How LinkShare's Network Model Led To a $425M Acquisition By Rakuten with Stephen Messer

In todays episode we have back on the show, for a second time, Stephen Messer, serial entrepreneur and the Cofounder of Collective[i]. To find out all about that company, go back and listen to episode # 107.

In today's episode, however,  we will be discussing his previous company, LinkShares, an affiliate marketing service provider that got acquired by Rakuten for a cool $425M

What to listen for:

• The opportunity he saw to build a network-based approach to winning a new kind of market
• How to convince big brands to do something they've never done before
• The role "first principles" played in their strategic thinking and what "first principles" is
• The technology they pattented that was vastly different than anything that had been developed at the time to track who was affiliated with which sales
• What he calls "insane" as it pertains to the way VC's look at AI model metrics
• The 2 things he said you must possess if you're going to be a disruptive company 
• The struggle they had to endure to keep going and where they found the strength
• The moment that turned everything in their favor
• Where he was when the money hit the bank

All that and more on this episode. 

Stephen was also kind enough to give me a private on AI training to break down what goes into business intelligence, machine learning and deep learning. 

To access the training click on this link.  https://youtu.be/aiKrAENS22c