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Posted by on Nov 28, 2012 in Mobile | 1 comment

CEO Mihir Shah leaves TapJoy | That’s right Tapjoy CEO Mihir Shah has resigned.

CEO Mihir Shah leaves TapJoy | That’s right Tapjoy CEO Mihir Shah has resigned.

That’s right Tapjoy CEO Mihir Shah has resigned.

 

In an unsuspecting turn around at mobile app marketing company Tapjoy, CEO Mihir Shah resigned today.  How did it go down exactly?  Well, sources say that around 11am this morning there was an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ meeting that took place where Mark Leschley (who is now chairman of the board) introduced Steve Wadsworth as Shah’s replacement.

 

Shah wasn’t present during the meeting.  Wadsworth had formerly been at Disney for 17 years working in the company’s digital media and technology derpartment.  He also oversaw the company’s roughyl $700 million acquisition of social gaming company Playdom.

 

After leading monetization efforts at RockYou (a social gaming company) Shah made his way over to Tapjoy. Leading the transitions of business models from Facebook-Android-iOS the company had already been in discussion with bigger gaming companies (GREE included) over the past year, unfortunately none of them resulted in a deal.

 

With over $70 milion in VC funding from J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Rho Ventures, North Bridge Venture Partners, D.E, and Interwest. Tapjoy last year alone did around $100 million through: cross-promotion, incentivized installs for iOS and Android.  Unfortunately that didn’t last long after Apple’s Appstore guidelines update came out which basically went on to say,

 

“Apps cannot exist in the App Ecosystem with the sole purpose of promotion other apps.  They must bring real value to users, not just mini websites, or duplicate apps.” (Not verbatim of course, but that is the just of what the Update was about)

 

Just as an FYI (for your information) Tapjoy wasn’t the only one who took a tole on this one.  FreeAppADay also suffered greatly, as imagine many other less popular companies as well.

 

This caused Tapjoy to make the shift to Android to continue with its revenue model.  Tapjoy’s closet rival at this point is Flurry who recently raised an additoinal $25 million.  Inside sources have disclosed that the company is expected to do about $180 million this year, however of what % will be company PROFIT is undetermined.

 

The official press release can be read below:

 

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — The Board of Directors of Tapjoy, Inc. (www.tapjoy.com), a leading mobile and advertising platform, today announced that Steve Wadsworth, the former president of Disney Interactive Media Group and a current Tapjoy Director, has been named President and CEO of the company. The Board also announced the resignation of Mihir Shah as President and CEO. The change is effective immediately.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120731/LA49747LOGO)

Wadsworth has been an influential senior executive and leader in the Internet and interactive digital media industry since 1995. Wadsworth spent 17 years at The Walt Disney Company where he was a pioneer for the company’s digital media and technology business including more than 11 years as Disney’s chief Internet and digital media executive.

In his most recent role, Wadsworth served as president of Disney Interactive Media Group (DIMG), the interactive entertainment segment of The Walt Disney Company. During his tenure, Wadsworth led DIMG’s global creation and delivery of entertainment and lifestyle content across digital and interactive media platforms, including mobile devices, Internet, video game consoles, and social media platforms.

“Tapjoy sits in the epicenter of an incredibly exciting growth industry and is very well positioned to take advantage of future growth,” said Mark Leschly, Chairman, Tapjoy Board of Directors. “Tapjoy has scaled dramatically over the past two years, and we are very excited and fortunate to have someone with Steve’s management credentials and deep technology and entertainment industry expertise to lead Tapjoy through our next phase of growth. Steve has had a unique opportunity to work closely with our senior management team since joining the Board. He will ensure that this is a seamless transition for all of Tapjoy’s customers and employees as we continue to drive the growth and product innovation we are known for.

“The Board would also like to acknowledge Mihir’s contributions to the firm during his tenure as CEO and thank him for helping the company transition from its start-up phase to a market leading growth company,” continued Mr. Leschly.

“I’m extremely excited to be joining Tapjoy and the incredible team of talented, committed people who have built this dynamic company, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to lead Tapjoy through our next stage of growth,” said Mr. Wadsworth. “Tapjoy is a unique and compelling company whose innovation has created a robust model for mobile app discovery and monetization, serving the needs of publishers and advertisers. I’m honored to be part of the team, and I look forward to the opportunity.”

Before joining The Walt Disney Company in 1993, Wadsworth was a principal for the Windsor Park Group in Los Angeles, an investment, acquisition and consulting firm focused on the retail and consumer products industries.

About Tapjoy
Tapjoy is a mobile advertising and monetization platform whose Mobile Value Exchange model allows users to select personalized advertisements with which to engage for virtual rewards or premium content. Tapjoy helps unlock mobile joy by empowering users on more than 1 billion devices to watch videos, subscribe to services, install applications and participate in other types of advertisements in exchange for virtual rewards they can use in their favorite apps. Tapjoy’s turnkey in-app advertising platform helps developers to cost-effectively acquire high-value new users and monetize their applications, while its powerful advertising marketplace lets brand advertisers reach a global mobile audience spanning more than 73,000 applications. Tapjoy is backed by top-tier investors, including J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Rho Ventures, North Bridge Venture Partners, InterWest Partners and D.E. Shaw Ventures. Headquartered in San Francisco, the company also has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Santa Barbara, Atlanta, Boston, Paris, Dusseldorf, London, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul and Tokyo. For more information, please visit www.tapjoy.com.

© 2012 Tapjoy, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Tapjoy and the Tapjoy logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Tapjoy, Inc. All third party logos and trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

 

-Kevin

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Kevin is an Online and Mobile Marketing Strategist who has worked with companies of all sizes over the last 6 years. You can follow Kevin on any of the social platforms below.

 
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