Lisa S. Jones

Lisa S. Jones was born on 1 April 1974 in Montgomery, Alabama, in the Southeastern U.S,[11] the youngest of three girls.[12] Jones became interested in the world of entrepreneurship from an early age, finding inspiration in her father, who opened an ice cream shop from the ground up and "significantly [impacted] her life".[4] As a teenager, she worked at McDonald's, where she "learned several fundamental business principles, including how much she loved interacting with costumers", as well as the "importance of developing interpersonal and communication skills".[4] Jones is an Alabama A&M University alumna, where she earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Logistics and Procurement, and MBA degrees.[13] During her formative years, she also studied marketing management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.[14]

While still living in Alabama, Jones was a logistics and supply chain expert at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center,[12][5] a work experience that lasted for four years,[12] and she has cited as one of the reasons for wanting to develop a product that improves companies' internal communication.[3] After being laid off from NASA, Jones decided to relocate to Atlanta, Georgia,[12] where she expanded her career in supplier diversity for companies such as AT&T.[5][11] Jones has stated that she decided to become an entrepreneur after her mother's unexpected death at age 61.[12][15] In a 2021 interview for Forbes, she explained: "It was my mom's passing that gave me the courage to step out on my own. EyeMail Inc. was born from a necessity to re-engage as a vibrate happy person, living life on my own terms and with a specific purpose."[1] According to the magazine's Laurel Donnellan: "At her mother's gravesite in her native Alabama, [Jones] made a vow to start and scale a global company in her honor but had no idea what [type of company she would start] once she returned home to Atlanta."[1]

Jones eventually set out to create a product to improve engagement marketing,[1] coming up with an "email video" service that enables up to 60 seconds-long high-definition videos to be compressed and embeded directly into emails, avoiding the need to click on a link or access a browser to play them.[3][16] She officially founded her company EyeMail Inc. in Atlanta in 2004,[12][5] and developed the product for five years during her spare time, as she also had a full-time job as an executive in telecommunications.[1] Also in 2004, Jones filed her first patent focused on video in email.[17] Writing in 2022, Arizona-based magazine Success Knocks noted that "as an African American female in technology and from Alabama, she did not receive enough support, guidance, and open-door access as her colleagues."[4] At first, Jones had difficulty finding support from American development agencies, so she tried several international technical teams until choosing a partnership that she considered most suitable.[1][16] Following this, the team developed the product in only six months.[1] As part of EyeMail Inc.'s development process, Jones took part in Microsoft's Mentor/Protégé Innovation Lab Program, which "provided more support and expertise",[1] as well as its Innovation Center, making her the first African-American woman to do so.[2] In 2008, Jones was the winner of the first season of CBS reality competition show The Next Tycoon.[2][9]

EyeMail Inc. got the interest of business executives after its use in a Georgia's Greater Women's Business Council (GWBC) campaign, to whom Jones offered to use her service for free in an effort to showcase her product.[16][2] It first caught the attention of Time Warner, which became EyeMail Inc.'s first client.[2][5] This achievement prompted Jones to leave her day job and fully dedicate herself to the company.[1] In 2008, EyeMail Inc. was listed at number 3 on the Atlanta Tribune's list for the "Top 8 Atlanta Businesses to Watch".[18] That year, Jones began a partnership with The Coca-Cola Company, as part of its mentor program with the Georgia Minority Supplier Diversity Council (GMSDC).[5] Jones' relationship with The Coca-Cola Company, both as a client and partner, was pivotal to EyeMail Inc.'s growth, as it "gave her product more visibility and helped her develop business skills", and purportedly caused its revenue to quadruple.[5] The company operates in several countries—including the United Kingdom, Canada, India, Pakistan and Mexico—[5] and works for businesses such as Delta Air Lines, Major League Baseball,[16] Porsche North America, Aetna, the Atlanta Braves,[1] The Home Depot,[2] and PepsiCo.[4]

Jones is a board member of the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG),[19] as well as a partner of the Billion Dollar Roundtable organization, where EyeMail Inc. is classified as a Minority Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) strategic partner.[20] She took part as a panelist at the organization's 2014 Billion Dollar Summit.[21] As a continuing part of her pre-entrepreneurial career, Jones continues to work as a supplier diversity thought leader and public speaker at specialized forums and panels.[8][7] In 2010, Black Enterprise nominated Jones as a finalist for the "Innovator of the Year" award,[10] and was also given the "Georgia Minority Technology Industry Award".[9] In 2018, Jones received the "Catalyst of the Year" award at Delta Air Lines' Annual Star Awards ceremony.[22] In 2019, Minority Business Entrepreneur magazine listed Jones in a special feature titled "Honoring WBEs Who Rock!".[23]

Jones is a board member of the Technology Association of Georgia Diversity and Inclusion, and a volunteer at the local chapter of the Women in Technology Association.[24] She is currently pursuing an executive degree at Harvard University.[24][25] In 2020, she was chosen by PepsiCo as one of 15 participants in the Stacy's Rise Project, a mentorship program to support black women business owners.[26]

In 2021, Jones was listed as one of the "Top 10 Businesswomen to Admire in 2021" by global business magazine CIO Look.[4][27] That year, EyeMail was listed as one of the "20 Innovative Companies Which Everyone Should Know in 2021" by the Atlanta-based Global Business Leaders Mag.[4][17] In 2022, Jones was included in The Enterprise World's list for the "Enterprising Women of the Year",[28] CIO Look's "10 Most Inspiring Businesswomen Making a Difference",[29] Success Knocks' "10 Most Iconic Women in 2022",[4] and The Atlantan Magazine's special feature on the top innovators from Atlanta.[30]

On April 23, 2022, Jones was a speaker at the "Women in Leadership Fireside chat" organized by the Harvard Graduate Council, presented as a "platform for exceptional women leaders to exchange views, advice and discuss our community's challenges."[31]

• Lists of African Americans
• List of Alabama A&M people
• List of chief executive officers
• List of entrepreneurs
• List of female top executives
• List of Internet entrepreneurs
• List of people from Montgomery, Alabama

• EyeMail Inc. (official website)