Nick Balletta

Bio:

Nick is CEO of TalkPoint, an industry leader in global communications technology. With more than 25 years of experience in media and technology, he is a pioneer in the field of unified communications and interactive webcasting. Nick launched his first company – Voyager Data Networks – in 1996 and sold it two years later, at which time he had the foresight to invest in the burgeoning field of streaming media.

In 1998, he founded TalkPoint's predecessor -- NextVenue -- as an offshoot of CNBC/Dow Jones Desktop Video, a joint venture among Microsoft, NBC and Dow Jones. Here he led its global expansion and merger into streaming media company iBeam Broadcasting. At iBeam, he served as president of enterprise services and was a member of the board before buying back the company, now known as TalkPoint, in 2003. Nick holds an MBA from Rutgers Graduate School of Management and regularly competes in triathlons across the country.

• Title: CEO, TalkPoint
• Age: 47
• Location: Financial District
• Contact: @talkpointdotcom

You bought back what was to become TalkPoint from NBC. What are some of the key steps you took to restructure the company into the successful business it is today?

Some of the key steps involved setting up the proper capital structure for the business and then making sure it was well capitalized.  Once the foundation was set, we then focused on our core competencies.  By definition, if you have too many targets, you have none.  We made sure we focused on webcasting and did not get sidetracked by tangential technologies and services.

I noticed that you enjoy running triathlons. How did you become interested in triathlons and how do manage to find time in your busy schedule to train? Are you planning on participating in this year's NYC Triathlon in July?

Triathlons are my answer to a mid-life crisis.  A fellow Type A friend of mine dragged me to one as a cheerleader. I got the bug and have not looked back since.  This year, I’ll be participating for the second time at the St. Anthony’s Triathlon in St. Petersburg Florida as a member of Team In Training to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.   It keeps me in shape and is cheaper than a sports car.

As an experienced entrepreneur, can you tell us how do you think the tech industry has changed throughout the years and do you have any advice for those that are just getting into the game?

The technology industry is changing more rapidly than it has in the past.  My advice to anyone getting started is to make sure you have a singular focus, listen to your customers and always be a little paranoid.