Friend becomes third largest investor after founders
Boston—April 13, 2015—netBlazr, the fastest, most affordable Internet access in Boston, today
announced that David Friend, founder and chairman of Carbonite, has joined netBlazr’s board of
directors. He joins co-founders Jim Hanley and Brough Turner on the board and has purchased a number
of the company’s shares in a private transaction.
Friend co-founded Carbonite and currently serves as its executive chairman. He was the company’s
CEO until the end of 2014. A serial entrepreneur, he also co-founded Sonexis, Faxnet Corporation, Pilot
Software, and Computer Pictures Corporation. He serves as board Chairman at Storiant, Inc., and
DealDash, Inc. He is a director of Cyracom International and now netBlazr, Inc.
“We are excited to add David to our board. He’s one of Boston’s entrepreneurial pioneers and we’ve
worked closely with him, both as a customer and as an advisor, over the last few years,” said Jim Hanley,
netBlazr’s co-founder and CEO. “We believe his vision and depth of experience will be extremely
valuable, especially as the market for independent broadband access starts to heat up.”
In particular, there has been a spike in interest in “Internet-only” services with the announcement of Apple
TV. Apple is reportedly in talks with major networks such as ABC, CBS and Fox to offer a ‘skinny’
package of channels. Apple TV’s streaming service will be especially appealing to home owners who just
have high-speed Internet. These so-called “cord cutters” are looking for ways to abandon large pre-
packaged cable services without losing access to specific entertainment options. “Over the top”
technologies such as Netflix, Hulu, Sling, and Roku make this all possible and affordable.
Hanley continued, “David brings a unique perspective to the table. He’s a netBlazr customer on both the
commercial and residential sides of our business.”
“We first brought netBlazr into Carbonite to serve as a backup Internet service provider for Verizon,” said
Friend. “It worked so well that netBlazr became the primary supplier and Verizon became the backup
provider. netBlazr has rock solid speed and reliability, but even better — it’s a local Boston company.”
About netBlazr
netBlazr provides affordable, high-speed Internet to Boston residences and businesses as an alternative
to the “big guys” who force people into high-cost service bundles that they don’t want. netBlazr is a
locally-owned business that offers “nothing but net”, an Internet connection that is reliable and affordable
and nothing else. No gimmicks, games, or tricks. Just broadband. Learn more at http://www.netblazr.com/
Contact: Bobbie Carlton, Carlton PR & Marketing, [email protected] 781-718-7619
Apple TV is a trademark of Apple Inc. Other trademarks included here are the property of their respective
owners.