Seasoned Media and Advertising Executive Mike Leo Joins Ripple Street as CEO to Spearhead Growth

Former co-founder of Avenue A and CEO at Operative Media brings deep go-to-market expertise


TARRYTOWN, N.Y., July 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ripple Street, the leading in-home consumer engagement company, today announced Mike Leo as CEO. Mike Leo will lead the company’s go-to-market strategy and scale growth with leading consumer brands across various verticals.

“Now more than ever, Ripple Street is best positioned to solve brand marketers’ problems like no one else in the market. Its unique in-home and virtual solutions get brands’ products directly in front of the most highly motivated consumers,” said Jeff Samberg, Lead Director of the Board at Ripple Street. “I’m excited Mike has joined because he is a seasoned pro whose long-term vision and focus on execution will bring the company to new heights.”

At Ripple Street, Leo will leverage his deep business development and GTM expertise to help drive product innovation, growth, and operations for the company. Prior to Ripple Street, Mike Leo served various executive roles, founded and steered category-leading companies, built high-growth sales and marketing organizations, and drove business successes. At Operative Media (acquired by Sintec Media for nearly $200M), a global enterprise SaaS company that serves major advertisers, digital media companies, and agencies, Leo expanded the company’s international footprint to Europe, South America, and Australia, while driving a 3X rise in gross margin growth and a CAGR at 35%. Leo also co-founded Avenue A (bought by Microsoft for $6.2 billion), where he conceptualized and steered the internet ad/media buying company from start-up to success, growing the annual revenue to $140 million in two years.

“From the beginning, Ripple Street has remained true to its DNA of helping brands forge deep relationships with its consumers. I have never seen another company like it—its community of consumers willingly drive their cars to physical stores and take selfies because they want to try a brand’s new product and host a gathering with their friends and family, featuring that brand. Who else can say that?” said Mike Leo, CEO at Ripple Street. “I look forward to expanding our value proposition with brand marketers and building up an executive team that will accelerate product innovation and growth.”

Leo has earned numerous accolades, including being named by Business Insider as one of Silicon Valley's top executives for multiple years running, and by AlwaysOn and KPMG as one of the Ten Most Influential Executives in Silicon Valley. He has served as an adviser and on the board of several early-stage startups in the marketing technology space.

About Ripple Street
Ripple Street is the leading in-home consumer engagement company, connecting brands directly to real consumers through shared product experiences. Brands engage our passionate community of 1.4M+ consumers, who we rigorously vet for specific campaigns through surveys and social and retail activities; and gain exclusive access to authentic, unpaid product reviews and user-generated content. That's why top marketers in CPG, Alcohol, Pets, and other categories like Mondelez, Molson Coors and Natural Balance rely on Ripple Street to drive lasting brand, retail, and e-commerce results. For more information, visit www.about.ripplestreet.com.

Nikki Reyes, VP, Marketing at Ripple Street
nikki.reyes@ripplestreet.com 
(408) 499-0033

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fb926b33-2340-49e7-9f69-71ac54412b2b


Mike Leo