When the problem is taboo, the investment is taboo?

Congratulations to advertising veteran and entrepreneur Cindy Gallop for successfully raising $2M for her social-sex site Make Love Not Porn. Read the news at TechCrunch.

A year ago I told Cindy this story.

When I was an editor at Internet World magazine in dotcom NYC, I recall I was assigned a porn business story for the day's email newsletter. I was one of the very few women at this trade publication for Internet technology and e-business, and a newer hire. Clearly this wasn't a plum assignment.

It was hard to get any business and industry analysts to even discuss this foundational part of the internet. In the end I had to beg former Internet World staffers-turned-analysts to go on record so I could file the story.

I told Cindy that I often think about that when I see her posts about the struggles of raising funds to solve such a critical, obvious social problem with her service that was already generating $500k/year. 

TBT, TEDGlobal in Oxford, England

Ted.com director June Cohen speaking at the Sheldonian, a "secular cathedral" — at Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford, England, 2009.

Harry Potter breakfast at TEDGlobal, Oxford — at Keble College.

TED reception at Natural History Museum — at Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

Punting on the Cherwell, TED closing lunch — at Cherwell Boathouse.

Reception at Bodleian library exam hall — at Bodleian Libraries.

Early supporter of TEDx events

The TEDx initiative was launched the years when I was attending TEDGlobal so I attended then first three TEDx gatherings in Istanbul.