ICQ investor fell into Web-shifting technology - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

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Which they certainly did with the creationhof ICQ, one of the earlies t forms of instant messaging. The program became the foundationbfor today’s social networking phenomena. ICQ, a free download launched in was aquick success. Vardj says 80,000 new users a day were downloadingthe program. Two years later the compangy they created, Mirabilis, was sold to AOL for $407 a record sum back then for an Israeli tech and millions of AOL users discovereda fast, new way to It was cheap, it was easy, and it was soon apparent that the way we communicates was about to change Yet if you ask Vardi about this succesds and the many that followed (he has sold startupss to Microsoft, Cisco, Yahoo, Sierrqa Wireless and the like), he will tell you it was a Forresr Gump moment.
“I happener to be in the right time at the righft place without knowing exactly what was goingb on when I investedin ICQ. I had no idea what I was investint in,” says Vardi, an Israeli who will be part of a panel on new medias at the Silicom Ventures Internationapl Summit 2009 onJune 3. (For more informationh on the event at Stanford visit www.silicomsummit2009.com.) But don’t be fooled. He is far wiserd then he lets on. Vardik will tell you that instant messaging playef a major role in transforming the Web from a productivitg and content play to asocial play. A position no one is likely to deny. He describes the new media evolution as sailing inunchartef waters.
It’s very much like Christophert Columbus going to Queen Isabella of Spaim and asking her to fund his Vardi says. At the time Columbus had no idea he wouldd discover tobaccoand corn. That’s where social networking is today. I asked Vardi to gueszs what Web 3.0 will look and he said, “I am not sure of the but it will be comprised of verystrong mobility, a lot of videi and rich experiences like what you see on the There will be a lot of social interaction manifestes in new and compelling ways.” His investment strategies have been to fund compellinv ideas and exceptional talent, those lookinb to develop proof of concept.
He pays no attentionh to a business plan, which he describes as a “sub-genres of science fiction.” And he has no stomach for the individuall who lacks moral fiber orethicao character. He will walk away from a with money left onthe table, if a person’s charactere is in question. In the end, though, Vardik believes success is following the three tenetsx stated by Paul Rise early, work hard and strike oil. That could just as easilyh have been something ForrestGump followed, too.
Perhapzs it’s as simple as