TouchOfMyHand
Oct 26th, 2003, 04:30 PM
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At age 33, Jeff Arnold is starting over.
It's not because he's a failure. Quite the opposite. Arnold founded WebMD and became one of Atlanta's dot-com poster boys of the late '90s. He made a mountain of money -- so much he never has to work again.
But Arnold isn't wired for a life of leisure. He's a serial entrepreneur who wants to prove he can succeed again, and in any economy.
So last week he leaned over a conference table in his Buckhead office, pitching bankers on his new venture.
It's called LidRock. The company embeds CDs in the lids of soft drinks at movie theaters, convenience stores and fast-food restaurants. He's raised more than $20 million in outside funding and signed deals with everyone from Britney Spears to Regal Entertainment Group to Coca-Cola. He plans, he says without a trace of irony, to revolutionize the entertainment industry.
He jumps to another deal. Starting next month, mall fast-food chain Sbarro will start a Britney Spears promotion. For 80 cents extra, consumers can get a drink with a mini-CD featuring Spears' newest single, a video of Spears and Madonna, and a coupon for $2 off Spears' entire album at Sam Goody.
"That's awesome," one of the bankers says.
"It is about controlling content and trying to make sure everyone benefits," Arnold says.
http://img.coxnewsweb.com/B/05/48/27/image_227485.jpg
At age 33, Jeff Arnold is starting over.
It's not because he's a failure. Quite the opposite. Arnold founded WebMD and became one of Atlanta's dot-com poster boys of the late '90s. He made a mountain of money -- so much he never has to work again.
But Arnold isn't wired for a life of leisure. He's a serial entrepreneur who wants to prove he can succeed again, and in any economy.
So last week he leaned over a conference table in his Buckhead office, pitching bankers on his new venture.
It's called LidRock. The company embeds CDs in the lids of soft drinks at movie theaters, convenience stores and fast-food restaurants. He's raised more than $20 million in outside funding and signed deals with everyone from Britney Spears to Regal Entertainment Group to Coca-Cola. He plans, he says without a trace of irony, to revolutionize the entertainment industry.
He jumps to another deal. Starting next month, mall fast-food chain Sbarro will start a Britney Spears promotion. For 80 cents extra, consumers can get a drink with a mini-CD featuring Spears' newest single, a video of Spears and Madonna, and a coupon for $2 off Spears' entire album at Sam Goody.
"That's awesome," one of the bankers says.
"It is about controlling content and trying to make sure everyone benefits," Arnold says.