Heidi Messer (born August 28, 1969) is an American entrepreneur and investor who has founded several global businesses, most notably LinkShare and Collective[i].[1][2][3] Messer served as a board member, President, and Chief Operating Officer of LinkShare, contributing to the sector of online marketing commonly referred to as affiliate marketing.[4][5]
Heidi Messer | |
---|---|
Born | |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Brown University, Harvard Law School |
Occupation(s) | Co-founder, Chairman, Collective[i] Co-founder, CEO, World Evolved Co-founder, President and COO, LinkShare. |
Website | collectivei |
Early life
editMesser is the eldest child of two entrepreneurs.[6] Her paternal and maternal grandparents were also entrepreneurs.[7]
College and law school
editMesser earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Brown University, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude.[8][9] She received her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School graduating cum laude.[10] While at Harvard in the mid-1990s, Messer co-presented a paper to the recently appointed Justice Stephen Breyer on the impact of the Internet on existing legal frameworks.[11]
Career
editEarly career
editThroughout high school and college, Messer worked for her family's real estate and maintenance business. After graduating from Harvard, Messer worked as an attorney at Baker & Botts, LLP.[10]
LinkShare Corporation
editIn 1996, Messer and her brother Stephen Messer created LinkShare, an online distribution network that allowed websites to monetize their traffic through performance based links.[12][13] Messer served as president and COO of LinkShare until its sale in 2005 to Rakuten Inc. for $425 million.[14][15] In 2006, Messer left the company.[16][17]
Collective[i]
editIn 2008, Messer co-founded Cross Commerce Media with her husband, Tad Martin and brother.[18] As of 2014, Messer serves as the chair of the company's board of directors.[19] In 2014, Messer was granted two patents in conjunction with Collective[i]'s data analytics network.[20][21]
Angel investing, board affiliations and community involvement
editMesser is co-founder and CEO of World Evolved, a platform for global investment and expansion.[22][23] She is also a founding member of the Zokei Network, an invitation-only network of artists, scientists, and business leaders who meet in private salons around the world.[7] Messer is also an angel investor in numerous startups including Spire,[24] Lifebooker, and DoDo Case.[25] Additionally, she serves on the board of Alliance Bernstein.[26][27]
Messer serves on the Brown Women's Leadership Counsel[9] and advisory boards for Netplenish,[28] the Brown Entrepreneurship Program,[29][30] the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Johns Hopkins,[31] Dell Computers,[32] NBC Universal,[33] and American Express OPEN.[34] Messer also serves on the board of the Partnership for New York City and has been a judge and mentor in the NYC Venture Fellows Program.[35][36]
Speaking engagements and press
editMesser is a frequent speaker at universities and conferences around the world on entrepreneurship, digital marketing and advertising, business intelligence, and the future of the internet. Messer has presented at Baruch College, Columbia Business School, and Fordham University.[37][38] She has been cited in various publications including, The Wall Street Journal,[39] The New York Times,[40][41] USA Today,[42] Inc. Magazine,[43] Forbes,[44][45] The Nikkei, Bloomberg Businessweek,[46] Women's Wear Daily,[47] Chief Executive Magazine,[48] and Wired.[49]
Messer is also known as the host of an exclusive all female Poker game, featured in Vogue as a new model for combining networking, idea sharing, and charitable giving similar to the intellectual salons of the past.[15][50] Additionally, Messer has appeared on national television and radio programs including the Today Show,[51] Rock Center,[52] Business Talk Radio, Fox News, CBS Morning News, and the Fox Morning Show.[2][53][54]
Messer and her brother Stephen were featured in the Startup Playbook by David Kidder along with Elon Musk, Tony Hsieh, Steve Case, Jay S. Walker, Reid Hoffman, and Sara Blakely.[55][56] She has also been cited in An Incredible Dream: Ralph Roberts and the Story of Comcast by William Novak and Stiletto Network by Pamela Ryckman.[57][58]
In 2011, Messer organized an art exhibit held at the Charles Bank Gallery in New York City.[59] The show, entitled Celestial Matters, featured works of art that had only previously been displayed in an exhibition hosted during a private mission on the International Space Station. The reception for these works benefited the Challenger Center for Space Science Exploration and featured the astronaut Buzz Aldrin.[60]
Messer served on the 2012 Wall Street Journal Executive Task Force on Women and participated in the 2014 Wall Street Journal CIO Network as a subject matter expert.[2][39][61][62]
In 2013, Messer was selected to serve as a member of Comptroller Scott Stringer's Transition Committee.[63]
Awards and honors
editIn 2012, Messer was selected as one of the 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs by Goldman Sachs as part of their Builders and Innovators Summit.[64] Additionally, Messer was named one of the 2012 Power Players in New York City by AlwaysOn.[65]
Under Messer's leadership, LinkShare was recognized by Deloitte & Touche in 2002 and 2003 as the fastest growing technology company in the New York Region. In 2002, LinkShare was also named the Best Affiliate Network Provider by ABestWeb.[10][66]
In both 2012 and 2013, Messer's current venture, Collective[i], was selected as one of OnMedia's 100 Top Private Companies.[67][68]
In 2015, Collective[i] was named an OnCloud Top 100 private company under the 'Software-as-a-service solution for big data analytics' category.[69][70]
On November 19, 2015, Messer received the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Technology Pioneer Award at the United Nations in New York City.[71]
References
edit- ^ "Steve Waskul interviews Heidi Messer, Co-founder and Chairman of Collective[i]". waskul.tv. Archived from the original on March 12, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
- ^ a b c "WSJ CIO Network Biography for Heidi Messer". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
- ^ "City Talk, Doug Muzzio interviews Heidi Messer". CUNY Television. November 11, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
- ^ Rojas, Javier E. (October 20, 2008). "Conversation with Heidi Messer, Founder, LinkShare". Sand Hill. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ "10 NYC Families Where Tech Is in the Blood". AlleyWatch. November 18, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
- ^ Mendels, Pamela (October 20, 1997). "Brother-Sister Team a Rarity in Silicon Alley". The New York Times. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ a b Surden, Esther (May 21, 2013). "Heidi Messer Talks Realities of Entrepreneurship at NJ Tech Gals Meetup". New Jersey Tech Weekly. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ "Class of 1992". Brown University. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ a b "Women's Leadership Council Member List". Brown University. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ a b c "CEO Interview with Stephen Messer". The Wall Street Transcript. April 6, 2004. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ Heidi Messer and Elisa Maciá (1995). "Copyright and Censorship in Cyberspace: Regulating on the Electronic Frontier". Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ Kidder, David (2012). The Startup Playbook: Secrets of the Fastest-Growing Startups from Their Founding Entrepreneurs. Chronicle Books, LLC. ISBN 9781452105048. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
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ignored (help) - ^ Rojas, Javier (July 2, 2013). "Return Leaders: Heidi Messer, Founder, LinkShare". Seeking Growth. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ a b Klich, Tanya Benedicto (March 3, 2014). "The Rise of Stiletto Networks – Top 5 Women's Power Circles, Wafia (Women's Mafia Poker Night)". Entrepreneur.com. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
- ^ Peters, Kurt (February 9, 2006). "Founders Stephen Messer and Heidi Messer leave LinkShare". Internet Retailer. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ Olson, Parmy. "Mission Impossible: How Rakuten Billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani Plans To 'Beat Amazon'". September 6, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ "Founded by Business Leaders, Built by World Class Scientists and Developers". Collective[i]. Archived from the original on February 10, 2014. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ "Collective[i] Leadership, Management Team Biography Listings". Collective[i]. Archived from the original on March 12, 2014. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ "United States Patent, 8,713,076, Providing a multi-tenant knowledge network". US Patent & Trademark Office, Patent Full Text and Image Database. April 29, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
- ^ "United States Patent, 8,825,716, Providing a multi-tenant knowledge network". US Patent & Trademark Office, Patent Full Text and Image Database. September 2, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
- ^ Maltby, Emily (February 3, 2011). "First Stop: London. Next Stop: The World". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ "Heidi Messer CEO Profile". A Field Guide to Female Founders, Influencers & Deal Makers. Archived from the original on March 12, 2014. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ Brewster, Signe (July 29, 2014). "Spire, formerly Nanosatisfi, raises $25M Series A round to expand its satellite fleet". Gigaom. Gigaom, Inc. Archived from the original on February 14, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
- ^ Brummelhuis, Simone (June 16, 2010). "Role Model Female Entrepreneurs, Investors and Leaders meet in New York to set Goals". The NextWomen Business Magazine. Archived from the original on March 12, 2014. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ "Alliance Bernstein". Alliance Bernstein L.P. Alliance Bernstein. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
- ^ "Alliance Bernstein Bio for Heidi Messer". Alliance Bernstein. Alliance Bernstein L.P. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
- ^ "Heidi Messer Executive Profile". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on March 10, 2014. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ "Brown Entrepreneurship Program Board of Advisors". Brown Entrepreneurship Program. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ "Brown University Entrepreneurship Program Advisory Board Listing". Brown University Entrepreneurship Program. February 25, 2011. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ "Department of Physics and Astronomy at Johns Hopkins Advisory Council". Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts & Sciences. February 19, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
- ^ "Dell Center for Entrepreneurs Advisory Board". Dell Center for Entrepreneurs. Archived from the original on March 1, 2014. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ Owen, Lauren Hazard (May 1, 2012). "Women from Twitter, Gilt, One Kings Lane join NBCU's new digital advisory board". paidContent. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
- ^ "Women at NBCU Advisory Board". Women at NBCU. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ "2013 NYC Venture Fellows share their thoughts on the program with Heidi Messer". NYC Venture Fellows. Archived from the original on August 21, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ^ "New York City Economic Development Corporation Announces Third Class of "NYC Venture Fellows"". New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and Fordham University. January 31, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ^ "Campaigning in the Digital City, Event Details". Baruch College. September 19, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ^ "NYC Venture Fellows' Mentors". Fordham University. Archived from the original on March 12, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ^ a b Shellenbarger, Sue (May 7, 2012). "The XX Factor: What's Holding Women Back?". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ^ Story, Lousie (November 26, 2005). "As Corporate Ad Money Flows Their Way, Bloggers Risk Their Rebel Reputation". The New York Times. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ^ Tedeschi, Bob (February 6, 2006). "Now for Sale Online, the Art of the Vacation". The New York Times. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ^ Abrams, Rhonda (June 9, 2011). "How women entrepreneurs are changing the world". USA Today. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ^ Mochari, Ilan (October 1, 1999). "The Internet E-cosystem". Inc. Magazine. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ^ Utz, Jennifer (January 8, 2013). "Finding The Right Business Partner: It's All About Trust". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 10, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ^ Bailey, James (November 11, 2011). "Driven by Data: Your Bank Can Predict Your Divorce". Forbes. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
- ^ Brady, Diane (February 17, 2014). "Levo League's New Model for Millennial Media". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on February 17, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ^ "Women's Wear Daily Article quotes Heidi Messer". Women's Wear Daily. June 16, 1999. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ^ "Relationship Builders". Chief Executive (US). December 1, 2000. Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ^ Austen, Ben (July 23, 2012). "The Story of Steve Jobs: An Inspiration or a Cautionary Tale?". Wired. Vol. 20, no. 8. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ^ Mitchell, Heidi (April 13, 2015). "Full House: Inside New York's Most Elusive Women-Only Poker Game". Vogue. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
- ^ "Stiletto Network on the TODAY Show!". The TODAY Show. May 26, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
- ^ "Rock Center, Women create 'stiletto networks' to help each other achieve business success". Rock Center with Brian Williams. May 23, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
- ^ "Slow Sales Prompt More Drastic Discounts". Fox News Channel. December 21, 2004. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
- ^ "Your World with Neil Cavuto", Topics and Guests for December 20". Fox News Channel. December 21, 2004. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
- ^ Kidder, David (December 12, 2012). "The Startup Playbook Founder Profile for Heidi Messer". The Startup Playbook. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
- ^ Newman, Kira (January 24, 2013). "A Book in 5 Minutes: The Startup Playbook: Secrets of the Fastest-Growing Startups from Their Founding Entrepreneurs". Tech Cocktail. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
- ^ Ryckman, Pamela (2013). Stiletto Network. AMACOM, American Management Association. p. 83. ISBN 9780814432532. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
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- ^ Koplovitz, Kay (May 22, 2013). "Stiletto Network: The Emerging Power of Women's Human Capital". HuffPost. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
- ^ "Heidi Messer talks to Ingrid about the power of Entrepreneurship". Dell EIR. October 14, 2011. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
- ^ Chow, Denise (October 19, 2011). "Space Art Launching from NYC Gallery This Weekend". NBC News. Archived from the original on March 12, 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
- ^ "Task-Force Members". The Wall Street Journal. May 7, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
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- ^ "New York City Comptroller-Elect Scott M. Stringer Announces The First Wave Of Appointments To His New Leadership Team". New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. December 24, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
- ^ "Collective[i] Company description". Big Data-Startups. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ "Announcing the 2012 Power Players New York City". AlwaysOn. February 23, 2012. Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
- ^ "Online Affiliate Community Votes LinkShare Best Affiliate Network Provider of 2002; Leading Performance-Based Marketing Provider Receives Top Rating from Industry Users; LinkShare CEO Voted Best Service to Industry". The Free Library. January 6, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
- ^ Messer, Stephen (April 9, 2012). "Council for Accountable Advertising: Year One Highlights". Council for Accountable Advertising. Archived from the original on March 12, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
- ^ "Announcing the 2013 OnMedia 100 Top Private Companies". AlwaysOn. March 20, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
- ^ "Announcing the 2015 OnCloud Top 100 private companies". aonetwork.com. AlwaysOn. Archived from the original on February 21, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
- ^ "2015's Top 10 Software-as-a-Service solution for big data analytics companies list". CEOWORLD Magazine. February 1, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
- ^ Diamond, Wendy. "Women's Entrepreneurship Day Organization Pioneer Awards 2015 Winners". WED. Retrieved July 5, 2018.