J. Michael Klein, who co-founded Fandango and numerous other startups over a decades-long career, has died after falling from a Manhattan hotel, New York's Deputy Director of Public Information told TechCrunch.
The New York Police Department responded to a 911 call from the Kimberly Hotel, a 30-story hotel on 50th Street in Midtown Manhattan, on Tuesday morning. Upon arrival, “officers found an unconscious and unresponsive male with injuries consistent with a fall from a great height,” the deputy police commissioner said in an email to TechCrunch. According to the New York Times, Klein fell from the hotel's 20th floor. Emergency medical services responded and pronounced him dead shortly after arrival, and the investigation is ongoing. Police later identified the man as James Michael Klein, 64, of Palm Beach, Florida.
According to Klein's LinkedIn page, in 1999, he co-founded Fandango, a popular online ticket sales company that revolutionized the way Americans buy movie tickets, with Chief Operating Officer Art Levitt.
In the 2000s, after a decade-long battle with MovieTickets.com, Fandango emerged as the winner in online movie ticketing. Cline built a digital empire by selling movie tickets online, taking a commission and making a profit by selling online advertising. Fandango eliminated the need for people to wait in long lines at the box office, paving the way for a $37 billion online ticket sales industry.
He left the company in 2011, about four years after it was acquired by Comcast. Early investors in the online ticketing service included General Atlantic and TCV.
Klein was also a managing partner at Accretive, a venture capital firm he founded in 1999. Throughout his career, he has launched startups including R1 RCM, Acumen, Accolade, Everspring, Dressler and InsureOn. Since 2018, he has served as chairman of the board of directors at Juxtapose, a venture firm that invests in technology companies. During his tenure, Klein enjoyed investing in healthcare companies, according to his staff page. Juxtapose's portfolio companies include Tendo, Nectar and GreatJones.
Accretive, Juxtapose and Fandango did not immediately respond to TechCrunch's request for comment.