Kevin Rose Facts – #50 Fun Facts

Kevin Rose Facts – Biography

Kevin Rose: Early Years 

1) Kevin Rose: Born in 1977

Born in 1977 in California, Kevin has the love of technology in him as a child.

His father buys him his first computer at the age of eight and soon he is fishing out ways to make other kids download software for him.

No doubt, his later success in the IT industry owes to his passion for technology in his early years.

2) Kevin Rose Loves His Computer

In his early years, Kevin spends so much time on his computer that on noticing his lack of attention to his homework, his mother takes his keyboard away.

After that, Kevin drills a hole in his desk and chains the keyboard to it.

3) Dyslexia

For Rose, his first computer is more than just equipment, it is his friend.

The doctor diagnoses him with dyslexia and attention deficit disorder at a young age and his aliments mean it is hard for him to concentrate on schoolwork.

4) Boy Scout

As a child, following the world tradition of nerds,  Kevin Rose was part of Boy Scouts of America and earns himself the highest scout honor of “Eagle Scout”, which he will hold for a lifetime pertaining to the popular logo of “Once an Eagle, Always an Eagle”.

Wonder Years of Kevin Rose

5) First Job

Kevin’s first job is at the age of 19 with a Department of Energy’s Nevada Test Site.

6) Leaves University of Nevada to Pursue Career in IT

After completing his high school education, he enrolls in the University of Nevada but leaves midway to satisfy his urge for pursuing a career in the IT industry.

A mere college dropout at the time, all Kevin needs is time to convince the world of his talent with technology.

Even though the IT boom collapsed a number of times, Kevin is not discouraged.

He begins working for a TV show that keeps him at close quarters with people from the IT sector.

7) Begins Digg with a Small Investment

Doyou know that when Kevin starts coding software, he launches Digg with a budget of only $1200 that he draws from his savings account! In just a few years, Digg becomes famous and Kevin starts investing his money into social websites such as Foursquare, Facebook and Twitter.

8) Journey Towards Digg

The journey that leads him to Digg is an interesting one.

While he works as an interviewer for The Screen Savers, Kevin gets to know Silicon Valley big shots such as Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple Inc.

His stories about the early days of Apple’s launch make Kevin ponder on how these stories hardly ever make it to the general public.

This idea stays a second longer in his mind and becomes the entire essence of Digg.

9) Digg Starts Growing

The first ever capital that Digg raises is from a family friend, Chris Hoar for $50,000.

What starts as a mere sum of money, today doubles and triples to sum to a total of $40million that capitalists invest in Digg, owing to its immense success.

Success of Digg

10) Digg- One of the Most Visited Websites

Even though Kevin has big aspirations of Digg, all he wants the website to do is pay his rent and give him peace of mind.

Little does he know it will become one of the most visited websites on the internet with monthly traffic jumping to 200,000 users and $2.8million from venture capitalists in just a few months.

11) Number 1 Social News Channel

Kevin’s many small jobs as a university dropout pay off.

His efforts for Digg make it the number one social news channel today.

Currently, Digg attracts more than 2.8million users every month and 3million editors for maintaining the heavy influx of web content.

12) Top Innovators in the World

In 2007, when Digg hits the highs, the MIT Technology Review TR35 mentions Kevin Roses as one of the Top 35 innovators in the world who are under the age of 35.

This title is an honor and a well-deserved accreditation for this young technology enthusiast.

13) The Digg Effect

Because of its unwavering popularity, the social news website, Digg has its own syndrome named after it.

The Digg Effect is what happens to websites that lose all of their internet traffic to Digg because of the interesting tools it offers its users.

14) Stories Increase on Digg

In its initial days, Digg only gets about 150 stories a day.

Even though this is a respectable amount, it is far from the success Kevin has in mind for Digg.

With more and more user traffic moving across the website, the number of stores increases to 200,000 per day, and some of the most reliable and trusted sources such as the New York Times feature these stories.

15) Most Digged Story

In 2007, a controversy arises over a story that is posted with a code encrypted in it.

Because this is a violation of piracy laws, the Digg Team deletes this comment only to face a huge protest in its response.

This event results in the most ‘digged’ story of history with 50,000 diggs and positive word of mouth that is invaluable.

16) What Digg Does

Digg works on the algorithm that allows users to vote web content up or vote it down.

The website essentially “Diggs” for popular content on the internet and makes it all accessible on one platform.

This is why Kevin Rose names the website Digg.com in December of 2004 and it becomes one of the world’s best entrepreneurial projects.

Other Ventures of Kevin Rose

17) Diggnation

Podcasting news works well for Kevin Rose.

Diggnation is one of the best projects started by him.

The aim for Diggnation is to summarize the weekly dug stories on the website and make a list of the most popular ones.

This project works in sync with Digg, making it reap millions in profits.

18) Diggnation Begins to Grow

According to statistics, Diggnation, which starts as a small online video,begins attracting a quarter of a million viewers per week and is one of the main reasons users visit Digg.com repeatedly.

19) Investments in Various Companies

With Google Ventures, he makes investments in companies like Rally, Cozy, Bufferbox (acquired by Google), Fitly, Clever, Blue Bottle Coffee and Next Door.

He has general investments in popular companies like Facebook, Zynga, Foursquare, Twitter, Dailybooth, 360buy and of course, his very own, Digg.

20) Revision3

As early as 2005, Kevin Rose along with two other founders, Jay Adelson and David Prager, create another entrepreneurial success by the name of Revision3.

It starts as a free video website where professionals create video podcasts what is now known as “Web Television” based on “nice topics” and “niche events.”

21) Pownce

In June of 2007, Kevin Rose launches his next project, Pownce, a micro-blogging website, while Digg is still going strong.

Six Apart buys the company for an unknown value that is not disclosed due to financial terms.

22) Pownce Closes

Within the next fourteen days, Six Apart shuts down Pownce because it has slow growth and cannot compete with the quickly emerging Twitter.

Kevin Rose does not list this project on his official website anymore.

23) Digg Ads

In 2009, Kevin Rose starts understanding the value of internet advertisements and creates Digg Ads.

These Ads look just like regular stories and the internet users can easily vote them up and down.

Within a year, Digg makes 30% of its revenue from advertising.

Business Week Cover: Kevin Rose

24) Feature in Business Week

Kevin Rose’s feature on the cover of Business Week is brilliant.

Famed like a rock star, Kevin’s face is put up on the magazine with a tag line to die for that says, “How this kid made $60 million in 18 months.”

Kevin Rose on Cover of Business Week

25) Kevins Views on the Business Week Feature

However, Kevin Rose calls the Business Week cover ‘the worst cover ever’.

He answers a fan question on Reddit by saying, “Who would ever want that photo to be on the cover of any magazine?” At the same time, he says he is honored to be on the magazine cover.

For him, it is a ‘bittersweet’ experience.

26) Business Week Feature Leads to Controversy

Kevin Rose’s Business Week story also becomes controversial as the critics say that the “$60 million in 18 months” statement is misleading.

Some say he did not make that much money in only 18 months.

Today, Celebrity Newt Worth lists Kevin Rose’s net worth at $8 million.

More about Digg

27) Info on Digg

Do you know that on average it takes a story about 100 diggs (or votes from internet users), 14.71 hours and around 9 comments to show up on Digg.com? Writers strive to get traffic bounce back from Digg to their website.

28) Dynamic Traffic at Digg

By March of 2010, the traffic for Digg.com is at its peak and meanwhile, Kevin Rose works on his other entrepreneurial projects.

Within a month, by April of 2010, the traffic starts to slip slow and steady until its value drops by a mile.

Buyouts

29) Sells Digg.com

With falling traffic by 2012, Kevin Rose sells the site to Betaworks(which owns New.me) in 2012 for a mere $500,000.

The CEO of Digg.com, announces on the website that Betaworks will handle the site from July, 2012.

30) Borthwick Handles Digg

Since then, Betaworks founder, John Borthwick is the CEO of the company.

Betaworks also releases a statement saying they want to take Digg to grassroots level.

Digg is now available on mobile apps on the go.

31) Rumor about Google and Digg

There is a rumor that Google wants to buy Digg from Kevin Rose for approximately $200 million dollars.

The sale does not take place and people do not know the reason behind it.

Kevin Rose later joins Google.

32) Discovery Channel Buys Revision3

Soon iPods, mobile devices, TiVo and broadband audiences shift to on-demand and on the go content.

The website has over 800 million views by the end of 2011.

In 2012, Discovery Channel buys Revision3 for a whopping $40 million.

33) Milk, Inc.

In April of 2011, Kevin Rose initiates Milk, Inc.

It focuses on creating mobile apps for internet friendly phones.

Google buys Milk in 2012 along with its creator, as the media likes to joke, Kevin Rose.

Facebook also bids on the company but the rumors are that Google manages to buy the company somewhere in between $15 million to $30 million.

Personality

34) Blogs Regularly

Kevin Rose regularly blogs on his website, kevinrose.com about his latest ventures in investments with brand new startup companies.

He posts video blogs too, to let his fans keep up with him.

Kevin’s full name is Robert Kevin Rose but he prefers to use his middle name instead of his real first name.

35) Quick Insight into Kevin Rose

Founder of Digg.com that launches in December 2005, Kevin Rose is an esteemed and respected entrepreneur, who is known for his relentless efforts in establishing Digg as the primary source of online news for all internet users.

Being extremely tech savvy, Kevin works his way to success by working as an employee for several dotcom companies and gathering invaluable experience and insight.

36) Kevin Accepts His Mistakes

According to Kevin Rose, who serves as the Director for the company, acknowledges his own mistakes that contribute to Digg’s fall from a value of $160 million in 2008.

Kevin says, he sold some of the company shares to the wrong people and did not make a lot of money.

He says it is partly because social media grew up towards Facebook and Twitter.

37) Doesn’t Give Up After Failures

With no college degree, Kevin Rose does not give up after selling his startup company Digg.

He quickly goes on to his next entrepreneurial adventures Pownce, Revision3 and Milk, Inc.

38) Advice to Young Entrepreneurs

Kevin Rose says that his young company booms in 2004 – 2005, as they are the first to introduce some social media features but he also regrets that he has no generalists to solve the huge problems the company comes across.

Today, this is the advice he gives to owners of all young entrepreneurial projects and Kevin Rose resolves this issue in his next startups.

39) Charity Work

Unlike some millionaires, Kevin likes to donate his time, energy and resources for the underprivileged.

He is part of the Tony Hawk Foundation that helps in social welfare and uplift and The Well, Charity: Water that strives to establish clean water projects.

Both these organizations work in varying capacities to help people fight for a better quality of life.

Personal Life

40) Loses Girlfriend

It will come as no surprise to all the workaholics that Kevin Rose loses his girlfriend in 2004 because she thinks he gave too much time to his business and spends all of his savings for a house on the new business instead.

41) Dating History

Kevin has previously dated Roseys Palm, Shira Lazar and Sarah Lane.

At one point, Kevin Rose was also known to be dating “Time Out New York” writer, Julia Alison.

42) Mingles with People at Tea Parties

According to fan gossip, Kevin usually hangs out with friends at tea parties and lunches most of the time.

When does he work then? For a smart entrepreneur and investor like Kevin, tea parties are a good way to mingle with the right people and tap into the most brilliant start up ideas.

43) Relationship with Darya Pino

In 2009, Kevin Rose starts dating girlfriend Darya Pino, a PhD in neuroscience and self-claimed food writer.

Pino also writes a blog post in 2010, with a Thai recipe that makes her boyfriend, Kevin Rose eat eggplant.

Kevin often tweets about the delicious meals she makes him.

44) Marriage

In 2012, Kevin asks his three-year long girlfriend and foodie nerd, Darya Pino to marry him under a beautiful almond tree in full bloom.

She says yes and the couple marry in 2013.

Darya Pino changes her name to Darya Rose in March 2013.

The couple now lives in San Fransico.

Reportedly, the couple plans to start a family soon.

Present Professional Success

45) Is a Busy Man Nowadays

These days, Kevin Rose, spends a lot of time attending meetings with business owners and entrepreneurs all day as part of his job with Google Ventures.

His extensive travel and hangouts are often reported by the media that he spends too much time partying when in fact he spends most of his time investing in potential businesses.

46) Partner at Google Ventures

At present, Kevin is a General Partner at Google Ventures.

He is part of the investment team and advises the portfolio companies on which investments to make and which to avoid.

His invaluable experience as a Venture Capitalist helps him be an asset to Google.

47) Millionaire Maker

Kevin Rose is known as Google Venture’s “Millionaire Maker” because of his four successful entrepreneurial projects.

According to ABC, Kevin Rose has a budget of $300 million every year to invest and then develop the next big thing.

48) TV Personality

Do you know that Kevin Rose is also popularly known as a TV personality before starting Digg? He starts as a production assistant for The Screen Savers.

Then, apart from being a guest on “Can You Hack it?” Kevin has spent a significant time co-hosting TechTV’s popular show, The Screen Savers, which has won him a greater fan following.

49) Two Patents

Kevin Rose has two patents registered in his name.

One of them is on “Social Audience Voting on Content” and one on “Content Visualization”.

50) Awards

Such popularity in the Tech World comes with its awards.

Kevin is named among the Top 25 Angel Investors by Bloomberg, Top 25 celebrities by Forbes and Top 25 Most Influential People on the Web by Time and Business Week Magazines.

These accolades increase fame and respect for him and make his journey to the foundation of Digg a sought-after one.