For the first time TechCrunch is bringing its CrunchMatch program to Europe where startup founders will be matched with venture capitalists ready to write checks and make investments. Read More
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Four reasons you really shouldn’t miss Disrupt SF, kicking off one week from today
Disrupt SF starts a week from today. There’s still time to get on board, and here are a few reasons why you might be sad if you don’t. You can still get a ticket here. #1 Marc Andreessen, Marc Benioff, Diane Greene, Reid Hoffman, Sebastian Thrun. If those names got your attention, so will these: the Warriors’ Steph Curry, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash… Read More
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Announcing TechCrunch’s AI and VR/AR Pavilions at Disrupt SF — Apply now for free exhibit space
At TechCrunch’s upcoming Disrupt SF (Sept. 12-14), artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual/augmented reality (AR/VR) will be a big subject on the main stage as well as a featured presence on the exhibit floor, where TechCrunch will host a startup pavilion for each category. Because there are lots of very early stage startups in AI and VR/AR, we are offering five companies in each… Read More
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Disrupt 旧金山峰会邀请全球华人参会 (Announcing a Disrupt SF attendee-friendly for Chinese speakers）
It’s no news that China’s startup scene is huge and Chinese investors and founders are keen to learn more about the Silicon Valley. And of course American investors and entrepreneurs have been working hard in China for many years. It seemed like a natural to make TechCrunch’s Disrupt SF (Sept. 12-14) more accessible to visitors from China. So we’re announcing a few… Read More
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