Categories: OLD Media Moves

The founding of Minyanville

Todd Harrison, one of the founders of the Minyanville personal finance site, has been writing an account of its founding on the Marketwatch.com site recently.

In the latest edition, Harrison writes, “My primary focus was the fund, where I was entering the second year of a two-year deal. The other was Minyanville, which encapsulated my hopes and dreams. It was more of a mission than a business venture; it was entirely personal and very much an escape.

“On weekends and at night, we worked incessantly on building wire frames that would bring Hoofy and Boo to life. I told Casey I would spend $30,000 on the project but that quickly proved conservative. My intention wasn’t to build TheStreet.com — the ambition was much larger than that, perhaps even grandiose.

“I envisioned a community that bridged Wall Street and Main Street, a world-class platform that educated, entertained and engaged. I wanted to change the world and nothing was going to stop me. Not Jim Cramer, not TheStreet.com and certainly not money.

“I had a stash of cash and spared no expense. We enlisted the help of John Bell, an animator once nominated for an Academy Award for special effects, to illustrate Hoofy and Boo. Casey worked from her Santa Monica home office and created the Minyanville platform.”