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Lowell Selvin
2006 Icon
Entrepreneur
b. April 15, 1959
" What I always believed growing up is that I was going to be a builder, and I was going to build something that might in a small little way change the world. Never in my dreams did I believe that one of those things that I might have a hand in building would be a legacy in the gay community."
Lowell Selvin is the former chairman and CEO of PlanetOut Inc., the leading global media and entertainment company serving the LGBT community. He raised the largest amount of capital ever assembled for a LGBT-identified business when, in 2001, he led the merger of PlanetOut Corp. and Online Partners into PlanetOut Inc., one of the largest online services in the world.
In October 2004, PlanetOut Inc. became the first company serving the gay and lesbian community to be publicly traded on a major stock exchange (Nasdaq: LGBT). Selvin also presided over PlanetOut's acquisition of LPI Media, which includes the publications The Advocate and Out, and the travel company RSVP.
PlanetOut's mission is "to connect, enrich and illuminate the lives of gay and lesbian people everywhere." PlanetOut Partners offers online portals in five languages and maintains offices in the U.S., Europe and Latin America.
Selvin began his career with a high-tech business serving Fortune 500 companies. He served in executive positions with direct sales company Arbonne International and Arthur Andersen Business Consulting. He co-founded and served as executive vice president and board director for Degree Baby Products, which was acquired by Johnson & Johnson.
Selvin holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the University of Illinois. He is involved in numerous charitable causes. He was a founding member and chair of the Gay & Lesbian Network of the Young Presidents' Organization and served as advisory board chair for the Hebrew Union College's Institute for Judaism and Sexual Orientation.
PlanetOut Inc., Selvin believes, communicates an important message to the LGBT community: "You belong, it's OK, and by the way, you can have a great and wonderful experience."
