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After leading one of the biggest tech IPOs of its time, Leonard founded the pioneering citizen journalism site NowPublic. He sold the business to the sports and live promotions giant Anschutz where he led their digital strategy. He’s since become a partner at talent management giant CAA, working on projects with their A-list talent enabling them to establish brands and businesses beyond their core work. He's also a co-owner of Coventry City FC, has invested in around 20 businesses a year, and created The Great Rewrite project with Forbes and KPMG, an examination of trends across business and how key periods of disruption lead to more predictable patterns of change.
Leonard Brody is an entrepreneur, investor and business author. He has been a part of the growth and financing of scores of tech startups, and has been through one of the largest internet IPOs ever. He was a pioneer in the early days of ecommerce, and has been involved in the building and sale of five companies.
Early in his career Leonard joined the business intelligence company Onvia in his native Canada. Part of the initial executive of the company it was voted Canada’s number one startup before its $240million floatation. Shortly afterwards Leonard started NowPublic, a pioneer in online citizen journalism that grew to become one of the biggest news agencies in the world. Selling the business to the giant Anschutz Corporation, he stayed with the global sports, media and entertainment group helping to lead their new digital strategies. One of the world leaders in sports and promotions he worked with names from the LA Lakers to London’s O2 arena to the Coachella music festival.
Leonard then moved into investment with his own venture capital and accelerator businesses. He also advised the Canadian government on technology matters. He became a partner at talent management company CAA where he helps A-list artists with businesses outside their core focus, building the digital side of enterprises from branded clothing to smartphone apps. He is also the co-owner of Coventry City FC where he sees the potential in a huge global football market only just realising its value. He also continues to invest in around 20-30 new businesses a year, with a particular interest in property tech companies.
Leonard has worked in partnership with Forbes on their biggest online content project, The Great Rewrite. The project aims to look at the underlying changes affecting a wide range of industries. Rather than just tackling the technologic disruption it examines the fundamental behaviours that it has brought to the fore. He looks at why businesses react the way they do, how they’re structured, and how unprecedented changes demand unprecedented strategies. He offers practical solutions to implement change, break down internal barriers, and become fit for a new collaborative, agile era. He reflects on the misguided notion that innovation needs its own department, or is restricted to certain areas of a business, but is a behaviour that needs to be inbuilt into every part of the organisation in order to be competitive and realise new ideas.
As well as his businesses Leonard is a regular media contributor and the co-author of the best-selling books, Innovation Nation: Canadian Leadership from Jurassic Park to Java and Everything I Needed to Know About Business...I Learned from a Canadian.
