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I’m thrilled to announce Spark’s investment in gdgt and welcome , and the entire gdgt team to the Spark family.  You can find me on gdgt .

The technology & gadget category has rightfully been core to the web from it’s inception. Naturally, the early web participants were tech enthusiasts and the web flourished with sites oriented around their needs.

CNet led the way on users reviews and price comparison. Engadget and Gizmodo led the way in content, which Peter and Ryan themselves helped pioneer.

Like in many of the early web verticals however, innovation has not always kept up. gdgt is attempting to bring the best of what the social, user-driven web is all about to this incredibly large category.

At the core of gdgt are real user profiles, gdgt lists and user contributed content. Connecting people with relevant user created content when they are looking to make a purchase or need help with gadgets they already own is where the power of gdgt lies. Ultimately it’s a place where the hard-core gdgt geeks and casual consumers can meet to share information, get advice and help make purchase decisions.

We at Spark are lucky enough to be in business with two of the web’s true gadget pioneers and a phenomenal group of investors. We’re just at the beginning of this journey and very excited for what lies ahead.

I just returned from a week in Israel with my family for Passover.  It was a great trip as always, but especially great to spend Passover with my dad.

My father is an immigrant from the former Soviet Union who values his freedom and appreciates the opportunities afforded to him by the US as much as anyone I know.  So for him Passover is a very personally significant holiday, one that celebrates his own redemption from slavery to freedom.

My father is an engineer by education and trade.  He came to this country at the age of 35 with nothing other than his education – not a word of English, not a dime in his pocket.  And this great country gave him a chance which he made the most of.

That is the beauty of the United States, that is our power and our strength.  A democratic society with free markets that is fueled by people from all walks of life who come here for an opportunity to make a difference – for themselves, their family, the world.

We had a discussion about this very topic at my folks’ place in Jerusalem on Saturday and lo and behold the first thing I read when I got home on Sunday was Tom Friedman’s piece on the issue and some great discussion when Fred and others weighed in.  I wonder if Passover had anything to do with inspiring Friedman’s piece??

Kudos to the venture community for getting behind the immigration push early with the startup visa movement and their loud voices for change.  I am an ardent supporter of anything that brings more smart motivated people here to contribute to our great society.

America’s competitive advantage is fueled by it’s diversity of free people looking to make a difference.  Lord knows I wouldn’t be here if not for that.  Let’s make sure we don’t lose it.