Radical Ventures
Investing in people using AI to shape the future of how we live, work, and play.
About Firsthand
Firsthand has built the industry’s first Brand Agent Platform that transforms how marketers and publishers connect with consumers — attracting, inspiring, and engaging them, wherever they are online.
Our Story
AI isn’t just a new technology — it’s a new medium to build direct, trusted relationships with consumers.
Firsthand helps companies harness the power of AI while keeping full control of their most valuable assets -- their voice, knowledge & data, and customer relationships. Our platform combines Lakebed™, an AI-era data and knowledge rights management solution that safeguards your content, with custom Brand Agents that deliver dynamic, personalized experiences that adapt to consumers' real-time needs, using your expertise, wherever they’re searching for answers.
Our name reflects what AI now makes possible: direct connections between publishers, marketers, and consumers, without barriers or intermediaries. Consumers get trusted information straight from the source, while marketers and publishers gain valuable insights into what consumers need and want.
Firsthand helps companies harness the power of AI while keeping full control of their most valuable assets -- their voice, knowledge & data, and customer relationships. Our platform combines Lakebed™, an AI-era data and knowledge rights management solution that safeguards your content, with custom Brand Agents that deliver dynamic, personalized experiences that adapt to consumers' real-time needs, using your expertise, wherever they’re searching for answers.
Our name reflects what AI now makes possible: direct connections between publishers, marketers, and consumers, without barriers or intermediaries. Consumers get trusted information straight from the source, while marketers and publishers gain valuable insights into what consumers need and want.
Leadership team
Firsthand is founded and led by a team at the forefront of some of the most transformative moments in digital advertising over the last three decades.
Together, we’ve shaped industry offerings that include programmatic advertising, streaming TV advertising, and built industry-defining companies DoubleClick (Google), AppNexus (Microsoft), and Freewheel (Comcast) that power much of the online advertising landscape today.
Our investors and advisors
Supported by AI and technology luminaries
FirstMark Capital
We back exceptional founders making their mark on the world.
David Rosenblatt
CEO of 1stDibs.com, Former CEO of DoubleClick (acquired by Google)
Brian O’Kelley
Founder & CEO, Scope3, Fmr. Founder & CEO, AppNexus (acquired by AT&T)
Our values
Values that shape our vision
Innovate with purpose
We focus on building meaningful solutions that solve real problems, ensuring our work drives impact rather than just industry hype.
Small steps, big impact
We believe consistent, incremental progress leads to significant outcomes, adapting quickly and learning from every step along the way.
Understand, & be understood
We put in the work to communicate clearly and to deeply understand others, avoiding assumptions and fostering open dialogue to ensure everyone is aligned.
Partner for the win-win
We go above-and-beyond to create solutions that benefit as many stakeholders as possible, building genuine partnerships based on collaboration and shared success.
Work with purpose, grow with impact.
Be part of a team that values innovation, thrives on collaboration, and changes how brands connect with people through AI.
Open Positions