Jerry McLaughlin

Jerry McLaughlin founded Branders.com in May 1999 along with three other co-founders. However, his partners have left the company to move on to other ventures. Together, the four saw the opportunity to innovate the promotional products industry and bring it to the Web. They also saw the importance of technology in improving the experience of buyers. Prior to co-founding Branders, Jerry was working for Altos Ventures, a venture capital firm designed for making early stage investments in companies and entrepreneurs. Before joining Altos Ventures, he was also the CEO of Enwisen, the first-Internet based clearinghouse of employee benefit information between insurers and large employers. His tenure in the company saw him negotiating distribution deals with Netscape and insurance brokers. Among the company’s clients include Long Drugs, Yahoo, and Washington Post. He was able to hone his expertise in marketing and branding when he founded and operated an advertising firm in Philadelphia. He was a practicing business lawyer at the Cooley Godward based in Palo Alto, California where he was working with emerging growth companies, venture capitalists, and investment bankers based in the Silicon Valley. Jerry McLaughlin is a former U.S. Marine officer and active member of the Young President’s Organization. He earned his Jurist Doctorate with honors from Temple University. He has a degree with honors in Economics and English from the University of Pennsylvania.