Robin Bechtel discovered the Internet in 1994, at the birth of the World Wide Web. She was working at Capitol Records in Hollywood.

That same year, she created the Internet's first website for a band.

It was called Megadeth, Arizona.

"The music industry's first runaway hit on the web."
— Interactive Age

"One of the first web communities."
— Los Angeles Times

"One of the first web chats."
— Wired

Fans of the band told us they didn't even own a computer. To see the site, they had to go buy one — then figure out how to get online.

"Bechtel saw through all the nerdy chatter and talk of Internet protocols and saw the human element behind it all. She realized the World Wide Web's raw potential and saw it as a place for genuine connection and discussion."
— The History of the World Wide Web

In 1997, Bechtel sold the first digital song online at a major label.

The move sparked widespread backlash across the music industry. Decades later it would be called:

"One of the most significant milestones in the history of the music industry."
— Billboard

In 2000, Bechtel streamed the first album on the Internet.

At the height of Napster, while the record industry was fighting to keep music off the Internet, she put Radiohead's Kid A online.

The album debuted at #1, proving that putting music on the Internet drove album sales.

"A truly radical experiment in 2000. The first major rock album to be experienced via the Internet."
— Grantland

As the web matured, Bechtel began discovering early-stage Internet startups.

In 2005, Bechtel discovered YouTube and brokered the startups first deal with the entertainment industry.

She introduced TheFacebook to the music industry while it was still a closed college network.

She partnered with Twitter while it was still a Series A startup, putting its first artist onto the platform.

"A pioneering matchmaker between Hollywood and Silicon Valley."
— San Jose Mercury News

In 2013, Bechtel became an angel investor in what were early stage startups including Uber, Everlane and Philz Coffee.

Today, she invests across public, private and digital markets through Bechtel Futures.