Micrososft Exec Jumps From MSN To Start-Up

While at Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft, Bradford was responsible for global product and platform development, content and programming, business development, product management, marketing and branded entertainment.

Prior to that position, Bradford served as Microsoft's corporate vice president of global sales and marketing and chief media revenue officer. In that role, Bradford oversaw Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions across all Microsoft properties, including MSN, Windows Live, OfficeLive.com, Microsoft.com, Xbox, the Microsoft TV Internet Protocol Television Edition software platform and mobile content.

Spot Runner co-founders Nick Grouf and David Waxman are industry veterans: they first joined forces in 1995 to create Firefly Network, which was acquired by Microsoft in 1998. Its core product, the Firefly Passport, became the foundation for Microsoft's Passport and .NET initiatives. Next, they launched PeoplePC, which went public in 2000 and was acquired by EarthLink in 2002.

The company has some heavy muscle invested in its future, including CBS, WPP and Interpublic Group. Another investor, venture capital firm Battery Ventures, has also invested in other tech companies such as BladeLogic, ITA Software, Infoseek, Friendster, Akamai, MetroPCS and InFocus. Last year Spot Runner snagged Robert Pittman, former chief operating officer at AOL Time Warner and COO of America Online, naming him to the company's board of directors.