Heidi Messer

Heidi Messer has been an active entrepreneur and investor in the digital economy since the commercialization of the Internet. She currently serves as coFounder and Chairperson of Collective[i]™. Collective[i] is reinventing the way B2B sales executives, operators and professionals manage revenue. Collective[i] (short for Collective Intelligence) hosts a global network, that uses AI to deliver intelligence through applications designed to grow revenue for enterprise sales organizations.

Prior to Collective[i], Ms. Messer and her brother, Stephen Messer, co-founded LinkShare Corporation (now known as Rakuten Marketing), host to one of the world’s largest online affiliate networks representing the world’s premier publishers and merchants on the web. The company is widely considered to be a pioneer in the world of SaaS, digital advertising and the sharing economy. Under Ms. Messer’s leadership, LinkShare was recognized by Deloitte and Touche for two consecutive years as the fastest growing technology company in the New York Region. Ms. Messer served as a board member, President and Chief Operating Officer of LinkShare until its sale to Rakuten (4755:JASDAQ) for $425 million in 2005.

Ms. Messer is a frequent speaker at conferences around the world and universities on entrepreneurship, digital marketing and advertising, business intelligence and the future of Internet services. She has been cited in various publications including, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, Vogue Magazine, the NY Post, The Nikkei, Women’s Wear Daily and Chief Executive Magazine. Ms. Messer has also appeared on national television and radio programs including the Today Show, Rock Center with Brian Williams, Business Talk Radio, CNBC, Fox News, CBS Morning News and the Fox Morning Show. Ms. Messer has received several honors including being selected as one of 2012’s 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs by Goldman Sachs.

Ms. Messer serves on the board of the Partnership for NYC, the Brown Women’s Leadership Council and the Brown Entrepreneurship Program as well as advisory boards for the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Johns Hopkins, Dell Computers, NBC Universal and American Express OPEN. Ms. Messer received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude. She received her juris doctorate from Harvard Law School graduating cum laude.