J. Michael Cline, the co-founder of Fandango and multiple other startups over his multi-decade career, tragically passed away after a fall from a Manhattan hotel, as confirmed by New York’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Information to TechCrunch.
The New York Police Department responded to 911 calls from the Kimberly Hotel, a 30-story hotel on 50th street in midtown Manhattan on Tuesday morning. Upon arrival, officers discovered an unconscious male with injuries consistent with a fall from a high point, as stated in an email by the Deputy Commissioner to TechCrunch. Cline fell from the 20th story of the hotel, as reported by The New York Times. Emergency medical services pronounced him dead upon arrival, and an investigation is ongoing. The individual was later identified as James Michael Cline, a 64-year-old resident of Palm Beach, Florida.
Cline co-founded Fandango in 1999 with his Chief Operating Officer Art Levitt, revolutionizing the process of purchasing movie tickets online, according to his LinkedIn page.
Following a competitive battle with MovieTickets.com in the 2000s, Fandango emerged as the leading online movie ticketing platform. Cline’s innovative approach to selling tickets online, along with processing fees and online ads, propelled Fandango to the forefront of the industry. This eliminated the need for physical box office queues and fueled the growth of the $37 billion online ticketing market.
In 2011, Cline parted ways with Fandango, four years after its acquisition by Comcast. Notable early investors in Fandango included General Atlantic and TCV.
Aside from Fandango, Cline also served as the managing partner of Accretive, a venture capital firm he established in 1999. Throughout his career, he launched various startup ventures such as R1 RCM, Accumen, Accolade, Everspring, Dresr, and Insureon. From 2018, Cline held the position of executive chairman at Juxtapose, a technology-focused venture firm known for investing in healthcare companies like Tend, Nectar, and Great Jones, according to the official staff page.
When approached for comment, Accretive, Juxtapose, and Fandango did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s request.
