Mel Schrieberg
Melvin Schrieberg | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1942 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | 2017-07-31 New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Known for | Co-founder of Election.com; Interim CEO of SpiralFrog |
Melvin Schrieberg (1942–2017) was a prominent American entrepreneur, recognized primarily for co-founding Election.com and overseeing the first significant political election conducted online—the Arizona Democratic Primary in 2000, which Al Gore won. He subsequently took on the role of interim CEO at SpiralFrog, an early ad-supported free music platform, during the years 2007 to 2008.
Early life
Schrieberg was born in Brooklyn, New York. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Rhode Island and earned an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Additionally, he completed the Entrepreneurial Program at Harvard Business School.
Early business career
Following his graduation from Fairleigh Dickinson, Schrieberg held positions at Xerox and ROLM, including a tenure during ROLM's acquisition by IBM. He advanced to become General Manager of IBM’s New York operations and later served as Eastern Region Manager. His career continued as Corporate Vice President at ADP and Executive Vice President at the software firm Proginet, which achieved record sales in 1997; he remained with Proginet until 1999.
election.com
In 1999, Schrieberg partnered with Joe Mohen to establish election.com, a company that developed infrastructure for internet-based voting. Despite initial doubts about online elections within the United States, election.com secured the contract to administer the Arizona Democratic Primary in 2000 via the internet, allowing voters to participate remotely using their personal computers. The event attracted widespread media coverage and political attention worldwide. Although certain groups opposed the initiative through lawsuits and media campaigns, election.com gained backing from internet firms such as VeriSign, which invested equity in the company. The online primary held in March 2000 was deemed successful, featuring no security incidents and achieving unprecedented voter turnout.
SpiralFrog
SpiralFrog sought to combat digital music piracy by providing popular songs free of charge to users who agreed to watch advertisements during downloads. In January 2007, under Schrieberg’s leadership, the company repelled a hostile takeover attempt initiated by former CEO Robin Kent with support from British hedge funds. Following this stabilization, SpiralFrog launched its service toward the end of 2007. Despite pioneering an ad-supported free music distribution model, its reliance on encrypted downloads restricted compatibility with devices such as Apple’s products, limiting widespread adoption. Schrieberg departed after the 2008 financial downturn, and ultimately SpiralFrog ceased operations. Nevertheless, the company played a role in influencing the music industry’s transition toward streaming services that later rejuvenated revenue streams.
Later years
Schrieberg co-founded Ecorithm, a tech enterprise focused on reducing energy consumption in skyscrapers by up to 50% through big data analytics and SaaS solutions aimed at improving commercial building efficiency. He also provided mentorship for executives via the New York Executive Forum. Schrieberg passed away unexpectedly in New York on July 31, 2017; at that time, he resided in Fort Lee, New Jersey.