Jeff Wellemeyer
Chariman and founder
Jeff Wellemeyer is a visionary and serial technology entrepreneur. Starting his first company at age 15, he has founded and owned a multitude of companies spread across a number of industries ranging from global telecommunications and cloud software development in machine learning and artificial intelligence to property development and Casino Gaming.
At age 17, while in high school, he developed the first solid-state voice mail system winning the technology innovation award at the 1991 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Fascinated with the casino gaming industry, in 1992, he developed a chip counting technology using optical lasers that would allow a casino to keep track of their table win in real-time. The system would then poll the various tables and provide a real-time accounting and audit capability for the casino floor.
In 1993, he founded VirtualPAY, the first Internet electronic payment lockbox, and was the first to utilize ACH for automatic payments and financial transactions over the Internet. He developed the first Internet payment and transaction system that is used for conducting online bank transactions, selling the company to the National Processing Company (NYSE:NAP) in 1994.
In 1995, Wellemeyer created the first multi-point high-speed Internet access technology. ViperLink is credited as the catalyst that created the multi-point wireless delivery technology used in most modern wireless broadband networks. He grew the company, building out wireless networks in 9 cities throughout the US, before selling the business to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 1998. Subsequent to selling the business, he became Chief Technology Officer for Vulcan Ventures Darwin Networks and led the engineering and technology development for the organization.
Partnering with casino mogul Richard Schilling, in 2002, he co-founded SW Gaming (Schilling-Wellemeyer Gaming), which developed and built Harlow’s Casino Resort & Spa in Greenville, Mississippi. Harlow’s is an “Old Hollywood” themed, 133,000 square foot casino, a 105-room hotel, 2,500-seat entertainment center with three restaurants, and is located on the Mississippi/Arkansas line at the base of the Mississippi River plateau. SW Gaming sold Harlow’s Casino and Resort to Churchill Downs (NYSE:CDN) in 2010.
In 2000, he developed the first cloud-based IP PBX service and founded Smoothstone. Over the next 11 years as the market morphed, he expanded to services to 14 countries and pioneered the global cloud-based Unified Communications market (UCaaS). In 2011, Smoothstone was sold to the West Corporation (NASDAQ:WSTC), setting off the foundational market valuations for the worldwide UCaaS market.
Following the acquisition by West, the became the CTO and Executive Vice President for West Corporation (NASDAQ:WSTC) responsible for innovation and product development for the USD$3.5 Billion telecommunication and enterprise services organization.
Currently, he is Chairman of VeilWatch and two other start-ups in the visual analytics, machine learning/artificial intelligence space, and is a limited partner and advisory board member of two Venture Capital/Private Equity Firms. He is also Chairman and CEO of JSN Development Group, which recently opened the USD$100mm+ ultra-luxury resort, spa on the Island of Antigua and Barbuda in the West Indies.
Mr. Wellemeyer is a licensed Private Pilot; Coast Guard certified captain and a licensed real estate agent.
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News Articles & Publications
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International Development
Awakening Antigua’s Northern Soul
$100 Million 5-Star Resort Property ont he Island of Antigua in the West Indiea
International Development
Resort Becomes a Destination
When a resort becomes a reason to travel to a country, thats compelling.
Exit of Smoothstone
Smoothstone
Smoothstone IP Communications sold to West Corp for $120 Million in cash
