Jeff Arnold (internet entrepreneur) explained
Jeffrey Todd Arnold is an American Internet entrepreneur and executive. He is chairman of Sharecare, a health and wellness engagement platform that provides users with personal health tools.[1]
Education
Arnold is from the U.S. state of Georgia. He attended the University of Georgia,[2] [3] where he studied communications before withdrawing in 1993.[4] [5] He graduated from the university at a later date.[6] [7]
Professional career
Arnold worked in pharmaceutical sales early in his career. Described by Atlanta magazine as a "serial" entrepreneur,[8] he has founded multiple health care companies, including cardiac monitoring business Quality Diagnostic Services (QDS), medical website WebMD,[9] and Atlanta-based Sharecare,[2] for which he is chairman and chief executive officer (CEO).[10] [11] Arnold was also the chairman and CEO of HowStuffWorks.[12] [13] Arnold and his wife founded QDS in 1994,[4] and later sold the company in 1998 for $25 million.[14] [5] [15] In October 1998,[4] he launched WebMD, a health care company that provides consumers, health institutions, and physicians with medical information through the Internet. Arnold continued as CEO until he left WebMD in 2000.[4] [16] [17] In 2001, he formed The Convex Group,[18] a vulture fund, for which he also was chairman and CEO.[19] [20] He has been credited with the growth of HowStuffWorks, which Convex purchased in 2003 for $2 million and sold to Discovery Communications in 2007 for $250 million.[12] [21] He has also been credited with helping Convex acquire Flexplay and LidRock.[22] [23] In 2010, he co-founded Sharecare with Mehmet Oz.[24] [25] Arnold has been credited with finding investors for both WebMD and Sharecare in Nashville.[26]
In 2003, Arnold started LidRock, which produced promotional miniature CDs attached to the lids of fountain drinks.[27] LidRock CDs were placed in between two lids, with the top one peeled away to obtain the disc.[28] Arnold purchased 19 patents from various companies in order to produce the LidRock concept.[18] [29] The CDs were typically sold at fast-food restaurants and movie theaters,[30] [27] and generally were used to promote new video games or music from singers such as Britney Spears.[31] [32] [33] More than 10 million LidRocks had been sold as of 2004,[28] and more than 30 million as of 2005.[34]
Awards
- Entrepreneur of the Year, Southeast Region by Ernst & Young. (1999)[35]
- Inducted into the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia. (2013)[36]
- Blumenthal Award[37] by Johns Hopkins University in recognition of his ability to bridge business and technology.(2013)
- Technology Association of Georgia Icons of the Industry’ Award (2016).[38]
- Lifetime Achievement Award from the Atlanta chapter of TiE (The IndUS Entrepreneurs) (2016)[39]
- innovation category in the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Health Care Heroes (2016).[40]
Notes and References
- Web site: Jeff Arnold. 2016-08-18.
- How Success Happened for WebMD and Sharecare Founder Jeff Arnold. Robert. Tuchman. April 15, 2021. August 15, 2021. Entrepreneur.
- Web site: Undergraduate Students . University of Georgia . August 24, 2022.
- News: Carrns . Ann . WebMD CEO Wygod Aims to Revive Struggling Firm With Strong Medicine . August 24, 2022 . . January 17, 2001.
- News: Sharpe . Anita . WebMD Aims to Become One-Stop Medical Library . August 24, 2022 . . January 14, 1999.
- Categories of Honorees: Technology & Research . . November 3, 2022.
- Web site: Undergraduate Students . University of Georgia . November 3, 2022 . Some famous Alumni include D.J. Shockley, former Atlanta Falcons Quarterback, Jeff Arnold, founder of WebMD, amongst others..
- 2021 Atlanta 500: Business . Atlanta . January 25, 2021 . August 23, 2022.
- Walljasper . Matt . Jeff Arnold and Dawn Whaley . . October 29, 2018 . August 23, 2022.
- Hensley . Ellie . Q&A with Sharecare CEO Jeff Arnold . Atlanta Business Chronicle . January 14, 2016 . August 15, 2022.
- News: De Lombaerde . Geert . Sharecare buys Franklin health IT firm . August 23, 2022 . . February 24, 2020.
- Morrissey . Brian . HowStuffWorks Plans Expansion . . December 16, 2005 . August 23, 2022.
- News: Marshall . Matt . HowStuffWorks raises whopping $75M for instructional video site . August 23, 2022 . . April 11, 2007.
- News: Sullivan . Paul . When Affluent Families Dig Up Their Past . August 15, 2022 . . January 18, 2019.
- Karkaria . Urvaksh . WebMD founder Jeff Arnold inducted into Georgia Technology Hall of Fame . . . March 4, 2013 . August 24, 2022 . Arnold also was the founder of Quality Diagnostic Services.
- Helyar . John . Jeff Arnold, founder of WebMD, could be the Poster Boy for the Internet bubble. And yet smart investors are already piling into his latest scheme. . Fortune . March 5, 2001 . August 24, 2022.
- News: Woodson . Alex . Discovery buys HowStuffWorks.com . August 24, 2022 . . October 16, 2007.
- News: Lovel . Jim . Atlanta McDonald's testing LidRock concept . 2022-09-29 . Atlanta Business Chronicle . 2004-02-09.
- Graser . Marc . Convex adds CAA’s Adler . . January 19, 2003 . August 24, 2022.
- News: New DVDs have short life span . August 24, 2022 . . January 18, 2005.
- News: Stelter . Brian . Online Encyclopedia Gets New Push From Discovery . August 23, 2022 . . June 30, 2008.
- News: WebMD's Founder Goes Hollywood . October 13, 2022 . Bloomberg.com . October 18, 2004.
- News: Wilbert . Caroline . Still thinking huge . October 13, 2022 . The Atlanta Constitution . October 26, 2003.
- News: Brown . Joel . School of Public Health Will Crunch the Data on Well-Being . August 23, 2022 . BU Today . . July 15, 2019.
- News: Alan Mnuchin-backed SPAC to take health app Sharecare public for $3.9 billion . August 23, 2022 . . February 12, 2021.
- News: Fletcher . Holly . Dr. Oz and the founder of WebMD just planted their flag in Nashville . August 23, 2022 . . August 18, 2016.
- Web site: Lees . Nancy . LidRock puts its disks where kids' mouths are . Kidscreen . 2022-09-29 . 2003-10-01.
- News: Music With That Soda Cup? Try Lidrock . 2022-09-29 . ABC News . 2004-04-02.
- Web site: Burke . Monte . Pop Music . Forbes . 2022-09-29 . 2004-01-12.
- News: Wilbert . Caroline . Pop Tops . 2022-09-29 . money.cnn.com . 2004-03-01.
- News: Weinraub . Bernard . A Web Refugee Turns to Music And Says, 'Give the Lid a Spin' . 2022-09-29 . The New York Times . 2004-03-29.
- News: Hirsch . Deborah . Singer Rachel Farris' Big Break is Under the Lid . 2022-09-29 . Orlando Sentinel . 2003-06-27.
- News: Soda 'pop' promo . 2022-09-29 . Gainesville Sun . Associated Press . 2003-07-01.
- Web site: CDs on top of the pops . Chicago Tribune . 2022-09-29 . 2005-01-23.
- Web site: Trends & talk around the town - Atlanta Business Chronicle. 2016-08-18. Atlanta Business Chronicle.
- Web site: Jeff Arnold Inducted into the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia. 2016-08-18. www.tagonline.org.
- Web site: Blumenthal Lecture: Jeff Arnold, Chair and CEO Sharecare (2016-03-24). 2016-08-18.
- Web site: Technology Association of Georgia To Honor Jeff Arnold with Icons of the Industry Award at 2016 Digital Media Entertainment Industry Summit - Technology Association of Georgia. 2016-09-14.
- Web site: TiE Atlanta Top Entrepreneur Awards - Hypepotamus. 12 September 2016. 2016-09-23.
- Web site: Arnold utilizes technology to promote better health - Atlanta Business Chronicle. Atlanta Business Chronicle. 2016-08-18.