Cecily Mak

Tech/media/blockchain/wellbeing startup investor and operator with a passion for personal and organizational betterment for the greater good.

Before joining BlockDeamon, Cecily was a Venture Partner at ConsenSys and had served as General Counsel and CRO at Flipboard. She was also Senior Vice President and General Counsel to Rhapsody International Inc., a joint venture between Viacom International and RealNetworks, Inc. with investment from Best Buy Stores, Inc. and Universal Music Group. While at Rhapsody Cecily oversaw strategic content relations and management, launched the company’s first patent mining program, led the acquisition of the company’s largest domestic competitor, and played a leadership role in the company’s international expansion, all while growing and developing a highly specialized legal team.

Previously Cecily was with the global in-house legal team at RealNetworks, Inc. (2004-2007) and an associate at Shartsis Friese, LLP (2001-2004). Cecily has been named a “Woman Leader in Tech Law” by The Recorder and honored by Digital Media Wire as one of their “25 Executives to Watch in Digital Entertainment.” In addition to publishing a book on digital content licensing, she has been a regular contributor to a range of magazines, legal periodicals, and book releases.

As an Adjunct Professor at UC Hastings College of the Law, Cecily has been teaching Digital Media Law since 2006. She serves as an advisory board member of several organizations including the World Economic Forum (Media Industry Partnership Programme), Digital Entertainment World, and three Bay Area start-ups: Loudr, Inc., Wisdom Labs, Inc., and Open Aura, Inc. She is an active mentor for young professionals and start-up founders and has served in a formal capacity as a judge, coach, or juror for a handful of young entrepreneur organizations including The Network for Teaching and Entrepreneurship (NFTE), The French American Business Awards (via Business France and the French Chamber of Commerce), and The French American Digital Lab.