in da AOL Sphere

Yesterday was the big day, we announced our acquisition by AOL:
TechCrunch Coverage
Sphere blog Coverage
NYT/The Deal Coverage
All Things D Coverage

This is a thrill and very exciting, but also a tad bittersweet.  Exciting because any time a small fledgling startup that you're a part of building is acquired by one of the large Internet superstars, it signals that we've made it; that we've created something of value that others recognize and appreciate.  Based on our traction in the market and accelerating demand for partnership, we knew this internally, but an acquisition by a brand like AOL announces it through a bullhorn to the rest of the world.  It's also exciting because AOL is giving us the opportunity to remain independent, which we love because the team has really gelled and is hitting on all cylinders right now.  It's fantastic that we get to continue working together and building out what we started with the resources of AOL.  Of course, this is also where the bittersweetness comes in.  I've been involved with Sphere for 14 months.  For eight of those, we were engaged in a courtship ritual dance of sorts, that eventually resulted in me joining the team.  For the past six, we've been sprinting towards the finish line and fending off other competitors trying to take a piece of our pie.  Our pipeline is full with some of the biggest and most exciting brands and publishers.  Our business should continue to grow and naturally, there's a part of me that would have loved to ride this one out a tad longer, especially since six months was just enough time to really get in a groove.   Though I imagine this is a sentiment that one feels whenever a sale of a business takes place, whether after six years or six months.  Now, time to focus on the great opportunities this brings and to finish what we started.  Onwards and upwards we go....