Data Company on Track to Double Sales Organization and Revenue in 2016
LOS ANGELES, CA – When Factual, the neutral data company that makes data accessible to everyone, announced the conclusion of its $35 million Series B round last December, CEO Gil Elbaz said job one would be scaling the company’s revenue organization “to meet ever-growing demand, while maintaining the unique data-driven, partnership-friendly approach that has become a hallmark of [Factual’s] company’s culture.” To lead that effort, Elbaz today announced that experienced technology executive Rob Jonas is joining Factual as its first SVP of Revenue. Jonas’ resume includes extensive experience leading high growth revenue teams and managing partnerships at companies including Google, Yahoo!, InMobi, and PubMatic.
“Our existing business development and partner services teams have done an outstanding job building and deepening relationships with a large number of customers across mobile advertising, mobile apps/platforms, and traditional Fortune 500 companies, but now we’re ready for the next level and I believe Rob is the guy to get us there,” said Elbaz. “Beyond his depth of experience with digital advertising, what impressed me most about Rob is his enthusiasm for data and the untold ways we might serve customers — and ultimately empower innovation — with accessible, actionable, factual data.”
Jonas’ priority will be to scale the revenue organization quickly enough to meet the demand the company is seeing from the market. Factual’s Global Places™ data and Geopulse® data services are quickly becoming the global standard for places data and location-based mobile ad targeting, with partners including large mobile platforms such as Apple (Apple Maps), Facebook (Facebook Places), Microsoft (Bing), plus thousands of smaller developers and mobile apps; leading mobile advertising companies such as DoubleClick by Google, InMobi, Turn, The Trade Desk, Adelphic, AppNexus, Sizmek, and dozens of others; and leading companies in payments including two of the four major networks, large card-issuing banks, and payment processors.
From the outset Factual built a global dataset and globally applicable products, which led to its success in developing relationships with large global tech companies. The company has also seen strong growth in international demand from foreign based companies and through its global partners, even in the absence of having local teams to capitalize on the international opportunity. To that end, Factual is growing its presence both in the U.S. and around the world. The data company recently acquired new office space in San Francisco — more than doubling its Silicon Valley presence — and expects to move into expanded space in both Los Angeles and New York City by mid year. Its first European office is slated to open in London by Q2, with additional international offices to open by the end of 2016.
“There has never been a more exciting time to be in the data business, and I can’t imagine a better place to help realize its potential than alongside Gil Elbaz and the world class team he’s put together at Factual. It’s a little like pioneering rock n’ roll alongside Elvis,” Jonas said. “The work Gil achieved at his first company literally made online innovation financially feasible, and talking to him about his vision for Factual, I’m left with the impression that Applied Semantics was just his opening act. I’m honored by his faith in me and look forward to help make that vision a reality.”
With 16 years of experience, Jonas has a track record of success in leading high growth sales organizations and overseeing international expansion for companies at the nexus of data, software, and digital marketing. Previously Global Chief Revenue Officer at PubMatic, Jonas led PubMatic’s full strategic, operational, and revenue management globally, and was responsible for launching PubMatic into Japan, along with overseeing massive growth in EMEA and APAC. Prior to PubMatic, Jonas had leadership roles at InMobi, leading both EMEA and Global Business Operations, and has worked at Google, Yahoo, Overture, and Idealab. Jonas earned his degree from Oxford University, and has completed executive education at the Judge Business School, Cambridge University, both in the United Kingdom.
About Factual
Data is increasingly critical to driving innovation and no one should be at a data disadvantage. Factual believes that data should be accessible to every developer, entrepreneur, business, and organization — anyone who needs it to build a better app, provide a better search result, make smarter software, make a better decision, or help others make better decisions.
Factual is the neutral data company that makes data accessible to everyone, accelerating innovation and improving our daily lives. Thousands of developers, publishers, advertisers, and enterprises use Factual’s location data, including some of the world’s largest search, mapping, and social platforms, leading publishers and advertising technology firms encompassing billions of dollars of ad spend, and global leaders in financial services and payments. Factual’s core capability is an unmatched ability to build high-quality data, driven by its ever-expanding network of data-sharing partners and its data stack that turns billions of pieces of information into clean, structured factual data.
Factual is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA. For more information, visit http://www.factual.com.
