Dan Hoffman

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Dan's diverse and extensive background includes a unique combination of successful executive management, as well as high profile Internet and software technology management, in a wide range of companies from start-up to Fortune 500
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Hello Dan, I am happy for the opportunity to take the first interview from you in your new business role as CEO of DevStart Inc. What were the motivation factors that led you to this position?

I was looking for an opportunity to work with industry leading, talented people who were excited about their company and their products. When I was first introduced to the team at DevStart, I knew that this was a team that I wanted to be a part of.

I am sure that our readers will be interested in learning more about you and your previous achievements. Tell me about yourself and what were the major milestones in your life contributing to your business success?

I have spent my entire career in technology companies, beginning with HP in the late 80s and including time at Microsoft, and a number of really good, pioneering internet companies. My background is quality engineering, and much of what I have learned through the years comes back to some basics, like offering your customers a quality product that exceeds their expectations.

First off, can you tell some more about your vision for DevStart and what is your major goal?

Our goal here at DevStart is pretty straightforward. We are going to be the leading source for web development resources, tools and news including hosting, scripts and promotion directories. We will be the first place that anyone interested in web development goes online, and where they spend the most time.

Now, tell me about your experience at Microsoft.

You held an important role in the Microsoft Word and Microsoft Office teams, two of the most successful software products ever developed, can you reflect back in time and share with us what was the most challenging part of your work?

Of course we had very high expectations for the software products we were delivering to a very large market. Failure wasn't really an option, so everything we did had to be done on time, and in a quality fashion. Any mistakes we made would be so magnified and so obvious, that sweeping things under the rug wasn't a strategy that could work. This mindset of having to do things correctly, not making big mistakes and getting things done on time is still my way.

You have a successful background in a unique combination of executive management and high profile technology management. What is the major skill a leader needs to accomplish the goals set forward?

I strongly believe that you need everyone on your team to believe in what you are doing, to have the commitment to achieve really high goals and do them in a way that is part of a process that can stand the tests of stress, time and personalities. My main skill is in building these kinds of teams.

What is the major challenge you see in developing and growing a leading site network?

The major challenges I see for us are constantly finding good, credible and fresh sources of information, reviews, and original news. We need to provide an offering that is better than what our competition offers, and work on it every day to improve the relevance and pertinence of our content. Also, we need to foster a growing community of web developers by giving them tools and services that they cannot get anywhere else. This means we need to also be a technology innovator at the same time.

When you look at the near future how do you see the growth in popularity of Internet services and related news, and how do you see DevStart's role in this trend?

Clearly the market for internet related products and services is still growing, but in new ways and with a focus on different offerings than were available even 18 to 24 months ago. This is the beauty and the opportunity of the internet. DevStart has to continue to lead and innovate, and stay ahead of others in not only our ability to better analyze current market conditions and trends, but also to point to future growth areas, cutting-edge products and services, and continue to be a guide to the future internet.

As we approach the new era in the Internet development, can you talk a little about the technology and how do you see the future of Internet?

I laugh when I think about people saying the internet was dead a few years ago. The people who said that don't really understand what the internet is all about. The internet is another set of technologies, another set of tools that allow people to do more things, communicate better, make money, enjoy new forms of entertainment and improve their overall quality of life. There will be huge improvements in these areas over the next 5 to 10 years, especially with the advent of new, more user-friendly and more highly adopted wireless products.

Thank you for being with us, Dan.