Mark Pearson (entrepreneur)
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Mark Pearson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1980 (age 45–46) |
Mark Pearson (born 1980) is a London-based businessman. He founded and was CEO of Markco Media, a European discount network.[1][2][3]
In June 2014, Markco Media, the parent company of MyVoucherCodes, was acquired by Monitise plc for £55m.[4]
Pearson grew up on a council estate in Liverpool with his mother and sister.[5]
At age 23, Pearson founded Roses by Design, selling fresh rose petals with custom messages.[6] Through this venture, he discovered affiliate marketing when Interflora and Flowers Direct requested to place discount code banners on his website.[5]
In November 2006, aged 26, Pearson launched MyVoucherCodes with an initial investment of £300.[7] The business operated from his bedroom until 2009, when he established an office in Croydon, later relocating to central London in 2011.[3]
Investment activities
Pearson has invested approximately £5m across nine companies, with minimum investments of £100,000.[8]
His investment portfolio includes Shopwave, an iPad payment system for retailers, and Calq, a mobile analytics firm. He invested £1m in Ve Interactive, which expanded from 30 to 700 employees across 18 global offices. Ve Interactive reached a valuation of $3bn in June 2015[9] before entering administration in April 2017.[10] A consortium including Pearson subsequently acquired the company for £2m.[11]
In October 2014, Warner Music Group acquired Playlists.net, another of Pearson's investments.[12]
Fuel ventures
In December 2013, Pearson and Paul Rous, a former Goldman Sachs corporate financier, along with Sapphire Capital Partners LLP[13], established Fuel Ventures, an early-stage e-commerce investment fund and startup studio.[14]
The fund raised £539,900 through crowdfunding platform Seedrs,[15] with tennis player Andy Murray among its investors.[16]
Community engagement
In 2010, Pearson appeared on Channel 4's The Secret Millionaire, donating £115,000 to three Nottingham-based charities addressing gun crime and domestic violence.[3][17]
In 2012, he established Hackathon London, connecting developers with investors and mentors.[18] He later sponsored the Young Rewired State Hackathon in Scotland when it faced cancellation.[19]