Meet the Team

Ben Bassi is an Internet pioneer who combines experience as a marketer and digital executive with a vast entrepreneurial skill set. He is founder and CEO of CommonPlaces, Inc. CommonPlaces was recently named to CIO Review’s 20 Most Promising Web Developers in the US and was honored with the Web Marketing Association's WebAward for Outstanding Achievement in Web Development.

Bassi’s Internet experience dates to the 1990s, building Internet systems for the DOD and security agencies. He was also on the founding management team of Lycos, the Internet’s first large scale search engine. Bassi served as Chief Operating Officer of the Firefly Network, the web's first social network, and led the company’s efforts in developing e-business and privacy solutions for companies like Barnes & Noble, MasterCard, Marriott, Proctor & Gamble, and Yahoo!.

He founded CommonPlaces in 1998, which merged with a public company to form YouthStream media. YouthStream media is best known for the patents and technology that powers LinkedIn. Today CommonPlaces has delivered over 750 websites and web applications in a number of industries.