Michelle Driskill-Smith (formerly Breiner)

Summary

Michelle Driskill-Smith is a creative consultant in technology firms in product design, user interface, user experience, branding, advertising, and everything in between, but has previous experience in the music, gaming, e-commerce, venture capital, film and television industries. Michelle held the position of Operations Associate at Applied Materials Ventures, a venture capital firm, where she joined at its inception. She performed multiple roles including operational, business development and public relations as well as identifying and communicating with potential investments. Michelle played an active part in helping the portfolio companies succeed. Prior to joining Applied Ventures, Michelle spent more than a decade with several technology startups in management roles with operational, creative, and engineering responsibilities involved with consumer products, CD ROM entertainment, enterprise software, database, internet entertainment and e-commerce at OnePage, Internet Shopping Network, The 3DO Company and Virgin Records, UK. Michelle is a mentor in the Clean Tech Open (cleantechopen.com) which is a competition of early-stage companies creating clean, environmentally sustainable technologies. She is also a team member of The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama (tmpp.org) which is a multi-media art exhibition that brings together 88 respected artists representing 30 countries with focuses on peace through art and education. Michelle is a lecturer at San Francisco area schools to encourage entrepreneurial activities and is a member of National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to promote music and art education. Michelle is a designer and an avid travel photographer with commissioned and published photo essays. Michelle holds a B.S. in Fine Arts from New York University in Fine Arts including undergraduate studies at The University of London Goldsmith’s College and graduate school at St. Martin’s College of Art, London, in graphic design. Specialties: Venture Capital, Creative Services, New Media, Internet, Software, Entertainment, Consumer Products, Hardware, Software, Wireless, Graphic Design, User-Interface Design, Usability, Music Industry, Client Relations, Artist Relations, Project Management and Travel Photography