Part
01
of one
Part
01
Brief me on Mike Christensen
Mike Christensen is currently a Senior Apps and Growth Engineer with Viglink. He was a co-founder of Prosperent which was acquired by Viglink in 2016. His business network includes Jeremy Curtis, Joseph Salvador, Rachel Honoway, Glenn Wilk and Daniel Dye. Below is a summary of Mike’s experience and work history, business network, contributions and social media activity.
EXPERIENCE AND WORK HISTORY
After finishing college at DeVry University in California, Mike Christensen moved back home to Colorado Springs, CO. After working at several jobs including a travel agent and insurance salesman, he decided that he wanted to start his own business. Mike co-founded Prosperent with friends Brian Lovett and Andrew Keller in 2009, both of whom were fellow insurance salesmen. The company created software solutions for publishers that allowed marketers to drive sales to online retailers. It was responsible for the creation of Performance Ads and Application Programming Interface (API). It grew quickly and by 2011 had major clients such as Zappos.com, Overstock.com, REI, and QVC.
In 2016, Viglink acquired both the team and technology of Prosperent. Upon acquisition, Mike became the Senior Application Developer. The title Growth Engineer was added to his title in 2017. Viglink publishing network includes over 2 million apps and sites. The company’s advertising network has over 70,000 brands and merchants.
BUSINESS NETWORK
Jeremy Curtis is the President and Partner of Streamline Marketing in Seattle, WA. He has over 10 years experience in online marketing and customer acquisition. His specialties include ROI Driven Online Marketing Channels, CPA, CPC, CPM, & CPL Advertising, Performance Based Marketing, New Business Development, Business Strategy, Mobile Marketing and Advertising Sales. Curtis has previously worked for Performics, Harry & David and Backcountry.com.
John Salvador is the CEO of Epiphany AI and Digital Consulting. The company is headquartered in Denver, CO with offices located in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Madrid, Spain. His specialties include DSPs, SSPs, RTBs, DMPs, Private Exchanges, and the entire programmatic buying/selling economy as well as VAST/VPAID standards.
Rachel Honoway is a partner with Rust Built Ventures. She is also the owner and founder of Type-A-Parent and Honoway Interactive. Type-A-Parent hosts conferences, workshops and bootcamps for its community of bloggers. It was acquired by Rust Built Ventures in 2017. Rust Built Ventures manages SaaS and digital media companies and is active in consultation, acquisition and investing.
Glenn Wilk is the Principal at Wilk Marketing Ltd. located in Southern California. He is an eCommerce and affiliate marketing leader with Internet Top 200 Retailer expertise. He has worked with PacSun, AutoAnything, O'Neill Clothing, StylesForLess, PerformanceBike, Wall St. Journal and more. Prior to starting his own firm he was VP of Affiliate Marketing and eCommerce Services for Mercury Media.
Daniel Dye is the Executive Vice President of Native Rank of Denver, CO. Native Rank provides search and advertising solutions for ad agencies, newspapers, search companies and small to large businesses. Mike worked with Daniel at Native Rank before founding Prosperent.
CONTRIBUTIONS
As Prosperent’s President, Mike was nominated as an Industry Champion by the Performance Marketing Association and served on their 2015 Board of Directors. In regard to his role on the board, Mike stated, " I hope to make helpful and effective contributions that add value to our approach to marketing. We all have an idea of what we want it to become. What we want it to grow up to be. We want to be proud of performance marketing, have the world take it very seriously and become a serious contender and rewarding method of advertising for everyone involved. I intend to be a contributor to that cause."
The PMA is a non-profit organization founded in 2008. It is the only trade association for performance marketing. It coordinates advocacy efforts and speaks on behalf of the industry.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Mike has made several recent comments on Twitter revealing an interest in cryptocurrency and bitcoin. He notes that bitcoin is easier to use than gold and that Amazon has purchased 3 crypto domains indicating that cryptocurrency is something to take serious.
Mike's Facebook and Instagram pages show that he is interested in rock climbing. Another Instagram photo reveals that he played clarinet in high school. He is married and has two children, a son and daughter. Books that he has read and reviewed include The Warren Buffet Way by Robert G. Hagstrom, The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder, Rework by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson, and Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.
CONCLUSION
As requested, I have prepared a brief on Mike Christensen following the format and outline of your previous request on Jon Strande. Mike is presently the Senior Application and Growth Engineer for Viglink. He served on the Board of Directors for the Performance Marketing Association. His interests include rock climbing and cryptocurrency. I have included one source that dates back to 2011. The Colorado Springs Business Journal article is an interview with Mike Christensen two years after starting Prosperent and provides information about the company's background and developments.