Halsey Minor

You wouldn't think that Minor's training had prepared him for founding one of the Internet's first services to combine Internet and television programming, but he's doing okay. Having graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in anthropology, then worked on Wall Street for Merrill Lynch, Minor finally pursued his dream of owning his own company in 1992 when he founded CNET: The Computer Network. What began as an alternative to online computer magazines has evolved into an Internet search engine/portal, Snap! Online that is 60% owned by NBC. From the outset, CNET differentiated itself from other “e-zines” by complementing its online content with television programming that allows the firm to reach a wider audience, eventually creating three programs devoted to computers: The Web, The New Edge, and TV.com.