Tom Kalinske: Building Gaming and Entertainment Companies

Tom Kalinske is the former CEO of Mattel, Matchbox and Sega of America, where he was responsible for the launch of the Genesis console, growing the company for $72 million to more than $1.5 billion. Currently, Tom serves as the Chairman of Global Education Learning, a company dedicated to children’s education in China, as well as a Venture Partner at Alsop Louie Partners. In this fireside chat, Tom discusses his career in toys and gaming, with a special focus on his time at Sega of America during the height of the console wars. As an experienced venture capitalist, Tom outlines the keys to success in the current toys and games market, explaining how the industry has shifted in response to the digital revolution. MS&E 476 Course Description: We often discuss how technology is reinvented and disrupted, but there is also a good amount of change occurring within the venture capital industry. Within the past several decades there have been new entrants, from incubators to angels to different models of venture