James Norman is a serial entrepreneur who at age 16 built his first online company, an automotive e-commerce site called MJH Sound.com. While previously he may have been known as a visionary in aftermarket auto industry, over the past 15 years he has become a thought leader in the media entertainment industry with regards consumer trends and behavior.

His startup, Pilotly, is the first market research platform built for creative content.  His platform enables research teams to gather rapid feedback from audiences at scale.  Today, provides insights to global companies like Amazon, Netflix and more, acting as a platform of record for creative research. His experiences as a 25 years entrepreneur, building great companies with little funding, fueled his passion to co-found Black Operator Ventures.

James earned his BSE in Electrical Engineering from University of Michigan and is a proud member of the 500 Startups family.  He’s a founding partner at Transparent Collective, the non-profit that has accelerated the most Black tech founders to funding, and Board Advisor at Zoo Labs music accelerator.  He has also been recognized for excellence in special projects by Mazda Design NA and Sony Gran Turismo.