Erin McKean: A Word Lover and Fashion Enthusiast in Silicon Valley
Founder, Reverb Technologies, Inc. Author, Several Word and Fashion Books
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/erin-mckean/1/b2a/308
Twitter: @emckean, @reverb, @wordnik
Bio:
Erin is the founder of Reverb Technologies, Inc. Reverb makes the Reverb app, a content discovery reader; Wordnik.com, the world’s largest online dictionary; and the Wordnik API, which has served over a billion API calls for developers all over the world. She is the author of multiple books and she also writes about fashion on her blog, A Dress A Day, and her most recent book, The Hundred Dresses: The Most Iconic Styles of Our Time, is a field guide to dress. Her novel, The Secret Lives of Dresses was an international best-seller and has been optioned for film.
Innovating in field of work:
A lexicographer (dictionary editor) by training, Erin made her way to Silicon Valley by way of a 2007 TED talk that described how the English language is far too big for any paper dictionary to hold. In 2008, Erin assembled a unique team composed of technologists and language experts to found Wordnik, the largest online dictionary.
Impact:
Over the next five years Wordnik became the largest online dictionary with over 8 million unique words; ten times more than Oxford English Dictionary. Erin went on to grow the company to 30 employees. Wordnik created a word graph of the entire English language – essentially GPS for English — and rebranded in 2013 as Reverb Technologies to leverage that word graph for discovery technology, including the Reverb content discovery app for iPad.
Role Model:
At Reverb, Erin is building a workplace that encourages employees to produce their best work, while also pursuing their passions outside of the office. Erin is a fervent advocate, not for “having it all” but for deciding what a full life looks like to you, and pursuing it. Not only is Erin a Silicon Valley executive, a wife, and mother, she is also an author and has been a regular columnist for both the Boston Globe and the Wall Street Journal. Erin has served as a Startup Mentor through the Lean Startup conference and is always willing to meet and share advice, and has shared her own mistakes and shortcomings by talking at FailCon.
Reinvention / Risk / Momentum:
Erin’s curious, fearless attitude helped pave a unique career path from dictionary editor to a presenter at TED to tech-company founder in Silicon Valley. In addition to the many hats she wears as founder, she’s taken on learning Javascript to help contribute to the development of Wordnik.com.
“Erin likes to say she is good at being lucky: she is convinced you make your own luck by being open to new things and always saying yes to new opportunities.”