DEV Adds Veteran Entrepreneurs and Investors as Advisors; Welcomes Val Katayev and John Ason

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DEV (Digital Entertainment Ventures) announces the addition of Val Katayev and John Ason as Advisors to its early stage media and entertainment fund. In this role, they will participate in assessing prospective portfolio company opportunities and building DEV’s overall business.

“Val and John will add investment savvy and hands-on operational experience to the DEV team”

“Val and John will add investment savvy and hands-on operational experience to the DEV team,” said DEV Managing Director Alan McGlade. “Their extensive network of contacts will further establish DEV as a growing force in New York’s blossoming digital media and entertainment industry.”

Val Katayev is a digital pioneer and entrepreneur, who has created and led three successful start-up companies to hyper-growth. At just 30 years old, Katayev currently oversees a portfolio that reaches over 300 million consumers, centered around entertainment and music. His fourth and most recent company is ToneMedia, which focuses specifically on the evolving music content space and meaningful consumer engagements, and for which he is the creator of patent pending ToneTargeting. Reaching over 120 million visitors globally, and 55 million in the United States, ToneMedia is the leader in audience targeting and premium media distribution among music enthusiasts around the world.

John Ason has been an angel investor in the New York area for the past 15 years. He has made over 40 professional investments in an eclectic range of industries. For many of these, he has been the lead investor. Prior to investing, Ason worked for over 25 years at AT&T, both in engineering and international business. He has travelled extensively to the Far East and worked on “bleeding edge” technology- something he found to be useful when he transitioned into angel investing.

About DEV (Digital Entertainment Ventures)

DEV provides guidance, seed and early stage capital to companies building the next generation of digital services that are transforming media and entertainment. DEV is managed by seasoned media and venture executives Alan McGlade and Michael Yang, and its initial investments include Open Air Publishing, Stageit, Mad Humans and Sonic Notify. It is headquartered in New York City. Visit DEV on the web at www.devny.vc.