Acquired: December 2011 by Facebook							

Sector: Media, Gaming, Social Networking, Geo-location							

Lead Partner: Gilman Louie, Jim Ward							

Gowalla created a location-based social network.

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Gilman Louie has over 30 years of national security and investment experience. He served as an early CEO of In-Q-Tel—the pioneering technology investment firm funded by the CIA—from 1999-2006, as an expert to the Defense Innovation Board from 2016-2020, and as a Commissioner on the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence from 2018-2021.

In addition to being a co-founder and partner at Alsop Louie Partners, he is also a co-founder and CEO of the America’s Frontier Fund.   Gilman is currently the Chairman of the National Intelligence University, Chairman of the Federation of American Scientists, a member of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, and of the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board. He serves on numerous commercial and advisory boards, including Maxar Technologies, Niantic, and Aerospike. He has also served on the Diversity Senior Advisory Panel for the Intelligence Community and as a member of the Technology Advisory Group to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Gilman is the recipient of the CIA Agency Seal Medallion (2004), CIA Director’s Award (2006), Agency Seal Medallion (2006), and Director of National Intelligence Medallion (2008). Gilman received his B.S. in Business Administration from San Francisco State University where he graduated magna cum laude.

Gilman Louie

Partner

Jim Ward is a Venture Partner. Working with the general partners on strategic development of ALP investment strategies and building the ALP brand, Ward also has been involved with Alsop Louie’s portfolio companies including Gowalla, Framehawk, Next Big Sound, Zephyr, Niantic, Meow Wolf, Mixed Dimensions, Blok Party and Ursa Major. He is also CEO of newco Integral Reality Labs, a company established to capture existing and emerging trends in the physical/digital divide, technological divergence, NFT’s, metadata, 3D printing and the evolution of gaming. 

Ward previously served as the co-CEO of Meow Wolf, a Santa Fe-based arts and entertainment group that creates immersive, interactive experiences to transport audiences of all ages into fantastic realms of story and exploration. In addition to the strategic management of the company overall, he was responsible for all content generated across the Meow Wolf story universe including transmedia properties, merchandising and marketing activities as well as managing the Interactive Technology and IS/IT division of the company. 

Prior to joining Alsop Louie, Ward spent over a decade as President of LucasArts and Sr. Vice President of Lucasfilm, Ltd. where he was responsible for the global business growth of the "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" franchises across the motion picture, television, home video and video game revenue streams. Ward’s thirty-year business career began in advertising with Doyle Dane Bernbach in New York, then as Senior Vice President and General Manager of BBDO/Los Angeles and onto Worldwide Account Director for Wieden and Kennedy in Portland, Oregon. As an advertising executive, Ward was involved in many major global product introductions including Apple Computer’s original PowerBook, Microsoft’s Windows ’95 with the Rolling Stones and Nike’s introduction of Tiger Woods. 

Having multiple Emmy Award nominations and an Emmy win as an Executive Producer, Ward is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, served as Chairman of the Entertainment Software Association in 2007, and was Chairman of the Creative Committee for the 2016 San Francisco Olympic Bid Committee. In addition, he has been recognized as one of Advertising Age’s Top 100 Marketers, was EPM’s Entertainment Marketer of the Year, was an advisor to ASU’s SkySong Center for Innovation, and a member of the Board of Trustees at Hanover College. 

He also ran for Congress in Arizona’s Fifth Congressional District during the 2010 cycle and was recognized in 2017 as Executive of the Year by The Phoenix Business Journal in addition to receiving the Industry Leader of Arizona Award from AZ Big Media. Ward was a Governor appointed member of the Arizona Zanjeros State CEO Leadership Team, a Secretary of State appointed member of the Technology, Transparency and Commerce Council, served on the Board of Directors of the Electronic Media Association and a negotiating team member, a member of Thunderbird’s Global Council, and a Board member of The Downtown Phoenix Partnership. 

A native of Rockford, Ill., Ward received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Hanover College and a Master of International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management. 

Gowalla

Media, Gaming, Social Networking, Geo-location

Company Overview