INNOVATORS | COVER STORY
ALEX SKATELL President and Founder, IJReview IJ.com
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orty-five million people a month visit IJ.com, a video-heavy millennial news site founded by Alex Skatell who previously helped senators communicate better online as a Republican Senatorial Committee staffer. After realizing that traditional news sites weren’t speaking to millennials outside of urban areas, he set out to create something to engage them. Today, many of IJ’s stories have gone viral, including the video of Sen. Lindsey Graham destroying his mobile phone after Donald Trump publicly shared his number. Skatell’s advice to entrepreneurs:“You can’t have an ego. You have to be willing to constantly get told no a lot and not let it deter you from reaching your goals.” Alex Skatell, photographed at The Jefferson Hotel.
ROB MCGOVERN CEO and Founder, Cobrain cobrain.com
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hink of it as having a personal shopper at your fingertips. Bethesda-based Cobrain, founded by serial entrepreneur Rob McGovern, learns what you like and dislike as you search for clothes online and gets smarter as you use it. It provides personalized recommendations from 400 major merchant partners – including Nordstrom, Macy’s and Lord & Taylor – and allows you to shop for items all in one place, saving time and essentially taking the thinking out of shopping. A mobile version is in the works, meaning shoppers will soon be able to find the perfect pair of boots by simply reaching into their pocket. McGovern previously built Careerbuilder.com and Jobfox.com. Cobrain’s Rob McGovern. Susanna Quinn, photographed at The Jefferson Hotel.
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