Heidi Messer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Co-founder, CEO, World Evolved
Co-founder, President and COO, LinkShare.
Heidi Messer | |
|---|---|
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| Born | August 28, 1969 |
| Alma mater | Brown University, Harvard Law School |
| Occupations | Co-founder, Chairman, Collective[i] Co-founder, CEO, World Evolved Co-founder, President and COO, LinkShare. |
| Website | collectivei |
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]
Messer was born in Westchester County, New York. She is the eldest child of two entrepreneurs.[6] Her paternal and maternal grandparents were also entrepreneurs.[7]
College and law school
Messer earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Brown University, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude. She received her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, graduating cum laude.[8]
Career
Early career
Throughout 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.[8]
LinkShare Corporation
In 1996, Messer and her brother, Stephen Messer, created LinkShare, an online distribution network that allowed websites to monetize their traffic through performance based links.[9][10] Messer served as president and COO of LinkShare until its sale in 2005, to Rakuten Inc. for $425 million.[11][12] In 2006, Messer left the company.[13][14]
Collective[i]
In 2008, Messer co-founded Cross Commerce Media with her husband and brother.[15] As of 2014, Messer serves as the chair of the company's board of directors.[16] In 2014, Messer was granted two patents in conjunction with Collective[i]'s data analytics network.[17][18]
Angel investing, board affiliations, and community involvement
Messer is co-founder and CEO of World Evolved, a platform for global investment and expansion.[19][20] 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,[21] Lifebooker, and DoDo Case.[22]
Messer serves on the Brown Women's Leadership Counsel and advisory boards for Netplenish,[23] the Brown Entrepreneurship Program, the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Johns Hopkins, Dell Computers, NBC Universal,[24] and American Express OPEN. 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.