View source for Ben Huh

{{Short description|South Korean-American  businessman}}
{{Distinguish|Ben-Hur (disambiguation){{!}}Ben-Hur}}
{{Infobox person
| name        = Ben Huh
| image       = Ben Huh being interviewed by G4 at ROFLCon II 2.jpg
| caption     = Huh in 2010
| nationality = [[South Korea]]n, [[United States|American]]
| birth_date  =
| birth_place = [[Seoul]], [[South Korea]]
| death_date  =
| death_place =
| education   = [[Cordova High School (California)|Cordova High School]]
| alma_mater  = [[Northwestern University]]
| occupation  = [[CEO]] of Cheezburger
| children    =
| website     = [https://www.cheezburger.com/ Cheezburger.com]
}}
'''Ben Huh''' is a South Korean-American [[internet entrepreneur]] and the former [[CEO]] of [[I Can Has Cheezburger?|The Cheezburger Network]], which at its peak in 2010 received 375 million views a month across its 50 sites.<ref name=xconomy>Chard, Thea. [http://www.xconomy.com/seattle/2010/06/30/cheezburger-ceo-ben-huh-on-surrounding-himself-with-more-talent-and-the-future-of-the-global-humor-blog-network/ Cheezburger CEO Ben Huh on Surrounding Himself with More Talent, and the Future of the Global Humor Blog Network]. Xconomy. June 30, 2010.</ref>
==Early life==
Huh was born in [[Seoul]], [[South Korea]] and grew up in [[Rancho Cordova, California]], attending [[Cordova High School (California)|Cordova High School]] there.<ref name=siliconprairie>Stacy, Michael. [http://www.siliconprairienews.com/2011/05/big-omaha-ben-huh-things-that-excite-us-are-things-that-would-make-other-people-cringe Big Omaha - Ben Huh: ‘Things that excite us are things that would make other people cringe’]. Silicon Prairie News. May 12, 2011.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://seattledesigner.blogspot.com/2010/07/ben-huh-ceo-cheezburger-network-and.html|title=Confessions of a Graphic Designer|author=terrinakamura|publisher=}}</ref> In 1999, Huh graduated from [[Northwestern University]] with a degree in [[journalism]], although English was not his first language.<ref name=xconomy/><ref name=siliconprairie/> With regards to this, he said "I got a degree in a language I didn't speak because I felt something in the power of media that attracted me."<ref name=siliconprairie/>
The Web's influence on journalism was growing, and Huh decided to go into a career in the Internet.<ref name=techflash>James, Anthony. [http://www.techflash.com/seattle/2011/07/startup-qa-cheezburgers-ben-huh-on.html Startup Q&A: Cheezburger's Ben Huh on new ideas]. Tech Flash. July 9, 2011.</ref> He founded a [[web analytics]] company, which folded after 18 months.<ref name=techflash/> After that, he worked at three companies in six years.<ref name=techflash/>
In 2007, Huh started a [[blog]] for fun with his wife about living with a dog in [[Seattle]].<ref name=xconomy/> Later that year, there was a series of [[2007 pet food recall|pet food recalls]], and the company responsible took down their company website.<ref name=xconomy/> Huh went through the company's [[web cache|cached files]] and found a PDF that outlined the company's customers, revenues, and facility locations.<ref name=xconomy/> He posted this to his blog, and the post got linked around the internet. One of the links was from a site called [[I Can Has Cheezburger]] and Huh struck up a friendship with the two owners.<ref name=xconomy/>
==The Cheezburger Network==
In September 2007, Huh connected with a group of [[angel investors]] to buy I Can Has Cheezburger.<ref name=wired>Wallace, Lewis [https://www.wired.com/underwire/2008/03/sxsw-2008-the-y/ SXSW: 2008, the Year the Audience Keynoted]. Wired. March 11, 2008.</ref> At the time, the site was getting viewed 500,000 times daily, which Huh notes was "fantastic for a cat picture site that nobody understood."<ref name=ventureblog>Cook, John. [http://www.techflash.com/seattle/2008/11/QA_Ben_Huh_of_I_Can_Has_Cheezburger33692889.html Q&A: Ben Huh of I Can Has Cheezburger on tech, cats and more]. Venture Blog. November 6, 2008.</ref> He likes to joke that his investor pitch was "I would like to start a media company by buying a cat picture website. Can you give me $2.25 million?"<ref name=thenextweb>McCarthy, Brad. [https://thenextweb.com/media/2011/05/13/cheezburgers-ben-huh-on-education-entrepreneurship-and-5-minutes-of-happiness/ Cheezburgers Ben Huh On Education, Entrepreneurship, and 5 minutes of happiness]. The Next Web. May 13, 2011.</ref> Huh states that "we felt like that there was a pretty good possibility that we were buying into a cultural phenomenon, a shift in the way people perceived entertainment."<ref name=ventureblog/>
In 2011, Cheezburger received 375 million page views a month in 2011 across its 50 sites, including [[I Can Has Cheezburger]], [[FAIL Blog]], [[The Daily What]], [[Know Your Meme]], and Memebase.<ref name=xconomy/><ref name=seattletimes>Dudley, Brier. [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2013971233_brier19.html Cheezburger's first venture financing raises $30 million]. The Seattle Times. January 18, 2011.</ref> At this time in the site's history, the content was [[user-generated]], with users allowed to upload images and add text captions throughout its network of sites, with the best then being culled by Cheezburger employees and users and posted to the front pages daily.<ref name=latimes/> Although Huh does not reveal financial specifics, ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' speculated that the network makes $4 million in yearly revenue, which comes mainly from display ads, books, and merchandise.<ref name=wired/> The Cheezburger Network raised $30 million in venture funding in January 2011, and at that time, employed 75 people and has been profitable since its first quarter.<ref name=techflash/><ref name=time>Fitzpatrick, Laura. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090816093453/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1916286,00.html#ixzz1U740AdfJ 	Building a Media Empire Around I Can Has Cheezburger]. TIME. August 24, 2009.</ref> They've released five books, two of which are [[The New York Times Best Seller list|''New York Times'' bestsellers]].<ref name=xconomy/>
In 2012, Huh announced he was taking on a new project called Circa that wants to "reimagine the way you consume news."<ref name=Circa>Huh, Ben. [http://www.cir.ca/about Circa] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501193104/http://www.cir.ca/about |date=May 1, 2012 }}. Betabeat. April 27, 2012.</ref> In April 2012, Circa raised $750K in Series A funding, before being shut down in 2015 and subsequently reopened under different ownership.<ref name=Betabeat>Roy, Jessica. [http://betabeat.com/2012/04/27/ben-huhs-news-startup-circa-raises-750k-from-david-tisch-david-karp-and-others/ I CAN HAZ SEED ROUND: Ben Huh’s News Startup Circa Raises $750K] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120518234539/http://betabeat.com/2012/04/27/ben-huhs-news-startup-circa-raises-750k-from-david-tisch-david-karp-and-others/ |date=May 18, 2012 }}. Betabeat. April 27, 2012.</ref><ref name="Matt Blog">{{cite web|last= Galligan |first= Matt |title=Farewell to Circa News|url=https://medium.com/circa/farewell-to-circa-news-7d002150f74b|publisher=Medium|accessdate=24 June 2015|date=24 June 2015}}</ref><ref name=BC12072015>[http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/local-tv/set-launch-digital-news-site-circa-sinclair-taps-john-solomon-coo/146226 "Set to Launch Digital News Site Circa, Sinclair Taps John Solomon as COO,"] from ''Broadcasting & Cable'', 12/7/2015</ref>
In July 2013, Huh told the media that his decision to make 24 job cuts at Cheezburger, amounting to a third of the firm's employees, was one of the most difficult weeks he had ever experienced.<ref>{{cite web| title=How I Live With Myself After Firing a Third of My Employees | author=Liz Welch| publisher=Inc. Magazine| url=http://www.inc.com/magazine/201307/liz-welch/how-i-live-with-myself-after-firing.html|  date=July 2013}}</ref>
Huh ran Cheezburger until its acquisition by Literally Media in 2016. The sites still operate, although most no longer allow user-generated content.
== Social Construct ==
Huh founded Social Construct, a technology company that assembled "buildings with software-generated floor plans and rooms that fit together like Lego bricks."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Social Construct's computer-optimized buildings could shake construction industry's foundations |url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/14/social-constructs-computer-optimized-buildings-could-shake-construction-industrys-foundations/ |access-date=2022-08-10 |website=TechCrunch |date=14 July 2020 |language=en-US}}</ref> The company was founded in 2017 from the New Cities moonshot project at [[Y Combinator]], where Huh worked after leaving The Cheezburger Network. The company raised $17M from Y Combinator and Founders Fund and broke ground on a multi-family building in Oakland, CA before shutting down during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rebong |first=Kevin |date=2021-07-30 |title=Proptech Startup Social Construct Closing Down |url=https://therealdeal.com/2021/07/30/proptech-startup-social-construct-shutting-down/ |access-date=2022-08-10 |website=The Real Deal New York |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Orange DAO ==
Huh then went on to co-lead Orange DAO, a [[decentralized autonomous organization]] with a membership of more than 1,000 Y Combinator alumni.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Hundreds of Y Combinator alumni join crypto collective to back web3 startups |url=https://techcrunch.com/2022/01/24/hundreds-of-y-combinator-alumni-join-crypto-collective-to-back-web3-startups/ |access-date=2022-08-10 |website=TechCrunch |date=24 January 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref>  Orange DAO seeks to "help startups apply to, and be accepted into Y Combinator, provide them with pre- and post-YC funding, while helping mentor their leadership and recruit talent, and acquire customers" according to its charter. Huh is one of three general partners of the investment firm Orange Fund which works with Orange DAO to make investments in early-stage startups.<ref name=":0" />
==Television==
Huh is the central figure in the ''[[LOLwork]]'' [[reality television]] series on the [[Bravo (US TV network)|Bravo]] television network. The series follows Ben Huh and his staff at [[Cheezburger Network|Cheezburger]] as they create new content for the site.<ref>{{cite news |work=The Futon Critic |title=It's "Bravo's Big Premiere Week," Featuring Five New and Returning Series Kicking Off November 4 |url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2012/10/23/its-bravos-big-premiere-week-featuring-five-new-and-returning-series-kicking-off-november-4-521115/20121023bravo01/ |date=October 23, 2012 |accessdate=October 28, 2012}}</ref>
==Reception==
Huh has been a speaker at [[SXSW]], Web 2.0 Summit and [[TED (conference)|TEDx Seattle]].<ref>Simons, Wes. [http://www.seattlebusinessmag.com/blog/%5Buser-raw%5D/ted-invades-seattle TED Invades Seattle] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110209111012/http://www.seattlebusinessmag.com/blog/%5Buser-raw%5D/ted-invades-seattle |date=February 9, 2011 }}. Seattle Business.</ref><ref>[http://www.web2summit.com/web2010/public/schedule/speaker/34738 Ben Huh Speaker]. Web 2.0 Summit. November 15, 2010.</ref> In 2010, Huh was named to ''[[Fast Company (magazine)|Fast Company]]'''s list of the "Most Creative People in Business."<ref>Mascai, Dan. [http://www.fastcompany.com/100/2010/86/ben-huh The 100 Most Creative People: Ben Huh #86] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110905080003/http://www.fastcompany.com/100/2010/86/ben-huh |date=September 5, 2011 }}. Fast Company. 2010.</ref> He was also named to [[GQ]]'s list of the "Worst-Dressed Men in Silicon Valley"; in response to this, he challenged GQ to a fashion duel.<ref name=gq>Hope, Clover. [https://www.gq.com/style/profiles/201108/worst-dressed-men-silicon-valley-mark-zuckerberg#ixzz1U6uJOwxR The 15 Worst-Dressed Men of Silicon Valley]. GQ. August 3, 2011.</ref><ref>Cook, John. [https://archive.today/20120715204515/http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/08/04/7254428-cheezburger-chief-challenges-gq-to-fashion-duel Cheezburger chief challenges GQ to fashion 'duel']. MSNBC. August 4, 2011.</ref>
==Awards==
Huh received the [[Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award]] in 2011.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120306120858/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/pacificnw/2017066648_pacificpostscripts01.html Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award]</ref>
==Personal life==
Huh lives in [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]] with his wife Emily and [[poodle]] mix, Nemo.<ref name=latimes>Mcedward, Laura. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-sep-23-fi-benhuh23-story.html Entrepreneur’s Kitty Site Now A Caboodle]. LA Times. September 23, 2008.</ref><ref name=nytimes>Wortham, Jenna. [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/technology/internet/14burger.html Once Just a Site With Funny Cat Pictures, and Now a Web Empire]. The New York Times. June 13, 2010.</ref> He also runs The Moby Dick Project, which aims to change how news is presented.<ref>Huh, Ben. [http://www.benhuh.com/2011/05/23/why-are-we-still-consuming-the-news-like-its-1899/ Why Are We Still Consuming The News Like It’s 1899?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810041405/http://www.benhuh.com/2011/05/23/why-are-we-still-consuming-the-news-like-its-1899/ |date=2011-08-10 }}. May 28, 2011.</ref><ref>Cook, John. [http://www.geekwire.com/2011/cheezburger-ceo-ben-huhs-latest-voyage-time-to-rethink-journalism Cheezburger CEO Ben Huh’s latest voyage: It’s time ‘to rethink journalism’]. GeekWire. May 23, 2011.</ref> He is allergic to cats.<ref name=cnet>McCarthy, Caroline. [http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10062366-36.html Ben Huh Has Successful Business Model?] CNET. October 8, 2008.</ref>
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Ben Huh}}
*[http://www.benhuh.com/ BenHuh!com]. Official blog.
*{{Twitter}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Huh, Ben}}
[[Category:1979 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American bloggers]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Seoul]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Seattle]]
[[Category:People from Rancho Cordova, California]]
[[Category:South Korean emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from San Francisco]]
[[Category:Entrepreneurship in the United States]]