Michael Lazerow

Lazerow graduated in 1996 with a B.S. and M.S. in journalism from Northwestern University, where he is still active as a member of the university's Medill School Board of Advisers.

While attending Northwestern University, Lazerow founded University Wire (now owned by Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)), a network of more than 700 student-run newspapers. He later founded GOLF.com, which was purchased by Time Warner's Time Inc. division in 2006. Subsequent to the 2006 acquisition, Lazerow joined Time Inc. as General Manager of GOLF.com and GOLFONLINE.com.

In 2007, Lazerow co-founded Buddy Media, Inc., a privately held company that sells social media marketing software{{Cite web |title=Buddy Media introduces Social Ad Management Software |url=https://www.mediabuzz.com.sg/companies-campaigns-may-june-12/buddy-media-introduces-social-ad-management-software |access-date=2023-05-11 |website=www.mediabuzz.com.sg}}.{{clarify|date=May 2023}} Lazerow served as chairman and CEO before the company was sold to Salesforce.com on June 4, 2012, for $745 million.{{Cite news |last=Jones |first=Drew FitzGerald And Kristin |date=2012-06-04 |title=Salesforce to Acquire Buddy Media for as Much as $745 Million |url=https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303830204577446183312832146.html |access-date=2021-01-20 |work=Wall Street Journal |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660}}

In 2019, Lazerow co-founded Velvet Sea Ventures,{{Cite web|title=Velvet Sea Ventures – Building dreams through investment.|url=https://velvetseavc.com/|access-date=2021-01-20|language=en-US}} a multi-stage venture capital firm. The firm has invested in Scopely{{Cite web|title=Scopely Secures Additional $200 Million {{!}} Los Angeles Business Journal|url=https://labusinessjournal.com/news/2020/mar/23/scopely-secures-additional-200-million/|access-date=2021-01-20|website=labusinessjournal.com}} and Liquid Death.{{Cite web|date=2020-02-20|title=Liquid Death Raises $9M Series A Round|url=https://www.bevnet.com/news/2020/liquid-death-raises-9m-series-a-round/|access-date=2021-01-20|website=BevNET.com|language=en-US}} Lazerow was also a seed investor in Scopely, which announced on April 5, 2023, that it had signed an agreement to sell for $4.9 billion to Savvy Games.{{Cite web |date=April 5, 2023 |title=Scopely Acquired For $4.9 Billion By Savvy Games Group |url=https://www.socaltech.com/scopely_acquired_for_4_9_billion_by_savvy_games_group/s-0083346.html |website=socalTECH.com}}

In September 2022, Lazerow and his wife, Kass, endowed [https://magazine.medill.northwestern.edu/2020/medill-grad-turned-serial-entrepreneur-gives-back-through-the-mike-and-kass-lazerow-graduate-scholarship/ The Mary Dedinsky Graduate Journalism Scholarship] to honor Mary Dedinsky’s long-time service to Medill and the broader journalism profession. Mary was the first woman to be named managing editor of a major metropolitan newspaper. She is a member of the Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame and twice served as a Pulitzer Prize juror.{{Cite web |last=University |first=Medill-Northwestern |title=Mary Dedinsky - Medill - Northwestern University |url=https://www.medill.northwestern.edu/about-us/awards/hall-of-achievement/mary-dedinsky.html |access-date=2023-05-11 |website=www.medill.northwestern.edu |language=en}} Mary also served as Lazerow's academic adviser at Northwestern.{{Cite web |last=University |first=Medill-Northwestern |title=Medill Grad Honors Former Professor with Mary Dedinsky Graduate Journalism Scholarship - Medill - Northwestern University |url=https://www.medill.northwestern.edu/news/2022/medill-grad-honors-former-professor-with-mary-dedinsky-graduate-journalism-scholarship.html |access-date=2023-05-11 |website=www.medill.northwestern.edu |language=en}}

Lazerow lives in New York City with his wife, Kass, who served as Buddy Media's COO. Kass and Mike have three children, Myles, Cole and Vivian.

Lazerow has a heart condition called a ventricular septal defect that resulted in an emergency aortic valve replacement in 1994.{{Cite web |last=Shontell |first=Alyson |title=How A Near-Fatal Heart Condition Inspired Buddy Media's Mike Lazerow To Become A Fearless Entrepreneur |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/how-a-fatal-heart-condition-inspired-mike-lazerow-to-live-fearlessly-and-found-his-745-million-company-buddy-media-2012-6 |access-date=2023-04-11 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}} His Youtube video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjwEfaxM4Bc "A New Beginning - Is Fear Holding You Back?"] about the condition, posted after the sale of Buddy Media to Salesforce, has received more than 150,000 views.{{Citation |title=A New Beginning - Is Fear Holding You Back? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjwEfaxM4Bc |access-date=2023-04-11 |language=en}}

Lazerow is a long-time fan of the Phish and has attended more than 150 Phish shows.{{Cite web |date=2017-08-14 |title='It's just like ad tech': Why some people in media can't get enough Phish |url=https://digiday.com/media/just-like-ad-tech-people-media-cant-get-enough-phish/ |access-date=2023-04-11 |website=Digiday |language=en-US}}

• {{cite book |last=Lazerow |first=Kass |title=Shoveling $h!t: a Love Story about the Entrepreneur's Messy Path to Success |last2=Lazerow |first2=Michael |date=2025-06-03 |publisher=Amplify Publishing |isbn=979-8-89138-351-7}}
  

References{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.buddymedia.com/ Buddy Media]
• [http://chronicle.com/che-data/articles.dir/art-44.dir/issue-40.dir/40a02303.htm "College Newspapers Gain Venue on Search Services"] in Chronicle of Higher Education June 12, 1998
• [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/23/AR2006012301503.html "Time Adds Golf.com to Its Sports Lineup"] inWashington Post, Jan 24, 2006.
• [http://www.econtentmag.com/Articles/ArticleReader.aspx?ArticleID=770 E-content] story on GOLF.com
• [http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/1-13-98/393272&EDATE= PR Newswire story]

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Category:American male journalists

Category:Medill School of Journalism alumni

Category:Living people

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:American chief executives in the mass media industry