Oliver Emberton

I'm the founder of Silktide and Silktide Studios, and probably the most unashamedly ambitious person you know.

Life ambitions

I've thought long and hard about how I can achieve the maximum possible significance with my life:

Build a large software company (10,000+ staff, FORTUNE 100) from the ground up, that accomplishes truly amazing things on a global scale. This will take most of my life: about 40 years.
To focus the later years of my life (aged roughly 65-80) on charitable causes, and to be free to focus on this and invest considerable resources into it (billions of 2008 dollars, adjusted for inflation).
To leave the world a better place for my short stay here.

I'm aware these aren't exactly modest aspirations, and I'm unapologetic for that. I'd rather aim for the stars and reach the moon, then wonder what might have been.

History

Born July 2nd 1979, dual national UK/US citizen.
Started programming computers when I was 8, moved onto assembler programming when I was 9. Not good for your popularity at school, as it happens.
Decided I wanted to run my own videogame business aged 13. I used to write a lot of games, and around this time started selling some to fellow students (they played them on the school's PCs, so the money went to charity).
Wrote my own million-line Windows-like GUI aged 16 for my A-Level coursework. Among other things, this included my own video codec, web-like browser and graphical editing tools (I hadn't seen the Internet yet - it was 1995).
Completed a one year work placement for Datamex during my degree as a web developer and got told I should stop aspiring to success. A lot. Realised that the web might be a better business than videogames.
Founded Silktide Ltd as soon as I graduated in 2001, on £3,000 of startup capital. It was about enough for a PC, some furniture, and a couple month's rent in an office the size of an Oxo cube.
Spent the first year barely surviving, with a total salary of less than £6k and a profit of under £200. All friends and family told me in no uncertain terms to quit.
Bought up 98% shareholding in 2002 from former business partner.
Wrote own web application framework (Taos) and from it a Content Management System (Site Manager), which would later power websites with millions of hits / month.
Grew Silktide at a compounded rate averaging 100% each year since. We've been profitable and self funded since our inception.
In 2005 gained our first FORTUNE 100 clients, primarily for SiteRay.
In 2008, split the web agency part of Silktide into Silktide Studios, allowing Silktide to position itself exclusively as a web software company. Silktide will be the focus of my efforts from now on.
In Sep 2009, launched Nibbler, our free tool for testing websites. If it does half as well as our earlier accidental smash success Sitescore, you'll read about it soon (Sitescore had 1.8 million sites linking to it within a year, entirely from word of mouth; Nibbler is better).

Beliefs

I'm an atheist / humanist.
We only get one shot at life - and it's our responsibility alone. We should do the most with what we have.
The only thing that stands in the way of great success is ourselves. In particular, the part of ourselves that blames something else.
The best thing about my life is I know what I want to do with it. That's so empowering you can't believe.

Trivia

I read as much as I can (2 books a week minimum). Mostly non-fiction: self-improvement, business, psychology, science, economics, design, philosophy.
Salsa fanatic, and regular at Absolute Salsa.
Can't play the piano enough. Secretly desire to learn drums.
Love to run, completed my first marathon in 2008.
Keen graphic designer.
Yes, I've completely shaved my head since I was 18.

Personality

I find this so interesting it has a whole page (that fact alone probably tells you all you need to know).

Contact me

You can email:

mail {at} oliveremberton.co.uk