Andy Russell (Trigger Media)

Andy Russell

Born	September 1, 1971 New York, NY
Known for	Technology Innovation and Investment

Andy Russell is a digital media, ad tech, and marketing tech innovator and pioneer. Over the past 17 years, Andy has invested in, incubated, or run over 50 technology companies. He is the founder and CEO of Trigger Media, an operating company focused on launching new digital social, ad tech, and marketing tech businesses. He is also Founder and Chairman of InsideHook, Host Committee, and Fevo. Russell is also a founding partner at Bob Pittman’s private equity firm Pilot Group.^[1]

Early career and education

Andy created his first business at age 16, which was the precursor to social networking. This business generated enough profit to allow Andy to pay for his education at Cornell University where he received his BA in Abnormal Psychology. Upon graduating from Cornell in 1993, Andy joined Chemical Bank (JP Morgan Chase), as an investment banking analyst and later associate in the acquisition finance group under the mentorship of the recently deceased Jimmy Lee.

In 1996, Russell deferred enrollment at Kellogg University where he was to study marketing and opted for the entrepreneurial trek. At age 25, Russell co-founded the world-renowned "hottest new restaurant in the universe" MOOMBA,^[2] with investors such as Laurence Fishburne, Larry Gagosian, Oliver Stone, and Keith Barish. Once MOOMA was up and running, Russell talked his way into Columbia Business School, because it was impossible to leave New York while running the hottest night club in the world. In 1999, Russell earned his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Columbia Business School. He simultaneously sold MOOMBA for a great return to 28 extremely influential investors.^[3]

From 1999-2003, Russell launched the digital media investment practice for East River Ventures and we believe was the youngest partner in the United States at a venture capital firm focused on digital.^[4]

Pilot Group

In 2003, Russell became a founding partner in Bob Pittman’s private equity firm, Pilot Group. The companies that Russell invested in, incubated or bought included Daily Candy (purchased for $2.3M, sold for $125M), Thrillist (incubated and exited for 25x return), Tasting Table (incubated), Idealbite (invested for majority control and exited in one year for 5x return), PureWow (incubated), Zynga (first professional money, exited for 100x return), Betaworks (first professional investor), Business Insider (first investor), Sailthru (first investor, currently valued at $200M), RapLeaf and LiveRamp (first investor, exited for $300M), SpongeCell (first investor), AdRoll (first investor at $6M, currently valued at $500M), and Bounce Exchange (first investor, currently valued at $200M).

Trigger Media

In 2011, Russell founded Trigger Media, an operating company focused on launching transformational or disruptive digital, social, ad tech, and marketing tech businesses. Trigger’s investors and advisors include Bob Pittman, Conde Nast/Advance Publications, former MySpace president Jason Hirschhorn, Paul Tudor Jones of Tudor Investments, former Daily Candy CEO Pete Sheinbaum, as well as Michael Kassan, former president of Initiative Media Worldwide, Ken Fox, cofounder of Internet Capital Group, and OneKingsLane founder Ali Pincus,^[5]^[6]

Trigger Media launched InsideHook, an email for older men, in 2011 and Host Committee ^[7] in 2012. Russell is currently Founder and Chairman of InsideHook, Host Committee, and Fevo. Russell is the Founder and CEO of Empact.

Russell is the Chairman of BUILD NYC and Treat House. Russell sits on the board of DMA (Data and Marketing Association), PureWow, Tasting Table, Madison Square Boys and Girls Club, and Mt. Sinai Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Press - Broadcasts

Press - Print

Press - Philanthropy

References

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