Blaine Vess

Founder

2011 - Current

I lead Immeasurable, a family office investing in startups and venture capital funds across the US, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and China. Our notable early-stage startup investments include Human Interest, Albedo, Turion Space, clicOH, and Fathom Video.

Founder

2012

With a deep passion for storytelling that drives social change, I founded Freedom Fighter Films to amplify critical global issues—particularly the fight for North Korean freedom and human rights. Our work focuses on elevating stories that inspire action and give voice to the voiceless. From “Beyond Utopia” (Sundance 2023), capturing daring escapes from North Korea, to “Assassins” (Sundance 2020), exposing political intrigue and human rights abuses, and “I Am Sun Mu” (Netflix), chronicling a North Korean artist’s defiance, our films shine a light on the fight for freedom in one of the world’s most closed-off nations. In addition to films, I’ve also co-created “I’m Married to a…”, a VH1 series exploring unconventional relationships, and supported films that explore unique perspectives and societal challenges, including “Ms. Purple” (Sundance 2019), “Gook” (Sundance 2017), and “Where’s My Roy Cohn?” (Sundance 2019). Each project challenges audiences to think critically and empathetically about the world around them while sparking meaningful conversations about human rights and social justice.

Co-Founder & CEO

2016 - 2017

My co-founders and I launched Solve to help travelers get through immigration and customs more quickly when traveling internationally. We were a part of Y Combinator’s Summer 2017 batch and the company was ultimately acquired by Blacklane, where Solve became Blacklane PASS. Solve taught me valuable lessons about the unique challenges of running a business that blended technology with operational logistics. It was a crash course in scaling a solution that wasn’t just software—it required seamless coordination between people, processes, and technology to deliver a truly impactful customer experience.

Co-Founder & Chairman

2015 - 2017

I co-founded what's now known as Student Brands as a college freshman in 1999. We never raised any funding and Barnes and Noble Education (NYSE:BNED) acquired the company for $58.5 million in August 2017. The company generated over $100M in highly-profitable revenue during my tenure. My co-founders and I initially ran the business from our dorm room, and then our house. We learned PHP and coded everything ourselves for the first eight years of the company’s existence. In 2007, we crossed $1 million in revenue, with over 90% net margins, as two guys working out of a house. The next year we crossed $3 million and the next year we crossed $5 million, and it kept growing from there. We had no formal team other than three overseas web developers from about 2007 to 2011. In 2011, we decided to go bigger with the business, so we opened an office and started building a team. By 2014, we had a team of about thirty people in Los Angeles and our websites and apps were reaching over 2 million daily active users. In addition to serving the English-speaking world, we launched popular websites in Brazil (TrabalhosFeiots.com), France (Etuider.com), and the Spanish-speaking world (BuenasTareas.com). We also acquired over ten competitors and adjacent businesses. In early 2015, I hired a President for the company and transitioned him to CEO by the end of the year as I stepped into the role of Chairman. During that time, we expanded globally, launching an office in Bangalore, India, and building a team of around 40 talented people to support our growth. About two years later, we were acquired by Barnes and Noble Education. The websites and apps we created continue to reach millions of students around the world.

Co-Founder & CEO

1999 - 2015

New Media Marketing Consultant

2005 - 2008

I served as a full-time consultant to the EVP of Marketing at New Line Cinema, where I contributed to viral marketing campaigns for films like “Wedding Crashers” and “Snakes on a Plane.” I developed internal web applications to streamline marketing operations, managed external vendors, and collaborated with teams to execute innovative campaigns that shaped early online film marketing.

Web Developer

1997 - 2005

I began working as an IT consultant for one of Technotribe’s corporate clients when I was just 16 years old. Over time, I taught myself to code and became a web developer specializing in PHP/MySQL. I focused on creating custom web applications to improve our clients’ operations and enhance their online presence. I was part of a fully remote team. From websites to e-commerce platforms, I focused on building user-friendly, scalable solutions tailored to each client’s needs. This experience sharpened my technical skills, taught me how to solve complex problems, and emphasized the importance of collaboration across teams to deliver impactful results. My time at Technotribe was a formative period that shaped my approach to building companies.