No single company can solve every problem. And therein lies the importance of application programming interfaces (APIs). With their proliferation, companies are creating and utilizing APIs to enable new business models and, in turn, causing disruption in many industries. APIs not only create and help foster innovation within technology, but also help better manage relationships with existing customers while creating new ones.

Join the WTIA for our Tech in Focus series where we’ll be discussing how APIs are enabling new business models and what trends we can expect in the next 5 years.

Topics Covered:

APIs as a brand driver and development catalyst
APIs creating indirect revenue streams
APIs creating direct revenue streams

Speakers:

• Damon Lanphear, Manager, Cloud Drive, Amazon
• Chris Metcalf, Director of Platform, Socrata
• John Musser, CEO, API Science
• Michael Schutzler, CEO, WTIA (moderator)

Event Details:

When – Wednesday, March 19 from 4-6pm

Where – Socrata, 83 South King St, Suite 107, Seattle, 98104

Attendees – open to all

 

About the Speakers:

Damon Lanphear, Manager, Cloud Drive, Amazon

Damon Lanphear is an Engineering Manager at Amazon responsible for delivery of Amazon’s Cloud Drive service.  Damon’s career of designing and bringing to market APIs spans more than 15 years. His technical leadership at RealNetworks, Exbiblio, Medio Systems and Livemocha has impacted a wide range of industries from digital entertainment to the emerging consumer cloud.

Chris Metcalf, Director of Platform, Socrata

Mr. Metcalf serves on Socrata’s product team as their Director of Platform, where he leads the evolution of their developer frameworks and APIs, manages their developer outreach program, and drives the growth of their application developer community. As a part of this role he also serves as Socrata’s Developer Evangelist, organizing and attending hackathons and app contests for their customers and partners.

He’s nearly a six year veteran at Socrata, and as a “jack of all trades” he has been involved in many roles including software development, project and program management, sales engineering, and even marketing.

Prior to Socrata, Mr. Metcalf had a successful career at Amazon where he managed a software engineering team responsible for the online retailer’s operational and reporting systems.

John Musser, CEO, API Science

John Musser is CEO of API Science and previously founded ProgrammableWeb, the leading online resource on open APIs. John
is an industry expert on APIs, quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Forbes, and Wired, and speaking at conferences including SXSW, Dreamforce, and Web 2.0. He also consults on API strategy and trends with clients including Google, Microsoft, and Salesforce. During his 20-year career he has shipped six award-winning software products in three industries working with companies including Electronic Arts, Credit Suisse, MTV and Bell Labs. He has taught at Columbia University and the University of Washington.

Michael Schutzler, CEO, WTIA

Michael Schutzler is a successful chief executive and respected mentor with nearly 30 years experience in rapid growth, start-up, and turn-around ventures. As an Internet entrepreneur, angel investor, and CEO advisor, he has helped raise over $50 Million in financing for more than a dozen companies.

Schutzler spent the first part of his career in the telecom industry, building encrypted data and voice networks throughout the Middle East. He next sold enterprise software for Oracle and then moved on to lead a national sales organization for RR Donnelley & Sons. Schutzler has lived in the Seattle area for the past 18 years where he has served as CEO at three successful start-ups – Freeshop, Classmates, and Livemocha. He has also served as senior executive and general manager for the games division at Real Networks and the consumer products group at Monster.

Schutzler has been an active contributor and advisor to the UW Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship and serves as a professor of finance at the UW Foster School of Business. He is currently a director on the boards of three Seattle startups – Flowplay, Relaborate, and Acucela.